SUDBURY—Two Wiikemkoong Unceded Territory (WUT) women are joining a third area scholar in overseeing Indigenous studies at Laurentian University.
Professor Nicole Wemigwans, who is from Serpent River First Nation and Wiikemkoong Unceded Territory, and Professor Sharlene Webkamigad, who is also originally from Wiikwemkoong, are joining Professor Adria Kurchina-Tyson of Sudbury in being appointed to the School for Indigenous Relations tenure-track faculty. The three academics will be overseeing Indigenous studies at Laurentian University.
Becoming a faculty member at Laurentian University is a dream realized for all three professors. As their academic journeys evolve, so to do their dreams. With PhDs nearing completion, the professors are looking ahead at the ways they intend to make an impression on the Laurentian community in their new capacity.
Ms. Wemigwans is looking forward to engaging with students and empowering them with culturally appropriate skills and knowledge that will help them be effective practitioners in their field. “I enjoy having discussions with future social workers to understand the work that they do within Indigenous communities. Through this discourse, I believe we can increase safety for our kin in Indigenous communities.” She has worked extensively in community-based programs over the past decade, and is inspired by that work, her prized roles of mom and auntie and her love of her community.
Professor Sharlene Webkamigad, who is originally from WUT, has a passion for research that started in 2004 when she began her undergrad. As a tenure-track professor, she is eager to continue this important research and work collaboratively with students and colleagues. “Creative and alternative ways of learning were an integral part of my experience as a graduate student here at Laurentian. As a professor, I look forward to exploring the same methods in the courses I teach.”
“I’m excited to put proposals together on a national level and to collaborate on research that finds solutions to some of the structural barriers on a national level and to collaborate on research that finds solutions to some of the structural barriers Indigenous peoples face when accessing culturally safe and holistic healthcare,” said Ms. Webkamigad.
Professor Adria Kurchina-Tyson grew up in Sudbury with roots in Shebahonaning and knew they always wanted to study in the community where they grew up. So, when they decided to stay in academia as a researcher and professor, they knew it would be at Laurentian. Now they must look forward to working increasingly with master’s students.
“I have been consistently blown away by the master’s students I work with at Laurentian,” said Kurchina-Tyson. “The students are brilliant and I’m so excited for the expansion and regrowth of Indigenous Relations in new courses.”
The professor’s areas of academic focus vary from gender and sexuality, to kinship and nation building, to nursing and healthcare but they are united in their passion for their communities and their drive to contribute to the future of Laurentian. “I want to be a part of and help contribute to the growth of Indigenous Studies and Indigenous faculty at Laurentian,” said Kurchina-Tyson. The professors have a shared belief that the continued inclusion of Indigenous and First Nations perspectives across programs is essential to the university’s identity and is inherently valuable to prospective faculty and students all over the world.
As for what it means for the three professors that they teach at a school that prioritizes a tricultural mandate, Ms. Webkamigad said, “For me, it is everything. Being surrounded by a team of Indigenous staff and faculty is a strength.” She said that applying culturally safe principles to break down structural barriers in the healthcare field is an endeavour that can make a positive impact in communities everywhere.
Kurchina-Tyson is enthusiastic about the invaluable integration of Indigeneity in academia at Laurentian saying, “Decolonization efforts are on the increase as a whole. There are Indigenous peoples all over the world and anti-colonial movements all over the world which makes the Indigenization at Laurentian alluring to folks all over the world. Laurentian has the unique opportunity to be a leader in decolonial scholarship.”
Dr. Taima Moeke-Pickering, interim director, School of Indigenous Relations at Laurentian said the professors’ passion for teaching, research, and culture fit right in at the school. “Professors Kurchina-Tyson, Dr. Wemigwans and Professor Webkamigad bring an incredible wealth of experience with them to their roles. The addition of intelligent and dynamic Anishnaabe kweok and two-spirit folks as tenure-track faculty at Laurentian enriches the experiences of students, the quality of research, and the Laurentian community as a whole.”
The three professors have already started working together and will introduce their approach to Indigenous-led studies later this year.
