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Producers' & Directors' Vision
This production was filmed on the unceded Təmxʷúlaʔxʷ (traditional territory) of the Sinixt People, in what some now call British Columbia, Canada. I'm a matriarch of the Autonomous Sinixt People and co-director of this documentary film.
Snk̛míp Dig Deeper documents the joint Sinixt/settler cultural reparation of a marsh in a location which was our traditional village site. Even though Sinixt people no longer have a village there, this film, made in conjunction with our allies the Valhalla Foundation for Ecology (VFE), acknowledges and honours that our people did live there for a long time.
This film documents what our lives would have looked like if not for colonization, extinction, and removal from our Təmxʷúlaʔxʷ. The restoration shown in this film demonstrates bringing back the land to how our ancestors would have kept it.
My hope for Snk̛míp Dig Deeper is that settlers viewing it will dig deeper in their hearts to understand the responsibilities of Sinixt under our traditional laws. And I hope viewers will see how productive and respectful cross-cultural relationship-building between Indigenous Peoples and settlers can occur.
This film demonstrates the work of educating, decolonizing and restoring right relationships not only between our peoples, but most importantly with the land, under our Sinixt laws of whuplak’n (responsibility for everything in our territory) and smum iem (that community well-being belongs to the women). These understandings are critical if we are to move toward restoring right relations with all beings on this planet, not just Sinixt.
As co-director and co-producer of the Snk̛míp Dig Deeper film, my motivation for making it was to shine a light on the genocidal policies of colonial governments and the racist attitudes and policies that harm all Indigenous Peoples and our lands. For Sinixt in particular the impacts of these policies are profound: we are unjustly considered extinct for purposes of The Indian Act in Canada. Yet despite this, we Autonomous Sinixt continue to uphold our responsibilities as rightful caretakers of this land.
We honour our partner (the VFE) for sharing in the work of marsh restoration and for fully and respectfully engaging with us in the work of decolonization — as demonstrated in Snk̛míp Dig Deeper.
Lim limpt (thank you) for your consideration,
It is an honour to be co-director of this film with a person I greatly respect: my colleague Sinixt Matriarch Marilyn James.
Working together through countless hours of brainstorming and consultation, and through many, many revisions of this film, I’ve only started my learning journey, as a settler person who runs a conservation organization. Making this film in concert with Marilyn and other Sinixt elders has taught me about Indigenous rights, the work of reconciliation, and how that work applies directly to the land itself. It has also taught me to slow down and listen — a skill it is often difficult for settler-folks to master.
As one of the film’s protagonists, my journey of discovery is one element in Snk̛míp Dig Deeper. The other voice in the film is that of Marilyn, who talks about the terrible history of what was done to Indigenous Peoples in what some now call Canada and the modern-day resurgence work of Sinixt People to restore their culture and rights. That part of the film is Marilyn’s story, directed by her and told in her voice.
I’d like to explain our organization’s intentions in making this film:
As a land trust, our mandate is the acquisition of land for ecological protection, restoration, and stewardship in perpetuity. In this film, we wanted to help viewers understand wetland restoration techniques, the beauty and ecological preciousness of wetlands including for biodiversity and climate mitigation, restoration methods that support the endangered and threatened species that require wetland ecosystems to survive, and to demonstrate how successful restoration of a damaged marsh is possible.
Secondly, we hope to inspire others to protect wetlands and undertake restoration of damaged landscapes to bring them to their highest possible ecological functioning.
Thirdly, to stimulate discussion about settler attitudes to land use and ownership. In part this is done by presenting a conflict regarding land use (off-road vehicles in wild places). The film contrasts nature-first values with dominator-culture values.
And finally, as an act toward reconciliation with the First People of the land, the Sinixt. This is done both through our boots-on-the-ground partnership at Snk̛míp marsh and by making this film to raise awareness. It is our hope our collaboration will educate viewers about the deep history of this land and help settlers understand the need to come into right relationship with the Indigenous People of the land. That is why we co-produced and co-directed this film with Marilyn James and with the support and involvement of other Autonomous Sinixt elders.
If you have any questions about our role or intentions in making this film, please do not hesitate to contact me using the contact form on this site. Thank you for your support and — we all have so much to learn — thank you for digging deeper.
Sincerely,
