NationTalk: The University of Winnipeg is pleased to announce a cluster hire of eight Indigenous faculty members across the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, Gupta Faculty of Kinesiology and Applied Health, Faculty of Business and Economics, and Global College.
is part of a larger effort to advance Reconciliation and increase BIPOC faculty representation at UWinnipeg. The process began in January of this year.
“As a university committed to Indigenization and decolonizing practices and methodologies, the hiring process was centered in community and relationship, working closely with our AVP, Indigenous Engagement, Indigenous Student Services Centre, faculty, Deans, and staff,” said Dr. Pavlina Radia, Provost and Vice-President, Academic. “An essential part of Reconciliation is ensuring that Indigenous faculty are amply represented and supported at post-secondary institutions.”
These tenure-track positions are in the Departments of Indigenous Studies, Criminal Justice, Business & Administration, Anthropology, Environmental Studies and Sciences, Master’s in Development Practice, and Kinesiology. Some of these new faculty members started with UWinnipeg in the fall term, and some will start in the winter term.
“We are thrilled to welcome to the UWinnipeg community each of these Indigenous scholars who are undertaking vital work in their respective fields,” said Dr. Chantal Fiola, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous. “Bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge, they are sure to enrich the collective contributions to society made by UWinnipeg. Likewise, the UWinnipeg community is eager to uplift the voices and efforts of these fine scholars.”
The new faculty members include:
Christy Anderson, Assistant Professor, Indigenous Studies
Christy Anderson is a proud Anishinaabekwe (Ojibwa Woman) member of Pinaymootang First Nation in Treaty 2 territory with an interest in gender issues. She is a PhD candidate in Indigenous Studies at University of Saskatchewan, with an MA from University of Manitoba and a BA from Canadian Mennonite University. She’s served as Keeper of the Circle at the Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre and Director of Indigenous Research with the Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous) at University of Manitoba. She’s taught at Canadian Mennonite University, Booth University College, Yellowquill University College, and University of Manitoba. She’s presented at numerous conferences, has published both academically and for community, and is active in her community.
Dr. Kristen Desjarlais-deKlerk, Associate Professor, Business & Administration
Dr. Kristen Desjarlais-deKlerk is a Red River Métis woman and mixed methods community-engaged researcher. She grew up in Calgary on Treaty 7 territory, and is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta. Her Métis kin, the Desjarlais, are from the Battlefords in Saskatchewan. As a trained sociologist, her research interests centre on housing, inequality, and health outcomes for different populations. She’s a co-investigator on two CMHC-SSHRC partnership grants researching affordable housing for Canadians. She’s a member of the National Advisory Council on Poverty, the CIHR Advisory Committee on Ethics, and co-chair of the Board of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.
Robert Hamilton, Instructor, Indigenous Studies
Robert Hamilton is an Anishinaabe researcher with an interest in Anishinaabe philosophy, language, and religion. He’s a graduate of the Masters of Indigenous Governance program, holds bachelor degrees from Brandon University and Laurentian University, and is a PhD candidate in Indigenous Studies at University of Manitoba. He taught high school and middle school in Manitoba, including the Indigenous Math Leadership Camp at Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre. He also taught English in South Korea. He’s presented at many Canadian and international conferences and has several publications.
Ashley Hayward, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology and Applied Health
Ashley is a Red River Métis scholar with a research focus on Indigenous health and wellness. She is a 2020 CIHR funded Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar, and an active community volunteer with expertise in community-led research and Indigenous maternal health. She is a PhD candidate in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba, and is a UWinnipeg graduate (BA 17 and MA 19). Her doctoral research was created in partnership with Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg, where she is specifically looking at supporting the health needs of birthing people in unstable housing. She is a wife, and mother to two daughters with kinship ties to the family names Hogue, Daignault, Ducharme, Turcotte, and Richard, some of whom took scrip in St. Charles and St. Boniface.
Dawnis Kennedy, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice
Minawaanigogiizhigook (Dawnis Kennedy) holds an LLM from the University of Victoria and a JD from the University of Toronto. Of both Anishinaabe and European lineage, Kennedy pursues knowledge in western academic institutions and through Anishinaabe lodges, ceremonies, apprenticeships, and mentorships. She is a second-degree Midewiwin person from Bagwaanishkoziibing (Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation) who has been called upon to articulate practices of Anishinaabe education, offer testimony as a legal expert regarding Anishinaabe legal traditions, and support youth seeking connection to ceremony, language, and community. Her areas of research and teaching include Indigenous law, treaties, spirituality, culture-based education, and challenging colonization.
Danika Billie Rose Littlechild, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies and Sciences/Master’s in Development Practice
Danika Billie Rose Littlechild is a First Nations scholar who is a Registered Member of Ermineskin Cree Nation (Neyâskweyâhk), Maskwacis, Treaty 6 territory, Alberta. She holds a UNESCO Research Chair in Biodiversity, Conservation and Indigenous Health and Well-Being. Danika is interested in environment, water, biodiversity, conservation and Indigenous systems, laws, protocols and practices. She is co-Investigator in The ⴰⵔⵔⴰⵎⴰⵜ Ărramăt Project: Strengthening health and wellbeing through Indigenous-Led conservation and sustainable relationships with biodiversity – a New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) Transformations Grant of $24 million announced in January 2022. She’s a frequent committee member, advisor, and consultant with expertise in laws and policy pertaining to Indigenous Peoples and environment, as well as a familiarity in working with systems, laws, and cultures of many Indigenous Peoples. She practiced law for two decades, working primarily with Indigenous Peoples and organizations, was previously an assistant professor at Carleton University, and was vice-president of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
Aandeg Muldrew, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
Aandeg Muldrew is an Anishinaabe scholar from Lac Seul First Nation interested in studies of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) language and culture. Born and raised in Winnipeg’s inner city, he apprenticed with his gookom, who is a well-known Anishinaabemowin educator. He’s taught Anishinaabemowin language and Anishinaabe culture throughout Manitoba (including UWinnipeg’s Indigenous Languages programs and Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre), Ontario, and Minnesota. He’s the co-editor of the Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba Anishinaabemowin Dictionary Project and a frequent contributor to discussions at national and international meetings about learning and strengthening Indigenous languages. He also voiced the character of Luke Skywalker in Anangong Miigaading, the Anishinaabemowin translation of the film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, which premiered in August 2024.
Dr. Derrick M. Nault, Assistant Professor, Indigenous Studies
Dr. Derrick M. Nault is a Red River Métis citizen with a PhD in History from Queen’s University, as well as an MA and BA in History from the University of Manitoba. He has published widely on topics ranging from international human rights to Métis history. Dr. Nault has held teaching positions at numerous institutions, including Taejae University in Seoul, Seoul National University, the University of Tokyo, Algoma University, and the University of Calgary. While at the University of Tokyo, he was awarded a prestigious multi-year JSPS Grant-in-aid (Category ‘C’), the Japanese equivalent of Canada’s SSHRC. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Nault has contributed to two upcoming episodes of Michif Koonteur, a Métis podcast, and a documentary in progress called We and Us, which focuses on the descendants of participants in the Red River Resistance. He has also shared his expertise on Métis history in interviews with the Manitoba Historical Society, St. Vital Historical Society, and the Winnipeg Free Press.
This hiring initiative builds upon UWinnipeg’s ongoing commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s calls to action, which includes three new, and the Indigenous Course Requirement introduced in 2016. Human Resources worked with each new hire to substantiate Indigenous identity prior to commencement.
The Indigenous cluster hire process opened with ceremony, and it will also close with ceremony; in the coming weeks, a feast will be held to welcome the eight new faculty members.
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The University of Winnipeg