The Okanagan Nation Alliance and the Arrow Lakes Tribe of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville reservation in Washington

The Okanagan Nation Alliance and the Arrow Lakes Tribe of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville reservation in Washington took responsibility for the reburial of 10,000-year-old bones considered to be remains of an ancestor to the Sinixt people, considered extinct in Canada. First Nations gathered on the banks of the Kootenay River for the burial. The remains were found in February and sent by police to the coroner in Burnaby and then to the BC Archeological branch. The site of the reburial was blessed with sage and tobacco. The remains of the woman were placed in a box and wrapped in a blanket. A procession of drummers and singers led the way down a forest path to the site of the reburial. Canada has considered the Sinixt extinct since 1956, but locally there are a few who claim to be descendants. The Nelson Daily newspaper said the group watched the reburial from a distance.