Meet Skye

Sezí Skye Boucher súlye

My name is Skye Boucher, and I am one half of K’estuwe Pieces.

I am dënesųłı̨né tthetsënɂotı̨́né dene. My family comes from Rocher River, Northwest Territories, and I am a proud member of the Deninu K’ue First Nation, under the Akaitcho Territory Government, signatories to Treaty 8 on the south shores of Great Slave Lake.

I spent my early years in Fort Resolution, the oldest community in the Northwest Territories. When I was two, my mom, Suzanne, went back to school, and our family moved around to a few northern communities, mostly Yellowknife, and also Lethbridge, AB. We now call Hay River home.

When I got older, I spent my summers in Fort Resolution with my papa, Henri. He was my great-grandfather, but to me, he was my dad, and I was his favourite baby. We shared traditional foods, stories, and a lot of laughs. My great-grandmother, Mary Rose, passed when I was only one, but the teachings she passed down, sewing and beading, were carried on by my mom and then by me. Whenever I bead, I feel her presence and that deep spiritual connection to where I come from.

Growing up in the Northwest Territories, I noticed how few Indigenous people were in helping professions. Many youth didn’t have the support of someone who truly understood their experiences. That inspired me to pursue social work. I completed my diploma in 2022 and my Bachelor of Social Work in 2024 from Mount Royal University, where I earned a place on both the Dean’s and President’s Lists.

Today, I work as a Foster Care Coordinator in Hay River, doing what I set out to do, serve my community. My lived experience shapes my work every day. I always remind myself, “I want to be who I needed when I was younger.” Working within my own community shows me how important Indigenous representation is in social work. My connection to the people and the land helps me build trust and understanding in everything I do.

Sewing and beading is healing. It reconnects me to my cultural practices and grounds me in who I am. There’s nothing like beading, drinking tea, and listening to the CKLB Request Show on a Saturday, or Bannock & Tea with Myra on a Sunday afternoon (you northerners know what I’m talking about).

Hey, hey marsicho,

Skye. 

Photographer: Olivia Patterson