ThinkIndigenousInternationalEducationConferenceTHINKINDIGENOUSPRE-CONFERENCESPEAKERS

INDIGENOUSACADEMICSPRE-CONFERENCE

Dr.PatsySteinhauerisamemberofSaddleLakeCreeNationinTreatySixTerritory.SheisthethirddaughterofWalter(pan)andGenevieveSteinhauerofSaddleLakeCreeNation.Patsyhastwoyoungchildren;adaughterandason.Dr.SteinhauerisanAssistantProfessorintheDepartmentofEducationalPolicyStudiesandtheAboriginalTeacherEducationProgramattheUniversityofAlberta.InherdedicationandserviceinIndigenouseducation,Patsyhasover28years’experienceservingasaclassroomteacherfor13+yearsinadditiontovariousadministrativeroles.Herresearchfocusesoninninisiwinekasispohtahk(carryingwisdomsforward)specificallytheancientintelligentsystemslocatedinourIndigenouslanguagecontexts.Fromthecloseworkandguidanceofkihtehayah(Elders/wisdomholders),Patsycontinuestounfoldandlookintothewisdomandgiftednessofkihkipiw(sittingwiththesacred).Fromthiswork,PatsyremainsfocusedonIndigenousstandardsandexploringIndigenousanalysisandevaluationasitpersistsandendureswithinourIndigenouslanguagecontexts.

Dr.TrudyCardinalisaCree/MetiseducatorfromNorthernAlberta.AsaformerElementarySchoolteacherof13years,amother,agrandmother,anaunty,andanIndigenousscholarsheisdedicatedtocontinuingtodeepenunderstandingoftheeducationalexperiencesofFirstNations,Metis&Inuitchildren,youthandfamilies.Hercurrentresearchisaninquiryintoformerteachereducationstudents’thinkinginregardstothepossibilitiesrelationalpedagogiesandIndigenouswaysofbeingandknowingcreateforshiftinghowschoolingattendstoliteracy,particularlyliteracyinanIndigenouscontext.

AngelaWolfeistheAssociateDirectoroftheAboriginalTeacherEducationProgramattheUniversityofAlberta.ShehasdedicatedheracademiccareertocreatingspaceforIndigenousstudentstobesuccessfulinPost-Secondaryeducation.HermostrecentresearchiscentredaroundunderstandingthelegacyoftheIndianResidentialSchoolSystemandtheimpactsuponAboriginalPeopleandtheircommunities.

Dr.NoellaSteinhauerisanAssistantProfessorintheFacultyofEducations’EducationalPolicyStudies.Dr.SteinhauerisachangemakerintheareasofIndigenousEducation,andFirstNationSchoolLeadership.HerresearchfocusesonCreeworldviewandestablishingaspaceforCreeleadershipinacademicdiscourse.

Dr.SharlaPeltierisfromtheChippewasofRamaFirstNation,Ontario.AmemberoftheLoonClan,andholdsaPhDfromLaurentianUniversity.SheisaneducatorwhosharesAnishanaabeTeachingsandeducationalapproachestohonourdiversity,thelearner’sspecialgifts,andtobuildknowledgeofself-identityandself-in-relationtoAki(theLand)andeachother.Dr.Peltierfacilitatesthehonouringofthechild’svoiceandlanguagethroughtheoraltraditionandstory.Sheisaspeech-languagepathologistwith25yearsexperienceinpublicschoolsandFirstNationeducationandhealthcaresectors.

Dr.EvelynSteinhauer’spassionisNativeEducationandevidenceofthisisrevealedinherrecentlypublisheddocroraldissertation,entitled,ParentalSchoolChoiceinFirstNationsCommunities:IsThereReallyAChoice?ThisworkaddressesthetopicofparentalschoolchoiceonFirstNationreservesandlooksatthereasonsthatguideFirstNationsparentsintheirdecisionstosendtheirchildrentooff-reserveoron-reserve.Dr.SteinhaueristheDirectoroftheAboriginalTeacherEducationProgramattheUniversityofAlberta.

MackenzieGroundisawriterfromEnochCreeNationandEdmonton,Alberta.SheiscurrentlyaPhDstudentlivingandstudyingonCoastSalishterritoryintheDepartmentofEnglishatSimonFraserUniversity.HerwritinghasappearedintheGlassBuffaloandTheCapilanoReview. Iaminterestedinrocksandconcrete.Inmythesis,Ithoughtabouthumanrelationshipswithrocksparticularlywithroleofrocksinconcrete,incities,andinnehiyaw,PlainsCree,ceremonyandlaw.WhatisacitythatisopentoIndigenouscitizenryandthemore-than-humanlifelivingthere?Inthispresentation,Iwillsharemywritingfromthisproject.

CELEBRATINGINDIGENOUSARTSPRE-CONFERENCE

RyanMcMahonisanAnishinaabecomedian,writer,mediamaker&communityactivatorbasedoutofTreaty#1territory(Winnipeg,MB).ArmedwithadegreeinTheatre&asagraduateoftheprestigiousSecondCityConservatory(Toronto),Ryan’scomedicstorytellingstyleisfastpaced,loose&irreverentasheexploresthegood,thebad&theuglybetweenIndianCountry&themainstream.

JoiT.ArcandisanartistfromMuskegLakeCreeNation,Saskatchewan,Treaty6Territory,currentlyresidinginOttawa,Ontario.JoihasanextensivelistofsoloandgroupexhibitionsinNationallyrecognizedgalleriesthroughoutCanada.ShehasservedaschairoftheboardofdirectorsforPAVEDArtsinSaskatoonandwastheco-founderoftheRedShiftGallery,acontemporaryaboriginalartgalleryinSaskatoon.ShewasfounderandeditoroftheIndigenousartmagazine,kimiwan(2012-2014)andmostrecentlycuratedLanguageofPunctureatGallery101(Ottawa)

WakeahJhaneisaselftaughtledgerartistfromthePenatuka(honeyeater)andYaparucah(rooteater)bandsofComancheandisalsoBlackfeetandKiowa.ThelateWakeahHoaway(1914-2010_ofhermaternalfamilygiftedhernametoherpriortobirthintheirtraditionalComancheway,meaning“womanwhofindslostthings”.BeingbroughtupintheNativeartworldbyhermother,JhaneMyers.WakeahJhanewasalwaysfascinatedwithmanyartforms,oneofthembeingledgerart.In2016WakeahwasinvitedasademonstratingartistduringtheopeningoftheSmithsonian’sNationalMuseumoftheAmericanIndianinNewYorkCityfortheirexhibit,UnboundNarrativeArtofthePlains.

BradBellegardeisaproudNakota/CreememberoftheLittleBlackBearFirstNation.Heisknownforhiscomparisonoftheprimaryelementsoftraditionalpowwowtohiphop–parallelingMCing,DJing,breaking,andgraffitiartwithsinging,drumming,dancing,andcostumedesign.Writingrhymessince1992,InfoRedhasmadecountlessmilestonesinhisaccomplishedmusiccareerandheiswellknowninthecommunityforhisoutreachtoyouththroughvariousprograms.Duringtheirvisitin2014,BradBellegardeperformedforHisRoyalHighnessthePrinceofWalesandtheDuchessofCornwallattheUniversityofRegina.

LANDBASED&LANGUAGEREVITALIZATIONPRE-CONFERENCE

JuliaOulletteisfromMâkwaSâkahikanFirstNation.SheformallystudiedCreeLanguageatUniversitynuhelot’įnethaiyots’įnistameyimâkanakBlueQuillsABandattheUniversityofSaskatchewanSK.However,herfluencyinCreeisthankstoherinformaleducationprovidedbyherkohkomandhercommunity.Herapproachfollowsafewkeyideas.First,thatCreeshouldbetaughtorallybeforethewritingsystemisintroduced.Secondly,thateverydaylifecontextmakesthebestlessonplans.Lastly,thatactions-notEnglishtranslations-shouldbeusedto,“bringthelanguagealive”andthisincludestheTotalPhysicalResponsemethodofinstruction.

TanyaFontainelivesinSt.Paul,Albertawithherhusbandofnearly25years.Tanyabeganseriouslyworkingtowardsfluencyinnehiyawewin(Creelanguage)in2012.Asanon-Indigenousperson,languagelearninghasbecomepartofapersonalcommitmentforhertounderstandhistoryandbuildrespectfulrelationshipswiththeoriginalpeopleofthisarea,theCreeandMetishereinTreatySixTerritory.TanyaisgratefultothelateEmilyHunter,andherfamily,formakingitpossibleforhertolearnandspeakCree.Herformaleducationalbackgroundincludes:BachelorofArtsdegreeinCriminology,UniversityofAlberta‘92;DiplomainCreeLanguagefromUniversitynuhelot'i?nethaiyots'i?nistameyimâkanakBlueQuills‘13andMasterofEducation,UniversityofSaskatchewan‘16.

Dr.KevinwâsakâyâsiwLewisisanêhiyaw(PlainsCree)instructor,researcherandwriter.Dr.LewishasworkedwithhigherlearninginstitutionswithinthePrairieProvincesofManitoba,SaskatchewanandAlbertaintheareasofCreeLanguageDevelopmentandInstructionalmethodologies.Hisresearchinterestsincludelanguageandpolicydevelopment,secondlanguageteachingmethodologies,teachereducationprogramming,andenvironmentaleducation.Forthepast11years,Dr.Lewishasbeenworkingwithcommunityschoolsinpromotinglandandlanguage-basededucationandisfounderofkâniyâsihkCultureCamps(www.kaniyasihkculturecamps.com/),anon-profitland-basededucationalprogramfocusedonholisticcommunitywell-being.Dr.LewisisfromMinistikwanLakeCreeNationinTreaty6Territory.

MylanTootoosisisNêhiyawpwat(PlainsCree-Nakota)fromPoundmakerIndianReservelocatedwithinTreatySixTerritory.HeiscurrentlyaDoctoralStudentintheDepartmentofIndigenousStudiesattheUniversityofSaskatchewan.HecompletedhisMastersofArtsinIndigenousGovernanceattheUniversityofVictoriainBritishColumbiain2013andobtainedhisBachelorsofArtsinIndigenousLiberalStudiesattheInstituteofAmericanIndianArtsinSantaFe,NewMexico.HisworkconcentratesonthePoliticalEcologyofContemporaryIndigenousPrairieLivelihoodandDecolonization.