Khelsilem facts for kids

Khelsilem Tl'aḵwasiḵ̓an Sxwchálten, also known as Dustin Rivers, is an Indigenous leader and politician in British Columbia, Canada. He is a councillor for the Squamish Nation Council. He was the youngest councillor elected in 2017. He received the most votes and became one of two Official Spokespersons for the Council. Khelsilem works on many important committees. These include finance, human resources, and planning. He also helps with rights and climate action. Vancouver Magazine recognized Khelsilem as one of the top 50 powerful people in 2018 and 2019. In February 2020, he was interviewed on Global News Radio. He spoke about protests supporting the Wet'suwet'en Nation.

About Khelsilem's Life

Khelsilem has family roots in both the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Kwakwaka’wakw nations. He grew up in Squamish Nation communities. These were Eslhá7an and Xwmelch'stn. They are located in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Today, he lives in the city of Vancouver.

His Education and Early Work

Khelsilem went to Carson Graham Secondary School. He also took graduate classes at Simon Fraser University. His studies focused on applied linguistics. Before becoming a politician, Khelsilem was a graphic designer and artist. His public art was shown at the Vancouver Mural Fest. In 2014, he spoke at Interesting Vancouver. He shared his work to help save the Squamish language.

Working to Save the Squamish Language

Khelsilem learned to speak the Squamish language as an adult. He is now fluent in it. In 2015, he started a non-profit group called Kwi Awt Stelmexw. This group focuses on arts and education. Its main goal is to bring back the Squamish language and culture. In 2016, he helped create a language immersion program. This program teaches the Squamish language to Squamish people. It was developed with Simon Fraser University. Khelsilem taught in this program for two years. He left the program after being elected to the Squamish Nation Council.

Khelsilem's Political Journey

In the 2017 Squamish Nation Election, Khelsilem led a campaign. It was called "the New Nine." The goal was to elect nine new candidates to the Council. Out of these nine, eight were successfully elected.

Key Projects as a Councillor

As a Councillor, Khelsilem has worked on many projects. He helped develop a non-profit housing society. He also worked on a transportation planning project for the North Shore. Another big project is a new housing development. This project is with Westbank on the Squamish Nation's Senakw lands. These lands are also known as the Kitsilano Reserve. They are located near the Burrard Street Bridge.

In 2022, Khelsilem discussed this project in an interview. He talked about how Indigenous nations are regaining control over their lands. He explained how this helps their communities. He highlighted the Squamish Nation's success in building rental housing. This work shows the importance of managing their own resources. It helps support the Squamish Nation community's needs.