‘You saved a lot of our people’: Four syilx Nation members honoured for contributions

‘You saved a lot of our people’: Four syilx Nation members honoured for contributions nkwancinem Kim Montgomery, gifted a fox pelt in recognition of her community impact, was one of those recognized at the ONA annual general assembly this year BY AARON HEMENS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER ● NEWS, OKANAGAN ● AUGUST 21, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Share on Reddit Share on WhatsApp Email this Page With her family, colleagues and community surrounding her, an emotional nkwancinem Kim Montgomery is gifted a special fox pelt from her sister on July 23, honouring 20 years of service with the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Photo by Aaron Hemens With her family, colleagues and community surrounding her, an emotional nkwancinem Kim Montgomery was gifted a special fox pelt to honour her 20 years of service with the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA). A key and dedicated member of ONA’s wellness team, nkwancinem was honoured by her colleagues in her home community of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band. She was one of four syilx Nation members to have had their lifelong achievements and contributions to the community celebrated at the ONA’s 2026 annual general assembly, which took place July 22 and 23 in sməqmíx homelands. nkwancinem Kim Montgomery, third from the left, walks with her family and community at Similkameen powwow arbour grounds on July 23, after being honoured for her 20 years of service with the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Photo by Aaron Hemens As the mental health lead for the Okanagan Nation Response Team, nkwancinem oversees a group of “community members who have received extensive training in the areas of suicide education, community mobilization, and critical incident response.” “We have the skills in our communities to take care of our people,” she told IndigiNews in 2021. “We forget we have the timxw (wildlife), we have ceremony, we have the sweat, we have the water, we have rose bush. We have all the things we do in our grief work.” ONA wellness team manager c̓ʔak̕ʷm Jennifer Lewis called nkwancinem her “sister” and “comrade,” and acknowledged “her love, her passion, her commitment to the people and to the future.” “It’s really important to honour her. We would not be where we’re at,” said c̓ʔak̕ʷm. “Twenty years, Kim. There’s some children that you’ve impacted that are young adults. You’ve impacted Elders. You’ve impacted babies. You’ve impacted fathers, mothers. All of our people.” smukaxen Inez Pierre…