Lindsay DuPré, Vanier Scholar and PhD candidate in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies – Indigenous Knowledges theme, demonstrates how intergenerational research teams can help protect and adapt Indigenous Knowledge
Vanier Scholar Lindsay DuPré; Image courtesy of sweetmoon photography
Name
Lindsay DuPré
Program
Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies – Indigenous Knowledges Theme
Supervisor
Dr. Shawn Wilson
Award
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship
Research & Knowledge
In 2023, Lindsay was recognized as a Vanier Scholar placing in the top 25 of doctoral researchers across Canada. Her PhD project titled “Indigenous Knowledge and changing environments: epistemic nurturance and protection through Home” examines how Indigenous Knowledge systems are being impacted by rapidly changing environmental, technological, and socio-political contexts. The study weaves together her lived experiences engaging with Indigenous Knowledge in her Métis-Cree home with the perspectives of Elders and Knowledge Keepers from Waterhen Lake First Nation, a Plains Cree community in Saskatchewan where many families also have close Métis kinship ties.
Lindsay (Métis) is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan and her partner Dallas and son Kîsik (Cree and Métis) are members of Waterhen Lake First Nation. More than just a connection, Dallas and Kîsik are supporting the project as co-researchers. “Our insider relationship with the community has offered us a unique opportunity to extend the boundaries of Knowledge. With this work we want to show how Indigenous families can collaborate as intergenerational research teams and do integral work to address threats of epistemicide through our everyday lives” she explained. “We understand that Indigenous Knowledge is more of a how than a what, and that our families can uphold and protect traditional knowledge while also finding new ways to adapt this Knowledge in response to our changing environments.”
Co-researchers Kîsik Fiddler and Dallas Fiddler snare fishing in Waterhen Lake First Nation
Lindsay, Dallas and Kîsik currently Iive in Saskatoon. Entering her doctoral program, with the support of her supervisor and academic uncle Dr. Shawn Wilson, she was able to advocate for her residency requirement to be waived so that she could remain with her family and carry out her studies while living on Cree and Métis Homelands.
“Receiving funding through the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship has allowed me to step away from full-time work, focusing my attention on my family and community relationships, and the Knowledge emerging through this project” she shared. “I am really fortunate to have a strong circle of people around me, within and outside of academia, helping me approach this work carefully. I hope that this family-led research will help advance understanding of the rigour and resilience of Indigenous Knowledge systems, and expand thinking around who are recognized as Knowledge producers and how Indigenous research can be carried out.”