Guest Lecture by Dr. Paulette Steeves titled Reclaiming and Rewriting Indigenous Histories of the Western Hemisphere (the Americas). 

Reclaiming and Rewriting Indigenous Histories of the Western Hemisphere (the Americas). 

Archaeologists have denied the early histories of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island for over a century. The commonly held archaeological theory frames the First People as recent immigrants to the Americas
who crossed the Bering land area from Asia around 12,000 to 15,000 years ago. Yet, in many oral traditions, Indigenous people say that they have been here since time immemorial. Links to ancestors, homelands, identities, and history are essential to all people, to their health, healing, and well-being. For people who have survived attempted genocide, erasure of their histories, denial of their ancestral links to the land, and forced assimilation, it is vital to their health and well-being to reclaim their histories and connections to the land. Reclaiming history is a path of reviving and healing, a detour off a colonial road to extinction, a journey from a painful past to a future of growth and renewal. Knowing and discussing links to homelands across time and space, family, identity, and culture are fundamental human rights. In this talk, professor Steeves will argue that Indigenous people have lived on the lands of Turtle Island for over 100,000 years; based on evidence from over 22 years of research and an extensive database of archaeological sites in the Western Hemisphere dating before 12,000 years ago, this discussion will weave paths to reviving, reclaiming, healing, and reconciliation.

Speaker: Dr. Paulette Steeves

Paulette Steeves Ph.D. (Cree-Metis) is an Indigenous archaeologist whose primary research focuses on the Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere and healing and reconciliation. She is currently an Associate Professor in Sociology-Anthropology and holds a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous History Healing and Reconciliation. She is the author of the book Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere (U of Nebraska Press, 2021).

Lecture to be held in the Second Student Centre (Congregation Room on the fourth floor), 4:00 – 5:00 pm