MARILYN JAMES is an Indigenous matriarch (Sinixt) and leader of the Autonomous Sinixt Smum iem (in the traditional Sinixt governance structure, Smum iem means “belongs to the women” — women are the life-givers, responsible for the well-being of the land and the community).

As co-director, Marilyn was seminal in the conception and direction of Snk’mip Dig Deeper, she is a pivotal on-screen presence and one of the film’s narrators.

Marilyn James has previously participated in films such as Beyond Extinction: Sinixt Resurgence (with Ali Kazimi) and recently made her own short film called Take It To The Water, a Sinixt Practice.

Marilyn is also the co-author of Not Extinct: Keeping the Sinixt Way (Maa Press, 2018, 2021) with Sinixt matriarch Taress Alexis.
Marilyn James lives at nk̓ʕáwxtən (Vallican, B.C. Canada) where she is the caretaker of the burial sites of 64 Sinixt ancestors whose remains were returned to her people from museums and collections — returned to be buried in their rightful place in Sinixt territory.

Marilyn James is an accomplished storyteller of traditional and contemporary Sinixt stories. She holds a Masters of Education degree from Simon Fraser University and has worked extensively in the field of curriculum development.

She is an ardent advocate for her ancestors and the land and water of their təmxʷúlaʔxʷ (territory).

LORNA VISSER is executive director of the Valhalla Foundation for Ecology and co-producer of Snk̛míp Dig Deeper with Marilyn James and the Autonomous Sinixt.
As leader of a conservation-oriented land trust organization, Lorna came to realize that settler conservation activists hold a special responsibility when it comes to reconciliation with First Peoples. From that realization Lorna Visser and Marilyn James joined forces, from that connection this film was born.

Lorna holds a degree in Journalism and has worked as a newspaper reporter, corporate communications professional, magazine editor, development director for national charities and consultant to the charitable sector.

A passionate and outspoken environmental activist, Lorna is responsible for campaigns that have secured large parcels of land for conservation, for which she has received numerous awards for community service.

While all of Lorna’s career endeavours have involved writing and communication in one form or another, this is the first time she has written, produced and directed a documentary film.

“To the best of my knowledge Snk’mip Dig Deeper is the only truly joint Settler/Indigenous documentary production out there, something we are proud of,” says Lorna. “This sort of boots-on-the-ground collaboration is rare. It is noteworthy because the only way humans are going to change things for the better on this planet is if we all work together, respecting traditional indigenous wisdom.”

As Marilyn James so capably says in the film, ‘it is every single person who lives in this təmxʷúlaʔxʷ’s effort and responsibility to not only talk it, but walk it’.”