.png)
Sxwpilemaát Siyám, also known as Chief Leanne Joe, of the Squamish Nation, is oneof sixteen Hereditary Chiefs of the Squamish Nation and the first female Chief of her
Lackett Joe Family. She shares her ancestral name with her late father, Sxwpilem
Siyám, Chief Philip Joe and all the Siyams before her. Sxwpilemaát Siyám is also a
descendent of the Kwakwaka’wakw speaking people and carries the traditional name of
Q-Gee-Sea Loud, which was given to her by her late Cheecheeya (grandmother on her
mother’s side). She is also a descendant of the Thomas family of the Tsleil-Waututh
Nation on her late grandmother’s side of the family (late father’s mother, Emma
Thomas).
Sxwpilemaát Siyám was born and raised on the beautiful shores of North Vancouver
while having close relations to her roots on the east coast shores of Vancouver Island.
She moved to the Nicola Valley over 16 years ago, after she met, fell in love and
married Timothy ‘Spike’ Manuel (N’petkwulax), from Upper Nicola Band (Sylix Speaking
People) and also has relations to the Nlaka’pamux and Shuswap Peoples.
Sxwpilemaát Siyám and N’petkwulax have a 17-year-old son named Isaac, who carries
Sylix, Sḵwx̱wu7mesh and Kwakwaka’wakw traditional names. Sxwpilemaát Siyám’s
husband is a traditional knowledge keeper/cultural teacher and works with youth and
community to engage them in rebuilding their cultural teachings and knowledge. Their
son is their life teacher as he engages them in healing, listening, laughter and patience.
Sxwpilemaát Siyám holds space in many organizations, focusing her work on Economic
Reconciliation, rematriatian and education. She owns her own consulting company,
Siyam Consulting. In her former role as Transformative Storyteller for Economic
Reconciliation, with Simon Fraser University, Faculty of Environment, Community
Economic Development she co-authored Step into the River: An Economic
Reconciliation Framework. She also supports SFU Beedie School of Business and
many other Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations through her consulting
business.
Sxwpilemaát Siyám serves as a Trustee for the Squamish Nation Trust and Board of
Directors for the New Relationship Trust. She serves and has served as an advisory or
board member for many other entities. Her educational background includes a B.A. in
Business, Community Economic Development Certificate and many other related
trainings and experiences.
Sxwpilemaát Siyám is a very passionate and resilient woman who is committed to
working with others to keep her circle strong and continue the movement towards
sovereignty. She believes her People’s greatest legacy is the children, thus, it is our
responsibility to ensure that our children’s future and the generations to follow have a
good life based in a holistic approach to wealth and well-being. So, that all the ‘People
Yet to Be’ have the tools to engage in the world in a completely different way than we
have and can walk in two worlds with ease…using the past to make a better a future.
She is currently the Knowledge Keeper for two Women in Leadership Initiatives and
hope to develop a National Indigenous Women’s Leadership Circle in partnership with
WiL in the future. As Knowledge Keeper, Sxwpilemaát Siyám works with the WiL team
to provide reconciliation leadership, a decolonial lens, Indigenous worldview and lived
experience and over all thought leadership to each initiative.
Sxwpilemaát Siyám will be providing additional thought leadership in writing a monthly
article for the WIL newsletter entitled Truth Before Reconciliation where she will
engage with our readers in storytelling about Reconciliation. This may include what
Reconciliation isn’t, what it needs to be, four key questions for settler Canadians to
answer, and lived realities of herself and her family as First Nations people in this
country known as Canada.
Reconciliation and Economic Reconciliation, Rematriation and education are true
passion places for Chief Leanne, and she is committed to ensuring that every Canadian
know the truth, so you know why Reconciliation work is vital to transforming our world
for the generations to come. So many resources, tools, training, blogs, websites, and
groundwork has been done, the journey is now yours to take.
“We have described for you a mountain. We have shown you
the path to the top. We call upon you to do the climbing".
The late honuorable Murray Sinclair
Lawyer, Judge, Former Senator and Manitoban
Keep an eye out for more words of wisdom, storytelling and knowledge sharing from
Sxwpilemaát Siyám in the months to come.