In this session, we will focus on the Anishinaabe oral tradition of the 1764 Treaty of Niagara and contrast that understanding with the Crown's position about that same agreement. Differences of understanding and interpretation will be highlighted to show the differences between Anishinaabe and Western epistemology, methodology and historiography. This session will be reflective of Dr. Alan Corbiere's experience during the Robinson Huron Annuity Litigation in which he served as an expert witness.
This event is a public lecture component of the Knowledge Equity and Justice Spring Seminar.
Speaker
Alan Ojiig Corbiere, Bne doodem (Ruffed Grouse clan), is an Anishinaabe from M'Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. He was educated on the reserve and then attended the University of Toronto for a Bachelor of Science. He then entered York University for his Masters of Environmental Studies. During his master's studies he focused on Anishinaabe narrative and Anishinaabe language revitalization. For five years he served as the Executive Director at the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation (OCF) in M'Chigeeng, a position which also encompassed the roles of curator and historian. He also served as the Anishinaabemowin Revitalization Program Coordinator at Lakeview School, M'Chigeeng First Nation, where he and his co-workers developed a culturally based second language program that focused on using Anishinaabe stories to teach language. In 2019 he successfully defended his PhD thesis and is currently an assistant professor in the History Department at York University. In June 2021 Dr. Alan Corbiere was appointed a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous History of North America.