Joe Capilano was a leader of the Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish), who called him Sa7plek (Sahp-luk). He fought for the recognition of Native rights and lifestyle.

Capilano spent his youth fishing and hunting. He went to work in the sawmill at Moodyville, a pioneer settlement in what is now the Lower Lonsdale area of the City of North Vancouver.

In 1906 he, along with Cowichan Chief Charley Isipaymilt and Secwepemc

Secwepemc

The Secwepemc , known in English as the Shuswap people, are a First Nations people residing in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their traditional territory ranges from the eastern Chilcotin Plateau and the Cariboo Plateau southeast through the Thompson Country to Kamloops and the Shuswap...

 Chief Basil David, traveled to Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, then after that London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, to meet with King of Canada Edward VII to speak of the need to settle land claims

Land claims

Land claims are a legal declaration of desired control over areas of property including bodies of water. The phrase is usually only used with respect to disputed or unresolved land claims...

 in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. Joe Capilano died of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...

 in 1910.

Legacy

A number of landmarks on Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

's North Shore

North Shore (Greater Vancouver)

"Vancouver's North Shore" is a term commonly used to refer to several areas adjacent to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:*the District of West Vancouver;*the City of North Vancouver;*the District of North Vancouver; and...

 are named in his honour, among them Capilano Lake

Capilano Lake

Capilano Lake is a lake located in the District of North Vancouver and West Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is a watershed administered by the Metro Vancouver and accounts for approximately 40% of Greater Vancouver's water supply...

, one of the sources of Vancouver's water supply, Capilano River

Capilano River

The Capilano River flows from north to south through the Coast Mountains on Vancouver's North Shore and empties into Burrard Inlet, opposite Stanley Park. The river is one of three primary sources of drinking water for residents of Greater Vancouver. The Cleveland Dam, built in 1954, impounds a...

, as well as Capilano Road running parallel up the east side of the river to the Grouse Mountain

Grouse Mountain

Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Exceeding 1,200 m in altitude at its peak, is the site of an alpine ski area in the winter season overlooking Greater Vancouver with four chairlifts facilitating 26 runs...

 ski resort from the Capilano Indian Reserve (Xwemelch'stn), adjacent to the Lions Gate Bridge.

"Legends of Vancouver", a collection of Coast Salish

Coast Salish

Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...

, particularly Sḵwxwú7mesh, stories by Pauline Johnson

Pauline Johnson

Emily Pauline Johnson , commonly known as E. Pauline Johnson or just Pauline Johnson, was a Canadian writer and performer popular in the late 19th century...

, a local poet of Mohawk origin, was based on Capilano's tales.

See also

• Xwemelch'stn
• Sḵwxwú7mesh
• August Jack Khatsahlano
  August Jack Khatsahlano
  August Jack was an Indigenous/Aboriginal chief of the Sḵwxwú7mesh. He was born in the village of Xwayxway on the peninsula that is now Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In his later years, he lived in multiple Sḵwxwú7mesh villages including Xwemelch'stn, Sta7mes, and, most...
  
  
• Dan George
  Dan George
  Chief Dan George, OC was a chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a Coast Salish band located on Burrard Inlet in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was also an author, poet, and an Academy Award-nominated actor....
  
  
• Capilano (disambiguation)