In Summer 2025, UBC Okanagan offered INDG 301: En’owkinwixw Process in collaboration with the En’owkin Centre an Lillooet Tribal Council, bringing together students from three Indigenous Language Fluency cohorts—Nłeʔkepmx (NLEK), Nsyilxcn (NSYL), and St’át’imc—for an immersive, land-based, and community-informed learning experience.
The course introduced students to the En’owkinwixw process, a Syilx methodology of consensus-based decision-making, rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems, relational accountability, and respect for diverse perspectives. The En’owkinwixw process provided a culturally grounded framework for exploring language revitalization, Indigenous governance, and collective responsibility.
Throughout the course, students engaged with Elders, fluent speakers, and knowledge keepers through dialogue circles, reflective writing, storytelling, and participatory learning on the land. The inter-Nation format fostered meaningful relationship-building across language groups and created a shared space for dialogue on the distinct yet interconnected pathways of Indigenous language resurgence.
Students were encouraged to reflect on how the En’owkinwixw process could inform their own practices of leadership, teaching, and community engagement. The course emphasized the importance of Indigenous pedagogies and the central role of language in healing, identity, and cultural continuity.
The INDG 301 course not only deepened students’ understanding of the En’owkinwixw philosophy but also strengthened their commitment to upholding the values of collaboration, humility, and Indigenous self-determination in their future work as language advocates and community leaders.
