Cyaʕmílx Culture Camp

Cyaʕmílx is a four day, and three night experience for Tribal youth and descendants ages 11 - 16  to engage with culture, community and land. Held at the scenic Twin Lakes Youth Camp, we will weave cultural teachings, land-based learning, and social-emotional skills using the framework of the Four Food Chiefs. Guided by skm̓ xist (bear), ntytyix (salmon), sp̓iƛ̓m (bitterroot), and síyaʔ (serviceberry) youth will explore a variety of hands on activities that build leadership skills, collaboration, and creative thinking.

Camp activities may include:

• Language sessions

• Medicine making

• Weaving

• Traditional foods (cooking, processing, preserving)

• Storytelling

• Fishing

• Canoeing and water play

• Hide tanning

• Stone, bone and wood tools

• Natural dyes

• Land stewardship projects

• Mask and puppet making

• Talking circles

Goals:

• Create an inclusive and culturally affirming learning environment that centers healthy identity, belonging, and strategies for social emotional well-being

• Create opportunities for youth to engage in traditional ecological knowledge, land-based learning and cultural teachings from Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Nature Immersion staff

• Encourage healthy connection and relationship to the land, water, peers and adults through hands on and placed based learning

• Provide opportunities to engage in the teachings of the Four Chiefs through story work, language, and traditional foods/crafts.