PhD journeys as indigenous students - Part 1

Air Date: March 8, 2022

Summary

In these sixth and seventh episodes of Cree and Coffee with the Crazy Crees, Charlotte Ross engages in a lively discussion with Bill Cook, Dr. Kevin Lewis and Celia Deschambeault about their respective PhD journeys as Indigenous students with a specialization in Indigenous language revitalization.
While Dr. Kevin Lewis has completed his doctoral studies, both Bill Cook and Celia Deschambeault are currently PhD candidates each at different stages in their academic studies.
Our guests share not only their challenges and successes but also glimpses of their own personal lives and how the Cree language has made an incredible difference in their life journey. We hope you enjoy listening to the podcast as much as we enjoyed creating it. Ekosi pitam

SERIES

Cree and Coffee with the Crazy Crees

HOST & PRODUCER
Andrea Custer
Charlotte Ross

Episode Guest

Celia Deschambeault has been an educator for over 20 years. She has worked in many capacities from being an elementary teacher, high school teacher, vice-principal, principal, coordinator, consultant, superintendent and finally director of education. She holds a Bachelor of Education with distinction, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Education and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree at the University of Regina. Celia is currently the Director of Education for Nisto Awasisak Memorial School in Cumberland House Cree Nation. She has made phenomenal changes in the school which includes making Swampy Cree language and Land-Based Education a foundation. Those changes support decolonization and the evitalization of Swampy Cree Language. Celia is also a Cree Language resource developer and has recently supported Saskatoon Catholic, Sask. Rivers, Northwest School Division and Meadow Lake Tribal Council in Language and decolonization. Her passion is making meaningful change in education.

Episode Guest

Bill is an asiniy-nîhithaw (Rock Cree) from wapâtakwaciwanohk (Southend, Reindeer Lake SK. Canada). He is an Assistant Professor at Brandon University, Manitoba in the Native Studies Department. He is a father, a spouse, a learner, an educator, a researcher, a technology enthusiast, a Cree language speaker: instructor, interpreter, and translator. Bill is fluent in the Rock Cree (also known as Woodland) dialect. He is currently a PhD student at University of Hawaii at Hilo in the Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization Doctorate Program. Bill has been teaching the Cree language for twenty years at all levels of education from kindergarten to university. He was a sessional instructor for the First Nations University of Canada, Regina campus for over fourteen years before starting work with BU. Bill has his BA in Cree Language Studies from the First Nations University of Canada, and a Master’s in Education | Curriculum & Instruction Program through the University of Regina. Bill started a remote Cree speaking practice group in 2020 called The Cree Group. This group has been meeting online for almost three years and continue to do so. One of Bill’s passions is writing and singing Cree music. Bill is a helper of the Cree language. His goals are to preserve and maintain Indigenous languages in Canada and internationally.

Episode Guest

Kevin Lewis (wâsakâyâsiw) is from the Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and is one of the few language interpreters fluent in all five dialects of Cree. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Saskatchewan.

Kevin completed his iyiniw pitmâtisiwin kiskêyihtamowin Doctorate Program (ipkDoc) from the University of Nuhelot’ine Thaiyots’I nistamêyimâkanak Blue Quills in Alberta. Kevin was instrumental in developing, and is the lead instructor, for the Indigenous Language Certificate program in the College of Education. His research interests have been in Indigenous Knowledge systems, Second Language Acquisition Methodologies, Cree Roles in traditional parenting practices. He is also an active oskâpêwis whenever called upon. Mr. Kevin Lewis has worked with language teaching programs for the University
of Alberta, the University College of the North, First Nations University of Canada and the University of Saskatchewan. Kevin assists the government of Canada in an official capacity as Cree language interpreter and translator.

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