Project Managers

Dr. Meera Mather

Meera Mather is Chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and oversees the curriculum and delivery of the Indigenous Studies program. She co-authored and co-led this etextbook.

Dr. Carol Roffey

Dr. Carol Roffey has contributed to many Indigenous initiatives at Centennial College. Part of the Aboriginal Education Steering Committee, she co-developed the Indigenous Studies stackable credential and co-managed this OER.

Writers

Jodie Adams

Jodie Adams is a program coordinator and professor in the Child and Youth Care program. She is working towards a degree in Aboriginal Adult Education from Brock University.

Liz Clarke

Liz Clarke was born of settler ancestry on lands that are both Anishinabek and Haudenosauneega Confederacy. She hopes to continue to listen, learn, and do her part to support reconciliation.

Susan G. Enberg

Susan G. Enberg is a photographer and filmmaker who co-produced the film In Jesus’ Name. The film focuses on survivor stories from St. Anne’s Residential School.

Sean Kinsella

Seán Caron Kinsella is a nêhithaw/nêhiyaw/Nakawé/otipemisiwak/Irish Two-Spirit person who was born in Tkaronto and currently resides in Mississauga. They have an MEd from OISE (University of Toronto).

Dani Kwan-Lafond

Dani Kwan-Lafond, a former social worker, is mixed race and trilingual. Her family is Asian, French-Canadian, and Indigenous, with diverse religious/cultural practices. She is a professor at Centennial College.

Dr. Meera Mather

Meera Mather is Chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and oversees the curriculum and delivery of the Indigenous Studies program. She has co-authored and co-led this etextbook.

Jennifer Meness

Jennifer Meness, Waabishkaa Migizi (White Eagle), is Migizi Dodem (Eagle Clan) from the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation. She is a powwow dancer and Ph.D. candidate at York University.

Joseph McQuabbie

Joseph McQuabbie is currently the Indigenous Outreach Worker at Centennial College. He is also an entrepreneur and Indigenous advocate who provides quality consultation and strategies to Indigenous communities.

Dr. Moyo Rainos Mutamba

Dr. Mutamba is an Indigenous-culture educator based in Toronto, with roots in Zimbabwe. His research and writing interests explore global Indigenous knowledges, anti-colonial movements, adult education, and cultural politics.

Natalie Thornhill

Natalie Thornhill earned her master’s degree from Trent University in anthropology. She is a faculty member at Centennial College and a facilitator in the college’s Indigenous Studies Stackable Credential program.

Shannon Winterstein

Shannon Winterstein is the coordinator of stackable credential programming at Centennial College and the lead curriculum developer of the Indigenous Studies courses. She is of mixed Indigenous and German-Scottish background.

Editors

Len Fortune

Len Fortune is a seasoned Indigenous journalist who worked in senior management where he acted as an editor, designer, researcher and peacemaker. He has penned several books, including three on Indigenous realities.

Kathryn Willms

Kathryn Willms is a professional editor, writer, and project coordinator, specializing in educational materials. She was previously vice-president of Colborne Communications and publisher of Iguana Books.

Cover Art

Chief Lady Bird

Chief Lady Bird is an Anishinaabe (Chippewa and Potawatomi) artist from Rama First Nation and Moose Deer Point First Nation, based in Toronto. She creates digital illustrations, street art, and mixed media paintings.

Aura, BFA, DTATI (Candidate)

Aura is an Oneida artist based in Tkaronto who uses mixed media, beadwork, murals, and digital illustration to discuss intergenerational healing, identity, empowerment, and mothering.

Video

PJ (Patrick James) Boyd

An Irish/Canadian storyteller who has majored in musical theatre performance, videography, and journalism, PJ Boyd is a published and broadcasted journalist who works to help others tell their stories.

Cassandra Poley

Cassandra Poley, a professor with Centennial College since 2011 in Humanities and Social Sciences, has a master’s degree in communication, an honour’s degree in sociology, and works in live television.

Photography

Natalie Thornhill

Natalie Thornhill earned her master’s degree from Trent University in anthropology. She is a faculty member at Centennial College and a facilitator in the college’s Indigenous Studies Stackable Credential program.

Tamara Tran

Tamara Tran, a proud Indigenous woman, recently completed her Community and Justice Services diploma and Indigenous Studies certificate at Centennial College. She has been a freelance photographer for three years.

Graphics

Christopher Jessop

Christopher Jessop is a versatile graphic designer based in Toronto, Ontario. He creates visual experiences through design with a focus on editorial design, branding, typography, and photography.

Vania Putri

Vania Putri is a graphic designer, illustrator, and eternal rebel. She specializes in handwritten typography and illustrations, and has a background in marketing management.

Technical

Dani Kwan-Lafond

Dani Kwan-Lafond, a former social worker, is mixed race and trilingual. Her family is Asian, French-Canadian, and Indigenous, with diverse religious/cultural practices. She is a professor at Centennial College.

Shannon Winterstein

Shannon Winterstein is the coordinator of stackable credential programming at Centennial College and the lead curriculum developer of the Indigenous Studies courses. She is of mixed Indigenous and German-Scottish background.

Library

Jane Burpee

Jane Burpee is Director of Libraries at Centennial College and has led service development in First Nation, public, and post-secondary libraries in northern Ontario, Guelph, Montreal, New York, and Toronto.

Stephen Spong

Stephen Spong is the Copyright Services Librarian at Centennial College. He holds a J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School and a master’s in information from the University of Toronto.

Support

Anthony Bertin

Anthony Bertin has worked in child welfare, children’s mental health, and education in addition to post-secondary education. He is deeply committed to, and passionate about, the transformative power of learning.

Oliver Siason

An ally of Indigenous Peoples, Oliver Siason supports the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences within the School of Advancement at Centennial College in an administrative capacity.