Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology and Curator, Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia
I first travelled to the Arctic in 1974 as a field assistant on an archaeological excavation in northern Baffin Island and was captivated by the people and the land. My research interests include Arctic archaeology, public archaeology, material culture studies, oral history, representation, and repatriation.
I have been fortunate to have worked with Inuit elders on historical research and with Inuit youth and elders on archaeology projects. My research projects focus on repatriation, representation and classification systems. I am also interested in exploring shifting balances of power in collaborative projects and negotiations on issues of authority. Currently, I am the Museum of Anthropology representative on the Steering Group for the Reciprocal Research Network(RRN), a co-development project of the Musqueam Indian Band, Sto:lo nation/Tribal Council, the U'mista Cultural Society and the Museum of Anthropology. The RRN is using new media as a means to bring cultural knowledge home and foster research relationships across knowledge systems.
