SPIRITS
In the local area, the Columbia and Lower Kootenay rivers were used by the
Sinixt, as was the Slocan. The traditional sturgeon-nosed canoe plied the waterways through their territory. More than half of the year was committed to food gathering and preservation. Sequential salmon runs focused attention on the rivers, while at other times roots and berries were harvested. The long winters were spent in partly-subterranean lodges from which hunting and trapping was routine. The food harvest was entrenched in spiritual values, which reinforced a profound respect for the landscape and all its inhabitants. Inter-tribal trade introduced more variety, and arrangements existed to share the rivers' bounty.
The settlement of
kp'itl'els was located near the fishery at the mouth of the Kootenay. Here, migrating salmon (Chinook in June, Sockeye in July, and Coho in October) were caught in nets and weirs which also served to divert more fish up the Kootenay and Slocan rivers. Although efforts had been made to turn the ancient village site into a reserve, bureaucratic slip-ups and private interest prevailed, and the land which included old burial grounds was sold to the Doukhobor community. Only Alex Christian refused to abandon the traditional Sinixt ways and grounds, and his solitary figure could be seen for decades as he struggled to preserve a lifestyle based on self-reliance I and respect for nature. But nature itself was also changing, forced into subjugation by a new culture with totally different values.
Traditional food gathering practices changed after the arrival of the first explorers. Even before their appearance locally, impacts of the Europeans were felt as new diseases decimated native populations. Migratory patterns changed as trading posts and missionaries encouraged a greater dependence on the new culture. The establishment of an international border in 1846 and the settlement of previously unclaimed lands by miners and farmers led to inevitable conflicts. The tragic outcome was the displacement of a people from the traditional territory they had occupied for thousands of years. As the Oatscott Reserve was not established in the region until 1903, most Sinixt found it easier to assimilate with others south of the border on the Colville Reservation. The Arrow Lake Indian Band (Sinixt) was declared extinct in Canada after the last inhabitant of Oatscott Reserve died in 1956.
From the sign