On today’s episode Jessica hosts Karen Rose Thomas, who is finishing up her Masters at the University of British Columbia. We talk about being a First Nations field representative, her experience as an Indigenous student, and the colonial nature of anthropology. We also talk about her experiences on Simon Fraser University’s Aboriginal Reconciliation Council and as the Tsleil-Waututh representative on the Board of Directors for the Museum of Vancouver. We close out with a fun members only section where we talk about her work for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, experimental archaeology, public anthropology, museums, and where she would like to go in the future.
Links
https://www.cbc.ca/news/renew-stories-of-indigenous-innovation-1.5141155 [Radio Component of the Story]
https://www.citr.ca/radio/unceded-airwaves/episode/20181205/
SFU Aboriginal Reconciliation Council Updates
http://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2019/06/charles-comfort-mural-removal-statement-aboriginal-recociliation.html [Karen: "About the SFU ARC, this was just in my newsfeed today, the university is acting on one of our recommendations!"]
Photos
Photos of Karen and her family are all taken at Cates Park / Whey-ah-Wichen which is an ancient village site on the Burrard Inlet, but it is now a park. PDF includes pictures of the stone tools she refers to in the podcast episode.