by Contributor on Tuesday May 04 2021 A recent Canadian Supreme Court ruling affirmed the Aboriginal Rights of “extinct” Sinixt living in Washington state. You may have seen the headlines. A recent Canadian Supreme Court ruling affirmed the Aboriginal Rights of “extinct” Sinixt living in Washington state. There is a considerable amount of confusion around Sinixt “extinction.” While the landmark ruling in the Desautel case is certainly a cause for celebration, Sinixt are still extinct in the same way they were before this case. Rooted in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, the Arrow Lakes Band (Sinixt) were declared “extinct for purposes of the Indian Act” in 1956. The Canadian government’s stated position since 1995 is that Sinixt people do “exist as a tribal group” in Canada. However, the lack of engagement and consultation by the government with Sinixt Peoples in Canada indicates otherwise.