Who Am I
I reconnected with my birth dad, mixed Metis, First Nations and European ancestry, when I was 17 years old. Although I first learned about my Indigenous ancestry when I was 14 years old, its not been a messy journey, and definitely not a straight line.
Our very large family relocated from Nisga'a Territory, to a small First Nations and Metis community on Songhees Territory, when his great-grandmother (Catherine Auger) was a teenager. Her dad, Nicholas Joseph Auger (Metis/Haudenosauanee), worked for the Hudson Bay Company and had three Indigenous wives; Ameila (Nisga'a), Marie Kawmeauwatumager(Cree/Metis) and Cecilia(born NWT/Fort Simpson).
As a mixed European and Indigenous academic who situates herself with two undergraduate degrees and a Master of Education (2014), housed within Curriculum, I find my work and life is located in that messy in-between space. So I try to be a bridge.
My thesis research, “Revisiting Our Shared Stories: Indigenous/Recent Immigrant Relations” arose out of an engaging, insightful and culturally safe space where successful relationship building stories between Indigenous peoples and newcomers to Canada were unpacked.
I'm internally motivated and passionate about giving back; making things better for the future generations. Presently I live on the unceded homelands of Secwépemc Nation, as a guest.
My sons are St'át'imc, and three of my granddaughters are Secwépemc. My husband is from the Ashanti Tribe, West Africa.
My lived experience has inspired me to unpack, grow, and grapple with the complexities woven through Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility Education, Anti-Racism Education, that’s Indigenous-specifc, DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility), alongside intersectionality and Indigenous Nation Sovereignty.
In my free time I love to be creative, and spend time in the gym training/coaching jiu jitsu.
Kind Regards, Shawna Duncan