Sxwpilemaát Siyám, also known as Chief Leanne Joe, is one of 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 Chichia (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 17 years ago, after she met, fell in love and married Timothy ‘Spike’ Manuel (N’petkwulax), from Upper Nicola Band (Sylix/Okanagan Speaking People) and has relations to the Nlaka’pamux and Shuswap Peoples. 

Sxwpilemaát Siyám and N’petkwulax have a young adult 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, rematriation, 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 currently supports SFU Beedie School of Business and many other Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations through her consulting business. 

Sxwpilemaát Siyám serves as the Chair of the Squamish Nation Trust, the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Institute, and the Board of Directors of the New Relationship Trust and the Women in Leadership Foundation. She has served and continues to serve as an advisor or board member for many other entities over the years. Her educational background includes a B.A. in Business, a 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.