Photo credit: Amy Allcock
Today, Sinixt peoples embarked on their annual canoe journey, paddling from Revelstoke, BC to Kettle Falls, Washington—retracing the ancestral waterways that have shaped their identity, movement, and way of life since time immemorial.
In a landmark decision for reconciliation and justice, the Supreme Court of Canada affirmed in the 2021 Desautel case that the Sinixt are an Aboriginal People of Canada. They did not say that we are represented by any other organizations in Canada—the decision reaffirmed our unique identity and underscored the importance of addressing the historical wrongs that severed our ties to our homeland.
The Sinixt Confederacy and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR) are aware of the recent campaign launched by the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) to assert claims over Sinixt territory based on the false assertion that the Sinixt are part of a larger Sylix Okanagan Nation.
We are an Indigenous nation of the Colville Confederated Tribes and an Aboriginal People of Canada. We have rights in both countries.