The GIF Lab plans to hold a biennial symposium highlighting Indigenous relationships to land and place related to a specific geography or topic. We’re proud to have our first symposium focus on the lands and waters that our lab sits upon, and the nations who call these lands and waters home.
The 2023 symposium, Geographic Indigenous Futures of the Salish Sea was held on Thursday, July 6th.
We wish to thank everyone who could be in attendance, including community members across the Salish Sea and beyond. In particular, we wish to thank our presenters, including Aidan Gowland, Jugal Patel, Maya Weeks, Kate Herchak, Hilary Ronald and the VIDEA team working with T’Souke First Nation, Shirley Williams from Whiteswan Environmental, and Jeannine Georgeson from IMERSS. We also wish to thank Jessica Joseph from the Songhees Nation for providing a welcome to the territory.
Last but not least, special thanks to Ginny Broadhurst, Ruth Musonda, Natalie Baloy, and all of the good people at the Salish Sea Institute at Western Washington University for providing the funding to make this symposium possible, through their Salish Sea Fellows program.
The next GIF Symposium, “Geographic Indigenous Futures of the Great Lakes” will be held in Fall 2025 in Ojibwe territories (Northern Minnesota)–check back in this space for more information in the future.
Maya Weeks has graciously provided some of her work that she shared at the symposium, to be showcased here. You can find them at the following:
Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles, Ph.D. 