Colville Tribes participate in repatriation ceremony in Canada


The ancestral remains were found near the Kootenay Canal. Photo from BC Hydro

Members of the Colville Tribes in Washington took part in a reburial ceremony in British Columbia last week.

Remains of a 10,000-year-old tribal ancestor were exposed earlier this year near the banks of the Kootenay River. They were determined to be Sinixt.

Sinixt descendants now live among the Colville Tribes and First Nations in B.C. The Okanagan Nation Alliance, an inter-tribal organization that includes the Colville, handled the reburial ceremony.

The Canadian government terminated its relationship with the Sinixt people in 1956. The Sinixt Nation was informed about the reburial process but was unhappy with the way certain decisions were made, a spokesperson said.

Get the Story:
10,000 Year-Old Sinixt Remains Reburied in the Slocan Valley (The Nelson Daily 9/21)
First Nations remains found at Slocan Pool area (The Nelson Daily 6/2)

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