I am a Cree woman from Northern Manitoba who moved to Winnipeg in 2017 to pursue post-secondary education. I recently graduated from the University of Manitoba with an honours degree in Anthropology, and I have since continued my research within the Anthropology Department. Alongside being a researcher with the university, I also recently got hired with a community in Northern Manitoba to assist with archival research and community engagement. I am also involved in a handful of groups, including the Manitoba Archaeological Society and the University of Manitoba’s Respectful Repatriation Ceremony Working Circle, and until recently, I was the first Indigenous representative on the University of Manitoba Anthropology Student’s Association.
My primary interest in anthropology is bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, though I do a bit of everything. I have participated in field schools, internships, and various other programs across the world, including in Texas, Poland, and Cyprus, and have spoken at conferences in Edmonton, Alberta, and Oxford, UK. I am motivated to further my education and field experience around the world, and to eventually settle back in Manitoba to give back to the communities that helped me get to where I am.
Being a young, Indigenous anthropologist in Manitoba has been an interesting experience to say the least. In my time as a student and a new researcher, I have been offered amazing opportunities and have created life-long relationships. However, being young and Indigenous has also presented its own challenges. I want to speak about the highs and lows of being in this field and what I have learned from it, but also about how the teachers and mentors in the field can better address the issues affecting young, Indigenous researchers. I will provide examples from not only a Canadian context, but also on a worldwide scale.
