36 Leigh Joseph (Styawat)

Dr. Leigh Joseph (Styawat)

Time period:

2015-present

Subject:

Ethnobotany

Biography:

Leigh Joseph is a member of Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) First Nation and is an ethnobotanist, author, teacher, researcher and entrepreneur. She is motivated to give back to Indigenous communities across BC, and to the land through land-based and plant-based knowledge and access. She weaves the wisdom passed down to her through her ancestors with the knowledge she has gained through her academic career to act as a bridge between the past and the present. She completed her doctoral studies at University of Victoria and recently became an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Geographies at Simon Fraser University.

Summary of their contributions:

Leigh’s research is broad reaching. She studies traditional plant foods and medicines and looks broadly at how this knowledge may be integrated into a wide variety of topics. She has worked with specific traditional plants like camas, salmonberry, and seaweeds, and studied their ecological and cultural roles. She also explores food sovereignty and advocates for the revitalization of traditional food systems with wild foods as a means to combat health issues and maintain ecosystem health. She also works directly with communities to restore native plant populations, enhance biodiversity, and address habitat degradation in coastal and forest ecosystems. Leigh’s doctoral research looked at the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in Indigenous communities. Her work examined how traditional foods, medicines, and culturally relevant interventions could prevent and manage T2D in two Canadian Indigenous communities. 

Leigh is also a prominent Canadian Indigenous entrepreneur. She started Sḵwálwen Botanicals in 2019, a skincare brand informed by cultural teachings of plant combinations that promote healing and health. The skincare line honours Skwxwú7mesh plant knowledge and plant names, and all plants are sustainably harvested and sourced on Skwxwú7mesh land.

Finally, in 2023 Leigh published a book called “Held by the Land: A Guide to Indigenous Plants for Wellness,” which is a beautifully illustrated guide to Indigenous plants of the Pacific Northwest. It includes harvesting practices, medicinal and nutritional information, stories from Skwxwú7mesh culture, and Skwxwú7mesh plant names. There is also an accompanying card deck.

Integration with the BC Secondary Science Curriculum:

Leigh could be included any time plants are talked about in science class, namely the Science 8 photosynthesis unit, the Life Sciences 11 plant unit, and the Environmental Sciences 11 stewardship/restoration unit. Lessons about health and medicinal plants could also be included in Science 8 when talking about modes of discovering cures of diseases, in Science 10 when discussing genetic modifications, perhaps using Sḵwálwen as an alternative example (i.e. non GMO product), or at various points in Anatomy and Physiology 12 when talking about human health.

References:

How This Brand Owner is Nurturing Indigenous Wisdom, Wellness and Entrepreneurship. Dec 14 2023. Retrieved from canadianbusiness.com

https://skwalwen.com/pages/about-us

https://www.leighjoseph.com/research

Lust, C. 2024. SFU Geography welcomes ethnobotanist as professor of Indigenous geographies. Retrieved from SFU.ca

chatgpt.com for writing assistance