UVic Anthropology Class
Towagh Behr, assisted by Alissa Cartwright, recently taught an upper-level Anthropology class at the University of Victoria called “Applied and Community-Based Anthropology.” The class consisted of seventeen students from varying areas of study, including environmental science, political science, anthropology, and history. Many came to the class hoping for some hands-on archival research experience and the chance to meet professionals working in their field.
During the semester, we welcomed several guest lecturers, including Charlene Everson, a community member and Education Coordinator from the K’ómoks First Nation. Charlene shared her thoughts on repatriation in the context of shifting institutional policies of ownership and access, as museums, archives, and galleries attempt to meet the Calls to Action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report. The class also heard from lawyers working in the field of Aboriginal Rights and Title, museum and archival professionals, and independent researchers. Guided tours at the BC Archives and the Royal BC Museum offered further opportunity for experiential learning, and students were encouraged to dive into the ample resources these institutions have to offer. They were also encouraged to critically engage with these resources, and to consider the many institutional restrictions and limitations that prevent Indigenous communities from researching and repatriating their own history.
For their main assignment, students undertook archival research on behalf of the Saik’uz First Nation located in central British Columbia, collecting over 100 archival documents and uploading them to the Nation’s Community KnowledgeKeeper (CKK). In addition, the students completed over twenty transcripts of previously conducted land use interviews and coded these interviews with research topics, making them easily searchable within the CKK. At the end of the semester, the class was able to meet with Kasandra Turbide, Land & Resources Manager at Saik’uz, and discuss the archival research and transcription work they completed.
The class concluded in December of 2019 with a final discussion of the obstacles and opportunities presented by archival research in the post-Truth and Reconciliation Commission era. Many students noted that this was the first class in which they had an opportunity to conduct hands-on archival research, developing a skillset they will continue to use after graduation. It was a great experience for Towagh, Alissa, and the students. In fact, one of the students from the class, Holly Marsh, who graduated with a BA in Anthropology this summer, has now joined Kwusen as a member of the Digital Services Team.