While tasting wine with another couple at the Fairview Winery they told us they were staying at the Mk’Mip Resort in Osoyoos. The resort is located on Osoyoos Lake and is owned and operated by members of the of the Osoyoos Band of the Okanagan First Nation. The resort contains a hotel and conference center, condominiums, restaurant,  golf course, RV Park, and a vineyard and winery. The nucleus of the complex is the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Center which documents the history of this tribe and provides education about the desert environment.  Unlike many people from other First Nation tribes whose culture was very much destroyed by forced entry into the “residential schools”, the Osoyoos were fortunate to have a school, the InkaMeep Day School founded by Anthony Walsh in 1932, that respected their culture and emphasized the arts.

 

 

This is a rare example where native people have created a successful economic enterprise without a gambling establishment as is common in the states, and most important, one which emphasizes the tribe’s history and culture. First, Nk’Mip is pronounced “Ink-A-Meep” and means “bottom lands.” This small amount of land is at the bottom of the Okanagon Valley and is the only desert land in Canada. While the occasional bear will come down from the mountains to feed in the vineyards, the most common wildlife one might encounter is rattlesnakes.

We very much enjoyed our stay. Our RV campsite was right on the lake, and Apollo met a friend to swim with.