Native Northwest Award in Education for Indigenous Students
January 17, 2022
The Faculty of Education is pleased to announce a new annual award for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students enrolled in the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP). The awards, totalling $2,000, have been made available through a gift from the Native Northwest Reconciliation Fund. Preference will be given to students studying early childhood education.
Native Northwest was founded by Larry Garfinkel (BA 1975, BSW 1977) and Sandi Karmel (BSW 1977) in 1983 and creates products designed by Indigenous artists, allowing them to tell the stories of their communities and cultures through their work. The Native Northwest Reconciliation Fund supports justice for those who continue to be impacted by Residential Schools by funding initiatives such as community wellness, learning and connection to culture.
Congratulations to the Faculty of Education’s SSHRC grant recipients
January 13, 2022
The Faculty of Education is dedicated to advancing educational research in ways that celebrate diversity, equity and innovation. We are pleased to announce that four Faculty research projects have been awarded Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grants. SSHRC provides grants to support post-secondary-based research, research training and knowledge mobilization activities in the social sciences and humanities.
Dr. Jillianne Code, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, was awarded a SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant for her project “Beyond the academy: Professional agency and learning in virtual contexts.” Co-investigators on the project are Dr. Andrea Webb, Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy and Erica Machulak of Hikma Strategies.
The SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants provide short-term and timely support for partnered research activities that inform decision-making at a single partner organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector. The small-scale, stakeholder-driven partnerships supported through Partnership Engage Grants are meant to respond to immediate needs and time constraints facing organizations in non-academic sectors. In addressing an organization-specific need, challenge or opportunity, these partnerships let non-academic organizations and post-secondary researchers access each other’s unique knowledge, expertise and capabilities on topics of mutual interest.
To learn more about Dr. Code’s work, visit her profile.
Dr. Shannon Leddy, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Faculty of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, was awarded a SSHRC Connection Grant for her project “Decolonizing Together: Facing and Challenging Racism and Discrimination in Teacher Education.” Co-Investigators on the project are Dr. Bathseba Opini, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Educational Studies and Dr. Surita Jhangiani, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education.
SSHRC Connection Grants support events and outreach activities geared toward short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization initiatives. These events and activities represent opportunities to exchange knowledge and to engage with participants on research issues of value to them. Events and outreach activities funded by a Connection Grant often serve as a first step toward more comprehensive and longer-term projects.
To learn more about Dr. Leddy, visit her profile.
Dr. Johanna Sam, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education’s Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, and Special Education, was awarded a SSHRC Insight Development Grant for her project “A Two-Eyed Seeing Approach: How Do Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Youth Cope with Cyber-Aggression?” Co-Investigators on the project are Dr. Jenna Shapka, Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education and Dr. Jan Hare, Dean pro tem and Professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education.
SSHRC Insight Development Grants support research in its initial stages. The grants enable the development of new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and ideas. Funding is provided for short-term research development projects of up to two years.
To learn more about Dr. Sam’s scholarly work, visit her profile.
Dr. Sharon Stein, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education’s Department of Educational Studies, was awarded a SSHRC Insight Development Grant for her project “Towards the Ethical Integration of Different Knowledge Systems: Lessons from STEM and Health Fields.” Co-Investigators on the project are Associate Professor Dr. Cash Ahenakew, Department of Educational Studies, along with UBC colleagues Drs. Will Valley, Tamara Cohen, and Dallas Hunt.
SSHRC Insight Development Grants support research in its initial stages. The grants enable the development of new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and ideas. Funding is provided for short-term research development projects of up to two years.
To learn more about Dr. Stein’s scholarly work, visit her profile.
Dr. Vanessa Andreotti is appointed as the David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education
January 14, 2022
Congratulations to Dr. Vanessa Andreotti on her appointment as the David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education for a three-year term
Dr. Vanessa Andreotti, Canada Research Chair in Race, Inequalities and Global Change, has been appointed the David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education for a three-year term, from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024. Established in 1991, the David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education supports increased interest, programming, and research in multicultural and anti-racist education, and assists schools to foster multiculturalism.
Helping resolve historical and systemic patterns of inequalities
Dr. Andreotti has worked extensively with teachers, non-governmental organizations, professional associations, governments, and the private sector in areas related to cultural differences, social and global justice, international development and internationalization.
Her research examines historical and systemic patterns of reproduction of inequalities and how these can limit or enable possibilities for collective existence and global change. Her publications in this field include analyses of political economies of knowledge production, discussions of the ethics of international development, and critical comparisons of globalism, pluralism and internationalization in education and social innovation, highlighting representations of and relationships with marginalized communities. Her work in teacher education conceptualizes education as an expansion of frames of reference and fields of signification to increase possibilities for ethical solidarities.
Reimagining multiculturalism in times of global crises
Dr. Andreotti is a dynamic scholar with extensive academic and pedagogical expertise related to multicultural and social justice studies in education. As the David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education, she will work in three different fronts of engagement (student-led activities, community collaborations, and curriculum development), with three cross-cutting thematic areas that will be emphasized in each year of her term as Chair. These themes include:
- Reimaging multiculturalism in relation to decolonization: working at the interface between questions of cultural difference, immigration, citizenship, Indigeneity and decolonial futures
- Reimagining multiculturalism in relation to the climate crisis: addressing climate justice, and amplifying the voices of Indigenous, Black and people of colour as leaders in this area
- Reimagining multiculturalism in relation to generational gaps of understanding of contemporary critiques: promoting intergenerational dialogue in relation to different movements of identity, culture, Indigenization and decolonization that are interpreted differently across different generations
To learn more, read Dr. Andreotti’s exciting vision for the Chair.
Fostering multiculturalism and supporting anti-racist education
Supporting multicultural and anti-racist education, and assisting schools to foster multiculturalism, the David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education has a mandate to:
- Research multicultural and social justice studies in education
- Advise on programs and courses that will build capacity for educators concerning intersectional, anti-racist, decolonizing politics of difference
- Work with an advisory group that foregrounds a climate of intercultural communication, anti-racism and anti-oppression politics and practices
- Facilitate community engagement and dissemination of scholarship in multicultural and social justice studies in education
- Offer an annual interdisciplinary course in multicultural and social justice studies in education
- Arrange public lectures, events and media networks in social justice studies in education
- Encourage and promote the growth of such scholarship and praxis across the University and beyond
Dr. Andreotti exhibits distinction in research, teaching, mentorship, community building and educational leadership relevant to the Chair’s mandate.
Visit Dr. Andreotti’s profile to learn more about her work, research and publications.
The Faculty of Education welcomes Dr. Dustin Louie, incoming Director of NITEP
January 7, 2022
The Faculty of Education, together with the Office of Indigenous Education and the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP), is pleased to announce that Dr. Dustin Louie has joined the Faculty as Director of NITEP. Dr. Louie, who will also hold an appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Studies, comes to the Faculty of Education from the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, where he spent the last eight years working extensively in Indigenous education, social justice and educational philosophy. Dr. Louie has a BA in history from the University of Calgary, an MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University and a PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Calgary. Dr. Louie has worked extensively in teacher education, both pre-service and in-service, while also leading dozens of school districts, government agencies and social service organizations through decolonizing transformation of their philosophy, organization and practices.
As Director of NITEP, Dr. Louie will provide programmatic leadership including program development, expansion and implementation; student access retention and mentoring; staff development and supervision; budget development; fundraising, including securing program or research grants; and building and maintaining Indigenous community relationships. In addition, Dr. Louie will teach courses and maintain his scholarly program of research within EDST.
Dr. Donald McKenzie is appointed to the Order of Canada
January 7, 2022
Dr. Donald McKenzie, OC, MSM is appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada
One of Canada’s highest civilian honours
Created in 1967, the Order of Canada recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. More than 7,000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order. Those who bear the Order’s iconic snowflake insignia have changed our nation’s measure of success and, through the sum of their accomplishments, have helped us build a better Canada.
– The Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon
Dr. Donald (Don) McKenzie, OC, MSM, MPE ’72 (UBC), MD ’77 (UBC), Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Education, cross-appointed in both the School of Kinesiology and the Faculty of Medicine, is appointed to the Order of Canada as an Officer (OC), an honour bestowed in recognition of achievement and merit of a high degree, especially service to Canada or to humanity at large.
Service to sports medicine and breast cancer survivors
Don has made considerable contributions to exercise and sports medicine, and his work with breast cancer survivors has had the most observable impact on our society.
In 1979, Don co-founded the UBC Sports Medicine Clinic (renamed the Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre in 1988), the first clinic of its kind in Canada to pioneer the multi-disciplinary treatment of sports injuries.
In 1995, Don pursued a research question within his clinical research program that challenged the prevailing view at the time that engaging in physical activity would result in lymphedema for breast cancer survivors. His study began with 24 breast cancer survivors (the original members of Abreast In A Boat), whom he enrolled in a 6-month dragon boat paddling program. The results of this study indicated that physical exercise actually proved to be highly beneficial for these women, with none developing lymphedema.
Today, engaging in regular physical activity is considered a ‘standard of care’ for cancer survivors and Don’s work, along with collaborators, helped demonstrate that engaging in regular physical activity is associated with a 35% reduction in mortality among cancer survivors.
Further, what began as a small research project in Vancouver morphed over time into a global movement, with the Abreast In A Boat outreach program and the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission (which now operates in over 24 countries) helping thousands of women diagnosed with breast cancer.
With over 200 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals, 17 book chapters, several prestigious awards, and multiple contributions to the media, Don continues to conduct innovative work with real world impact; the next step in his research program will examine genomic and proteomic changes derived from physical activity in breast cancer survivors (the interaction between tumour biology and exercise oncology).
Through his selfless service and desire to help, support, and guide others, Don embodies the spirit of the Order of Canada. His discoveries regarding the beneficial impacts of exercise on the wellbeing of breast cancer survivors, his drive to help breast cancer survivors in Canada and internationally improve their own physical and mental health through dragon boat paddling, and his unfailing support of Canada’s top athletes and the organizations that represent them, are a collective testament to his selfless devotion to improving the lives of others.
To learn more about the impact of Don’s work, read Breast Cancer and Dragon Boat Racing: The Story Behind a Movement.
To view all UBC faculty member appointments to the Order of Canada, read the UBC Research and Innovation announcement.
To view all 135 new appointments to the Order of Canada, read the Governor General of Canada’s announcement.
Spotlight on Alumni Careers: Educational Studies Alumni in Higher Education Pathways Beyond the Professoriate
When: Thursday, February 3 | 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM PST
The Diverse Career Paths of Educational Studies Alumni study and initiative is organizing its third panel entitled Spotlight on Alumni Careers: Educational Studies Alumni in Higher Education Pathways Beyond the Professoriate.
The Spotlight on Alumni Careers panel series aims to support Education graduate students in broadening their career avenues by showcasing the career stories and experiences of Educational Studies (EDST) Alumni. Each panel highlights alumni from a different sector. EDST Alumni will share their personal journeys and discuss how their current work is informed by their graduate studies. The panellists will inspire students and alumni who are looking for new, creative, and meaningful ways to contribute to society.
What careers exist in post-secondary institutions beyond faculty tenure-track positions? Many! In this panel, we will hear from EDST alumni taking on diverse roles across the academic realm.
Organizers and Co-hosts:
Mary Kostandy: Co-investigator: PhD Candidate, EDST, Faculty of Education, UBC
Michael Murphy: Co-investigator: Manager, Alumni Engagement, Faculty of Education, UBC
Introductory remarks:
Dr. Jude Walker, PhD’11
Co-investigator: Associate Professor, EDST, UBC
Jude Walker is Associate Professor of Adult Learning and Education in EDST. Many moons ago, she was a doctoral student in the department and embarked on a research study with fellow PhD student, Ee-Seul Yoon, to examine the learning experiences and career pathways of EDST PhD alums. The project was an enriching experience personally; and, researching and talking to graduate students and alumni about their educational experiences, aspirations, and strivings continue to enhance Jude’s learning about the wonderful human beings who enter into this broad field of educational studies.
Panelists:
Dr. Carrie Hunter, PhD’13
Curriculum Consultant, Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, UBC
Reinventing myself, over and over: After 13 years as a high school chemistry teacher, I burned out. After my PhD, my connections at UBC led to work as a Research Manager for UBC’s Centre for Health Education Scholarship. Then, I was the Senior Educational Programs Manager for the School of Population and Public Health. Now I am a curriculum consultant with the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. It’s an amazing career! I work with programs across the university renewing existing degree programs and developing new ones. I work with creative, intelligent people, help make education better for students, and I learn so much about so many different areas of study! ….and I’m an actor because it’s fun!
Christine Klaray, MEd’16
Director, Student Services, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC
Christine Klaray is the Director, Student Services in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC, providing strategic direction and collaborating with a team of academic, career and student engagement professionals to support undergraduate students in the Faculty. She has been working at UBC for over 16 years across different units such as Enrolment Services, Student Recruitment and Advising, Admissions and Faculty advising, and is passionate about building great teams by leveraging individual strengths to achieve shared goals. A three-time alumna of UBC, Christine completed her BA (‘ 01), BEd (‘ 02) and MEd (‘ 16). Completing her MEd in Higher Education was such a positive professional development experience, that she is now an EdD candidate in Educational Leadership (higher education stream) at Western University, and excited to continue her learning in the challenging program.
Darran Fernandez, MEd’10
University Registrar, York University
Darran’s career in education spans three different Canadian post-secondary institutions and is currently the University Registrar at York University in Toronto, ON. He is a professional coach and educator who spent the last 11 years in Vancouver in various roles at UBC. He has dedicated his career to enhancing the experience for students in the Registrar’s Office – believing that building a strong and positive foundation allows co-curricular services and academic development to build from a place of positivism. His work in the sector ranges from service on the boards of UBC, the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) and the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services.
Dr. Maryam Nabavi, PhD’12
Faculty & Staff Strategist, Equity and Inclusion Office, UBC
Maryam is an Iranian settler living at the base of the mountains of the unceded and ancestral lands of the Squamish and Tsleil-Wauthus Peoples, as well as in the borderlands of migration, race, gender and inclusion/exclusion. After completing her PhD, she worked as a Post-doctoral Teaching and Learning Fellow at UBC and later at a national social policy research organization to advance policies for Canadians to whom social structures offer least. She currently works as a Faculty & Staff Strategist with the Equity & Inclusion Office, where she has successfully shepherded institution-wide change initiatives situated at the nexus of policies, systems of accountability and culture change in service of advancing equity, inclusion, and integrative anti-racism.
Dr. Neila Miled, MA’12, PhD’20
Anti-racism Advisor at the Faculty of Medicine, UBC
Neila Miled is the Antiracism Advisor in the UBC Faculty of Medicine Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI). Her role includes providing advising, training and skill-building in anti-racism education and developing, implementing and sustaining strategic best practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion to ensure a respectful, safe, equitable and inclusive learning and working environment. She was a sessional lecturer in the Teacher Education Program for five years. Her research focuses on anti-racism education, social justice, critical multiculturalism and the schooling experiences of refugee and immigrant students in Canada. Her research is framed by multiple critical theories and epistemologies, including post/decolonial theories, critical race theory, intersectionality, transnational feminism and anti-racism. She also examines the systemic barriers that reproduce inequality, especially as she identifies as a transnational, diasporic and immigrant woman.
Moderator:
Danielle Barkley, PhD
Career Educator, the Centre for Student Involvement and Careers, UBC
Danielle is a Career Educator who works with the Centre for Student Involvement and Careers to support graduate students at UBC. She completed her PhD in English literature at McGill University and has previous experience as a university instructor and writing consultant. Danielle has recently completed her coaching accreditation with the International Coaching Federation, and also works as a freelance writer and editor.
Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre
January 2, 2021
The Faculty of Education is proud to announce that the Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre is open
Supporting free and equitable access to online tools and learning
Philanthropy Matters
The pandemic shifted many elements of our day-to-day activities online, offering educational challenges and opportunities.
The Faculty of Education creates conditions for transformative teaching, innovative learning, and leading-edge research guided by the highest standards of scholarship and the principles of collaboration, social justice, inclusion and equity. As the largest Faculty of Education in British Columbia, it plays a critical and influential role in the advancement of education, shaping and participating in education’s possibilities and potential as a social good.
Donor support is vital to the Faculty’s continued engagement with issues that are critically important to learner success in British Columbia and beyond. The Faculty acknowledges the generosity of the Edith Lando Charitable Foundation whose philanthropy made the Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre possible.
– Dr. Jennifer Jenson, Director, Edith Lando Centre for Virtual Learning
Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre
The Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre meets learners where they are—online—with innovative learning tools, resources, strategies, and support.
Helping to remediate education inequities the pandemic has highlighted, the Centre designs and places current learning tools and evidence-informed technological practices into the hands of communities often overlooked and underserved by online education, including:
- Rural and remote communities
- Indigenous communities
- Early childhood learners
- Immigrants and refugees
- Learners with special needs
Through the Centre, faculty members, instructors, students and community groups collaborate to transform online education practices, develop timely and place-centred professional development opportunities for educators in rural communities, support early childhood educators’ focus on the socio-emotional wellness of children and families, honour Indigenous and intergenerational knowledges and practices, create online networks of support, including second language learning resources for immigrant and refugee students and parents, and more.
Initiatives
The Centre hosts a Re-Imagining Mathematics Education webinar series, a Early Childhood Education professional development series, and an Engaging All Learners in the Middle Years: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion webinar series. The Centre also provides Digital Pedagogy Lab Grants which are open to all staff, faculty, instructors and students.
To learn more, visit the Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre’s website.
Six Questions with Dr. Anusha Kassan
January 27, 2022
Six Questions with Anusha Kassan
In her research, Dr. Anusha Kassan explores the migration experiences of same-sex binational couples, newcomer youth, 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomers and more. Dr. Kassan also investigates cultural and social justice competencies among graduate students and field supervisors. We asked Dr. Kassan six questions to learn more about her research interests.
What was the inspiration for your program of research and what is the focus?
My passion for critical psychology emerged from my personal background. I grew up in a biracial, bilingual, bi-religious home; an experience that has shaped the way in which I view the world and the way in which I understand the role of a helper. Not surprisingly, my lifelong personal and professional inspirations have been my parents. In addition, my children are a source of great motivation in my life, as I fight for equity in our society.
My program of study is influenced by my own bicultural identity and informed by an overarching social justice lens. My research presently includes two major foci. First, I am studying the process of school integration among newcomer families in French and English public education systems. Second, I am conducting teaching and learning research, investigating cultural and social justice responsiveness in professional psychology. My scholarly work represents a way to honour my family’s history and the many sacrifices they have made to allow me to pursue better opportunities in Canada; it is also my way to give back and collaborate with communities.
What kind of impact on knowledge or on society would you like your work to have?
With respect to newcomer wellness and school integration more specifically, I hope that my research can help shift our society and systems to become more welcoming and adaptable to meet the needs of newcomer children, youth, families and communities—rather than expecting them to assimilate in order to be successful. At this time, newcomer communities face a great deal of racism and discrimination, and there is a lot of stigma attached to the provision of psycho-social supports. This can make service delivery difficult. It is critical to change support services first and foremost, and work toward allyship with newcomer communities. My research highlights the need for such an approach to improve the wellness and school integration of newcomers to Canada.
I hope that my research and scholarly body of work will have a positive impact in changing some of the core tenets that guide the field of psychology. The discipline has a long-standing history of colonialism, adopting Western ways of knowing and pathologizing individuals and communities, particularly those from racialized, minoritized and vulnerable groups. By helping professionals and society at large, I hope that experienced and emerging psychologists can learn diverse ways of engaging in psychological practice and research to better respond to the needs of individuals and communities that have previously been marginalized. I also hope that with time, clients can learn to trust psychologists a bit more, and recognize that engaging in therapy can help in their healing journeys.
Whose work has been particularly important in your career to date, and why?
I have been privileged to have so many great influences and mentors along my journey. My graduate advisor, Dr. Ada L. Sinacore, saw potential in me that I did not see in myself. She is someone who has taught me to think critically and push boundaries. Once I graduated and began my academic career, I was lucky to accrue more great mentors, including Drs. Nancy Arthur, Shelly Russell Mayhew and Roy Moodley. My scholarly work has been impacted by the writings of many women and trans folks, people of colour and Indigenous peoples, such as Drs. Derald Wing Sue, Nadia Fouad, Anneliese Sighn, Suzanne Stewart, Carole Zerbe Enns, Roberta Toporek, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Jennifer C. Nash, Marcelo M. Suarez-Orozco, Vikki Reynolds, Susan Morrow, Patricia Hill Collins and more. Outside of scholarly platforms, I have learned a lot from artists, social media presences, as well as friends and family from Indigenous, racialized and minoritized backgrounds. These types of engagements help me understand my work more broadly and consider important concepts such as inter-disciplinarily, transnationalism and inter-cultural relationships.
What advice would you give to graduate students doing research in this area?
I would encourage graduate students to connect with their multiple and intersecting cultural identities and social locations. From there, they will be better positioned to lead with their passions and connect to their research in meaningful ways. Along with that comes the need to remain grounded, because when carrying out social justice research, we all face difficult moments. This epistemological position is not for the faint of heart. When facing colonialism, systemic racism and societal oppression, it can be easy to get discouraged. However, surrounding oneself with strong mentors, likeminded advocates and diverse allies can be instrumental throughout the research process and the entire graduate student experience. Further, getting out of one’s academic settings and spending time with communities can be extremely nourishing. Also, it can be helpful to find ways to engage in innovative, non-traditional means of knowledge mobilization. This has been a game changer for me, as it helps me think about my research and its potential impact in diverse, more authentic ways.
What would you like your next big research project to be about?
I love research and I would be ecstatic to see my program of study pertaining to the school integration of newcomer families, in both French and English school systems, expand beyond Alberta and British Columbia to all Canadian provinces and territories. Similarly, it would be great to see engagement from psychology training programs across the country to embrace and embody decolonization, as well as cultural and social justice responsiveness in real ways. Beyond that, it would be most meaningful to create a social justice research centre at the University of British Columbia. The possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement would be exponential, and could promote ethical action research that is community-informed and socially just.
If you could have a super power, what would it be?
I would opt for flying, so I can zip from place to place, see my family more often and zoom out and witness the world for all of its beauty. As a social justice advocate, I think this super power would also help me develop a helpful outsider view of the world. We have been facing incredible socio-political challenges and disparities around the world, many of which have become abundantly clear over the past couple of years.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Raising Nisga’a Language, Cultural Sovereignty, and Land-based Education with Traditional Carving Knowledge
December 16, 2021
Image source: amyparent.ca/projects
Raising Nisga’a Language, Cultural Sovereignty, and Land-based Education with Traditional Carving Knowledge
Noxs Ts’awit Dr. Amy Parent of the Wilp (House) Ni’isjoohl, Assistant Professor in the UBC Faculty of Education, is the Principal Investigator of the Raising Nisga’a Language, Cultural Sovereignty, and Land-based Education with Traditional Carving Knowledge (RNL) multi-year research project with her Nation.
The RNL project began in 2020 to support ongoing efforts to strengthen the Nisga’a language, culture, and ways of life. Taking a holistic approach to cultural knowledge production, Dr. Parent is leading the first study to focus on the philosophy and pedagogical practices of the Nisga’a carving tradition as a form of knowledge production and transmission through repatriation work and the carving of a new pts’aan (totem pole) in the Nisga’a language. She regularly meets with respected Lax̱galts’ap hereditary leadership for guidance and direction, ensuring the RNL project honours and follows Nisga’a Ayuuk (laws and protocols).
The RNL project also supports repatriation efforts of the Wilp Ni’isjoohl original house pole from the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh in 2022.
Engaging Nisga’a Philosphical Carving Traditions and Land-based Knowledge
On December 9th, 2021, Ts’awit, Mr. Calvin McNeil Sr. (Carver) of the Wilp (House) Ni’isjoohl and his carving team (Gerald Robinson, Wilps Ni’isy’uus and Judith Moore, Wilp Nagwa’un) were awarded the contract for the carving of Wilp Laay’s new pts’aan (pole).
In the coming weeks, under the guidance of Sim’oogit (Chief) Laay, the pole will be carved by Nisga’a carvers in the Lax̱g̱alts’ap Village Government carving shed, which will serve as a “Nisga’a classroom” for carvers to teach Nisga’a youth, educators, and community members about carving tools, techniques, and adaawak (stories) that are embedded in the pole through the Nisga’a language.
Serving as a cultural learning opportunity for all Nisga’a citizens and visitors to the village of Lax̱galts’ap, the carving project will also support the next steps towards constructing the Nisga’a Language and Cultural Centre beside the Nisga’a Museum (nisgaanation.ca/nisgaa-museum) in the village of Lax̱galts’ap.
Image source: Lax̱galts’ap Village Government
Sim’oogit (Chief) Ni’ismuut, Sim’oogit (Chief) Ni’isy’uus, Lax̱galts’ap Village Councilor Pamela Wright, Sim’oogit (Chief) Laay’, Noxs Ts’awit-Dr. Amy Parent, Ts’awit-Calvin McNeil Sr, Gerald Robinson, Lax̱galts’ap Village Councilor Matthew Bright and Lax̱galts’ap Chief Administrative Officer Andrew Robinson were attendance for the official signing of the carving contract.
Repatriation of the House of Ni’isjoohl Pole
In 1929, the Ni’isjoohl memorial pole was taken from Nisga’a Nation’s ancient village of Ank’idaa by colonial ethnographer Marius Barbeau and sold to the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, where it remains today. The RNL project will provide an opportunity for a delegation from the House of Ni’isjoohl to travel to Scotland to repatriate the pole in the summer of 2022.
For more information, read:
- The Vancouver Sun article entitled, “Nisga’a researcher spearheads new effort to repatriate family house pole from Europe.”
- Dr. Parent’s upcoming chapter on the pole’s repatriation process: Parent, A. (In press). Afterward: Building Solidarity: Moving towards the repatriation of the Ni’isjoohl Totem Pole. In Emma Bond and Michael Morris (Eds.), Transnational Scotland: Empire, Heritage, Stories. Edinburgh University Press.
Image sources: amyparent.ca/projects | National Museums Scotland
left: Original House of Ni’isjoohl Pole in the ancient village of Ank’idaa
right: Ni’isjoohl Pole in the National Museums Scotland
Engaging Virtual Reality with the Nisga’a Language and Place Names
A component of the RNL project will enhance access to traditional land-based knowledge in the Nisga’a language by developing new language learning tools with the innovative use of virtual reality technology in collaboration with Nisga’a Matriarch, Chiefs and Knowledge Holders to detail publicly permissible stories of Nisga’a place names.
The RNL project will expand intergenerational knowledge and awareness of traditional uses of the red cedar tree, place names, and seasonal cycles depicted in Nisga’a poles by using the Nisga’a language among Nisga’a children, Elders, families, and educators.
The project’s virtual reality films will also support ecotourism opportunities and teacher recruitment for the Nisga’a Nation. For information on partnership opportunities or to support the technology needs for this portion of the project, please contact Dr. Parent through this form.
Photographer: Elahe Rajabi
Dr. Parent with children using a virtual reality headset.
Research Funding
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s (SSHRC) New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) was awarded to Dr. Parent and Wal’aks, Keane Tait (Co-investigator) from the House of Axdii Wil Luu-Gooda, in collaboration with Sim’oogit Ni’isjoohl (Chief Earl Stephens), for the RNL project.
To learn more, visit amyparent.ca/projects.
