Our Governance

Shana’s Grandfather is the late hereditary Chief, Thee-o-letza, Clifford Thomas from Lyackson; her Grandmother is the late Joyce Moody from Squamish Nation; her great grandfather was George Moody, hereditary Chief, Squamish Nation, and her Great Grandmother was Mary Albany of Songhees First Nation. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (2001) and a Master’s Degree in Indigenous Governance (2008), both from the University of Victoria. As a student, Shana was selected as the representative for the Native Student Union and elected to the UVic Student Society Board of Directors. She was the Chairperson of the Aboriginal Student’s Caucus of the BC Federation of Students.

Shana served eight years as an elected Council member for the Lyackson First Nation (2002-14). She was elected by the Coast Salish Chiefs of Vancouver Island as the Coast Salish representative to the First Nations Health Council (2010-12) and, as such, was part of the negotiating team that transferred the Pacific Region Health Canada to the creation of the First Nations Health Authority. She was elected by the Chiefs of the First Nations Summit as Treaty Commissioner to the BC Treaty Commission (2009-11), where she facilitated tripartite treaty negotiations between First Nations, Canada and BC. Shana worked for the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group (2001-07) as Communications Director, then Senior Negotiations Support. She worked with Chief Judith Sayers as a Negotiator for Hupacasath First Nation (2007-09). Shana was retained as a Sessional Instructor, teaching First Nations issues at Vancouver Island University, the University of Victoria and Camosun College (2008-15).

Shana started consulting in 2009, and as a consultant, she has had the privilege of working with various First Nations and First Nations Organizations from across BC and Canada. Some of Shana’s Clients have included the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Ktunaxa, Tseshaht First Nation, Songhees First Nation, First Nations Health Authority VI Region, Kuu-us Crisis Society, Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS), Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Pacheedaht First Nation, Carrier Sekani Family Services, and many others.

Most recently, working with Halalt and Lyackson First Nations, Shana negotiated the return of two economic parcels of land for Halalt valued at 1.2 million and negotiated an Incremental Treaty Agreement with BC and Cowichan Tribes for the reestablishment of a Lyackson Village site on Vancouver Island. She was the Lyackson representative of the historic Quw’utsun Nation (QN) and BC Government-to-Government Agreement Implementation Board. She was also the Governance Technical Representative to the Indigenous Management Board, a collaboration of Coast Salish Communities on VI to re-establish their authority in the Marine Areas and breathe life into implementing UNDRIP.

Shana is a mother of two and a grandmother of three. She is in the final year of the Doctorate of Social Science Degree Program at Royal Roads University. Her research interests include Indigenous Law Revitalization, Nation Rebuilding, SelfGovernment and Accountability Structures, Indigenous Rights, Reconciliation Frameworks, and Conflict Resolution.

Hailing from the Thomas family of T’eet’qe’, Shayli Robinson is a proud hwulmuhw slheni serving her first term as a Councillor for the Leey’qsun mustimuhw and comes from a lineage of hard-working Coast Salish people: her mother is Brena Robinson (Lyackson), her grandmother is Laurie Dales (born Thomas, Lyackson), her great-grandmother was Joyce Moody (Squamish), and her great-grandfather was Clifford Thomas (Lyackson).

Through her grandparents, she also has familial connections to the Songhees Nation (Albany family) and Cowichan Tribes (Louie family). Shayli has lived on Lək̓ʷəŋən territories her whole life and currently works as the Executive Coordinator for the Songhees Development Corporation. She graduated high school with a double dogwood in French Immersion and studied Indigenous Studies and Political Science at Camosun College. Shayli previously served as both an Executive Assistant and Policy Assistant for the Songhees Nation; Constituency Assistant to the Hon. Minister Carole James, MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill and BC Minister of Finance; Cultural Programming Facilitator in the Our Living Languages gallery at the Royal BC Museum; and was in the 10th cohort of the BC Public Service Agency’s Indigenous Youth Internship Program. Shayli is grateful for her time in these roles, gaining invaluable insight, knowledge, and skills to help with her lifelong goal of serving her community in moving forward.

Shayli has been an active member of Lyackson First Nation since childhood, as her mother always emphasized the importance of community involvement. She is honoured to serve her Nation and its Members as a Councillor. Her passions lie in Indigenous governance and nationhood, language revitalization, and performance art; she is also a doting auntie to many nieces, nephews, and fur babies—Au siiem.

‘uy skweyul si’em nu sii’ye’yu. Rachel’s grandfather was Clifford Thomas, and her grandmother was Joyce Moody. She is married to Kody Doxtater (Mohawk), with whom she has a son, Elijah, and a daughter, Clementine.

She is a PhD candidate in Law at UVic. Her dissertation (Tl’uts’maat: Woven Close Together. Witnessing the Relationship Between Law and Art) examines the juris generative role of women’s labour in Coast Salish law and the connections between our legal orders and art. Her master’s thesis (Xwnuts’aluwum: T’aat’ka’ Kin Relations and the Apocryphal Slave) examines the political consequences of ethnographic representations of Coast Salish peoples in relation to war and slavery. Rachel has also published (Refusal to Forgive: Indigenous Women’s Love and Rage) in the Decolonization journal.

Rachel studies Hul’q’umi’num’ in her free time and has travelled all over Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw territories to elebrate and participate in our culture and ceremonies. Her children, community, and identity as a hwulmuhw slheni inspire her to achieve.

Brena Robinson’s grandparents are Thee-o-letza, Qwalthi’lum, Clifford Thomas, from Lyackson and Joyce Moody Thomas from Squamish. Through her grandmothers, she is connected to the Songhees Nation (Albany Family) and Cowichan Tribes (Louie Family).

In 2002, she started working at Hul’q’umi’num Treaty Group as the Communications Liaison Officer for Lyackson. Through this work, she went door-to-door to all our Members’ homes to deliver the monthly newsletters. She was honoured to be invited into our Members’ homes for tea or coffee.

She learned about the concerns and challenges our Members faced. In addition, she attended the monthly meetings for the Elders of Lyackson, Halalt, and Lake Cowichan and the monthly Elders Meeting for all the Hul’q’umi’num Nations. At these meetings, they discussed our history and shared stories about our territory, and they very firmly directed Robert Morales to get it all back. “We want all our land, water, sky, below the earth back, and everything on, below, and above; We want everything back; lock, stock, and barrel!” The Elders were strict but humorous and loved pulling pranks on unsuspecting communications liaison officers. Brena shared this because she often reflects on our Elders, many of whom have passed, and she thinks about what they would say to her. They were part of the driving force behind her return to school; our Elders always said that education was the #1 priority.

She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, specializing in accounting, and diplomas in Indigenous business leadership, business management, finance, and various certificates. She started working at the CRA in 2013 and has had several promotions since then. She is currently working on a special assignment as a Senior Project Coordinator. Through her work, she helps to create an innovative way for the Government of Canada and BC First Nations to work together to reach their shared goals and overcome their shared barriers through the spirit of reconciliation.

Brena is serving her 4th term as an elected Councillor for Lyackson First Nation and has been on Council since 2017. She went from being the youngest and least experienced Council member to the oldest with the most experience in 2022. She has high expectations of Lyackson, not only from our Leadership and staff but also from our Membership. She believes we all have a responsibility to Lyackson: to ensure the future is healthy, strong, and vibrant, not only for us but, more importantly, for those yet to come. We need to do it in a way that honours our ancestors and makes them proud of us.

She is grateful for the support of her sta’lus, Barry, and five children (Shayli, Eliza, Salisha, Bracia, and Blaze) who continue to inspire and motivate her. I *raise my hands* to my mom, aunties, uncles, cousins, and our Membership. Huy’ tseep q’u siiem.