spa:l'/the Raven 2021/22

ISSUE NO.10

THE INSTITUTE FOR CRITICAL INDIGENOUS STUDIES’ ANNUAL PUBLICATION

We acknowledge that the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the University of British ColumbiaVancouver are located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded homelands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓speaking xʷməθkʷəəm

(Musqueam) people. We value our long-standing relationship with the Musqueam Nation and are grateful for the many ways in which they support and strengthen our unit.

spa:l' / the Raven 2021/22

ISSUE 10, 2021-22

Editor’s Reflection 4

Director’s Reflection 5

CIS Research, Recognition and Scholarship Highlights 6

Faculty Reflection — Linc Kesler

Faculty Reflection — Glen Coulthard

Indigenous Studies Students’ Association Reflection 8

Faculty Reflection — Dory Nason

Sessional Reflections 9

FNEL & FNIS Student Profiles 10

Practicum 2021/22 11

Faculty Reflection — Sheryl Lightfoot

History of CIS: The Early Days 13

Faculty Reflection — Daniel Heath Justice

Faculty Reflection — Mark Turin

Faculty Reflection — Daisy Rosenblum

Faculty Reflection — David Gaertner

History of CIS: Timeline 18

History of CIS: Today 20

Alumni Profiles 22

Staff Reflection — Connie Wintels

Associate Reflections 24

Arts Indigenous Student Advising Reflection and Indigenous Leadership Collective Reflection 26

Welcoming New Faculty to CIS 28

Faculty Reflection — Candace Galla

Painting the Pillar: Indigiqueer students join together for “Brushes and Buchanan” 32

uȼaȼ ȼ awaikxu (Chipmunk and Grasshopper): Animating student collaboration in FNEL 380 33

Faculty Reflection — Aynur Kadir

FNIS and FNEL Birthday Trivia 35

CEDaR Update 36

Staff Reflection — Jennifer Esmeria

Faculty Reflection — Pasang Sherpa

CIS Graduates 37

Faculty Reflection Alice Te Punga Somerville

CONTRIBUTORS

RAVEN BARUDIN

MARGOT BUTLER

DAWN CASSELL

GLEN COULTHARD

AMANDA ENGEN

JENNIFER ESMERIA

ANNA EVERETT

ALEXA FORDY

DAVID GAERTNER

CANDACE GALLA

TAIT GAMBLE

DANIEL HEATH JUSTICE

AYNUR KADIR

LINC KESLER

JADE LAFONTAINE

SHERYL LIGHTFOOT

MAIZE LONGBOAT

ANNA MCKENZIE

ALEXA MANUEL

RACHEL MCGRAW

SABRINA MOSHENKO

DORY NASON

SAMANTHA NOCK

BERNARD PERLEY

AMY PERREAULT

CECI RAWEATER

DAISY ROSENBLUM

DANIKA SHAW

PATRICIA A. SHAW

PASANG YANGJEE SHERPA

ALICE TE PUNGA SOMERVILLE

VERONICA SURETTE

COLL THRUSH

MARK TURIN

AIYANA TWIGG

SUMMER TYANCE

JADE WANG

MARIE WEEKS

CONNIE WINTELS

design and layout by

RICKY CASTANEDO LAREDO

cover image by

JESS WYLIE

Editor's reflection

Sabrina Moshenko

Tânisi and welcome to spa:l’/The Raven!

I would like to start off by saying a big thank you to our readers for opening up this year’s edition of spa:l’/The Raven. As you flip through, I hope you feel the care and passion that went into this project from its many talented contributors. This was my first time working on any sort of publication and it has been an honour to see this magazine come to life. Furthermore, I extend my sincerest gratitude to our previous editor, Tait Gamble, and all the work she did before handing this project over to me – I would not have been able to do it without her. Lastly, I give my thanks to xʷməθkʷəy̓əm and the land on which this publication was created. As a Cree and Métis woman, I was born and raised on my ancestral territory in Treaty 4 and thus have lived as a guest on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm lands since 2019.

Given the state of the world the last two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, I reflect on my time not only as editor of this magazine but as a student of UBC. Last year demanded from us the adaptability to rapid change and the acceptance of a “new normal.” The era of hybrid learning brought with it a careful balance of the online and in-person worlds. While this balance was difficult, I am proud of the work we all accomplished despite these circumstances. Let this magazine be a showcase of the resilience and strength of our community. I ask that we give thanks to ourselves for prospering through yet another year of uncertain change.

Kinanâskomitin,

Sabrina

Director's reflection

Bernard Perley

As we look forward to the new academic year I can’t help but reflect on the craziness of the last two years. In the face of the challenges we all had to endure, I was inspired by how we came together as a community and supported one another with patience and care. That sense of community came through at the CIS student graduation celebration, the first in-person celebration since I took on the director role two years ago. I was delighted to participate in the graduation ceremonies and meet our students, their friends, and their families. The celebrations were a welcome return to community gatherings and the exchange of experiences during a difficult year. Coming together and seeing smiles and hearing laughter was a measure of healing that we all needed.

This past year also saw CIS grow with new staff and faculty. We wished success for our staff members who moved on to new adventures and we welcomed new staff to our growing CIS community. Despite the pandemic, and all the craziness it created, CIS added outstanding faculty to both FNIS and FNEL majors/minors. We welcomed Professor Alice Te Punga Somerville to the FNIS faculty as a joint appointment with English. On the FNEL side,

we coordinated with Asian Studies for two joint appointments and welcomed Dr. Pasang Sherpa and Dr. Aynur Kadir to CIS. Our critical engagement on Indigeneity has greater breadth and depth with these incredible scholars.

As we look forward to the new academic year, we can expect more exciting conversations as we conduct faculty searches for FNEL and FNIS. While we continue to build our capacity to provide critical engagement in Indigenous Studies we also look forward to the external review in the upcoming year.

This past year was significant as we recognized the 25th anniversary of FNEL and the 20th anniversary of FNIS. Unfortunately, the changing health protocols prevented us from organizing larger and more public celebrations but the conversations in the more modest celebration were great reminders of what FNEL, FNIS, and CIS have accomplished. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and start working on the next 25 years of Indigenous community empowerment.

CIS research, recognition, and scholarship highlights

Sabrina Moshenko & Tait Gamble

This year, CIS and the world began the transition out of the strictly remote world we had been living in since March 2020 and into an era of hybrid work and learning. This balance of in-person and remote classes posed new challenges for our community as we learned to navigate these rapidly changing times. However, this did not slow down the CIS alumni, students, and faculty as they continued to make an impact to our UBC community and beyond.

In fall of 2021, alongside 10 other UBC faculty members, FNIS Professor Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot was named to the New College of the Royal Society of Canada. The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists is Canada’s first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for the emerging generation of Canadian intellectual leadership.

In October 2021, FNIS alumni, Jordan Wilson, celebrated the release of his book, Where the Power Is: Indigenous Perspectives on Northwest Coast Art, co-authored alongside Karen Duffek and Bill McLennan. The book launch was held at the Museum of Anthropology. At the same time, FNEL alumni, Aidan Pine, was featured in the Vancouver Sun for his collaboration with Gitxsan Hereditary Chief Sim'oo'git Geel (Catherine Blackstock) and other Gitsxan leaders on a Gitsxan Wordle. He also created code that anyone can download to create a Wordle in their ancestral Indigenous languages.

Spring of 2022, following her term as Vice President of the UBC Faculty Association, Dr. Dory Nason was elected President of the Association. Congratulations, Dory! Happening concurrently, former sessional

LINC KESLER started 2003

The past year for me has been marked by a couple of developments. One has been the return to Vancouver and teaching this fall after another year away. I’ve really enjoyed the chance to work with so many interesting people in my classes and hope my rusty chops haven’t made it too painful for them, especially in my return to core courses I was the first to teach so many years ago. The other has been completing a book manuscript on English drama and the transition from oral to written systems of information around 1600—a project I put on hold for thirty years when I began to focus more professionally on program development and securing a better position for Indigenous and other people in universities. I’ve enjoyed both sides to my work, and it’s been good to finally get back to that research—a project that began with my attempt to understand the influence the ways of my Lakota mother and grandparents have always had on my otherwise very literate life.

instructor, Emma Feltes, and FNIS Associate Professor Glen Coulthard co-authored “How the Constitution Express transformed Canada” for Breach Media, published in March of 2022.

Dr. Daniel Heath Justice and Jean M. O’Brien’s co-authored a book, Allotment Stories: Indigenous Land Relations under Settler Siege, that was published by University of Minnesota Press in Spring of 2022. Allotment Stories explores the longstanding and ongoing settler colonial process of separating Indigenous peoples from their traditional homelands. This book introduces complex conversation into narratives of Indigenous communities resisting allotment and other forms of land dispossession.

In April of 2022, First Nations and Endangered Languages Student, Aiyana Twigg, received the 2022 Outstanding Leader in the UBC Community Award. Aiyana was the former peer advisor with Arts Indigenous Student Advising for the 2020/21

GLEN COULTHARD started

2008

school year. In this role, Aiyana was also a lead facilitator of the Indigenous Leadership Collective. In addition to this and all her studies, Aiyana has developed Ktunaxa online games and built a social media platform, @ktunaxapride, to aid in the development of language learning tools for her community. In June of 2022, these initiatives were further recognized as Aiyana was awarded the Lieutenant Governor medal. Great work Aiyana!

Despite of year filled with fast-moving transitions for our community and the world around us, 2021/22 was yet another great year of research, recognition and scholarship. We look forward to the upcoming year and all it has to bring!

This year has been a constant adjustment. After the last lockdown (January 2022) I was finally able to resume interviews for my new book on Maoism and Red Power in the 1960s and 70s. I taught hybrid courses in FNIS (FNIS 210) and Political Science (POLI 341) which went well. As far as community work goes, it’s been a time of growth and expansion at Dechinta, as we continue to build our network of land based practitioners, develop programming that meets the needs of Indigenous communities in the north, and adapts to the realities of climate change and the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. We were able to spend a lot of time on the land together in spite of the pandemic. Highlights include our community Fish Camp from February to April on Yellowknives Dene territory, our summer hide camps at the Wiillideh site outside of Yellowknife and in the Beaufort Delta, and our caribou camp in Kaska Dena territory. We also delivered our first UBC hybrid course on Indigenous self-determination, meeting online for class and supporting students in engaging in a land-based project in their home community.

Dechinta hosted a regional gathering for the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA) annual meeting. NAISA is an international organization of Indigenous academics and educators, and we were honored to host NAISA North featuring in person gatherings in Yellowknife and Whitehorse, and a virtual component highlighting Indigenous research and creative practice in the North.

Indigenous Studies Students’ Association Reflection

Summer Tyance

The Indigenous Studies Students’ Association (ISSA) is a student-led collective partnered with the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies that fosters healthy community, discussion, and engagement amongst students within First Nations and Indigenous Studies and First Nations and Endangered Languages. It is with hopes that this collective allows Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to connect outside of just the classroom and continue to have reciprocal dialogues around key issues or ideas brought up in course materials, or within other communities and spaces around campus. Safety, transparency, and the health of Indigenous and non-Indigenous kin is key for adequate events and operation. Some of ISSA’s first meetings centered discussion on how to make safer spaces, include diversity and a wide

range of voices, and work toward decolonizing structures of such committees and collectives. A key priority of ISSA this year has been health in all forms such as physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual.

With unprecedented events surrounding the pandemic, collective members have had to adapt and reconsider what their needs and wants are, as well as what their capacity to take on other initiatives outside of academia is. That being said, some of the events run this year have been low-barrier, such as art builds, craft & chat circles, tea, talks, walks, and Timbits. A goal has been to allow students a moment to breathe and connect with other FNIS and FNEL alumni, as well. Another goal has been to hold space with open arms to community, and allowing those to voice and take action on initiatives they wish to see for the future of ISSA.

In one of the initial meetings, bannock and a salmon spread from Salishan Catering was provided, and everyone enjoyed it as they sipped their warm beverage, met like-minded folk, and brought up amazing ideas that they wish for ISSA to address and engage with.

The future is bright with time for dreams and aspirations that this collective holds. I have full faith that members, organizers, CIS, and others can make these dreams come true when it comes to community, allyship, dialogue, reciprocity, and support.

faculty reflections

DORY NASON started 2008

My primary work this past year has been in leadership at the UBC Faculty Association. I will be ending my term as Vice President and entering my term as President in July 2022. Three Faculty Association initiatives have been my focus this year: the development of two new standing committees, one on Anti-racism and Indigenous Initiatives and the other on Equity. I was also co-chair and lead on the UBC/UBCFA Joint Consultation Committee for Indigenous and Diverse Scholarly activity. This committee surveyed and held many consultation sessions with Indigenous faculty and non-Indigenous faculty who work in this field on how best to support and recognize their teaching, research, and service. I look forward to continuing this work as I take on the presidency for the next two years.

Sessional Reflections

Rachel McGraw

Rachel McGraw is a settler scholar based on Treaty Six territory. She is a PhD Candidate in Linguistics at the University of Alberta.

Alexa Manuel

When I was asked last term if I was interested in teaching FNIS 300: First Nations Writing, I must admit that I wasn’t sure I could do it. I knew it would require a lot of work – writing is a lot of work. But I’m so glad I did, because it was such a rewarding experience to get to read so many amazing pieces of writing by students, and to see the ways their minds work.

I used to think I knew what kind of a teacher I would be, but the more classes I teach the more I realize the importance of being flexible and adapting to changing environments. Early in the semester, it felt like every other person I knew was getting sick with COVID. I found myself worrying. I realized that everyone around me was going through the same thing, worrying about their loved ones and about themselves. School doesn’t feel so important when we are living through the ongoing trauma of pandemics, and that’s completely normal.

When we talk about decolonizing the classroom, I think a large part of that work needs to be about recognizing that we are not just students, or researchers – we are human beings, seeking to learn about our world and about each other. Our relationship to the land and to each other comes first, our obligations to the academy come after. So take care of yourself first, so you can take care of the rest. Limlimt for the wonderful semester!

This year I taught two online linguistics courses in the First Nations and Endangered Languages program: FNEL 281 Sounds of Endangered Languages and FNEL 282 Structures of Endangered Languages. It is in the spirit of giving thanks that I reflect on these past eight months teaching in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies.

I give thanks first to the students, who actively contributed their energy and intellectual resources to our meetings. I am amazed at the quality and depth of the original linguistic analysis and creation of original language resources completed by students. Together, both Indigenous and settler students applied linguistic concepts and tools to further their own and others’ language reclamation goals. We reflected on the role of language and linguistics in cultural reclamation and social reconciliation more broadly, considering how we can apply these lessons in our daily lives. Through their vulnerability, students often challenged me and each other to develop our reflexive teaching and learning practice. The intimacy of our class meetings is a gift that I will carry with me going forward.

I also give thanks to the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies. I am grateful and honored to contribute to this dynamic program and make a difference in students’ lives.

Finally, I give thanks to the Creator, who has blessed me immeasurably through this experience. I have both been encouraged to grow through challenges, and been rewarded with the profound beauty of the relationships developed in these classes. I am grateful.

FNEL Student Profile

Danika Shaw

Yáu wáwaxtus! Danikaxƛnúgva du Haíɫzaqvnúgva. Hello relatives! My name is Danika and I belong to the Heiltsuk Nation. I'm finishing up my 3rd year in the FNEL program at UBC. It's crazy to reflect back on these past few months and to see how much I've grown. I've learned so much and have met so many inspirational people along the way. The doors have just begun to open and yet I still have more to discover!

Since I've started attending UBC, I've had the chance to not only learn about endangered language documentation, revitalization, and reclamation, but I've simultaneously had the opportunity to apply that knowledge to my own language journey with my ancestral tongue, Haíɫzaqvḷa, by participating in the Indigenous Undergraduate Research Program (IURMP). This combined experience has allowed me hands-on experience of what we're discussing in class. I'm incredibly grateful for this overlapping opportunity as it has now led to me becoming our new Urban Heiltsuk Language instructor! I'm excited to implement some curriculum ideas I've been thinking about to see what is the most effective in helping adult learners with word recollection and grammar.

FNIS Student Profile

Ceci Raweater

Oki, My name is Ceci Raweater. I am Blackfoot from Siksika Nation, a Sto;lo from Skwah Nation, and an El Salvadorian. I am a fourth-year student majoring in First Nations and Indigenous Studies, aiming to complete my degree in five years. I completed two FNIS courses during my third year in term 2021W. The first being FNIS 300: Writing First Nations with Alexa Manuel. Alexa fostered such a welcoming environment which allowed me to write a research paper on “Indigenous Harm Reduction” in relation to Blackfoot teachings. I enjoyed sharing my paper with my peers at the end of the term, as I got the opportunity to share my Blackfoot heritage alongside learning more about Indigenous contemporary realities. During the term, I also took FNIS 310 Critical Indigenous Theory with Dory Nason. In this course, I interacted a lot with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s article “Land As Pedagogy.” Even a whole academic year later, I find myself still reflecting on this article and the ways it centers around me and my experiences. Overall, FNIS has allowed me to intake various academic articles that have expanded my knowledge of Indigenous scholarship, which I am very grateful for. My major has led me to feel more confident and empowered in fostering Indigenous community and politics. I can't wait to see what 2022W has in store for me!

Practicum Presentations 2021/22

On Wednesday March 30th, 2022, the FNIS 400 practicum cohort delivered their practicum presentations before their family and friends, practicum partners, CIS community members, staff and faculty.

After 2 years of virtual festivities, it was exciting to have the chance to gather in Jack Poole Hall in the Alumni Centre. In-person attendees enjoyed Gina Grant’s macaroni salad and other delicious treats.

Congratulations to all FNIS 400 students on their achievement, and thank you to the CIS staff whose efforts made this event possible. m

SHERYL LIGHTFOOT started 2008

FNIS

faculty reflections

In my role as Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs this year, I had the privilege of leading the development of infrastructure to support university-wide implementation of the Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP.) The ISP Guiding Network is an Indigenous human-rights based model with collective leadership and a bottom-up approach to implementation, amplifying Indigenous voices, and with accountability spread across all levels of the university – and most importantly, at points of decision making, budgets and authority.

The new Office of Indigenous Strategic Initiatives (OISI) also guides and supports ISP implementation. The ISP website launched in 2021, including the ISP Implementation Toolkit which helps Faculties and departments start aligning their work with the ISP. The Indigenous Strategic Initiatives (ISI) Fund is also in its pilot year with up to $4M to allocate for ISP implementation projects across three streams.

I also continued my research in global Indigenous rights and politics and was honoured to begin my three-year appointment as North American member of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP).

From left to right: David Gaertner, Grant Bird, Tait Gamble, Qani Reid, Autumn Schnell, Summer Tyance, Tanya Bob

400 students that joined virtually include Nicole Jung, Delanie Austin, Maya Brassard and Shania Sandoval-Cross

Photo courtesy of Jade Wang

An Action Plan for

Inclusion: Cultivating Community, Learning, and Culturally Safe Spaces for Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants at Strive

Tait Gamble

Hello! My name is Tait Gamble. I am a proud older sister, writer, and settler scholar, of English, Irish and German descent. I am from Toronto, the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. Since September 2018, I have been living in what is sometimes called Vancouver - the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the S ḵ wx wú7mesh (Squamish), s ə lilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. I feel privileged to call this place home, and feel grateful for the opportunity to have grown - personally, professionally, and academically on these lands.

Practicum is a really special, practical (please excuse the pun) opportunity for FNIS students to truly apply what we’ve learned throughout our degrees - from historical contexts, approaches to ethical engagement, as well as Indigenous methodologies.

For my placement, I had the privilege of being paired with YWCA Strive, a paid employability and life-skills program based in the Lower Mainland for youth aged 17-24 who are ‘aging out’ of the government care system. Strive proposed a research project that asked two questions:

How might Strive’s internal programming shift to be more inclusive and effective for Indigenous youth, and better meet the needs of Indigenous and non-Indigenous cohorts as a whole?

And, how have other service providers, nationally and internationally, developed culturally-inclusive programming to serve the needs of Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants in the same cohort?

In my project, I conducted a literature review, survey and roundtable. By prioritizing the voices of Strive’s former participants at the centre of my work, I strove (please excuse the pun, again) to answer these questions in an Action Plan for Inclusion.

I am proud of my fi nal deliverable, but I am most proud of the connections I made with roundtable participants, my supervisors at Strive, Marjan Beikzadeh and Josh Hardwick, and the ways that my practicum peers held each other up on our practicum journeys. As students, we can get so caught up in grades and deadlines, and

I am grateful to practicum for showing me that it’s the people we meet and how we build relationships that is the most importantand long lasting - part of our work.

A Big Year for Birthdays

Celebrating 20 years of FNIS and 25 years of FNEL

In 2021, we celebrated two special birthdays… First Nations and Indigenous Studies turned 20 years old, and First Nations and Endangered Languages turned 25! It is amazing to reflect on how much the programs have grown and been shaped by the outstanding faculty, students, and staff who make up our wonderful community. As such, let us look at the histories of our two programs and how they came to be the CIS we know today!

About FNEL

The First Nations and Endangered Languages Program (formerly known as the First Nations Languages Program) was initiated in 1996 as part of UBC’s commitment to community-based collaboration with First Nations peoples, in recognition of the profound importance of First Nations languages and the rich cultural traditions they represent. FNEL provides transformative learning environments that value and model ethical community engagement and collaborative partnerships. Students apply the skills they develop through our courses in language documentation, conservation, reclamation and revitalization in relevant and sustainable ways.

Learn more at the FNEL website, fnel.arts.ubc.ca.

Although the seeds for both the FNLG and FNSP programs were sown at the "President's Workshop on First Nations Research at UBC" in 1991, the stages of conceptualizing and actualizing what was, in that pre-UNDRIP and pre-Truth & Reconciliation era, a significant paradigm shift to actively and respectfully engaging with Indigenous knowledge systems, entailed multiple challenges. In 1996, the First Nations Languages Program (FNLG) was founded as the inaugural program in the Faculty of Arts explicitly dedicated to Indigenous education.

This was a particularly timely academic initiative at UBC in response to two major issues. First was the growing recognition

FNEL (FNLG)

THE EARLY DAYS

Patricia A. Shaw

that not only was the earth's biological environment gravely endangered, but so too was the vital diversity of our global linguistic and cultural environment. Particularly riveting was Krauss' 1992 crisis call that "the century nearly upon us may see the extinction of 95% of our languages".[1] The relevance was direct and compelling: British Columbia itself is a globally recognized "hot spot" of linguistic genetic diversity, with 34 different First Nations languages, representing 7 genetically distinct language families, all of which are critically endangered. The second issue was the fact that UBC itself is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. FNLG's first and primary commitment therefore has been to the Musqueam Band to collaborate in

the development, curriculum design, and teaching of fully accredited courses that contribute to the revitalization and sustainability of the həəmiə language.

Given the long history of cases of extractive and unethical research conducted at various academic institutions, prior to engaging in any research activity with the Musqueam community, there were extensive consultations between representatives of the Musqueam Indian Band and UBC/ FNLG to negotiate a formal Protocol Agreement to address ethical issues of potential concern, and to lay the foundation for a mutually respectful and beneficial collaborative research relationship. To our knowledge, this was the first such Protocol Agreement negotiated in Canada. Subsequently it has inspired a number of other Indigenous communities who are considering research/teaching partnerships with academic institutions to explore similar steps to ensure that their language and culture are respected as invaluable community-controlled resources.

In addition to working in close collaboration with the Musqueam community to enhance the use of hə  əmi ə , FNLG has also collaborated with other BC Indigenous groups to offer courses in Nɬeʔkepmxcin (Salish), Kwa wala (N. Wakashan), Cree (Algonquian), Dakelh (Carrier Athapaskan), Kaska (Athapaskan). Further, if possible, FNLG has responded to requests of individual students who have wanted to study their own language by offering Directed Studies courses in Haida (Isolate), Nuu-chah-nulth (S. Wakashan), Tahltan (Athapaskan), Dene Yati (Athapaskan). Sometimes students have been able to take on-line courses from other institutions for transfer credits.

faculty reflections

DANIEL HEATH JUSTICE

Started 2010

This past academic year saw the publication of two long-gestating book projects: my second animal cultural history, Raccoon (Reaktion Books), and, co-edited with White Earth Ojibwe historian Jean M. O’Brien, a collection of essays titled Allotment Stories: Indigenous Land Relations under Settler Siege (University of Minnesota Press). I’m currently working on a few projects, including an academic podcast series focusing on other-than-human kinship, a collaborative project on Cherokee allotment maps, and two fantasy novels.

Since its inception, FNLG students have benefitted tremendously by being welcomed onto the Musqueam reserve where the classes are hosted. Whenever possible, other FNLG classes have been offered off-campus as part of the FNLG commitment to direct community engagement and enhancing the cultural context of the language. Over the years, FNLG courses have been hosted by the Kwantlen Nation, the U'mista Cultural Center in Alert Bay, the Native Education Center in Vancouver, the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Center, the Urban Native Youth Association, and Britannia Secondary School.

From its beginnings, FNLG has been inherently structured around community engagement and collaboration: all the FNLG language classes have been team-taught, drawing on deeply committed Sessional and Adjunct Instructors, along with the younger generation of eləwtən (helpers), mentoring interested members of the partner community not only in language-speaking skills, but also in linguistics skills, in multiple teaching methodologies, in curriculum design, in creating effective evaluation metrics, in archival research skills, in classroom management techniques, and much more - all with the ultimate goal of their acquiring a broad range of competencies to be effective and confident on their own in a classroom. And in bringing the language out of the classroom into their family and community context.

Equally important has been the extraordinary commitment, humanity, humility, compassion, creativity, and humour of the FNLG (now FNEL) students - Indigenous and non-Indigenous, from diverse generations of lived experience, and from many different cultures around the globe. Their shared learning/teaching journey through

FNLG has not been just about an endangered Indigenous "language", but has necessarily entailed confronting the profoundly unsettling realities of history and politics and society that underlie why these Indigenous languages are endangered. As well as confronting the fact that the realities of social injustice aren't just in the past, but persist in the present.

The FNLG classrooms are transformative.

They instantiate a microcosm of the goals of the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action.

And they actively embody significant progress towards reversing the precipitous loss of linguistic and cultural diversity.

While life under lockdown has become the new normal for all of us, I have really missed face-to-face interactions with students, colleagues and community partners. Even though I am in regular contact with friends and research partners in Bella Bella, I have not visited for three years now. I look forward very much to working with Heiltsuk Elders and language teachers in person when that becomes possible again. For some of this past year, I was on sabbatical study leave giving me time to pursue a number of writing projects—in many cases co-authoring with CIS students. Seeing one’s ideas wend their way into press, and witnessing the excitement and anticipation in emerging scholars for whom this is often first publication, is so satisfying! The Relational Lexicography project which I direct goes from strength to strength, with a comprehensive survey complete, an open-access knowledgebase now public and various publications in production. Please visit https://dictionaries.arts.ubc.ca to learn more.

[1] Krauss, Michael. 1992. "The Language Extinction Catastrophe Just Ahead". International Congress of Linguists, Quebec City.

About FNIS

First Nations and Indigenous Studies (FNIS) was founded in 2001 to provide students with an understanding of the histories, contemporary realities, and political concerns of Indigenous peoples in Canada and beyond. Since its founding, FNIS has grown into an interdisciplinary undergraduate program within the Faculty of Arts. FNIS reflects the belief that deep understanding and ethical engagement are central to the wellbeing of resurgent Indigenous communities and foundational to more respectful Indigenous-settler relations.

Learn more at the FNIS website, fnis.arts.ubc.ca.

DAISY ROSENBLUM

Started 2012

This year, I was finally able to travel to the North Island to visit my research partners there after two years of working remotely and some very difficult losses. With with the Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Language Revitalization Program (including FNIS grad Lucy Hemphill, UBC NITEP grad Jaymyn La Vallée, and CEDaR alum Arynn King) I have been working on the digitization and contextualization of legacy recordings; digital repatriation of cultural knowledge from museums, archives, and libraries such as Columbia University and the Royal BC Museum; the creation of a new First Voices site for Bakwamkala; and dialect-specific documentation and resources for every age of language learner. Much of this work has been supported by the First Peoples’ Language Technology Project, and several of our FNEL/FNIS graduates there as well, including Crystal Azak, Ben Chung, and Bridget Chase. Our Kwakwala OCR project used machine learning to vastly improve character recognition for 100-year-old Kwak’wala texts, enabling search and transliteration into community-preferred writing systems. We are extracting, compiling, and distributing newly-accessible texts to community partners, and have submitted a manuscript describing this work to Language. Finally, a Killam Faculty Research Fellowship is supporting the preparation of audio and video materials for my digital publication of Grammars of Space in Kwak’wala. iSchool student, Olivia Done and Work Learn employee Zoe Chung are working with me to curate these recordings, complete transcription, consult with community partners, speakers and their family members, and deposit them in both community and international archives.

FNIS (FNSP) THE EARLY DAYS

Dr. Linc Kesler

The First Nations Studies Program formally began in 2001, but only began offering upper division classes in the 2002-2003 academic year, the first, FNSP 310, taught by a sessional. I joined the faculty in January 2003 as the first permanent faculty member and first director. At that time a skeleton curriculum, including FNSP 200, 310, 320, and 400, had been approved by the university senate, but the content undetermined. I was most intrigued by 400, the Research Practicum, because I had been interested in the possibilities of a community-oriented course in organizing the Ethnic Studies department I had helped to establish in Oregon. I was very fortunate in teaching my first class, 320, Research Methods, to have a very opinionated and politically engaged group of students who had come through the Institute for Indigenous Governance, an academic partnership between Langara College and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. We had many discussions about the

purposes of education, resistance to assimilation, and the students’ frustrations with other classes. These discussions helped to shape the future of 310, Theory Seminar, and 320. The real question, though, was what 400 should be. My colleague at the time, a junior professor from Education, thought it would be best to slot students into existing UBC research projects. I thought that would be a wasted opportunity and advocated for a different design— one in which organizations told us their research needs and students negotiated with an organization to apply everything they had learned to meeting some part of that need. This was an ambitious design, but organizations responded very positively and year after year students demonstrated their creativity and developing senses of strategy to producing successful and valued projects. That became the foundation of the early program and the rationale for aspects of the theory and methods courses since the proof of their value was their relevance

DAVID GAERTNER started 2012

to the projects. The practicum also assured that what we did in the program gave students what they needed to respond to the actual needs of Indigenous communities and organizations—an antidote to both assimilation and to academic detachment. I cannot complete this early account without noting the critical contribution of my oldest and best colleague at UBC, Tanya Bob. Tanya and I actually met at a conference in Oregon after I had accepted the job but before I came to UBC and we agreed that FNSP represented a chance to have a true integration of academic programming and student support. That partnership was crucial to the many challenges faced by students and the program then and ever since, and Tanya’s connections to and knowledge of the BC Indigenous world was vital to me as a newcomer. Tanya really has been the rock upon which FNSP/FNIS has always been based. m

faculty reflections

This was an exciting year for Daisy Rosenblum and I as we got the CEDaR space off running and open for research. The space, which sits at the bottom of Buchanan Tower (104A), passed inspection in March. We hired two amazing staff soon after: Sara MacLellan (CEDaR Coordinator) and Dante Cerron (Lead Developer). With the Emerging Media Lab (EML), CEDaR also began work on our geospatial audio platform. This web application allows developers to create audio tours that end users engage on the land, via QR codes and geolocation triggers. Working with Vanessa Campbell and Musqueam Language and Culture we developed a prototype that allows users to hear Vanessa pronouncing the hənqəminəm words on the street signs at UBC. CEDaR and CIS also joined forces with Chris Patterson and the Chan Centre to begin planning “Games in Action: interactivity / activation \ activism,” coming to the Chan Centre and CIS November 4 & 5, 2022. Look for more CEDaR events, projects, and updates at www.cedarspace.ca. Photo by Sandra Harsidi.

The practicum also assured that what we did in the program gave students what they needed to respond to the actual needs of Indigenous communities and organizations—an antidote to both assimilation and to academic detachment

THROUGH THE YEARS FNIS AND FNEL

1991

“…[T]he seeds for both the FNLG and FNSP programs were sown at the ‘President's Workshop on First Nations Research at UBC’ in 1991…”

Dr. Patricia Shaw

1996

First Nations and Endangered Languages is founded

2001

First Nations and Indigenous Studies is founded 2003

“I joined the faculty in January 2003 as the first permanent faculty member and first director. At that time a skeleton curriculum, including FNSP 200, 310, 320, and 400, had been approved by the university senate, but the content undetermined”

Dr. Linc Kesler

2005

FIRST SPEAKERS' SERIES, STREAMED LIVE, 2005

2008

VISITING FNSP ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, ALANIS ABOMSAWIN, WITH STUDENTS, 2008

2012

“I joined what was then the First Nations Studies Program (FNSP) in 2012, following Linc Kesler as Chair. It was an exciting time in the program: we had a vibrant set of courses, brilliant students, and strong relationships in the community, all key reasons I left U of T for UBC”

Dr. Daniel Heath Justice

2016

CIS is founded

2014

“[I]n recognition of the growing global momentum behind language documentation, conservation, revitalization, and reclamation, and out of an awareness of the precarious state of many Indigenous languages spoken in what is now British Columbia, in 2014 we advised the University administration that we sought to rename ourselves the First Nations and Endangered Languages Program (FNEL)”

Dr. Mark Turin

“Some of the people I met during my undergrad have become my closest and dearest friends whom I have had the privilege of seeing grow and succeed in so many ways over the last decade. I met most of these people in FNIS classes in 2010/2011 and we're still connected today.”

Samantha Nock (Class of 2014)

2020

“My time in FNIS/FNEL was very inspiring and rewarding as it prepared me for my graduate studies. I just finished my Masters thesis and was also offered a job teaching an Indigenous Education course at McGill this summer!”

Jade LaFontaine (Class of 2020)

“FNIS taught me to be community oriented. The program equipped me with the skills to support Indigenous and underrepresented peoples in my work today.”

Maize Longboat (Class of 2016)

2017

“I have carried forward so many learnings from my time in both FNIS and FNEL. I love that I still carry hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ words on a daily basis… This degree changed my life. I am able to share some of my learning in my workplace and personal life.”

Marie Weeks (Class of 2017)

FNEL Today

Dr. Mark Turin

Ijoined the First Nations Languages Program (FNLG) at UBC Vancouver in July 2014. From the outset, I was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work closely with both Dr. Patricia Shaw, the program’s Founding Chair, and with colleagues at the Musqueam Language and Culture Department to build on FNLG’s many strengths and co-develop exciting new directions. Strengthened by the hiring of Dr. Daisy Rosenblum as Assistant Professor in FNLG in January 2015, the appointment of not one but two Banting Postdoctoral Fellows (Dr. Emily Elfner from 2014-2016 and Dr. Jorge Emilio Rosés Labrada from 2015-2017) who were mentored and supervised by Dr. Shaw, and our tireless Program Assistant, Kaeleigh Hiebert, our collective work was shaped by three principal goals. I’m delighted that over the next five years—the duration of my term as Program Chair—we achieved all that we set out to do.

First, between 2014 and 2018, in a refreshingly cooperative manner, we imagined, designed, and introduced a series of innovative undergraduate courses, including but not limited to FNEL 180: Introduction to Endangered Language Documentation and Revitalization, FNEL 281: Sounds of Endangered Languages, FNEL 282: Structures of Endangered Languages, FNEL 380: Technologies for Endangered Language Documentation and Revitalization; FNEL 381: Biocultural Diversity: Language, Community, and Environment and FNEL 382: Lexicography for Endangered Languages. With these new curricula offerings on the calendar and with our increased teaching capacity, our student numbers began to rise dramatically. I am particularly satisfied that our faculty and instructors developed collaborative research partnerships with local First Nations communities across British Columbia, creating unique opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to work together and productively combine academic and community goals.

Second, in recognition of the growing global momentum behind language documentation, conservation, revitalization and reclamation, and out of an awareness of the precarious state of many Indigenous languages spoken in what is now British

Columbia, in 2014 we advised the University administration that we sought to rename ourselves the First Nations and Endangered Languages Program (FNEL). We coordinated this seemingly modest but actually quite significant transformation with our colleagues in the First Nations Studies Program (FNSP) who became the First Nations and Indigenous Studies Program (FNIS) at the same time. Together, these two unique, community-focused interdisciplinary undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Arts would go on to form the new Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies (CIS).

Third, with a slate of popular new courses in position and a stronger presence across the UBC campus, we were ready to embark on our most ambitious project yet: a Major and Minor in First Nations and Endangered Languages! While the process was long and at times arduous, with various false summits, at end of December 2018, we heard from the BC Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training that our specialization had been approved. This allowed students to officially declare FNEL as their Major or Minor of study from early 2019. I am immensely proud of the collective work that we undertook—staff, students, faculty and our committed colleagues at Musqueam—to strengthen the work of language revitalization and reclamation at UBC.

Together, these two unique, communityfocused interdisciplinary undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Arts would go on to form the new Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies (CIS).

Dr. Daniel Heath Justice

Ijoined what was then the First Nations Studies Program (FNSP) in 2012, following Linc Kesler as Chair. It was an exciting time in the program: we had a vibrant set of courses, brilliant students, and strong relationships in the community, all key reasons I left U of T for UBC. As an undergraduate program, however, we were limited in what we could offer to students beyond their BA, and there was growing interest in expanding our offerings as well as growing our enrolments to include graduate students. The Dean’s office encouraged closer ties between FNSP and the First Nations Language Program (now FNEL), the other Indigenous-focused undergraduate program in the Faculty of Arts. We were all sensibly wary of the potential problems of such a union, as our units had very different histories and structures, and we’d all seen too many examples of partnerships turn into collapses and infighting. But there were also many potential benefits from a closer collaboration, so we started discussions in 2014 about what might work in terms of bringing together our diverse strengths in ways that didn’t erode our programmatic sovereignty. One idea was that we might be a department, but at UBC such units were very constrained in terms of governance structure, and we wanted something more dynamic. An institute made more sense for our purposes: it was more flexible, could reach across Faculties more easily, and it was easier to pursue affiliations and partnerships in and beyond the University. Toward that end, our programs updated our names to better reflect our diverse faculty and areas of research strength, while retaining and foregrounding our rootedness in First Nations lands and contexts.

Our original goal was to have the full sovereignty of both units firmly embedded in the structure of the unit, with two

co-Directors rather than a single director at the helm, as well as two distinct budgetary lines. While there were many functional Indigenous examples we could point to as models, such a structure was an anomaly in the Faculty, and after a few years we were obligated to shift to a single Director, reporting, and budgetary structure. While this change shifted some of what we hoped for in terms of Indigenous-centred governance models, we nevertheless maintained program sovereignty, and both FNIS and FNEL have retained their distinct personalities while at the same time developing important links between and across the programs. These qualities—careful reflection, adaptive and principled response to changing conditions, and firmly collaborative purpose—have ensured a strong community of practice, and have maintained our diverse strengths while collectively expanding our opportunities. CIS isn’t exactly as we imagined it in our early discussion in 2014, but I believe it’s far more creative, dynamic, and courageous than many of us dreamed it could be back then, especially as we now have so many other impressive colleagues and students to share, expand, and enhance the evolving shared vision that is the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies. I’m honoured to be a part of this committed, passionate scholarly community and very excited to see where we will go, together, in the years to come.

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[W]e nevertheless maintained program sovereignty, and both FNIS and FNEL have retained their distinct personalities while at the same time developing important links between and across the programs

Alumni Profiles Raven

Barudin

Gilakasda’xw'la, 'Nugwa'a m G wayabalaga lis. Gayutła n lax a 'Na mgis dłu' Musg a 'makw Dzawada 'enux w. My name is Raven Barudin and the name Gwayabalagalis (Dancing down river) was passed on to me from my late mother, Elizabeth Isaac. I am Kwakwaka 'wakw come from the 'Namgis and Musga'makw Dzawada'enuxw tribes. I am also of Belarussian Jewish descent through my paternal side of the family.

I began my post-secondary learning at Langara College enrolling in the two-year Aboriginal Studies Program and then transferred to UBC to complete my BA. I graduated in 2008 from what was then called the First Nations Studies Program and I have many fond memories of my time in the program. The smaller class sizes and critical content being covered created a sense of connection and the ability to have meaningful discussions and debates. I felt supported and listened to by my peers and professors.

The First Peoples House of Learning, Xwi7xwa Library, and MOA quickly became a haven for me. I appreciated the cultural events that were available, sense of community, and guidance I received from other Indigenous students, mentors, professors, and elders.

The courses I took while I was at Langara College and through FNSP sparked an intense curiosity about my own identity, but also a strong sense of outrage about the history and treatment of Indigenous peoples in North America (and around the world). This propelled me into action, doing what I could to support children, youth, and families in the urban Indigenous community. I completed my practicum with Musqueam’s daycare facility t ə mem̓ən̓əsʔewtxʷ (The Children’s House), worked with the Urban Native Youth Association, The Centre for Native Policy and Research, Watari, and Healing Our Spirit: BC Aboriginal HIV/ AIDS Society.

My studies and work experiences solidified my love for learning and guided me to a career choice in education. I graduated with a Bachelor of Education in 2010 and returned to my mother’s home community to teach at the elementary level at the Tłisalagi'lakw School in Alert Bay, BC. From there my family and I moved to the Sunshine Coast where I was an Aboriginal Education Support Teacher, working closely with the shíshálh Nation. After this, we relocated to Jiangsu Province, China for two years to work abroad at the Canadian International School of Kunshan.

I became pregnant with my second daughter while we were in China and so we made the journey back home to Alert Bay. I began teaching at the Tłisalagi'lakw School once again, happy to be integrating Kwakwaka'wakw culture, language, and outdoor education alongside the new BC curriculum. In 2021 I was humbled and honoured to receive the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. It has been an incredibly rewarding journey as an educator, mother, and wife thus far. I aspire to further my education and one day become a faculty member at UBC.

Gilakas'la m

Anna Mckenzie

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't reflect on or draw from my time in the First Nations and Indigenous Studies program at UBC. At 21, I moved from Mohkínstsis (Calgary) in Treaty 7 territory at 21 years old after being accepted into the program. The year prior, I had completed a year in the Aboriginal Students Access Program (ASAP) at the University of Calgary. I didn’t graduate high school for many different reasons, but I found university was a space for connecting with other Indigenous students who had similar backgrounds and ideas. It was also a forum for truth learning and sharing within my own family history, as we collectively grappled with my Dad and his siblings' experiences at the Sacred Heart Day School.

The four years I spent in the FNIS program introduced me to so many foundational teachings, including Indigenous feminist scholarship and qualitative research methodologies. My practicum involved doing research with the YMCA’s Strive Program, which supports Indigenous youth as they “age out” of the child welfare system. This set a path for me that has led me to where I am today, both in my personal life and career. I have worked as a communicator and storyteller, and after I became a mother, my creativity and commitment to the next generation exploded. I worked as a child welfare reporter with IndigiNews before making the decision to try my hand at law school. After the first year, I’ve decided to take time away to work on my writing, and to rejoin IndigiNews as well as the BC First Nations Justice Council as their Memory Keeper and Storyteller. I have felt empowered through my degree and the support of my peers to decolonize respective work spaces, and to know that my voice has value.

CONNIE WINTELS Administrator

When I was first asked to be the administrator as a short-term replacement in the summer of 2019. I jumped at the chance to experience a new challenge, meet new colleagues and learn about another unit in the faculty of arts. Three years and one pandemic later, I have come across many challenges and many colleagues, be they staff, faculty or students who have inspired me to meet and help them meet the challenges we all faced over the last few years. I am fortunate to find myself at CIS at a time where the issues of Indigenous peoples both across Canada and worldwide has come into focus and their cultures, languages, and futures are given the opportunity to thrive. I look forward to continue contributing to the Institute and its goal to provide a vibrant, dynamic and supportive place and space for all members of the CIS community.

Associate reflections

Margot Butler

ACADEMIC DIRECTOR

HUM 101 (Humanities 101 Community Programme)

Associate, Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies

This year, Hum’s course theme is from the Black author Octavia E. Butler’s profoundly prescient book Parable of the Sower, published in 1993 and set in 2024: “All that you touch you change. All that you change, changes you.” Touching changes the toucher, and more. I’m so honoured to be in close touch with the folks at CIS — the students, staff, associates and faculty, many of whom have long been Hum teachers, supporters and friends. Merci bien! As a member of CIS’s Ethics Committee, I congratulate all of the practicum students for their fabulous work, creativity and tenacity: well done! I also want to congratulate Hum alumna Sandi/Raven Rooke (Saulteaux-Cree) for receiving a UBC Centennial Scholars Entrance Award and completing her first year as a CIS undergraduate student, and new UBC graduate and Hum alumnus Rodney Little Mustache (Piikani Nation, Blackfoot Confederacy) for all the spectacular activism he contributed to the UBC campus during his bachelor’s degree, particularly on the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force.

Amy Perreault

SR. STRATEGIST

Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology

Indigenous Initiatives

It has been a busy year for the Indigenous Initiatives team! We have seen colleagues move onto different opportunities, welcomed new colleagues onto the team, and have nurtured many projects we are excited to share with our communities. Projects such as What I Learned in Class Today and the In/Relation Project which seeks to educate our learning communities at UBC about Indigenous experiences in the university. Together with UBC HR, we are working on the Indigenous Learning Pathways project, an Indigenous centered learning opportunity staff and faculty on their unlearning and learning journey. This summer we are excited to run the Design Series in partnership with our colleagues in STEM. We are so excited to continue to build many more opportunities for our communities over the next year, such as Anti-Racism workshops and continued consultations with faculty and staff. None of our work would be possible without the support of our communities both at UBC and outside of the university. Thank you for all your trust in us as we continue on this (busy) and exciting path.

Coll Thrush

PROFESSOR OF HISTORY

Chair, Graduate Program in History

Faculty Associate, Critical Indigenous Studies

I was on research leave during the 2020-2021 academic year, focusing on my new book on shipwrecks, settler colonialism, and Indigenous survivance on the Northwest Coast. It was certainly a strange year to be on leave, but my research assistant and I were surprisingly productive, given that many archives and communities were closed to researchers. Now that I'm back in the classroom, I'm teaching my course on the American West and another on first contacts in the Pacific. Both classes include several FNIS majors, and I'm always so grateful for the perspectives and expertise they bring to our conversations.

NEW AISA ADVISORS

Arts Indigenous Student Advising (AISA)

Arts Indigenous Student Advising (AISA) in the Faculty of Arts encourages and supports the success of new and continuing First Nations, Métis and Inuit students. AISA provides students with academic and cultural supports and connections to achieve their academic and personal goals.

Amanda Engen

Dawn Cassell is a proud Indigenous woman born and raised on Treaty 4 territory in Regina, Saskatchewan. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, an Inclusive Education certificate and a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Regina. Dawn is passionate about education and continues to be an active supporter and activist for educational programming designed to empower Indigenous people and strengthen communities.

Amanda Engen is an adopted Dene Tha/ French woman with ancestral roots from Northern Alberta. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work (Indigenous Specialization) and a Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution from the University of Victoria. She is naturally drawn to projects and teams that involve collaboration and unity across-cultures to building strong, healthy and sustainable communities for future generations to come.

NEW ARTS INDIGENOUS STUDENT ADVISING PEER ADVISOR & ILC COORDINATOR

AISA welcomed Veronica Surette (Nuuchah-nulth, Gitxsan and Kwakwaka’wakw ancestry with Ukrainian and French descent) as the new Peer Advisor and ILC Coordinator for the summer of 2022. Veronica has a deep belief in honesty and justice that she has found within her traditional ways of knowing. She is pursuing a major in Gender, Race, Sexuality & Social Justice.

INDIGENOUS STUDENT SHOWCASE BECOMING

The painting on this drum created by Sabrina Moshenko (Plains Cree and Métis), Peer Advisor for AISA from 2020 to 2022, depicts her story of coming out as queer. Sabrina wrote:

“Growing up I felt ashamed of being Indigenous. It was only after coming out as queer that I gained the courage to come into my whole identity as both a queer  and  Indigenous woman. The title of this piece,  Becoming, is meant to nod toward the fact that I am still learning what it means to be a proud Indigiqueer.” m

Dawn Cassell

Veronica Surette

AISA WELCOMES TWO NEW ACADEMIC ADVISORS TO THE TEAM!

Indigenous Leadership Collective Reflection

The Indigenous Leadership Collective (ILC) has been active since 2017 and has since become an important community group focused on fostering leadership opportunities for Indigenous students in the Faculty of Arts. I was the ILC facilitator for the 2021/22 Winter session. I stepped into this role during the summer of 2021 and focused much of my efforts during that time on preparing for the transition back to on-campus learning.

In the 2021/22 Winter Session, the ILC focused on reworking the ILC spaces to accommodate in-person and online attendance as we continue to adapt to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. In term two, the ILC reintroduced three chair positions: the wellness chair (Summer Tyance), the recreation chair (Jayde Grimard), and the mentorship chair (Rachelle Grabarczyk).

Working together collaboratively, the chairs and myself hosted and planned events geared to support students in their mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.

One of the big highlights for the ILC this year was the student panel hosted in collaboration with the AMS for their 2021 Indigenous Culture Month. The panel consisted of three ILC members who discussed navigating UBC as Indigenous students, how they stay grounded to community, among other topics regarding their indigeneity.

Sabrina Moshenko

Above: ILC Wellness Chair, Jayde Grimard on one of her wellness hikes down to Wreck Beach

Below: (from left to right) Nicki Antone-Diamond, Kleo Skavinski, and Faith Vaughan speaking at the Student Leader Panel for Indigenous Culture Month in November 2021

Welcoming New Faculty to CIS

Dr. Alice Te Punga Somerville

I wrote this poem during a session that honoured two incredible Indigenous woman scholars connected to Fiji (Tracey Banivanua Mar and Teresia Teaiwa) who had both passed away in 2017 from illness in their 40s; they were intellectual giants whose departures were tragically early. The personal cost of doing this work in colonial institutions can be too high - and the challenge for the next generations of Indigenous thinkers (and institutions) is to change this story. Ultimately, though, I wrote this poem to explain to myself and to others why we are here doing this work, and how our collective visions of the academy could look.

AN INDIGENOUS WOMAN SCHOLAR’S PRAYER

May I grow old enough to be forgotten. May my questions become passé, may my bibliographies become outdated, may my theories be superceded, may I be obsolete.

May I teach students who teach students who teach students: may I meet these younger thinkers at conferences, may I read and cite their work, may I watch them stand more stably than I could ever have dreamed.

May I sit in committee meetings where young colleagues raise new challenges because the old ones have finally been put to rest.

May I watch the old guard quietly move on, but more than this: may I live long enough to be part of an old guard who younger scholars wish would retire. (May I get to retire.)

May I see scores of Indigenous scholars write hundreds of Indigenous books that ask thousands of Indigenous questions.

May I meet Indigenous vice-chancellors, presidents, professors, and deans; may they not all be men.

May I lie on a future death-bed and look back with regrets related to work rather than regrets related to family.

May my passing be unshocking, not early, not unexpected.

May I run out of ideas before I run out of time.

Dr. Pasang Sherpa

JUST, SUSTAINABLE FUTURES FOR OUR PEOPLES

On April 25th, 2022, I attended a presentation by Chief Ninawa Huni Kui on “Climate and Nature Emergency in the Amazon,” organized by the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia. Chief Ninawa is a hereditary chief of the Indigenous Huni Kui people and also the elected President of the Huni Kui Federation of the State of Acre, in the Amazon region. He represents 118 communities and a population of more than 15,000 people. His presentation highlighted challenges faced by the Huni Kui people as they guard the Amazon rainforest and river-basin, and underscored the implications of further destruction of the Amazon for global climate crisis.

I was drawn to this event because of the resonances with my own community in the central Himalayas. For a decade and a half, I have been studying how climate change is unfolding in the high Himalayas with a focus on the Sherpa people of Khumbu and Pharak (aka Mount Everest region of Nepal). In my work, I distinguish the actual lived experiences of climate change in the Himalayas from the institutional phrase climate change, as used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is necessary because although the institutional phrase is widely used, it does not capture the lived experiences of high-mountain

communities in the Himalayas. The prevailing Himalayan climate change narrative narrowly concentrates on melting of glaciers and glacial lake outburst floods. That narrative draws much-needed global attention to the high-Himalaya as climate change impacted region but it does so while ignoring other climate change effects.

Chief Ninawa Huni Kui’s presentation of his people’s struggles to guard the Amazon rainforest and river basin for the continuity of his people and for the health of the planet made me see how despite coming from different regions, our peoples were connected by a common challenge of climate and nature emergency. We may have been on different paths, but our destination is the same— just, sustainable futures for our peoples. m

BUILDING INDIGENOUS RIGHTS ACROSS THE PACIFIC RIM

In the early 1970s, a small delegation of Indigenous Ainu from Hokkaido, Japan embarked on an unprecedented trip to the People's Republic of China, sponsored by none other than Communist leader, Mao Zedong. At the same time, a delegation of First Nations and Métis in British Columbia, Canada, were in the beginning stages of organizing their own three-week long visit to China. While each of these trips was monumental in its own right, both were part of an initiative of the Chinese government aimed at supporting and fostering global Indigenous and minority collectives, all in an effort to propel China’s attempts at that time to become a new world leader. For the Indigenous delegations, however, these were some of the very first efforts in Indigenous transnational diplomacy across the Pacific Ocean. More importantly, they were the first acts of global Indigenous recognition entirely independent of local colonial governments.

Over the last few decades, the cultural and political significance of these trips has been greatly neglected by scholarship and almost entirely lost to the wider Indigenous and non-Indigenous public. Even researchers like myself (Aynur Kadir ئاينۇر قادىر) struggle to locate any writings on or photographs of these particular ventures; it was only through difficult to find newspaper clippings, buried deep in seemingly random library archives that our

Dr. Aynur Kadir

Research Assistant, a UBC doctoral student, Cheyanne Connell (Dunne-za Cree), was able to finally find a small handful of publications on these trips, albeit nearly a decade after this project was first started by my colleague, SFU anthropologist Dr. Michael Hathaway. Yet, these trips represent a pivotal moment in how global Indigenous alliances came into being and signify some of the many overlooked innovations of Indigenous leaders and activists in seeking out and asserting their Indigenous rights and identities during a time when even their own national and local governments refused to acknowledge them.

In an effort to bring greater attention to these histories, myself and Michael Hathaway, along with Algonquin Anishinaabe scholar Dr. Rick Colbourne (Carleton University), Yellowknife Dene scholar Dr. Glen Coulthard (UBC), Dr. Scott Harrison (Asia Pacific Foundation), and other researchers, are excited to be leading a project called Transnationally Indigenous. Still in its early stages, the project aims to identify and expand public and academic knowledge of the history and legacy of these trips, and how these indigenous-led global efforts fostered and shaped local Indigenous future-making. Together, with Cree filmmakers Micheal Auger and Petie Chalifoux, we are creating a film and digital platform that will showcase the lives and acts of the 1970s delegation

members and leaders, now Elders, and provide an opportunity for current and future generations to learn about these once forgotten histories.

Growing up as an Indigenous Uyghur, in the far northwest part of China, I have experienced how people's rights to land, culture, education, and language have been changing drastically over the years. On the one hand, many of my own people’s struggles resonate with global Indigenous rights movements, such as those in the 1970s. On the other hand, China's present ethnic minority policies and lack of multiculturalism, as well as their rejection of the term Indigenous, offer points of tension in our investigation of China's role and actions in asserting Indigenous rights across borders. How is it possible that China, which now hosts some of the most inhumane treatments of Uyghurs and other minorities, was once a leader in supporting Indigenous and minority peoples reclaim their culture and rights as Indigenous? It is my hope, as well as that of my colleagues, that this project can help us and others make sense of the complexities of Indigenous rights in China, and illuminate just how inspiring Indigenous peoples are in their fight against colonialism.

For more information on this project, please visit https://www.transnationallyindigenous.com/.

CANDACE GALLA

While life had other plans for an intended restful and rejuvinating sabbatical during the pandemic, I was able to carve out time to engage with ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻ i and Hawaiian cultural workshops through online coursework and in-person learning. This was much needed for healing and nurturing of my wellbeing. I wrapped up multiple publications, some of which were co-authored pieces with friends, mentors, colleagues, and students that related to Indigenous language revitalization, policy, and/or teacher education. Two new projects that I’m especially excited to lead include a Spencer Grant on “Indigenous Language Reclamation, Revitalization, and Education in Guam and Hawaiʻ i” and the development of a self-paced asynchronous MOOC on “Indigenous Languages: From Policy and Planning to Implementation and Assessment” that is funded by UBC’s Continuous Learning Advancement Fund. Aligning with UNESCO’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2023), the MOOC supports language revitalization, reclamation, and resurgence efforts and will be launched in fall 2023.

Painting the Pillar

INDIGIQUEER STUDENTS JOIN TOGETHER FOR “BRUSHES AND BUCHANAN”

Summer Tyance

In my time at UBC and perhaps even longer, the Arts Undergraduate Society has run an event called “Brushes and Buchanan,” which is a mural painting event where a group or individual can submit an application for a design to paint on one of the pillars outside of the Buchanan courtyard. I had never thought about participating until 2022, or my final undergraduate year.

As an artist, I am always thinking about ways I can incorporate creativity into my school work. As a First Nations and Indigenous Studies major, I was in a course this past term with Daniel Heath Justice titled “Indigenous TwoSpirit and Queer Studies” which allowed for an insertion of creativity. We had a project called “Taking it to the People”, which was a way for students to educate folks outside of the classroom on Two-Spirit and Queer topics or issues. Lucky enough, the theme for the 2022 “Brushes and Buchanan” event was social and climate justice. This sparked an idea in my mind where I thought to ask a group of my peers, or other Indigiqueer’s in the class who would wish to submit a design and allow this mural be our way of taking it to the people. There were a core seven of us who agreed, submitted design ideas, and showed up to paint a pillar one weekend in March.

We wanted to connect Two-Spirit identity,

Indigenous ways of being, and climate justice together as they are all inherently connected. We each demonstrated what this could look like to us through image. Some painted medicines, kinship symbology, animals, trees, words, rainbows, suns, moons, water, regalia items, or other meaningful designs.

The organization of this collaboration sprung from the idea of wanting to foster community, educate others, make art, and learn and grow from each other in a safe space such as around other Two-Spirit, Trans, and/or Queer Indigenous kin. We all felt very happy with our final product, and happy that we could Indigenize the Buchanan courtyard just a bit. Our mural ended up tying for first place in the contest, and we were awarded with $250.00 to which we all agreed upon donating to the Urban Native Youth Association who demonstrates commitment to Two-Spirit and Queer programming. This project allowed us to all feel proud, empowered, and connected to our ancestors as we aimed to educate others through art, like we Indigenous folk have been doing since time immemorial.

Quȼaȼ ȼ Tawaȼikxu Chipmunk and Grasshopper

ANIMATING STUDENT COLLABORATION IN FNEL 380

Top left: The image of grasshopper represents the still image that we soon brought to life in our animation and represents the complexities that Adobe animation encompasses

Top right: A sketch Alexa drew which contained our process and ideas of how we wanted the animation to look

Beside: What Adobe animator looks like on the inside

As a group, we have digitized and animated the Ktunaxa traditional oral story “Q̓uȼaȼ ȼ T̓awaȼ̓ikxu” (Chipmunk and Grasshopper) for the First Nations Endangered Languages (FNEL) class; FNEL 380: Technologies for Endangered Languages offered at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The early conception of this project came from Aiyana, who had the drive to digitize one of her community’s stories and give it back to the community for future use and to potentially be used as an education tool. We challenged ourselves to teach ourselves animation software and learn new skills to be able to bring this idea to fruition. With the support of Aiyana’s community and each other, we were able to bring to life a ‘visual storybook’ of an oral story that features both elder and youth voices. It is a short story that isn’t as widely known in the community, so it was a great opportunity to bring forward a less popular story that was also doable in length and difficulty as amateur animators.

Aiyana Twigg, Alexa Fordy, Anna Everett

We chose to create an animation because it is a great format for storytelling and offers a rich, but simultaneously amusing visual aid for contextualizing place, environment and character in story. We can have both realism and creativity and animation offers a wide range of difficulty malleable to our needs. The story we animated offers lessons on winter preparation and the importance of being productive in the summer. These lessons were once extremely important for winter survival but can still be applied for many people today (particularly students), as it is important that we can support ourselves-be it physically, mentally, or financially- in the winter months. We hope that our hard work and trial-and-error experience can offer a piece of language and culture back to the community for future use, the development of language, and community pride. Lastly, we also hope that this project can highlight the possibilities that students have to create meaningful projects for communities that extend beyond the academic constraints that universities tend to have. Students can utilize their university journey to be as creative and innovative as they please while simultaneously producing a product that can be used culturally and educationally

We would like to thank the Ktunaxa community for their support throughout this project, as well as Dr. Aynur Kadir, our mentor, who gave her expert advice to produce this piece. Most of all, thank you to Violet Birdstone, and Mary Mahseelah, both fluent elders from the Ktunaxa nation who provided their knowledge on the Ktunaxa language.

I grew up with my Moma (grandmother) in the far northwest part of China, a small town called Kucha. I have loved and learned about extensive traditional knowledge, oral Uyghur literature, and cultural practices, and am committed to working toward carrying and further revitalizing these knowledges for future generations. I am honoured to start my research and teaching position focusing on Indigenous Lifeways in Asia as of 2021 September, where I continuously learn and contribute to Indigenous rights and solidarities across Asia and North America. CIS is a diverse and welcoming community, where every person on this team has shown a personal and professional dedication to critical Indigenous engagement and decolonization. Each member brings a unique and extraordinary lived experience, that not only informs their practice, but is essential in building this great community of educators. I am truly humbled to now be a part of this community, and feel privileged to share my own stories with them, contributing to the amazing work they and my own ancestors have been doing

Below: An image of wonky Chipmunk showcasing the complexities and difficulties we faced while using the software.

FNIS and FNEL Birthday Trivia

Every Tuesday in October 2021, to commemorate FNIS and FNEL’s birthdays, we shared trivia questions from the list below on our Instagram stories.

What are the colours in our CIS logo?

a. Blue and grey

b. Teal and grey

c. Burgundy and black

d. Burgundy and white

Our CIS logo was designed by Musqueam artist, Diamond Point.

How many FNEL courses are we offering in 21W (undergraduate and graduate sections)?

a. 12

b. 10

c. 18

How many FNIS courses are we offering in 21W (undergraduate and graduate sections)?

a. 16

b. 12

c. 20

What year was FNEL founded?

a. 1999

b. 2004

c. 1996

What year was FNIS founded?

a. 2001

b. 1987

c. 2003

What animal is featured in the mural in the CIS meeting room?

a. Turtle

b. Salmon

c. Beaver

Our meeting room mural was painted and designed by Chris Cardinal, FNIS alumni, in 2019.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF FNIS AND FNEL HISTORY BELOW!

FNEL used to be known as “FNLG.” What did FNLG stand for?

a. First Nations Languages Program

b. First Nations Linguistics

c. First Nations Languages Growth

What is the name of the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies’ annual magazine?

a. The Post

b. In the News

c. spa:l’/The Raven

How many faculty (both full and part time, FNEL and FNIS) work at CIS?

a. 17

b. 12

c. 20

What symbols are depicted in the FNIS program logo, designed by Dempsey Bob?

a. A raven and the sun

b. Wings and ocean

c. A human face and the sun

The First Nations Unicode Font, developed by UBC FNEL Program with support from the UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF), is available to anyone with the goal of promoting documentation of and literacy in First Nations languages. One of the characters in the font is the “ə.” What is this symbol called?

a. Upside down e

b. A schwa

Which Buchanan are our offices located in?

a. Buchanan E

b. Buchanan C

c. Buchanan J

CEDaR Update

David Gaertner & Daisy Rosemblum

Community Engaged Documentation and Research (CEDaR,) a community-oriented new media and digital storytelling space, opened its doors for research in 2022. Co-Directors and CIS faculty members Daisy Rosenblum and David Gaertner began operations in the space in March, hiring Sara MacLellan (Coordinator and Project Manager) and Dante Cerron (Lab Supervisor) to the team.

The space is presently being outfitted to accommodate audio and video recording, virtual and augmented reality production, 3D printing, video game design, photogrammetry, and other technologies.The aim of the space  is to support community-led knowledge production, stewardship, and mobilization. While the equipment is being installed, CEDaR is developing and producing

cutting-edge new media solutions. Our fi rst project, developed in partnership with Musqueam Language and Culture, uses augmented reality to situate hənq̓əmin̓əm language in the UBC landscape, starting with the street signs on campus. We presented this work in bad habitus, a panel about multimodal research creation organized by Kate Hennessy at the AAA conference in Seattle in November. We can’t wait to have our CIS colleagues, students, and friends come visit CEDaR for a visit over tea.

To learn more about CEDaR research and upcoming workshops visit cedarspace.ca to sign up for our newsletter or follow @CEDaRSpaceUBC on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. m

staff reflection

JENNIFER ESMERIA Administrative Assistant

I started at CIS in July 2021 and am the Administrative Support person – you’ll see me if you come visit the main office! I was raised on səiaɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie) and S’ólh and Métis ancestry. I am currently completing the Indigenous Pathways program at Douglas College focusing on supporting Indigenous children, youth and families. I am enjoying getting to know everyone at CIS (including the broader community) and learning about CIS’ rich history.

faculty reflections

PASANG YANGJEE SHERPA

started 2022

Tashi Delek, thangbu (health)! I joined UBC in January of 2022, after interviewing for my position on the hottest day and moving from Seattle on the coldest day of 2021. I am grateful to be a part of the CIS community. I am learning to be a good relative here with an open heart, mind, and soul. In terms of research, I have been thinking a lot lately about the question: how do we live in the midst of dying? My lived experience as a Sherpa woman in North America and my research on climate change and Indigeneity in the Himalayas inform my understanding of living and dying. This past year, I worked on a manuscript exploring what it means to be a Sherpa person today. My articles and invited lectures emphasized opening space for Himalayan Indigenous communities in climate science and policy. My biggest accomplishment by far was raising a healthy toddler.

CIS Graduates of 2021/22

The Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies would like to extend a huge congratulations to our Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 graduates! We are incredibly proud of all that you have achieved while students at UBC and look forward to seeing your continued success in the future.

● MERYL BISHOP – Major in First Nations and Endangered Languages

● MAYA BRASSARD – Major in First Nations and Indigenous Studies, Minor in Education

● TAIT GAMBLE – Major in First Nations and Indigenous Studies, Minor in Political Science

● AMBER GOULET – Major in First Nations and Indigenous Studies

● NICOLE JUNG – Honours in Biology, Major in First Nations and Indigenous Studies

● SAMANTHA MARTIN-FERRIS – Major in First Nations and Indigenous Studies

● QANI MCKAY-REID – Major in First Nations and Indigenous Studies

● JOSH MCKENNA – Major in Media Studies, Minor in First Nations and Indigenous Studies

● COURTENEY DURAND MORIN – Major in First Nations and Indigenous Studies

● AUTUMN SCHNELL – Major in First Nations and Indigenous Studies, Minor in Critical Studies in Sexuality

● NAEEMAH SHAH – Major in Political Science, Minor in First Nations and Indigenous Studies

● JOHN SPEAR – Major in Geography, Minor in First Nations and Indigenous Studies

● AIYANA TWIGG – Major in First Nations and Endangered Languages, Major in Anthropology

2022

Kia ora - I’m a new Māori professor in Critical Indigenous Studies and English; I am connected to Te Āti Awa and Taranaki, and am grateful to be living and teaching and writing here on Musqueam whenua. My family and I arrived in February. My main focus for the past year has been moving here across the Pacific from Aotearoa New Zealand, and I have enjoyed reconnecting with Indigenous scholars at UBC I have known for a while as well as meeting new ones. In September my first book of poetry is going to be published – it’s called Always Italicise: how to write while colonised. I’ve also been working on a book about Indigenous Pacific writers who published in periodicals (newspapers, magazines etc) in the twentieth century. It’s always inspiring to be reminded of just how long our people have been writing amazing things in colonial and Indigenous languages.

ALICE TE PUNGA SOMERVILLE started

CIS SPRING GRADUATION CELEBRATION, MAY 2022. PICTURED (LEFT TO RIGHT): Josh McKenna, Autumn Schnell, Aiyana Twigg, Maya Brassard, Nicole Jung.

FNIS TERM 1

FNIS 220 ● Representation and Indigenous Cultural Politics

FNIS 310 ● Critical Indigenous Theory Seminar

FNIS 400 ● Practicum/Advanced Research Seminar

FNIS 451 ● Indigenous Feminisms

FNIS 454 ● Indigenous New Media

TERM 2

FNIS 100 ● Indigenous Foundations

FNIS 210 ● Indigenous Politics and Self-Determination

FNIS 300 ● Writing First Nations

FNIS 320 ● Critical Indigenous Methodologies and Ethics

FNIS 400 ● Practicum/Advanced Research Seminar

FNIS 456 ● Indigenous Two-Spirit and Queer Studies

FNIS 401C ● Indigenous Oral History Interviewing: Theory, Method, and Practice

FNIS 501A ● Indigenous Theory and Methods (Graduate Seminar)

FNEL TERM 1

FNEL 281 ● Sounds of Endangered Languages:

Conservation and Revitalization

FNEL 380 ● Technologies for Endangered Language

Documentation and Revitalization

TERM 2

FNEL 180 ● Introduction to Endangered Language

Documentation and Revitalization

FNEL 282 ● Structures of Endangered Languages:

Conservation and Revitalization

FNEL 382 ● Lexicography for Endangered Languages

SUMMER

FNEL 480A ● Endangered Language Documentation and Revitalization

CIS COURSE OFFERINGS

CommunityBased

TERM 1

FNEL 101 ● Introduction to a Salish Language I

FNEL 201 ● Intermediate Salish Language I

TERM 2

FNEL 102 ● Introduction to a Salish Language II

FNEL 202 ● Intermediate Salish Language II

INLB 201D ● Indigenous Arts and Storytelling

INLB 210 ● Land and Indigenous Self-Determination: Introduction to Theoretical Perspectives

INLB 252 ● Gender Justice and Indigenous Resurgence

SUMMER

INLB201D/401D ● Hide Tanning and Self-Determination

FNEL191A ● Introduction to a Salish Language I (hənqəminəm Learning Through Sounds, Symbols & Songs)