Dr. Lana Whiskeyjack – Ohtisly, Disruption and Innovation

A nehiyaw (Cree) worldview of knowing where we come from, kinship systems, resilience, and sacredness of Indigenous women.

Dr. Lana Whiskeyjack is a multidisciplinary treaty iskwew educator and art actionist from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Treaty Six Territory, Alberta. Lana recently joined the Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta, as an Assistant Professor after graduating from University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills (UnBQ) iyiniw pimâtisiwin kiskeyihtamowin Doctoral Program in 2017. UnBQ is the first Indigenous owned and governed educational institution since 1971 and prior to 1971, it operated as an Indian Residential School where two generations of her family attended.

Lana’s research, writing, and artist creations explores the paradoxes of what it means to be nehiyaw (Cree) and iskwew (woman reclaiming, re-gathering, and remembering ancestral medicine (sacredness and power) in a Western culture and society. Her work is passionate and expressive, born from the deep roots of her culture, history, and intergenerational relations. Through the examination of sometimes difficult subjects, Lana’s work reflects the intrinsic beauty of her interconnections with the earth, Cree language, and all living beings. Lana’s current research explores reconnecting the spirit of the Cree language and has begun a new painting series on the 13 moon teachings.

Hosted by:
The Indigenous Students Health Sciences Office, Indigenous Studies Program, First Nations Métis and Inuit PACBIC Working Group and the Gender and Sexuality PACBIC Working Group.