History is usually messy. It’s rarely a straight line from point A to point B, especially when you’re talking about the Sinixt people and the complex legacy of Gene Desjarlais and his wife, Cindy. People often stumble onto their story and wonder where it all went. One minute they are the faces of a movement, and the next, they seem to have slipped into the quiet background of the Pacific Northwest's dense history.
But they didn't just vanish.
To understand what happened to Gene and his wife, you have to look at the Sinixt Nation—a group of people once declared "extinct" by the Canadian government in 1956. Gene and Cindy weren't just a couple living their lives; they were pivotal figures in the "re-occupation" of their ancestral lands in British Columbia. If you’ve ever driven through the Slocan Valley, you’ve probably felt that heavy, ancient energy. That’s where this story lives.
The Vallican Camp and the Fight for Recognition
In the late 1980s, something shifted. It wasn't just a legal battle; it was physical. Gene and Cindy were right at the heart of the Vallican camp. This wasn't some weekend protest with signs and catchy slogans. It was a lived reality. They moved onto the land to protect ancestral remains that were being unearthed during road construction.
Can you imagine that?
Seeing your ancestors’ bones being dug up for a highway and deciding, "No, this stops here." Gene Desjarlais, alongside other Sinixt members and supporters, basically forced the hand of the provincial government. They stayed. They built. They lived. Cindy was right there, managing the day-to-day survival of a camp that was often under immense political and social pressure. Honestly, the mental toll of that kind of activism is something most people don't consider when they read about "land claims" in a textbook.
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The legal system didn't make it easy. For years, the Sinixt were told they didn't exist in the eyes of the law. Imagine being told you’re a ghost while you’re standing right there. This "extinct" status meant they had no rights to the land, no say in how it was used, and no legal standing. Gene and Cindy's life became a constant cycle of court dates, blockades, and community organizing. It was exhausting.
Life After the Headlines
So, what happened to Gene and his wife after the cameras left?
They stayed true to the land. While the big legal wins—like the landmark 2021 Supreme Court of Canada decision in R. v. Desautel—often get the headlines today, the reality for Gene and Cindy was much more quiet and grounded in the years following the initial Vallican occupation.
They lived a life of cultural preservation. It wasn't always about the grand gesture. Sometimes it was just about being. Gene continued to be a voice for the Sinixt, often speaking at events or mentoring younger generations about their heritage. Cindy remained a bedrock of that community effort. But they also faced the very real challenges of aging and the health issues that come with a life spent in high-stress activism.
Health is a big part of the story that often gets skipped over.
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Gene eventually faced significant health hurdles. Years of living in camps, the stress of legal battles, and the general wear and tear of a hard-working life took their toll. He passed away in 2011. It was a massive blow to the Sinixt community and to the activists who had walked the lines with him.
The Legacy of Gene and Cindy Today
After Gene passed, Cindy continued to uphold the values they fought for. You don't just stop being an activist because your partner is gone; it becomes a legacy you carry. The Sinixt struggle didn't end with Gene, and it hasn't ended now.
Today, the Sinixt are more visible than they have been in a century. When people ask what happened to Gene and his wife, the answer is that they laid the foundation for the current reality where Sinixt rights are finally being recognized by the highest courts in the land. They were the ones who refused to be "extinct."
- They maintained the Vallican site as a sacred place.
- They educated the local non-Indigenous community, turning potential enemies into allies.
- They proved that presence is the most powerful form of protest.
It’s easy to look for a dramatic "ending" to their story, but that’s not how Indigenous history works in this part of the world. It’s a continuum. Gene’s work lives on in the hunters who now legally cross the border to exercise their traditional rights. It lives on in the language programs and the reclamation of place names.
Navigating the Sinixt Identity
There’s a lot of confusion regarding the Sinixt and the Colville Confederated Tribes. Because the Sinixt were pushed south into Washington State due to colonization and the border, many are members of the Colville tribes. Gene and Cindy navigated this complex identity their entire lives. They weren't just fighting the Canadian government; they were fighting a border that tried to split their family in half.
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The Slocan Valley remains their heartland.
If you go there now, you see the fruits of their labor. There’s a shift in the way the local population talks about the land. It’s no longer just "Crown Land." There’s an acknowledgement that this is Sinixt territory. That shift in consciousness? That’s Gene and Cindy’s real biography.
Actionable Insights for Supporters
If you're looking to honor the path Gene and Cindy walked, it starts with education and ends with local action. History isn't just in the past; it's what we do with the information we have now.
- Research the R. v. Desautel Case: Understand the legal mechanics of how the "extinct" status was finally challenged and overturned. It provides the framework for modern Indigenous rights in BC.
- Support the Sinixt Cultural Preservation: Look into the Blood of the Ancestors and other Sinixt-led initiatives that focus on returning remains to the land and preserving the Snselxcin language.
- Visit the Vallican Site Respectfully: If you are in the West Kootenays, visit the sites Gene and Cindy fought for. Read the plaques, talk to the caretakers, and understand that you are standing on a site of active reclamation, not just a historical marker.
- Acknowledge the Nuance: Don't simplify their story into a "win/loss" column. Their lives were about the grit of staying put when the world told them they didn't exist.
Gene and Cindy Desjarlais represent a specific era of Indigenous resistance that moved from the woods to the courts. Their story isn't over because the Sinixt are still here, and the land they protected is still supporting their descendants. The "extinction" was a lie, and Gene and Cindy were the living proof of that fact.