Shishálh Nation, PO. Box 740 5555 Sunshine Coast Highway, Sechelt, BC (2026)

01/01/2026

Kw'eshiwan e te xawse skwumay (Happy New Year) from the shíshálh Nation!

As we welcome 2026, we extend our warmest wishes to all our community members and friends. May this year bring you joy, prosperity, and good health. We look forward to continuing our journey together, honouring our traditions, and embracing new opportunities.

12/25/2025

?iy te kwiy kwiy te ?ewk’ mes s-yiyaya,

As the year ends, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and celebrate everything we have accomplished together. Our team’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to our shared vision continue to strengthen not only our organization but also the fabric of our community.

This season is about more than celebration, it’s about connection. It’s a time to reflect on the values that guide us: family, culture, resilience, and unity. These are the pillars of our identity as shishalh people, passed down through generations. As we honour the teachings of our ancestors, let us also embrace the spirit of hope, renewal, and generosity that Christmas represents.

Looking back over the past year, we have faced challenges and celebrated triumphs, always standing together as one Nation. From the smallest tasks to the largest initiatives, each contribution from our team has created a ripple effect, inspiring progress and fostering growth in our community. Their dedication makes a difference not only today but also for generations yet to come.

As we enter this special time of year, let us carry forward the spirit of kindness and gratitude. Reach out to those who may need extra support, share moments of joy with your families and friends, and reflect on all that we have to be thankful for.

Let this holiday break be a time of rest, renewal, and reflection. Take the opportunity to recharge, connect with loved ones, and prepare for a new year filled with promise and opportunity. When we return, we will bring with us the energy, creativity, and passion needed to continue building a brighter future for our people and our Nation.

May this holiday season bring you peace, happiness, and the warmth of connection with those who matter most.

We are excited to continue this journey with you in the year ahead.

?ul numsh chalap (Thank you).

Wishing you and your families a joyous Christmas and a prosperous, fulfilling New Year

With deepest gratitude and warmest wishes,

lhe hiwus Yalxwemult, Lenora Joe
hihewus ch’elkwilwet, Raquel Joe
hihewus o’shale, Rochelle Jones
hihewus xwa’, Philip Paul
hihewus tituya, Keith Julius

12/18/2025

The shíshálh Nation extends our heartfelt condolences to the families, loved ones, and community members of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) who are grieving recent losses. We recognize the profound impact these tragedies have not only within Squamish Nation, but across our Coast Salish relatives.

We acknowledge the strength and leadership shown by Squamish Nation as they take action to protect their people and respond to the ongoing toxic drug crisis. We stand alongside Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw in support of their efforts to uphold community safety, care, and wellbeing.

During this time of sorrow, the shíshálh Nation stands in solidarity with Squamish Nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are mourning, and with the leaders and frontline workers carrying this heavy responsibility.

With respect and unity,
shíshálh Nation

12/06/2025

Today, December 6, we honour the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. In shíshálh society, Elders, children, adolescents, and adults are all valued. Women, men, two-spirit, and gender-diverse people are seen, respected, and loved. Our women are life-givers, knowledge-keepers, and leaders within our families, honoured and held in the highest regard.

We remember the lives lost to gender-based violence and hold survivors, families, and communities in our hearts. May we continue to move forward with compassion, awareness, and action to create a safer, more respectful future for all.

11/18/2025

Spirit Bear Returns to the tems swiya Museum
Friday, November 28 | 10:00AM

The tems swiya Museum is honoured to welcome home its Spirit Bear, newly restored and carrying an even deeper significance for our community. Known traditionally as mosk’mol by the Tsimshian, this sacred white bear has long been a symbol of resilience, teaching, and connection to the natural world.

After careful conservation work to ensure its long-term care, the bear returns with a new name gifted in she shashishalhem: sxw?ay ?iy ?e te saysiyam. The name translates to “soul of the forest” or “life force, soul, spirit,” reflecting the powerful presence this being holds within the swiya.

The Spirit Bear was originally rescued from a museum in northern BC and brought to tems swiya Museum, where it has become a part of our cultural landscape. Its return marks not only the completion of important preservation work but also a renewed opportunity for learning, reflection, and connection with visitors.

The community is invited to join us in celebrating the homecoming of sxw?ay ?iy ?e te saysiyam and the teachings it continues to carry on Friday, November 28th at 10:00AM at the tems swiya Museum. (5555 Sunshine Coast Hwy, Sechelt, BC).

11/05/2025

During this year’s First Nations Leadership Gathering in Vancouver, members of shíshálh Nation were recognized in a special Blanketing and Honouring Ceremony hosted by the BC Cabinet and First Nations Leadership.

Chief Lenora Joe, Council Members Raquel Joe, Rochelle Jones, and Keith Julius, along with Shiloh Joe and Steven Feschuk, were honoured for their leadership, commitment, and dedication to the ongoing work of investigating former Residential School sites connected to our missing children.

This recognition reflects the strength, resilience, and determination of all those who continue to work toward justice for the children, Survivors, and families affected by Residential Schools.

10/09/2025

A Message for Self-Government Day from lhe hiwus yalxwemult Lenora Joe

Today, we proudly recognize the 39th anniversary of the shíshálh Nation Self-Government Agreement, one of the first of its kind in Canada, and a powerful affirmation of our inherent right to govern ourselves according to our values, teachings, and laws. On this day, we honour the strength and vision of our past hereditary hiwus and hihewhiwus who worked tirelessly to reclaim what was always ours: the right to shape our own future.

Self-government is not only a milestone in our history, it is a living responsibility. It means making decisions rooted in our culture, protecting our lands and waters, and ensuring the well-being of our people for generations to come. Each of us has a role to play. Whether it’s voting in elections, attending community meetings, learning about our constitution, or passing on our history to youth, these are all acts that carry our governance forward. We must continue to engage, participate, and support each other as proud members of this Nation.

As we celebrate this important day, let us give thanks to those who came before us and recognize the work still ahead. Together, we carry their legacy with pride and humility. On behalf of our Council and the hihewhiwus, we wish everyone a meaningful and joyful 39th Self-Government Day.

?ulnumsh chalap
lhe hiwus yalxwemult
Chief Lenora Joe
shíshálh Nation

09/30/2025

Our hands go up in gratitude to everyone who joined us today on the swiya of the shíshálh Nation in ch’atlich for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Your support and presence honour the Survivors of residential schools, the children who never made it home, and their families. By gathering, listening, and walking together, we continue the hard but necessary journey of truth, healing, and reconciliation.

This work does not end today. Reconciliation is a daily responsibility, one rooted in truth, respect, and action.

ʔulnumshchalap

09/30/2025

?iy te kwiy kwiy, (Good morning)

September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day for all Canadians to reflect on the history and legacy of residential schools. For the shíshálh Nation, this is not distant history, it is lived experience. St. Augustine’s Indian Residential School stood in our community for more than 70 years, and its impacts are still felt by our survivors, families, and children today.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is not a holiday. It is a call to action. A call to remember the children who never made it home. A call to listen to the voices of survivors. A call to confront the truths that were ignored or denied for far too long.

Last month, our Nation confirmed an additional 41 unmarked graves at the site of St. Augustine’s, bringing the total number to 81. These findings are painful, but they affirm what our Elders and survivors have always known. As difficult as these truths are, facing them is the only way we can move toward reconciliation.

Reconciliation, however, must be more than a word. It must be a practice. It requires governments to honour their promises, schools to teach the full history, and individuals to make the choice to learn, to listen, and to act. Wearing an orange shirt is meaningful, but it is only the first step.

On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I ask all Canadians, and especially our neighbours here on the Sunshine Coast, to take time for learning and reflection. Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. Talk with your children about what residential schools were and why they matter today. Attend community events when invited and do so with respect and openness.

Most importantly, carry this work beyond September 30. The children we honour deserve more than one day of remembrance. Survivors deserve more than symbolic gestures. And future generations deserve to grow up in a Canada that has fully embraced the truth and is committed to lasting reconciliation.

Despite the deep wounds left by St. Augustine’s, our shíshálh people persevere. We continue to practice our culture, teach our language, and guide our youth with the wisdom of our Elders. Our resilience is a reminder that reconciliation is not only about dealing with loss, but also about honouring the strength and vibrancy of Indigenous Nations today.

On September 30, I ask you to stand with us. Remember the children. Honour the survivors. Learn the truth. And walk with us on the path of reconciliation, not just for a day, but for a lifetime.

lhe hiwus yalxwemult
Chief Lenora Joe
shíshálh Nation

09/25/2025

Orange Shirt Day / National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is fast approaching. Join us on September 30th for a commemoration ceremony, walk for reconciliation, and a community feast. Details below.

09/23/2025

Honour Orange Shirt Day / National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and support our Elders with the new 2025 t-shirt, featuring designs by shishalh artists Manuela Salinas and Everett August.

T-shirts are $30 each (cash only) for non Nation members, and all proceeds go directly to Elders for wellness supports, activities, and events.

Pick up your shirt in person at the tems swiya Museum starting 8:30 am Thursday, September 25.

Reserve your size by calling: 604-740-5600 Ext: 298, 778-726-3145, or 778-561-4389.

Limited quantities available.

Shishálh Nation

01/01/2026

12/25/2025

12/18/2025

12/06/2025

11/18/2025

11/05/2025

10/09/2025

09/30/2025

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09/25/2025

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