Jenoah Esquiro

Jenoah Esquiro is a member of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation, of the Yanyedí Clan. She was raised in Vancouver, where she attended schooling in multiple post-secondary institutes including Langara College, UBC, The Justice Institute and has facilitated in numerous leadership programs.

After years of searching for her identity in the city, she began to wonder what it truly meant to be Tlingit. After one phone call to her Nation in 2012, she was invited to return to Atlin to work for the summer. Since then she has worked for her community in many varied roles through her experience in community event planning, working with youth, program co-ordinating, and as a trained mediator.

The Lingít Language quickly became a passion and life purpose for Jenoah when the opportunity arose to begin learning and teaching with the Children Of The Taku Society in 2018. She had moved back to Whitehorse only months before, and was pregnant with her third child. She participated in a COTTS Lingít teacher training, and within 2 months she was teaching her first immersion class with a 5-day old baby!

Jenoah lives a very positive and outgoing life, and believes that when people set their mind to something with integrity, they will fulfill their goals. She is committed to empowering anyone who is ready to learn Lingít, as she believes that the Tlingit culture exists in the language, and for people to be proud and empowered their language has to be a part of everyday life.

Her three young children are one of the biggest reasons her commitment to bring back the Lingít Language is so strong. She continues to dedicate every day of her life to speaking to them in the Lingít Language, and making choices to ensure they are strong, proud, and generous members of the community.