Keynote Speakers

Stemming from her award-winning book Seven Fallen Feathers, the story of seven Indigenous high school students who mysteriously died in Thunder Bay, Tanya Talaga creates an intimate experience for her audiences. She imparts audiences with in-depth knowledge on Indigenous culture and history, while leaving them empowered through a hopeful message that we can learn from our past and set forward on a new path for our nation based on inclusivity and equity.

Waubgeshig Rice will discuss his upbringing in Wasauksing First Nation where he learned Anishinaabe stories and traditions from family, community elders, and the school on-reserve. This cultural foundation empowered him to study journalism and eventually write fiction, becoming a CBC reporter and radio host and a best-selling author. He'll share how cultural revitalization and Indigenous-focused learning can inspire people to pursue their storytelling passions.

This presentation provides a reflection on the state of education since the inception of the residential school system to the current state of Indigenous education with a vision for reclamation of Indigenous education systems and Indigenous thought. The residential School system attempted to remove the Indian in the child and to assimilate Indigenous children into mainstream society. In the 1970s the focus of education shifts to Indian Control of Indian Education.  In the 1900s-2000 there is increased development of Indigenous specific programs across the country and the Indigenization of education. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action (2012) identify seven calls to action related to Indigenous Education. This presentation concludes with a personal vision and glimpse into future developments with regards to Indigenous education.

The academy is a space of possibility (G. Smith & L. Smith, 2019). This gives me hope that reconciliation work can carve out spaces and places in the academy that are respectful and meaningful for Indigenous peoples. Indigenous education is our hope and opportunity to transform, Indigenize and decolonize the academy so that Indigenous knowledges, traditions, and culture can survive and thrive. This continues to build on the dreams and aspirations of our ancestors. This presentation focuses on reconciliation work that I have been involved in as a professor, researcher, and an administrator. My philosophy of reconciliation work is rooted in a generational approach that requires us to strive intentionally and continually to engage in a process of continual change, growth, unlearning and learning.