Three Categories of

Our Work

Initiatives Within

Arts & Culture

  • T'kikstn Language Revitalization Project, now in its second year of reviving the Sinixt Dialect, Sn-səlxcín, works to document the language, record elders, teach new learners, create curriculum and resources, plan for further language revitalization, etc. The counter-map of the təmxʷúlaʔxʷ was funded by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, and is available through maapress.ca, stores, and museums. Donations will cover work not funded by the FPCC.

  • Production of the book "Not Extinct: Keeping the Sinixt Way", by Marilyn James and Taress Alexis. Stay tuned for the second edition, coming in 2022! First edition available through Maa Press, and at stores throughout the təmxʷúlaʔxʷ and beyond. Donations will cover the cost of updating and printing this beautiful full colour book.

  • A virtual exhibit for the book "Not Extinct: Keeping the Sinixt Way" by Marilyn James and Taress Alexis, is in development in partnership with the Slocan Valley Community Arts Council. Donations will cover expenses not covered by other grants.

  • Creation of audio, textual, and art works titled "Maps of My World: The Lifestory of Marilyn James", funded by the Canadian Council for the Arts. Donations will go to the design, costs associated with the web version, and printing the book version of this fascinating memoir.

  • Developing virtual exhibits, and working on repatriations with various museums, including the Nakusp and District Museum, and the Rossland Museum. Donations will go to Sinixt consultants, and the material costs of doing this work.

  • Participation in various film projects, including one about the Sinixt Journey by Toronto filmmaker, Ali Kazimi, who was awarded the 2019 Governor General's Lifetime Achievement Award in visual and media arts for his cinematic work exploring race, racism, and stereotyping. No funding is currently required.

  • K.L. Kivi's play "The Waiting Room", about contemporary Sinixt issues. Donations will go to development and production of the play.

  • Production of the Kootenay Co-op Radio audio series "Sinixt Stories: Ancestral Roots, Cultural Seeds", by Catherine Fisher, Marilyn James, and Taress Alexis. Donations will go to maintaining a web platform for this resource.

  • Sturgeon-nosed Canoe Art Installation. Donations are needed to develop this idea, and apply for grants to carry it out.



    Initiatives for the

    Environment

  • The above photograph is taken by Isaac Carter, for the Valhalla Foundation for Ecology. A Sinixt interpretive site is being developed at the Snk'mip Marsh. VFE steward this property, working collaboratively in partnership with Autonomous Sinixt. The Interpretive site will feature a native plant interpretive trail, traditional tools, summer tule mat dwellings, ideas for ways to experience Sinixt traditional lifeways, and more! Donations will go to creating signage (artists and materials), creating food related tools, other materials, and curriculum development.

  • Creating Sinixt materials for West Kootenay EcoSociety's Old Growth Forest conservation campaign. No funding is currently required.

  • Partnership with The Wild Connection campaign to protect the piq kiʔláwnaʔ Wilderness in the Central Selkirk Mountains. This includes providing Sinixt input on a range of recreational and industrial development proposals within the area of the təmxʷulaʔxʷ. Donations will go to creating resource materials to bring attention to this precious area and the campaign to protect it.

  • Providing Sinixt input on signage for various projects, including the 'Xast ixi med sin' native plants garden, and the camas field in Trail, British Columbia. No funding is currently required.

  • Providing Sinixt input to requests for consultation around trail and recreational developments, such as naming and design across the təmxʷulaʔxʷ. Current projects include providing new names for King George V Provincial Park, and trails in the Rossland area. Donations will cover mileage, and archival research.



    Initiatives Within

    Education

  • New book and article proposals include a book about the Sinixt Dialect, Sn-səlxcín, an article about contemporary Matriarchy, etc. No funding is currently required.

  • Consulting around designing Sinixt content. This includes a gorgeous mural for an outdoor play area at Lucerne Elementary Secondary School in New Denver, British Columbia by artist Petra Hekkenberg. No funding is currently required.

  • Creating and developing a program called 500x5, to inspire the next generation of racially literate youth. The goal of this program is to provide children living on unceded Sinixt təmxʷulaʔxʷ access to 500 books that celebrate diversity by the age of five years old. Donations will pay for book purchases, and materials for book delivery to all participating locations.

  • Development of learning resources for schools and public use, to accompany the book "Not Extinct: Keeping the Sinixt Way" by Marilyn James and Taress Alexis. No funding is currently required.

  • Publishing scholarly articles in various journals and anthologies. The most recent was created for the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences' Rejoinder Issue 5, in the Spring 2020 issue, that covers storytelling for social change. No funding is currently required.

  • Hosting a Decolonization/Allyship gathering in autumn 2021. Donations will pay for presenter honorariums and travel costs, as well as materials for the event.