Over the past few months, Kwusen has worked with instructors and students at Yukon University to develop a custom GeoKeeper program for their Environmental Monitoring Certificate Program. In this blog post, we share more about this partnership with Scott Keesey, the Lead Instructor for the Environmental Monitoring Certificate Program, and how GeoKeeper has been used as a course tool to support learning directly in the field. 

Did you know that most historical reserve surveys and fieldbooks can be downloaded for free? The Canada Lands Survey System (CLSS) is an online repository of legal survey records for federally managed lands, including the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, over 3,100 Indian Reserves, Canada’s National and Historic Parks, and Canada’s offshore area.

Kwusen invites applications for an Indigenous Data Sovereignty Specialist. This is a full-time, mid-level position based in Kwusen’s office in downtown Victoria, BC (on Songhees and Esquimalt territory). The position includes travel to remote communities within Canada.

Kwusen invites applications for an Indigenous Data Sovereignty Assistant. This is a full-time, entry-level position based in Kwusen’s office in downtown Victoria, BC (on Songhees and Esquimalt territory).

Kwusen researchers, Sarah and Alissa, traveled to Terrace to co-host an event related to Kitsumkalum First Nation’s ongoing Cultural Heritage Rematriation Project. Together, we are conducting research and gathering knowledge to help preserve, reclaim, and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Kitsumkalum people.

Co-hosted by SȾÁUTW̱ First Nation, the Kwusen research team began the new year offering an Indigenous Rights and Title Interviewing Methods training to a group of staff and youth leaders from SȾÁUTW̱ and Whiteswan Environmental (WE).

Kwusen’s most recent project is a new language object in the CKK that supports Indigenous language learning and revitalization. With this new feature, the CKK can store any language of choice and sync this information to existing online dictionaries bearing rich linguistic information and language learning games. Keep reading to learn more about this feature development project with Gitxaała Nation’s Language & Culture team, and the language, Sm’algyax. 

Recently the Kwusen team has been working with communities to digitize large collections of archival recordings, preserving their contents and making them available to community members.

In May 2024, Towagh and Sarah had the pleasure of organizing a roundtable at the CASCA conference in Kelowna on First Nation and researcher collaborations for archival and museum repatriation.

In November 2023, Towagh had the pleasure of presenting at the CASCA/AAA conference in Toronto as part of a panel on the repatriation work being conducted by Gitxaała Nation, Nisga’a Nation, and Haida Nation.

Kwusen’s Indigenous Rights Research Manager Alissa Cartwright presented on the Kitsumkalum Cumulative Effects Study at the Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE) 2023 Conference in Ottawa this May.

Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick launched a GeoKeeper program as a tool for reporting harassment, racism and discrimination. The program provides a customised reporting form that can be filled in and sent to WNNB, as well as reference map layers so that land users can check land designation.

In November 2022, Towagh Behr presented at the American Anthropological Association (AAA)’s Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA. His presentation, “Achieving Indigenous Data Sovereignty,” illustrated how community-managed systems like the CKK, with data owned, accessible, and protected by the community, support Indigenous data sovereignty.

The Kwusen team is excited to see the important work of the Indigenous monitors in the Peace-Athabasca Delta highlighted on the national level in a CBC article. We’ve had the privilege of working with the Athabasca Chipewyan and Mikisew Cree First Nations on their Community-based Monitoring programs through GeoKeeper for over 7 years.

Citing the Tsawout First Nation’s Aboriginal interests, the Government of BC recently rejected a major residential development plan for ȽEL,TOS (James Island) which is located off the Saanich Peninsula (near Victoria). Kwusen’s research informed the province’s decision to reject the development.

Kwusen collaborated with the Simpcw First Nation to conduct the second delivery of an upper-level anthropology class at the University of Victoria in spring 2022. Topics included archival power, intellectual property rights, and repatriation.

Kwusen is excited that DƏNE YI'INJETL - The Scattering of Man is airing this weekend at the DOXA Film Festival. The film tells the Tsay Keh Dene’s story of the flooding of their territory from BC Hydro’s construction of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam in 1968.

This marks the launch of NationsConnect in the Yukon, now ready for industry and government users in the Yukon to sign up and send consultation and engagement requests to Nations using the portal.

From his research work with Indigenous communities, Towagh Behr, Kwusen Director of Research & Operations, saw the opportunity for emerging technologies to help address issues surrounding research and data management when he started software development work back in 2009. Kwusen developed the Community KnowledgeKeeper (CKK) to facilitate access to, and protection of, Indigenous research data through a community-controlled digital platform.

Brian’s quick work locating these sites for the Wildfire Service may have saved them from being rolled over by heavy equipment in the fight against one of the largest forest fires in BC this year.