Welwáltenaat (Myia Antone) is a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish language)
speaker, teacher, and passionate advocate for language revitalization. She sits on the Squamish Language Commission and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Indigenous Languages and Linguistics, deepening her knowledge and commitment to ensuring the survival and strength of her ancestral language.
She is the founder of Indigenous Women Outdoors, and currently works as a Program Lead, creating new programming to get folks out on the land. Her love for the land extends into her personal life as she backcountry skis in the winter and mountain bikes in the summer, finding love, strength, and connection in the mountains. Apart from ceremony, it is where she feels closest to her ancestors.
As a mother to two young daughters, Myia’s passion for language and land-based learning has taken on even deeper meaning. She believes that language is inseparable from the land and that both are vital to cultural identity, healing, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. Whether teaching in the classroom or sharing teachings on the land, she is dedicated to creating spaces where Indigenous languages thrive and where her smén̓hem (descendants) can grow in their connection to their culture, their communities, and themselves. Her work is deeply rooted in the relationship between people, place, and language, and she continues to find new ways to uplift and strengthen Indigenous voices through all that she does.
