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Canadian Court Decision Could Revive 'Extinct' Tribe With Members In Washington

A provincial court in British Columbia Monday could revive Canada’s recognition of an Indian tribe and vindicate a Washington man charged with illegal hunting.

In 2010 and 2011, Rick Desautel, a descendent of the Sinixt tribe, knowingly hunted deer and elk north of the Canada-Washington border illegally. He wanted to make a point about his heritage and tribal sovereignty.

For nearly a century prior, miners and loggers forced the Sinixt from their homelands. Many of of them, including Desautel’s relatives, moved from British Columbia to the reservation of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville in Northeastern Washington.

When the last member of the Sinixt died in Canada in 1953, the government deemed the tribe “extinct” and reclaimed their lands.

Desautel believes he still has rights to his ancestors’ traditional hunting grounds.

The Sinixt is a federally recognized tribe in the United States. According to the Colville Tribal Chairman, roughly 2500 Sinixt tribal members live in Washington.

Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network

Emily Schwing
Emily Schwing comes to the Inland Northwest by way of Alaska, where she covered social and environmental issues with an Arctic spin as well as natural resource development, wildlife management and Alaska Native issues for nearly a decade. Her work has been heard on National Public Radio’s programs like “Morning Edition” and “All things Considered.” She has also filed for Public Radio International’s “The World,” American Public Media’s “Marketplace,” and various programs produced by the BBC and the CBC. She has also filed stories for Scientific American, Al Jazeera America and Arctic Deeply.