CIS research, recognition, and scholarship highlights

Words by 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 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 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!