The History Anti-Racism Taskforce (HART) and the Tri-University Graduate Student Association (TUGSA) is hosting a graduate student panel in honour of Indigenous History Month. The panelists include: C. Elizabeth Best, a Scoop survivor, and Sarah Stravridis, an incoming JD student at the University of Ottawa, and Emma Smith, a Master's student from the University of Waterloo. The panel will be chaired by Dr. Susan Roy, an associate professor with the University of Waterloo.
The panel will be held on Wednesday, June 28 at 11:00am on Zoom. Those interested in attending will need to register for the Zoom link.
Panel Chair
Dr. Susan Roy - Associate Professor, Associate Chair (Graduate) at the University of Waterloo
My research examines the history of Indigenous-non-Indigenous relationships in Canada with attention to cultural performance, resource and urban development disputes, and land rights activism. I was a guest curator for the award winning, collaborative museum exhibition, c̓əsnaʔəm: the city before the city, that highlights xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqeam First Nation) history and ongoing connection to the urban landscapes of Vancouver. My book, These Mysterious People: Shaping History and Archaeology in a Northwest Coast Community, details how Musqueam’s legal and cultural expressions challenged public and museum-based accounts of Indigenous history throughout the 20th century.
My current research includes a collaborative book project that examines the intersections of shíshalh (Sechelt First Nation) genealogies, land rights, and colonial encounters on the Northwest Coast; Songs in the Key of Cree, an arts-based Cree language revitalization project led by Cree playwright Tomson Highway, and, with Phil Monture of Six Nations of the Grand River, Six Miles Deep: Mapping Environmental Transformation in the Haldimand Tract Territories of the Six Nations of the Grand River. I also incorporate digital technologies and other forms of multi-media presentation to bring historical research to wider publics.
Panelists
C. Elizabeth Best - Identity, Memory, and Documents: How Structural Barriers Impact Scoop Survivor Histories 1945-2023.
C. Elizabeth Best is a Scoop survivor. They are Metis (maternal) and Vietnamese. Elizabeth was raised in foster care (Saskatchewan). They were adopted out to a non-Indigenous family (Ontario). Elizabeth is working on their PhD dissertation in History at York University. Elizabeth’s research interests are Indigenous activism, art, and child welfare policy in the post war period. They currently reside on the Haldimand Tract which belongs to the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Neutral Peoples.
Sarah Stravridis - Disgraceful and Dangerous Conditions: Six Nations Indian Day School Records from Library and Archives Canada’s RG 10.
Sarah Stavridis is an incoming JD student at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Common Law and a recent graduate from Western University, where she worked as a Research Assistant in Indigenous History under Professor Cody Groat. Sarah and Cody’s work investigated Indian Day School records from Six Nations of the Grand River. She currently works on Residential School files as a Qualitative Data Analyst for Narratives Inc.
Emma Smith - Presenting Oral History in Regional Museum- My Curatorial Experience on Dibaajimowin: Stories from this Land.
Emma Smith (She/They) is Aniishnaabe from Walpole Island First Nations. Emma is working on her Masters in History at the University of Waterloo. With a background in visual arts their research was originally focused on beadwork but has since shifted to curatorial work. As they joined a local team of researchers attempting to Indigenize the regions historical narrative. The culminating exhibition Dibaajimowin: Stories from this land can be viewed at the Woodland Cultural Centre right now. She currently works as the Program Coordinator of the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre.