Styawat/Leigh Joseph is a Sḵwxw̱ú7mesh Nation ethnobotanist. She grew up away from her traditional territory of Squamish BC, but in coming to a deeper understanding of her identity as a Sḵwxw̱ú7mesh woman, felt called to move her family home.
As she navigates walking between academic and cultural worlds, she contemplates her relationship with plants and their role as teachers. On the land where her ancestors have harvested since time beyond memory, her life purpose is awakened. Leigh grew up connected to family and community but always held a longing for the Sḵwxw̱ú7mesh landscape. Through her academic study, she has found a path guided by plants and it has led her home.
This film was part of VIMFF 2022 and is no longer available for viewing.
Leigh Joseph (ancestral name Styawat) is a Sḵwxw̱ú7mesh Nation ethnobotanist and entrepreneur contributing to cultural knowledge renewal of Indigenous plant foods and medicines. Ethnobotany is the study of the relationships between people and plants. Through teaching workshops, university courses, and land-based learning opportunities, Leigh aims to expand the renewal of ethnobotanical knowledge and the healing that comes from this connection to place through ancestral ways of knowing.
Trevor Dixon Bennett is a filmmaker, based in Victoria, BC, Canada. Bennett specializes in documenting and communicating the intersection of culture and the environment. Holding a Masters degree in Environmental studies specializing in Ethnoecology, Bennett started Kingtide Films in 2015.
