Dr. Andrea Walsh | Smyth Chair in Arts and Engagement and Associate Professor, Anthropology

Hello! my work in the Visual Stories Lab (VSL) is anchored by my training visual artist, anthropologist and curator. Projects I work on through the VSL use arts-methods with a focus on visual storytelling. Much of this work culminates in art exhibitions and educational programming. I am presently working on two graphic novels through which I’m bringing together the work of drawing, archival research, and community engagement. My past and present projects focus on curatorial projects with contemporary Salish artists, and the repatriation of children’s art to Survivors from Indian Residential and Day Schools. I work with Survivors, their families, and communities, to co-create exhibitions and education opportunities with their returned childhood artworks. I have had the privilege to work in collaboration district and civic museums in B.C. and the Canadian Museum of History in Hull, Que. to share stories and artworks around repatriation as a form of reconciliation. Our work includes families from the Osoyoos Indian Band over 24 years focusing on artworks by children who attended the Inkameep Day School during the WWII era, and since 2012 I’ve collaborated with Survivors of the Alberni Indian Residential School, who were at the school during the early 1960s.

Photo credit Taylor Baptiste.

Contact: 

awalsh@uvic.ca

Dr. Tommy Happynook | Assistant Professor, Anthropology

My name is ḥapinyuuk, my English name is Tommy Happynook. I am Nuu-chah-nulth from the Huu-ay-aht Nations and belong to the House of čaačaaciias through my father. I have Scottish and Irish ancestry through my mother.

My research focuses on my own experience of reconnecting, revitalizing, and restoring my family’s knowledge, presence, and traditional responsibilities in and to our Hahuulhii (traditional territory) čaačaaciias. My research, more broadly seeks to understand the reciprocal relationship between haWiih (Nuu-chah-nulth hereditary leaders), musčum (the people) and Hahuulhii.

The questions that guide my work are:

1) How is the relationship between my family’s traditional knowledge, our connection to čaačaaciias and the revival of our culture understood? 

2) What is the importance of our connections to čaačaaciias in learning language, and how might our learning the language on the land change the way we conceptualize as learners, our worldviews?

3) How can traditional whaling knowledge, that is sacred and secret, inform the development of Indigenous research frameworks, methodology and theory in academia without breaking traditional laws?

4) How can čaačaaciiasaht knowledge inform Huu-ay-aht treaty governance and čaačaaciiasaht self-determination in a contemporary context?

Photo credit Raey Costain.

Contact:

tommyh@uvic.ca

Dr. Tatiana Degai | Assistant Professor, Anthropology

I am Itelmen from Kamchatka, Russia. My scholarly and creative work is led by Indigenous epistemologies and ways of being and is informed by the beautiful land of Kamchatka, the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, and salmon.  Through applying Indigenous storywork (Archibaldt 2008) approach I centre Indigenous knowledge in research to strengthen the well-being of my own Itelmen community and to advocate for broader recognition of Indigenous sciences in the academy. This includes initiatives on language revitalization, development of community-friendly educational materials, diverse projects on reclaiming cultural heritage of Itelmens, and art-science projects. I rely on my collaboration with the Elders, youth and wider Itelmen and Indigenous community for co-creation of knowledge and co-understanding of the ways to move forward in addressing the current socio-environmental challenges. 

I am leading the Arctic Indigenous Virtual Artists Network (AIVAN) that brings together Indigenous artists to discuss Indigenous visions to sustainability through the prism of Indigenous artists.  I am also  an assistant professor at the University of Victoria in the Department of Anthropology.

Current art-science projects with students involvement:

• The Art of Indigenous Science /Science of Indigenous art  exhibition to be established during the Arctic Science Summit Week
• The Story of Elvel Movie 
• Quilt Ojar project

Contact:

tatianadegai@uvic.ca

Dr. Jennifer Claire Robinson | Adjunct

My name is Jennifer, and I am a settler-Canadian (English/Irish/Scottish) visual anthropologist living on lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ territories. I joined the Visual Stories Lab in 2012 during the second year of my doctoral program and I remain incredibly grateful for the experiences I have gained learning from, and working with, this collective. Currently, I am Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria and a Research Associate with the VSL, where I continue to contribute to curatorial, collections, education, and repatriation projects. I am also a Research Associate with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research where since 2021, I have taken part in several harm reduction-focused projects under the Canadian Managed Alcohol Program Study. Since 2019, I have worked as a freelance consultant on behalf of museums, galleries, cultural centres, and Indigenous nations on various projects that support community-engaged advocacy through creative and participatory research methods and collaborations.

Contact: 

jcrobins@uvic.ca | Website

Dr. India Rael Young | Curator of Arts & Images, RBCM

I am an art historian and curator who researches Indigenous art, reproducible arts media, and how modes of reproduction shape social constructs. My curatorship and writing negotiate feminist, decolonial, and critical race frameworks to unpuzzle the boundaries of the North American art world. Graduating in 2017 with a doctorate from the University of New Mexico, I went on to Princeton University Art Museum as the Andrew Mellon Research Specialist in Native American Art. Currently, I am the Curator of Art and Images at the Royal BC Museum.

Kiikitakashuaa Mark Atleo | Affiliate

My name is Kiikitakashuaa, Mark Atleo (b.1952). I grew up in Ahousaht with my mom, dad, and 9 siblings. I attended the Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS) between the ages of 8 and 16. Most of my early childhood was spent fishing with my father and around boats. It was a life that grounded me in culture and language, and a commitment to family. Commercial fishing became my career for 36 years. In 2019, I retired from work as a driver for Handidart buses after serving the community in this way for over a decade. I am presently pursuing further education in mental health and addictions support through Camosun College.

In 2013, I joined a collective of Survivors, Elders, faculty, staff, and students led by Andrea Walsh through the Visual Stories Lab in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria. Their ongoing work focuses on the repatriation of children’s art from AIRS. My own childhood painting from my time at AIRS was returned to me at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s National Event in Vancouver. Since 2023, I have sat on Board of Directors as Member at Large for the Alberni Residential School Survivors’ Art & Education Society, as well as Board Member for Victoria’s Oasis Society.  I am a speaker and Elder for teaching youth and the public about residential schools and being strong and resilient through culture.​

Bradley Clements | PhD Candidate, University of Toronto 

I am a settler Canadian of English and Scottish decent, raised in Lekwungen territory and presently working in Anishinaabewaki in the Great Lakes region. As a doctoral student of cultural heritage under the supervision of Dr. Cara Krmpotich at the University of Toronto Faculty of Information, my present SSHRC-funded research asks how museums and other heritage institutions can live up to treaty responsibilities committed to Great Lakes Indigenous peoples.

Since 2013 I have worked and been a part of relationships with Survivors of the Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS) through the UVic Visual Anthropology Lab (now the Visual Stories Lab). I conducted my BA (2015) and MA (2018) research in association with the Lab, studying the experiences of museum workers and Survivors as they partnered to present childhood artworks and memories from AIRS.

Contact: 

Website

Lorilee Wastasecoot | Curator of Indigenous Arts & Engagement, Legacy Art Gallery 

I am an Ininew iskwew from Peguis First Nation with ancestral roots from York Factory Cree Nation and Treaty One Territory where I grew up along the Red River in Winnipeg. I am currently living and working on the land of the lək̓ʷəŋən people of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. I re-located to Victoria in 2010 to continue my education at Camosun College and the University of Victoria where I graduated with a degree in Political Science.

I have worked at Legacy Art Gallery since 2016 in various grant funded positions until I was given the title, Curator of Indigenous Arts and Engagement in 2021. Over the past 5 years I have collaborated on projects and exhibitions to provide education for the public, school-aged and post-secondary students around issues like residential schools, Indigenous resurgence within the arts and repatriation using Indigenous ways of knowing and being. I have curated major exhibitions such as We Carry our Ancestors (2019) and On Beaded Ground (2021), and the UVic Indigenous Art on Campus Tour.

Since 2015, I have worked with Dr. Andrea Walsh in the Visual Anthropology Lab on projects with the Survivors of the MacKay Indian Residential School and the Alberni Indian Residential School on the repatriation of residential school children’s paintings that included my own father’s painting within this collection he made in 1960 under the tutelage of Robert Aller.

Chelsea Forseth | SSHRC MA Fellow

My name is Chelsea Forseth (Seabird Island First Nation). I successfully defended my thesis titled: Telling My Auto EthnoGRAPHIC Story through My Drawings of Stó:lō and Sq’éwqel Archival History.

I used visual research methods such as drawing for inquiry and creating auto-ethnographic multimedia graphic stories about my experiences with Sq’éwqel Seabird Island First Nation and Stó:lō First Nation archival history (including archival audio recordings and photos), my reflections and memories as a Sq’éwqel Seabird Island community member. Archie Charles’ oral stories from the Seabird Island Strength of Claim project database are central to this project. I explored drawing as a research method to establish a personal connection with archival history and community and create community-accessible resources for future education initiatives. Through this research, I found that I, the participant/researcher, became very curious and inspired by the inquiry, which forged a stronger connection to my community. In sharing my Indigenous graphic stories, I hope to find a way to educate on the diversity of Indigenous perspectives and engage readers in a way that connects them to Indigenous archival history and culture. These findings will be put forward to create unique Sq’éwqel Seabird Island First Nation educational programming.

Website

Raey Costain (they/them) | VSL Media, Communications, and Design Lead and Smyth PhD Fellow

I am currently pursuing a PhD in anthropology at the University of Victoria. My research engages queer and nonbinary life stories, digital places and technologies, drawing-based methods, and therapeutic arts. I am particularly interested in the way that drawing can guide connections between people and communities, between the academic sphere and the wide world beyond, and between researchers and their own work.

In addition to my work with the VSL I am working as the Media Director for the Survivor-Centred Visual Narratives Project.

As a settler, I am grateful to be living and working here on Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ territory.

Contact:

rcostain@uvic.ca

Website

Emma Wilton | Smyth MA Fellow

I completed my MA coursework in anthropology and have received a Master in Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fellowship for my work to create a Huu-ay-aht archive of the maa nulth treaty documents and research.
While undertaking my studies through the anthropology department and the Visual Stories Lab, I work as the curator of the Sooke Region Museum. I use my undergraduate and graduate training, gained through Dr. Walsh’s museums and anthropology classes, to guide my redesign of the museum’s exhibition of Salish history and present-day stories in collaboration with the Tsouke First Nation. This research is co-supervised by Dr. Walsh and Dr. Happynook.

Mavis Underwood | Smyth Doctoral Fellow

My name is Mavis Underwood (Tsawout First Nation). I have completed two out of three of my PhD program comprehensive exams; I will complete the exam process in Fall 2024 to advance to PhD candidacy. Over the last several years I have supported the anthropology field school focused on recovering knowledge about the Salish village that lay underneath the contemporary urban landscape. I also delivered a public lecture for the Department of Anthropology colloquium series at the place of ȾEL ̧IȽĆE.

Learn more about this project here.

Evelyn Boorman | Undergraduate Student

Raised on these lands, I am a settler of English, Irish, and Cuban descent with ancestral ties to the Nisga’a Nation, and I feel grateful to live and learn on the territories of the Lekwungen peoples and the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation. At UVic, I am completing a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology with a minor in Indigenous Studies, where my studies are shaped by an interest in how anthropology can inform advocacy for Indigenous voices, particularly within healthcare. At the VSL, I contribute to the TEMOSEN-THUT archival project and work to maintain and develop this website.

Katherine Taylor-Hood | Undergraduate Student

I am a settler Canadian of English, Welsh, and Scottish decent and grew up on the ancestral homelands and territories of the Beothuk and Mi’Kmaq Peoples in Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). At the VSL, you can find me visiting the archives of TEMOSEN-THUT (the late Charles Elliott, Tsartlip First Nation), drawing, and working in art and archival curation. In addition, I am pursuing Honours in Psychology at UVic under the supervision of Dr. Louise Chim, Dr. Andrea Walsh, and Dr. Tommy Happynook. As an autistic student, my research interests focus on neurodivergent research methods in archival work as a bridge between anthropology and psychology. 

The days that I spend archiving TEMOSEN-THUT’s belongings are good days. Thus far, I have archived over 1000 documents and have been developing archival methods to best honour the wishes of the Elliott family. This work has not only opened career opportunities but has strengthened my connections to the lands that I work on, the people that I work with, and my own ancestors.