About the workshop
Dorothy Cucw-la7 Christian will discuss how she structured her PhD research to privilege Indigenous knowledge(s), which meant being able to do the work without having colonization be the dominant factor in her work. In her in-depth research she flew all over Turtle Island to speak to two groups: 14 Indigenous knowledge keepers from a diverse group of Nations and 14 Indigenous Visual Storytellers/Filmmakers, also from a diverse group of Nations. The inter-NATION-al locations of these two groups meant engaging in complex research methodologies that Dorothy will talk about. She worked in the television industry before graduate school and holds over 100 professional production credits.
Dorothy's talk is part of Indigenous Research Methods in Action, a series that showcases SFU researchers who engage in Indigenous Research Methods.
About the speaker
Dorothy Cucw-la7 Christian’s cultural roots are in Splatsin, one of the 17 communities of the Secwepemc Nation. She is the eldest of 10, has one daughter and over 65 nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and as of May 2021 she became a great, great Auntie.
Her research centralizes and privileges Indigenous knowledge systems, which illustrates the key roles of land, story, and cultural protocols. Dorothy Cucw-la7 locates herself in the “cultural interface” (Nakata, 2002) – the place where Indigenous peoples have agency and meet Settler cultures without being bogged down and paralyzed by the usual colonial binaries. Her PhD research articulated some of the complexities of Indigenous research methodologies. Read more about Dorothy Christian.
Land acknowledgement
Elder Margaret George
Skawahlook First Nation
Elder Margaret was born in Skawahlook First Nation and was raised in Ruby Creek by her grandparents. She attended school on her reserve and graduated from UBC. She has been involved in a variety of events and activities within the Tsleil-Waututh community, where she lives, and is very active in the broader Vancouver community area as well.
Margaret is one of the Elders in the SFU Elders Program where she enjoys working with SFU Indigenous students and the broader SFU community.