Amanda Nahanee, whose ancestral name is Shamantsut, was the library’s inaugural First Nations Storyteller in Residence. She is a descendant and cultural ambassador of the Squamish and Nisga’a Nations.

Nahanee is well versed in Coast Salish language, mythology, history, rites and rituals, protocols and village sites. She has also spent extensive time researching and documenting Vancouver’s history and rich diversity of cultures and has addressed national and international gatherings from academic conferences to community events.