Submission 2025
| Submitted by: | Danielle Voyageur |
| Additional Collaborators: | Crystal Wood, Educational Policy Studies Andrea Cardinal, Educational Policy Studies |
| Department: | Educational Policy Studies |
| Faculty: | Education |
This research image captures the journey of three First Nation doctoral students and Education 211 instructors who continue to tend to the spiritual element of Indigenous education and research. Their heartfelt research discussions delve into the complexities of community and belonging. Their lived experiences as Sixties Scoop Survivors profoundly shape their identity reclamation and journeys as Thrivers today. Participants share stories rooted in Indigenous Research Methodologies, like visiting and memory work. These narratives embody sâkihitowin (love), arising from the co-creation of a supportive community. With a feather, rattle and drum in hand, they stand tall and proud in their ribbon skirts, poised to champion Indigenous education and research for the future generations, firmly rooted in Indigenous ways of being and knowing. Their collaborative efforts signal the inroads envisioned and crafted by Dënesuliné, Denendeh, and Nêhiyaw doctoral students at the University of Alberta, who reside on honoured Treaty 6 Territory.
Was your image created using Generative AI?
No.
How was your image created?
In an office that once belonged to a Wabanaki scholar and activist in the Indigenous Peoples’ Education field, the smell of sage, a sacred medicine, fills the room. Each ceremonial item, the feather, rattle and drum, is smudged. A tripod with an iPhone is set up on the desk and is positioned to capture all three participants, who stand together holding their ceremonial items. As they take pictures at a 10-second interval, laughter fills the air.It was quite a culmination to an eventful week in the field.
Where is the image located?
The 7th Floor of the University of Alberta Education Building.