XA7TUS Advocacy Society
The Upper Similkameen Indian Band is fighting to protect its governance, territory, and future. Here's why it matters — and how you can help.
A Small Nation Facing an Unprecedented Challenge
The Upper Similkameen Indian Band (USIB) is a small, close-knit Syilx community in British Columbia that has lived on and stewarded its unceded land - spanning 2,726 acres - for generations. Rooted in strong societal values, hereditary governance, and deep kinship ties, the Nation has long sustained itself through connection to territory, culture, and community. Today, however, USIB faces an urgent and unprecedented challenge: the rapid expansion of its membership through the inclusion of individuals with no known familial, cultural, or territorial ties to the Nation. Many of these newly added members have never lived on or visited USIB lands, yet have been granted equal status through decisions by Indigenous Services Canada - placing immense strain on the integrity, governance, and continuity of the community.
In response, USIB's hereditary leadership and dedicated hub team have mobilized to protect their Nation's future. This work led to the creation of the Xa7tus Advocacy Society. Through coordinated legal action, forensic genealogy, and national coalition-building, Xa7tus seeks to defend the inherent rights of legitimate USIB members, restore accountable governance, protect the watershed, and advance a broader movement for Indigenous data sovereignty and justice across Nations.
Protecting Our Sovereignty
The Upper Similkameen Indian Band (USIB) is confronting a profound challenge to its sovereignty, identity, and right to self-determination. Beginning in 2016, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) doubled the membership of the USIB band registry without consultation or consent from the Nation's original on-reserve members, bypassing customary acceptance protocols that require a 51 percent majority. Since then, that number has grown to overwhelmingly include new members as with little or no verified ancestral ties to the community. Within months, these additions shifted the voting majority, displacing legitimate leadership and undermining USIB's ability to govern its lands, protect sacred sites, and uphold its cultural practices. What has unfolded is the dismantling of a longstanding, family-based Xa7tus system - rooted in hereditary leadership and thousands of years of law - and its replacement with externally influenced control.
Protecting USIB's sovereignty is not only a matter of justice for one Nation — it is essential to preserving Indigenous governance systems, environmental stewardship, and the broader economic and ecological stability that communities across the region depend on. — Xa7tús Advocacy Society
In response, USIB's hereditary leadership and community members have mobilized to defend their Nation's integrity and legal rights. Through the establishment of the Xa7tus Advocacy Society Legal Fund and a partnership with Gowling WLG, they have launched a coordinated legal strategy, including over 100 formal protests and ongoing challenges to each unauthorized registry addition. Their efforts are grounded in protections affirmed by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which guarantees Indigenous peoples the right to determine their own membership and governance structures. This movement has expanded beyond USIB through All Nations gatherings, uniting Indigenous communities across Canada to confront fraudulent membership practices and the erosion of self-governance. Protecting USIB's sovereignty is not only a matter of justice for one Nation - it is essential to preserving Indigenous governance systems, environmental stewardship, and the broader economic and ecological stability that communities across the region depend on.
Hereditary Governance
Xa7tus system rooted in thousands of years of law
Legal Action
100+ formal protests, judicial review in progress
UNDRIP
Rights to determine own membership & governance
Guardians of the Headwaters
The Upper Similkameen Indian Band (USIB) holds a critical responsibility as stewards of the headwaters that sustain not only their own territory, but also multiple downstream Nations, fisheries, and ecosystems that extend to Pacific Northwest Tributaries and vital orca feeding grounds. For generations, Syilx water law and governance have been rooted in USIB's relationships to land and water, shaping a system of shared responsibility that protects salmon-bearing tributaries, biodiversity, and the long-term health of interconnected watersheds. As a founding contributor to Okanagan Nation Alliance water protection efforts, USIB has long upheld the principle that reliable, community-led governance - supported by independent monitoring, especially in mining regions - is essential to safeguarding these fragile ecosystems.
Today, that stewardship is under threat. Disruptions to traditional governance, including the sidelining of hereditary leadership and the erosion of legitimate decision-making processes, have weakened the Nation's ability to enforce environmental protections. Unauthorized agreements with Imperial Metals have contributedto rising non-compliance concerns and the interruption of independent monitoring. These actions have placed downstream ecosystems at risk, including waters that support salmon populations essential to orca survival. Watershed governance is foundational to climate resilience, clean water, and community safety across the region. When it is undermined, the consequences are felt far beyond USIB, threatening the ecological balance and shared future of all who depend on these waters.
- Headwaters
- Salmon Tributaries
- Pacific Northwest Tributaries
- Orca Habitat
Building an All Nations Movement
Nation-to-Nation building for Xa7tus is grounded in a deeply held understanding that Indigenous democracy is not defined by imposed electoral systems, but by cultural law - rooted in lineage, consensus, and enduring responsibilities to land and community. This approach reflects a governance model that has sustained Syilx peoples for generations, and one that continues to guide Xa7tus's efforts to rebuild and strengthen relationships with other Indigenous Nations. In the face of ongoing challenges to their sovereignty, Xa7tus has taken active steps to engage beyond its own territory - working with international legal partners, including the Global Legal Action Network, and forming a growing All Nations Coalition committed to defending Indigenous self-determination.
Through initiatives like the All Nations Meet hosted in British Columbia, Xa7tus has helped unite Nations from across the country in a shared call for accountability and protection, culminating in a signed declaration affirming collective sovereignty. These efforts extend beyond dialogue into action: Xa7tus leadership has travelled to other communities, including a solidarity convoy to Manitoba, to witness and support Nations facing similar forms of displacement and governance disruption. At home, the vision includes creating dedicated, community-controlled gathering spaces—such as a yurt-based lodge on Upper Similkameen territory - where Nations can come together to plan, teach, and rebuild systems of governance, even as access to formal band facilities remains restricted. Through these efforts, Xa7tus is helping to restore a Nation-to-Nation framework built on respect, shared struggle, and collective resurgence.
- 2016 Mobilization begins
- 2022 Expanded leadership team
- All Nations Meet Declaration signed
- Manitoba Convoy Cross-country solidarity
- Next Judicial review & gathering space
Paper People
A documentary team, staffed entirely by Indigenous, award-winning filmmakers, has commenced work on a powerful film with the working title, Paper People. This project will compellingly reveal USIB's experience and investigate the critical themes of identity, belonging, and defiance.
Investing in the Next Generation
Upper Similkameen Indian Band is building an economic development approach grounded in long-term capacity, skills, and self-determination. Rather than focusing solely on short-term opportunities, the Nation is investing in people, especially youth, as the foundation of a sustainable local economy.
Current programs are designed to strengthen technological literacy and workforce readiness in practical, applied ways. Youth have access to training that builds digital and technical skills, supported by equipment loan and gifting agreements that ensure consistent access to the tools required to learn and work. These initiatives are paired with hands-on mentorship opportunities, including direct engagement with unionized IATSE film crews through documentary production. This creates real pathways into skilled trades and creative industries, while exposing participants to professional standards, teamwork, and project-based work environments.
This model reflects a broader vision: preparing the next generation to participate in and lead across multiple sectors, including media, technology, environmental stewardship, and skilled trades. By linking training to real-world applications and industry partnerships, Upper Similkameen is creating an economic engine rooted in capability, dignity, and community strength.
These efforts are not separate from the Nation's broader mission, they are part of a coordinated strategy to ensure that economic development supports cultural continuity, land stewardship, and long-term resilience.
Digital Skills
Tech literacy & workforce readiness
Film Industry
Hands-on IATSE crew experience
Land Stewardship
Connecting economic development to cultural continuity
Join the Movement
Your support strengthens legal action, environmental protection, and community resilience.
Contact Us
info@xa7tus.orgReach out to learn more, request a briefing, or discuss partnership and funding opportunities with the Xa7tús Advocacy Society.