Digital storytelling & (re)connection

At CIEDAR, our mission is to ensure that Indigenous stories are not just heard, but celebrated. We use digital community engagement, knowledge sharing, and research to reconnect with these invaluable narratives. Join us in this transformative journey to learn more about our social media series, podcast, and online health campaign.

Outputs

Language revitalization

Our focus is on the Cree language (N dialect) and the Anishinaabemowin language (eastern dialect from Wikwemikoong Unceded Territory), and sharing the differences between the dialects, consonants, pronunciation, and short and long vowels.

Via our Instagram, we shared how to introduce oneself, count to ten, and describe body parts, animals, months, and days of the week, along with other simple phrases and words in Cree and Anishinaabemowin. We also shared different translations in Cree syllabics, the written form of Cree and Anishinaabemowin, along with the phonetic spelling so that followers can try to speak at home. We aim to engage them by asking what words or themes they’d like to see in the following weeks.

Learn more Cree!
Learn more Anishinaabemowin!

(Re)Story Podcast

CIEDAR completed an award-nominated four-part podcast series called “(Re)story Podcast”. It is the storytelling of resilience and thrivance by Indigenous Peoples in Canada, the United States, and New Zealand.

The podcast series is a unique opportunity to share the experiences and stories of Indigenous Peoples in their own words in (re)storying the pandemic. In a time marked by isolation, we witnessed so many Indigenous communities (re)storying their connection to land, to community, and to self. In these podcasts, we take the time to elevate stories of Indigenous thrivance, resistance, and love that happened over the past three years. The (Re)Story Podcast is on major podcast platforms such as Spotify and Apple podcast. CIEDAR’s (Re)Story was a selected audio work finalist for the ImagineNATIVE Films and Arts Festival.

Discover

Land-Based Learning series with Mary

During a two-month Instagram series, CIEDAR’s Research Manager, Mary Jessome, invited CIEDAR’s social media community to practice ecological kinship by explaining how introducing oneself to the land allows for connection with oneself, others, and the world around you.

#BeadAndThrive social media campaign

The #BeadAndThrive social media campaign invests in building cultural skills and knowledge among Indigenous Peoples to use as they navigate their lives. CIEDAR has sent out over 700 introductory beading kits to Indigenous individuals and organizations across Canada and has facilitated in-person and online beading workshops by

Partnering with Ottawa Art Gallery Youth Council for a beading event in November 2023;
Leading a workshop at the Gathering Our Voices Indigenous Youth Leadership Training Conference in Vancouver in March 2023;
Hosting Bead in the Park, a beading park event co-hosted with Breanna Dias in August 2022.

CIEDAR submitted a case study manuscript, ‘#BeadAndThrive: Using Social Media for Indigenous Community Engagement’ for a book chapter in SAGE Research Methods Cases: Diversifying and Decolonizing Research.

Current Projects

#BeadAndThrive

Our #BeadAndThrive social media campaign aims to build cultural skills and knowledge among Indigenous Peoples to use as they navigate their lives. CIEDAR has ongoing in-person and online beading workshops.

Follow ciedar_7 on Instagram for our current projects.

Language revitalization

In collaboration with community members, we are creating and sharing a language revitalization series on Anishinaabemowin (eastern dialect from Wikwemikoong Unceded Territory).

Interested in joining our language-learning community? Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Partner with us

Central to CIEDAR’s work is a commitment to building strong partnerships

Interested in partnering with us? Contact tamara.chavez@ubc.ca

About CIEDAR

ciedar_symbol_full_colour_rgb_1014px@72ppi

Meet our team

Learn more about our work

Pandemic preparedness Community-based research Digital storytelling & (re)connection

Follow CIEDAR

Join us June 8th for “Hearing Indigenous Voices
During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

In conjunction with UBC Health, we’re presenting this hybrid symposium on Indigenous health during the pandemic. Indigenous scholars from Canada, US, and New Zealand will be participating. We’ll be discussing lessons learned about conducting research and Indigenous resilience during the pandemic.

Date: Thursday, June 8th at 9 AM
Where: Jack Pool Hall, UBC Alumni Centre. In-person attendance includes catered breakfast and lunch.

Participants have the option of in-person and virtual attendance.

RSVP now!

Speakers Agenda

Our Team

Kimberly R. Huyser

CoVaRR-Net’s Indigenous Engagement, Development, and Research (CIEDAR) Pillar Lead

Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

See bio Website

Michelle Johnson-Jennings

International Indigenous Engagement

Adjunct faculty, University of Saskatchewan
Professor, University of Washington

See bio Website

Katherine Anne Collins

Culture, Language, and Identity

Assistant Professor, University of Saskatchewan

See bio Website

CIEDAR’s Advisory Council

CIEDAR’s advisory council is key to the research activities and efforts of CIEDAR. They direct and guide our research and outreach efforts by providing expert advice, participating in all stages of the research process, and connecting us to community. Specifically, they:

are research collaborators
are representatives of their communities as they contribute valuable insight into the needs of Indigenous communities
receive and disseminate updates from CIEDAR to their respective communities and networks

Sheila Blackstock

See bio

Maureen Dobbins

See bio

Elder Felix J. Lockhart

See bio

Renée Masching

See bio

Calvin Racette

See bio

Current Projects

1. Social Determinants of Health and COVID-19 Case Incidence Study Across Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every person, community, organization, and country around the world. Unfortunately, the various impacts of the pandemic have not been equally distributed. Indigenous Peoples living in North America have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Indigenous Peoples are at higher risk of COVID-19 due to the historical and ongoing legacy of settler colonialism and systemic racism.

In Canada, there is a dearth of disaggregated COVID-19 data. As such, it is not clear exactly how Indigenous persons have been differentially impacted. The social determinants of health study aims to answer these questions so that appropriate resources can be allocated.

2. Hearing Indigenous Voices Survey

In order to hear Indigenous voices, to identify their needs, and to understand their experiences during the pandemic, CIEDAR has implemented an international survey in Canada and the United States. We plan to use what we learn from Indigenous community members to guide our future research and initiatives, to amplify exemplary responses, and to advocate for the changes that they wish to see.

3. #BeadAndThrive Social Media Campaign

The Indigenous #BeadAndThrive Campaign is an initiative that invites all Indigenous persons currently residing on Turtle Island to share their lived experiences of thrivance. For example, one of our community members shared this statement about where they find thrivance:

“During this pandemic we were able to thrive by simply stepping outside for 5 minutes and listening to the calls of nature.”

CIEDAR hopes to hear these stories of Indigenous thrivance, to learn from them, and to amplify them in order to empower others. In addition, we hope to facilitate connection or reconnection to culture and community through beading as a practice that helps Indigenous Peoples not only cope with the pandemic but to thrive through it.

More about #BeadAndThrive

Beading, to us, represents Indigenous thrivance. This traditional craft has existed throughout our long history, but it is not unchanging. Instead, history shows that Indigenous makers have continually adapted and modernized the craft, incorporated new materials and designs, and consistently kept it relevant to who we are. It demonstrates our ingenuity, adaptability, and creativity. It connects us to our ways and our community, which helps us cope.

We have connected with beading influencers and will be sharing how-to bead videos like the following:

We will also be sharing why-to bead like the following:

Win Indigenous Art!

Community members who share their thrivance stories will be eligible to win Indigenous art. Here are some examples of what you could win by participating.

“Michif (Métis) people are known as the flower beadwork people. Utilizing trade kinship relationships and traditional Indigenous ways of knowing, they created a style unique to them as a people. For this piece, I decided to create a vintage but modern style flower, modelling it after a cherry blossom. Just like the spring season that feels as if it will never come after a cold winter, cherry blossoms meet the season with their gorgeous blooms. The beads used in this project are from the late 1800s Europe – the same that could have been used by my ancestors through the dark days after the resistance. I incorporated a pearl to show how beautiful things can be made from single grains coming together. I also used tanned hide from a Squamish nation powwow. All of these elements work together to symbolize a continuum of rising after difficult times to find a new way, to create gems from sand, to bloom after a cold winter – thrivance.”

– By Emma Love-Cabana at Three Sisters by Emma

Turtle and Fireweed
– Autumn Smith

Digital storytelling & (re)connection

Outputs

Language revitalization

(Re)Story Podcast

Land-Based Learning series with Mary

#BeadAndThrive social media campaign

Current Projects

#BeadAndThrive

Language revitalization

Partner with us

About CIEDAR

Meet our team

Learn more about our work

Pandemic preparedness Community-based research Digital storytelling & (re)connection

Follow CIEDAR

Join us June 8th for “Hearing Indigenous Voices During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

Our Team

CIEDAR’s Advisory Council

Current Projects

1. Social Determinants of Health and COVID-19 Case Incidence Study Across Canada

2. Hearing Indigenous Voices Survey

3. #BeadAndThrive Social Media Campaign

More about #BeadAndThrive

Win Indigenous Art!

Join us June 8th for “Hearing Indigenous Voices
During the COVID-19 Pandemic”