As wildfires continue to burn, prayer gatherings are held across the Okanagan

As wildfires continue to burn, prayer gatherings are held across the Okanagan People came together at various waterways in the region this week to hold ceremony for the land and offer support to people affected BY AARON HEMENS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER ● NEWS, OKANAGAN ● AUGUST 28, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Share on Reddit Share on WhatsApp Email this Page At the bottom of kɬúsx̌nítkʷ (Okanagan Lake) in snpink’tn (Penticton) on Aug. 26, community members sing and pray for the health of the land and for those affected by wildfires this summer. Photo by Aaron Hemens As wildfires continued to burn in syilx Okanagan homelands this week, six gatherings were held at waterways across the region to offer prayers for the land and people affected. At the bottom of kɬúsx̌nítkʷ (Okanagan Lake) in snpink’tn (Penticton), more than 40 people — Indigenous and non-Indigenous — came together for a ceremony led by Okanagan Nation Alliance’s (ONA) wellness team. During the emotional event on Wednesday, people who were evacuated or lost homes to the Bald Range wildfire in “Summerland” were encircled and supported by the community, while prayers were made for the health of Mother Earth. At the bottom of kɬúsx̌nítkʷ (Okanagan Lake) in snpink’tn (Penticton) on Aug. 26, community members gather and pray for the health of the land and for those affected by wildfires this summer. Photo by Aaron Hemens Before lining up along the lake’s edge to sing, drum, pray and offer tobacco, the group organized themselves into a circle on the beach, where opening remarks were made and the Okanagan Song was sung. “Today, we ask for prayers for the land; for the water; for all of those that have been impacted out there,” said c̓ʔak̕ʷm Jennifer Lewis, the manager of ONA’s wellness team. “All of those that have lost things; all of those that have been afraid, and all of the animals and all the plants that are out there.” As the gathering unfolded on Aug. 26, there were two other ceremonies happening simultaneously at different parts of the lake: one in the central area by Westbank First Nation, and the other at nk̓maplqs (the head of Okanagan Lake) by the Okanagan Indian Band. The community gathers in a circle at the bottom of kɬúsx̌nítkʷ (Okanagan Lake) in snpink’tn (Penticton) on Aug. 26, ahead of opening remarks, prayers and drum song. Photo by Aaron Hemens There were also prayer events happening at nkwiritkʷ (Gllimpse Lake) by the Upper…