Indigenous Speakers Series presents Talena Atfield

The Indigenous Speakers Series is honoured to present Dr. Talena Atfield, member of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation of the Six Nations of the Grand River. Focusing on her work with Hodinohso:ni basket weavers, Dr. Atfield will speak about Western notions of the origins of Indigenous artistic practices versus the importance of arts and creation within the community.

Talena Atfield is an Assistant Professor in History at the University of Waterloo. Previously, she was curator of eastern ethnology at the Canadian Museum of History. Her research is grounded in community-based knowledge sharing and creation. She works with tangible and intangible Indigenous knowledges held in museums, galleries, and community centres, with a special focus on Hodinohso:ni material culture. Employing faces, or seven generations teachings, to the study of Indigenous cultures held in collections, Dr. Atfield critically examines the information shared with past researchers and works with community scholars and knowledge keepers to find ways to reintegrate and reinvigorate this information into community practice. She is an advisory board member of The Longhouse Labs research-creation lab here at Waterloo.