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Governance
Camille Callison
University Librarian, University of the Fraser Valley
Communities: Library, Museum & Archives
Chair
Camille Callison, Tāłtān Nation member, is the University Librarian at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) and a passionate cultural activist pursuing a PhD in Anthropology at the University of Manitoba. She is committed to being part of creating meaningful change related to equity, diversity, and inclusivity in the library, archival, and cultural memory professions. She is the founding Chair of the National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA-ANCLA) as well as co-Lead of the Respectful Terminology Platform Project (RTPP). Professional contributions include (IFLA) Indigenous Matters Section, North American Regional Division, and a member of the IEEE P2890™ Recommended Practice for Provenance of Indigenous Peoples’ Data.
Danica Pawlick-Potts
Lead Research Associate/Library and Information Science PhD Student, The First Nations Information Governance Centre & Western University
Community: Library
Vice Chair
Danica Pawlick-Potts is an Indigenous PhD Candidate and lecturer in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western University. Danica's research explores how Indigenous knowledge and protocols including Indigenous data sovereignty can guide and enhance ethical frameworks for the development of algorithmic systems and data infrastructures. If she had to sum up her research agenda into one question it would be: how can we all (including AI—looking at you ChatGPT) be good kin to Indigenous peoples in our data practices? Danica is also working with the First Nations Information Governance Centre as the lead research associate on a project to facilitate dialogues between Canadian universities and Indigenous community partners to better understand how to respect Indigenous data sovereignty in research data management policies and practices. Danica also has a fascination with the way we relate to and understand technology. She has done work in the area of trust, AI ethics, and explainable AI. Her co-authored paper with her colleague Mike Ridley on algorithmic literacy and the role of libraries was awarded ASIS&T's SIG AI's 2022 Publication of the Year award. Danica also lectures and works on curriculum development related to Indigenous topics and issues in library and information science and serves on Western University's Head and Heart Indigenous Research Fellowship Advisory Committee. When she's not teaching or doing research you can find her beading, on an outdoor adventure with her dog Melozzo, swimming, or immersed in a good story.
Donald Johnson was born in Uranium City, Saskatchewan and grew up in Edmonton and Vancouver. He is a member of the Lytton First Nation, located at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson rivers in British Columbia. He has degrees in Computer Science, Linguistics, Fine Arts, and Archival Studies. He has been a software engineer and curriculum developer. He is an artist and archivist.
Today, he is with the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan as their Special Media Archivist and an Information Management Analyst. In this work, he has heard and seen documentation of the lives of all the people of Saskatchewan and recognizes that they have common and uncommon experiences.
Donald knows the effects of residential schools, and so by calling and consent, he needs to help realize reconciliation.
Donald Johnson
Special Media Archivist / Information Management Analyst, Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan
Community: Archives
Archives Community Chair
Catherine C. Cole is the Director of Planning for the Nunavut Heritage Centre in Iqaluit and Principal Consultant, Catherine C. Cole & Associates in Edmonton. She has been a consultant to IHT for more than 15 years, primarily providing professional development and training. A former museum curator and interpreter, she has consulted on heritage issues throughout Canada and internationally for 30 years.
Catherine is Métis and has made both a professional and personal commitment to decolonization and reconciliation. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Museums Association (FCMA); a member of Parks Canada’s Indigenous Cultural Heritage Advisory Council (ICHAC); an International Advisory Group Member for Renewing Relations: Indigenous Heritage Rights and (Re)conciliation in Northwest Coast Canada, at the University of Exeter, UK; and from 2013-2020 was Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM), a network of postcolonial museums and professionals that reflects on colonial legacies and develops new international relationships and working practices. Catherine recently co-authored a study of the implementation of UNDRIP for the Indigenous Heritage Circle.
Culture & Heritage Community Chair
Stacy Allison-Cassin is a Citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario with kinship connections to the Georgian Bay Métis community. An Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, in the LIS program at the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, she engages in work and research related to Indigenous matters in libraries and the larger cultural heritage sector. With a deep interest in increasing access and visibility for non-textual materials and marginalized knowledge, Stacy is a passionate advocate for change in information structures and metadata systems within the library profession and across the wider GLAM sector. Stacy is on leave from her position as an Association Librarian at York University. Stacy is active in association work, as an advisor, and in community-focused work.
Teaching & Learning Community Chair
Library Community Chair
Feather Maracle is Mohawk from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and Six Nations of the Grand River. She is Odawa and Potawatomi from Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve. Feather is a mother to two beautiful, kind and gentle children. She is also the CEO and Director of Library Services for the Six Nations Public Library – the largest and oldest First Nation public library in the world.
Feather is a strong advocate for promoting Indigenous Voices and inclusion as pertains to the library sector; she holds space and shares, in the intersection of library and Indigenous matters. Feather sits on many boards, councils and committees. She is the Chair of the Ontario Library Association – Indigenous Advisory Council; Board Member of the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries; Yellow Team Lead on the Truth and Reconciliation Report and Recommendations Committee of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations. She is a member of the First Nations Strategic Action Group, and a Juror on the First Nation Communities Read. Most recently, Feather has been elected to the International Federation of Library Associations – Indigenous Matters Committee.
Feather has been raised in her cultures and with their distinct value systems. She continues to be guided along the path of her traditional knowledge systems. She has a genuine passion for her people and community, as Indigenous ways of knowing, and their importance and continued relevance in contemporary times. This way of being allows her to apply and transfer knowledge to librarianship and education.
Museum Community Chair
Janis Kahentóktha Monture is Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River. Janis returned as the Executive Director of Woodland Cultural Centre in May 2020. Previously, Janis was appointed the Director of Tourism and Cultural Initiatives for the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation from 2017 – 2020. From 2003 – early 2017 Janis was the Executive Director of the Woodland Cultural Centre, one of the largest First Nations- run cultural centres/museums in the country. In her capacity with Woodland, Janis was a steering committee member for the Great Lakes Research Alliance for the Study of Aboriginal Arts and Cultures. A committee member for the Arts & Culture Advisory Council for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Para Pan American Games. For two brief 18-month periods Janis was on secondment to Harbourfront Centre as the Guest Artistic Director of Planet IndigenUS in 2009 and 2015. Janis attended the University of Western Ontario where she attained a Bachelor of Arts in History and received a Museum Studies diploma from Algonquin College. Janis continues to volunteer in her community at Six Nations and in Brantford with various organizations such as Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Brant Community Foundation, BIPOC Fellowship and the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation. Recently in April 2022 Janis received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers by the Governor General of Canada.
Anne Carr-Wiggin
Coordinator, Indigenous Initiatives, University of Alberta Library
Community: Library
At Large Institutional Member
[Filling Local Organization at Large]
Anne Carr-Wiggin is of Scottish and English heritage and came to what is now known as Canada as an adult. She currently lives in amiskwacîwâskahikan, in Treaty 6 and Métis territory. In 2006 she began working with First Nations college libraries in the region to develop the First Nations Information Connection, a shared Integrated Library System and related resources. Since then her role in Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Alberta Library has grown to include coordinating the Indigenous Internship, a program that funds tuition and employment for First Nations, Métis or Inuit MLIS students, and active participation in the library’s Decolonizing Description work, among other initiatives. She is Co-lead of the library’s Indigenous Initiatives Team, which brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff members to further the work of decolonizing and appropriately Indigenizing the library. She has served on the Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries Indigenous Knowledge Standing Committee and the Canadian Federation of Library Associations Indigenous Matters Committee. As a visitor to these lands she is grateful for the welcome and learning she has received from Indigenous colleagues, students and friends.
At Large Institutional Member
Elaine joined the Dalhousie Libraries in 2012 when the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) merged with Dalhousie University. She held the position of University Librarian at the NSAC prior to the merger and also served as their Copyright Officer. She has held executive positions on both the Novanet Board of Directors and the Council of Atlantic University Libraries Board of Directors.
As the Associate Dean Library Services, Elaine coordinates with staff in the Dal Libraries in the areas of access services, copyright, document delivery, equity, diversity and inclusion, Indigenous services, library assessment, and reference and research services. As the Head of the MacRae Library, Elaine also works with staff at the MacRae Library on the Agricultural Campus (Truro) to advance learning and scholarship by ensuring access to high-quality resources and services for students, faculty, and researchers.
In the decades of discussions that led to this Alliance, it became evident that the interests of a diverse group of knowledge practitioners determined that our Governance Model had to include the varied pedagogy of each field, while also embracing the cross Canadian Indigenous worldviews. All without becoming a Pan-Indian organization.
In addition to the Executive consisting of a Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, Treasurer, and Council Secretary, five communities were established to represent the fields of NIKLA. The Chair of each Community holds a seat on the Council. In order to ensure that the association represents Indigenous practitioners, these nine members must identify as Indigenous (FNMI). Additionally, two additional Council seats are designated for any member who represents the organizational needs of our members. This is set by size and includes the two organization groups of Local Organizations, which are individual groups or services, and Institutional groups such as provincial/territorial, national or academic institutions. These At Large members need not be Indigenous, but must be appointed by an organization.
2024 NIKLA Council
Hannah Hunter is Mohawk and Lenni Lenape (Delaware) Nation from the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada. As a teenager, while working at SONICS Inc CKRZ 100.3FM in Six Nations, Hannah became deeply invested in amplifying Indigenous voices, reinforcing her commitment to the importance of Indigenous representation and storytelling.
Hannah serves as the Treasurer and Council Secretary of the National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA). With a background in library administration through her role as Administrative Assistant for the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries and her commitment to community well-being as Finance Coordinator for Grey Bruce Hospice, Hannah brings a wealth of experience and dedication to NIKLA's mission of preserving Indigenous knowledge and languages.
Hannah Hunter
Administrative Assistant, Federation of Ontario Public Libraries
Finance Coordinator, Grey Bruce Hospice
Communities: Library
Treasurer & Council Secretary
Lyle Ford is a proud Métis, who traces his Red River Settlement Métis ancestry back to the mid-1700s. He has been a librarian for 28 years, and is now the Associate University Librarian, Indigenous Engagement for the University of Manitoba Libraries. He’s worked there as librarian since 1998 in a variety of roles, serving Engineering, Distance Education, English, Film, Theatre, Classics, and Indigenous Studies, among other disciplines.
Past Chair
Lyle Ford
Associate University Librarian, University of Manitoba
Communities: Library, Museum & Archives
Dr. Gene Joseph
Retired Librarian/Senior Litigation Advisor
Community: Library
Council Elder
Gene Anne Joseph, B.A., MLS., LLD. has throughout her personal, academic and professional life being a strong advocate of First Nations people and issues. As a professional librarian she has specialized in First Nations Aboriginal Title and Rights litigation; as well as in establishing First Nations libraries and archival collections which support cultural, historical, educational, and legal informational needs.
Born in the village of Hagwilget in northern British Columbia, Gene along with her eleven siblings were raised by her parents, Walter and Louise Joseph, with pride in her Wet’suwet’en and Dakelh ancestry and a strong commitment to First Nations people. In 1982 Gene was the first Indigenous person in British Columbia to receive a Master of Library Science degree from the University of B.C. Dr. Joseph worked on the establishment of a number of First Nations libraries, including the Xwi7xwa Library at the University of B.C. which is the only Aboriginal post secondary library in Canada. All her libraries were specifically developed, organized and staffed from a First Nations perspective and which is now often seen as a hallmark of Indigenous libraries. Gene continued the adaptations of the Brian Deer Classification system in the late 1970’s and into the 1990’s to meet the specific and changing needs and issues of First Nations in British Columbia. In the early 1980’s while at library school, Gene began the development of a thesaurus and Subject headings list based upon First Nations names, culture and history. She used these in the development of the first Indigenous university library in Canada, the Xwi7xwa Library at UBC. These Subject Headings and authority works have been studied and identified as seminal Library metadata for First Nations in Canada. Many Indigenous libraries today have used her work on the Brian Deer Classification and Subject Headings as a foundation for their libraries.
Gene’s ground breaking work on the court case - Delgamuukw v. British Columbia (1997) contributed to substantial improvements in the recognition of Aboriginal Rights and Title in British Columbia and Canada. In 1996 The University of British Columbia School of Library Archival and Information Studies recognized Gene work with a Distinguished Alumni award for “outstanding contributions to Library and Information Services in Canada.” In 2015 Gene retired from White Raven Law where she worked for many years as a Senior Litigation Advisor on Haida aboriginal title. Prior to this, she had worked at EAGLE (Environmental Aboriginal Guardianship through Law and Education) in the beginning phases of Haida title work. In 2018 Gene was honoured by the Vancouver Island University with an Honorary Doctor of Law.
Special Advisor
Dr. Sabrina Saunders is a Delaware/Mohawk band member of Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. A graduate of UWO’s MLIS program in the spring of 2018, she is also a certified elementary teacher, and holds a PhD in Theory & Policy Studies from OISE-UT. She is currently the Executive Director of the Grey Bruce Hospice. Prior to this appointment, she was the CEO of the Blue Mountains (from 2017) and Six Nations Public Libraries. Over her 10 years at Six Nations, Sabrina worked with the OLA as the Aboriginal Stream Coordinator for the Super Conference, as a jury member for the First Nation Communities Reads, as a planner for First Nation Public Library Week, and sat as the First Nation Rep on the Federation of Ontario Public Library, the Ontario Public Library Guidelines Accreditation and Monitoring Council, and the OLS-North Joint Automated Server Initiative (JASI). As the CEO at Six Nations, the library became the first of the First Nations to be accredited, and began a growing public library digital archive. Dr. Saunders was President of the Ontario Library Association President in 2022, the First Indigenous person to hold the position.