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.
Our land tells the story of our people. The Sinixt are people of the Arrow Lakes. In our language, the people of the place of the Bull Trout. We never crossed the Monashee mountain range to the Okanagan and our Okanagan neighbours didn’t cross to our land, except to trade. The mountains are over 500km north to south, and 150 east to west. The highest summit is over 3000 meters, and the area is densely forested. Instead, we always followed the water – north and south. The claim that we are one Sylix Okanagan people is false and revisionist history.
The land, and waters, hold our truth, and all of the ethnohistorical evidence affirms it. The evidence presented in Desautel, and now compiled by the Province, aligns with the voices of our ancestors—voices shared with ethnographers and settlers long before modern politics and economic agendas tried to distort and silence them. Even the Province’s 1956 map reflects the reality of our presence and territory, countering the Okanagan narrative.
We must stress that there is no organization in Canada that speaks on behalf of Sinixt other than the Sinixt Confederacy. The Syilx Okanagan Nation does not represent us, and has no court decision to back up their claims. We have not been absorbed into other nations in Canada or British Columbia. We are a distinct people. All stakeholders in our traditional territory are legally obligated by the Desautel decision to work with us as a recognized Aboriginal People of Canada.
The Sinixt Nation has a deep and enduring connection to the lands across the Columbia River Basin, an area that stretches from Kettle Falls in Washington State to the Big Bend of the Columbia River north of Revelstoke. Since time immemorial, the Sinixt thrived as stewards of this land and its waterways, practicing sustainable living and preserving cultural traditions.
Like many Indigenous communities, we have faced profound challenges, including colonial policies that forcibly displaced our people and resulted in the Government of Canada egregiously declaring our extinction in 1956. It is deeply disappointing to see another Indigenous Nation perpetuate colonialism today. The reality is that Syilx Okanagan Nation benefits from continuing to try to erase our voice and our presence.
Our enduring connection to our land, our stories, and our ancestors will not be broken. We are still here.
To learn more about our truth, free of political and economic agendas, please visit and explore sinixt.com.
