Sinixt

American  

[sin-ahykst] / ˈsɪn aɪkst /

noun

plural

Sinixts,

plural

Sinixt

1. a member of an Indigenous people of the Columbia River Basin in British Columbia and Washington State.

2. the Salishan language of the Sinixt.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Sinixt or their language.

Etymology

Origin of Sinixt

First recorded in 1820–30; from Okanagan (an Interior Salish language spoken in southern British Columbia and northern Washington State) snʕickstx, sngaytskstx “person of the place of the bull trout,” apparently a reference to a place on the Arrow Lakes, British Columbia

Example Sentences

Two weeks earlier, artist, author and activist Lawney Reyes — an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Sinixt band — had passed away, at the age of 91.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 9, 2022

The biggest impact of all, Underhill said, will be on all the generations of Sinixt children who won’t have to grow up being told they are extinct.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 1, 2022

While the court decision could not have happened without his carefully planned hunt, Desautel is quick to acknowledge the other Sinixt people who fought for recognition.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 1, 2022

In a landmark decision in April, Canada’s Supreme Court overturned a 1956 declaration that the Sinixt, one of the 12 Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, were “extinct.”

From Seattle Times • Jan. 1, 2022

Finally, in addressing the rights of the Sinixt tribe of Washington, the Supreme Court declared, “Persons who are not Canadian citizens and who do not reside in Canada can exercise an Aboriginal right.”

From Seattle Times • Oct. 15, 2021