1940 | The Rise to Fame of the Inkameep Day School and its Child and Youth Artists

• Narcisse Batiste George, son of the late Chief Batiste George, is elected chief of the Inkameep Reserve.
• The BC Society for the Furtherance of Indian Arts and Crafts led by Alice Ravenhill takes interest in the work of Francis Baptiste and other Inkameep Day School students. The Society is interested in applying traditional Indian designs to commercial usages and tourist art.
• Lady Tweedsmuir, wife of Governor General, Lord Tweedsmuir writes Walsh with her praise for the examples of Inkameep art he sent her and wishes the artists good luck in their endeavors.
• Francis Baptiste is awarded the Bishop Johnson Gold Medal by the Catholic Women's League for contribution to Canadian culture.

  Photo Image: BCARS 1-61908 View Englargement

  Photo Image: BCARS 1-61911 View Englargement

• Inkameep students transform their classroom for seven minutes everyday into a mock radio station with the call letters "INK" the radio of Inkameep. The students take turns acting as announcers and perform the songs they wrote from the teachings of their elders.
• Francis Baptiste now signs all his artwork with his Indian name, Sis-hu-lk and holds an exhibition in Victoria, B.C. of his artwork created while he was at the School of Indian Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
  
  Related Images:
  - Catalogue Image: 1967-028-055, Drawing of an elk
  - Catalogue Image: 0073, Francis Baptiste on horseback in Indian headdress
• The Oskenonton Challenge Cup for best Indian Drama in British Columbia is won by the Can-Oos-Sez Skay-Loo Players (the name of the Inkameep Drama troupe) for three consecutive years (1940,1941,1942).
• The first concert of dialogues, plays, dances and songs by the Can-oos-sez Skay-loo Players of the Inkameep Indian Reserve is presented in the Legion Theatre in Oliver, British Columbia. The proceeds from the concert go to the Oliver unit of the Canadian Red Cross. Many such concerts would be performed over the following years with contributions from proceeds donated to the Red Cross.
• The children write the play, "How the Turtle got its Tail," and present a concert at Osoyoos in aid of the B.C. Indian Spitfire Fund.

"Exhibit at Union Library - Kelowna BC"
Catalogue Image: 0077
• Plays are performed in Oliver and Penticton and art is exhibited at the Kelowna Public Library.
  
  Related Images:
  - Catalogue Image: 0110
• In London, UK at the Royal Drawing Society's War Time Competition, Johnny Stelkia, age 14, is awarded a Bronze Star for his painting on buckskin. Of thousands of submissions, twelve drawings were shown to the Queen. Stelkia's was the only drawing from Canada. His younger brother Frank, age 12, and Bertha Baptiste, age 9, are awarded First Class Commendations.
• "The Tale of the Nativity", a story written by Mr. Walsh and the children of Inkameep imagining the birth of Jesus, had it occurred in the Okangan Valley, is published by the Committee to Promote the Revival and Development of the Latent Gifts of the Native Tribes of B.C. 2000 copies of this volume were printed by 1942.
  
  Related Images:
  - Catalogue Image: 1967-028-019, "The Tale of the Nativity" booklet cover
• The Can-oos-sez Skay-loo Players are invited by the Director of the National Folk Festival in Washington, D.C. to represent Canada. Due to wartime border and travel restrictions, the children did not perform.