Episode 46: Leigh Joseph, Ethnobotanist & Community Activist

In this episode, we hear from Leigh Joseph about collaborative work at a community level, observing people out on the land and learning their stories that connect them to their place. Leigh talks about how having a more Indigenous presence in ethnobotany is key to community collaboration, and how researching traditional Indigenous plant medicine can help Indigenous communities return to their cultural practices and build a foundation for healing and self-care at a community and cultural level. Leigh Joseph (Styawat) is an ethnobotanist, researcher and community activist. She is from the Squamish First Nation and she works to contribute to cultural knowledge renewal in connection to traditional plant foods and medicines. Her research takes a community-based approach and is influenced by her experience as an Indigenous woman reconnecting to her cultural roots. Wherever possible she draws on ancestral teachings that are connected to traditional plants and the land in her research. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: As We Have Always Done (book), Leanne Betasamosake Simpson Dr. Nancy Turner, University of Victoria Finding our roots: ethnoecological restoration of lhasem (Fritillaria camschatcensis (L.) Ker-Gawl), an iconic plant food in the Squamish River Estuary, British Columbia by Leigh Joseph, University of Victoria, 8/28/2012 "Indigenous stories lead scientist to discover plants can hear" - CBC, Quirks & Quarks, August 4, 2017 Northern rice root The Residential School System Snuneymuxw First Nation (Nanaimo) Squamish Nation (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw) Tahltan Band Council (Dease Lake) Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation (Dawson City) Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott HolmesProduced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.