News

2016

George Nicholas and Bev Neufeld, our loyal grants facilitator at SFU, performing
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Feb 12, 2016

By Julie Hollowell

I spent the week of February 8th on the SFU campus conducting informal interviews (actually, more like conversations) with research administrators who have interacted with the IPinCH project over its decade-long history. 

Indigenous cultural heritage
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jan 14, 2016

It seems like nearly every other week a non-Indigenous designer is denounced on Twitter, Facebook, and in the media for imitating and commodifying Indigenous cultural heritage in their work. 

2015

American Anthropological Association logo
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 18, 2015

By Teresa Nichols

On November 16, 1990 the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was signed into law. In 2015, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of its passage. 

IPinCH Webinar Considers Future of Intellectual Property and Heritage
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 17, 2015

A group of IPinCH team members from across the globe spent the afternoon of December 10th together for our “Next Generation” webinar. The idea behind the video conference was to showcase some of the innovative projects and programs that are picking up where IPinCH is letting off.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Nov 27, 2015

Over the next few months, we will be collecting and posting final updates to IPinCH team member bios in anticipation of the official end of the project in March 2016. While the IPinCH website will remain online and accessible after this date, material will no longer be added and webpages will no longer be updated.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 29, 2015

The IPinCH-supported film, "Tracing Roots," by filmmaker Ellen Frankenstein, follows Haida Elder and weaver Delores Churchill on a journey to understand and replicate the spruce root hat found in a retreating glacier with the remains of a man, known as the Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi ("The Long Ago Person Found"). Her search to understand the roots of the woven hat crosses cultures and borders, and involves artists, scholars and scientists.

 Daryl Pullman, Professor of Medical Ethics at Memorial University of Newfoundla
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 29, 2015

Over 70 people attended the IPinCH DNA and Indigeneity public symposium held last week in Vancouver. The symposium focused on current and prospective applications of genomics in archaeology and anthropology. 

Tariq Zaman INTERACT 2015
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 26, 2015

Tariq Zaman took home two awards at the International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (INTERACT 2015) held in September in Bamberg, Germany. Tariq's research focuses on the community-based design of an innovative communication tool reviving a traditional sign language. This work is a collaboration with the Indigenous Penan community of Long Lamai.

Demonstrating ʔeləw̓ k ̓ʷ – Belongings at the UBC Museum of Anthropology
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 30, 2015

IPinCH team members Kate Hennessy, Sue Rowley and Jordan Wilson recently co-authored a paper (with R. Muntean, A. Antle, B. Matkin, R. Eckersley, P. Tan, and R. Wakkary), entitled "Belongings: A Tangible Interface for Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Call for SfAA session participants
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 24, 2015

IPinCH Associate, Amber Ridington, is seeking community experts and scholars to join the following proposed session for the 2016 Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) Annual Meeting to be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada: March 29 – April 2, 2016: 

The IPinCH Steering Committee
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Aug 11, 2015

By George Nicholas

The IPinCH Steering Committee recently met for a four-day retreat in North Saanich, BC, July 10–13, to focus on planning out the final nine months of the project. Attending the retreat were Kelly Bannister, Cathy Bell, Brian Egan, Julie Hollowell, Joe Watkins, John Welch and myself. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Aug 04, 2015

We are now in the final year of IPinCH and (sadly) shifting our efforts to bringing the project to a formal conclusion by March 2016. Among other things, this involves considering IPinCH’s “legacy,” of which our network of team members will be an important part.

Alexa Walker
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jul 30, 2015

We are very pleased to share the news that Alexa Walker, one of our core Research Assistants, triumphed at her M.A. thesis defence in early July. Her thesis, titled "Ancient Human DNA Research in North America and Abroad: Challenges and Opportunities,” explores the social, ethical, and political challenges facing ancient DNA researchers internationally. Alexa also holds a B.A. in Archaeology, with a minor in Health Sciences, from Simon Fraser University. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 26, 2015

IPinCH team member, Sarah Carr-Locke, has successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation in the Department of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. Her thesis, titled “Indigenous Heritage and Public Museums: Exploring Collaboration and Exhibition in Canada and the United States,” investigates the methods taken by four large, public museums to engage Indigenous peoples in exhibit creation. 

Robin R. R. Gray
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 25, 2015

We are pleased to announce that Robin R. R. Gray successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her dissertation, titled “Ts’msyen Revolution: The Poetics and Politics of Reclaiming,” investigates the motivations, possibilities and obstacles associated with Ts’msyen reclamation. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, May 27, 2015

Claire Poirier, an IPinCH Fellow from 2013-2014, recently accepted a job with the Royal Alberta Museum as their new Community Engagement Adviser. This position involves working with First Nations to develop various protocols for the sacred and ceremonial materials in the museum's collection. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 28, 2015

George Nicholas and Suraya Afiff (Anthropology, University of Indonesia) were the featured panelists in a recent discussion on how and why local knowledge must inform university-based research practices, held at the University of Washingon, Seattle, in early April. <--break- />

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 24, 2015

The Bioarchaeology and Genetics Working Group has received a $20,000 SSHRC Connections grant to help support the “Exploring the (Re)- Construction of Identity at the Interface of Biology, Genetics, and Culture” public symposium and workshop that will be held this coming October.

From Mique'l's Instagram
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 24, 2015

Congratulations to IPinCH Fellow Mique’l Dangeli who recently completed her Ph.D. in Art History at the University of British Columbia. Her dissertation, titled Dancing Sovereignty: Politics and Protocols of Northwest Coast First Nations Dance, focuses on the work of “dance artists” (choreographers, composers, and dance group leaders) and the way in which they enact "dancing sovereignty"--a concept she coins in her work--through dynamic assertions of protocol (Indigenous laws).

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Mar 26, 2015

IPinCH held a national policy workshop and conference on Indigenous research ethics in Vancouver on February 18-20th. The “Working Better Together” conference brought together scholars, practitioners, students, administrators and policy makers of diverse cultural and professional backgrounds from across the country to explore what it means to work collaboratively in Indigenous research.

Tracing Roots
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Feb 24, 2015
Tracing Roots is an IPinCH-supported documentary film made in collaboration with Haida culture bearer and Elder, Delores Churchill. Infused with her passion, dedication and curiosity, the 35-minute film follows Delores, a master weaver, on a journey to understand and replicate the spruce root hat found with Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, also known as the Long Ago Person Found. 

Tatsikiistamik: Narcisse Blood
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Feb 13, 2015

We are deeply saddened to report that our friend and IPinCH colleague Narcisse Blood died in a tragic vehicle accident in Saskatchewan on Tuesday morning, February 10th, 2015. Narcisse, whose Blackfoot name Tatsikiistamik means Middle Bull, was on his way to Piapot First Nation with three other artists to make a presentation to theatre students at the local school. 

Grace Islet (source: Grace Islet Facebook page)
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jan 13, 2015

During the IPinCH Fall Gathering in November, a special session was held to discuss the controversial situation unfolding at Grace Islet here in British Columbia, where a private house is being built directly on a First Nations burial site, against the wishes of local First Nations and non-Aboriginal communities, and against the advice of professional archaeologists. 

2014

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 16, 2014

On November 5th and 6th, the "Sq’éwlets: A Stó:lo-Coast Salish community in the Fraser River Valley" project team held an IPinCH-supported workshop that highlighted the potential use of traditional knowledge labels.

Photo: M. Albano (ontarioplaques.com)
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 03, 2014

By Alexa Walker

In the recently published final report for the IPinCH-supported project, Treaty Relations as a Method of Solving Intellectual Property and Cultural Heritage Issues, Michael Asch (Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta), Allyshia West, Neil Vallance, Aimee Craft, and Kelsey Wrightson look at historical treaty relationships as a potential tool for solving current issues between Indigenous groups and settlers. 

Photo: K. McLaughlin
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Nov 28, 2014

By George Nicholas

The IPinCH Fall Gathering was such an exciting, productive and gratifying event that brought much of the IPinCH team together to share ideas and energy, and to engage in honest, sometimes challenging, discussions. I am very grateful to all who participated. And to those who could not be there, you were certainly missed.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Nov 28, 2014

By Emily Benson

Twenty-five IPinCH students and emerging scholars participated in a day-long workshop on Thursday, November 6th in Vancouver, in advance of the IPinCH Fall Gathering. 

Photo courtesy: Niibing Giizis Studio
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 24, 2014

By Kristen Dobbin

For the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, ezhibiigaadek asin is a sacred place, where over 100 petroglyphs convey teachings from their Anishinabe ancestors. The Michigan Archaeological Society (MAS) holds the deed to the land, and the site is managed by the State of Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), who retain the keys to the locked 12-foot fence around ezhibiigaadek asin. 

Sarah, George and Mariane in Behchokǫ̀
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 17, 2014

By George Nicholas

The Ilaa kati (“few words, big meaning”) Traditional Knowledge event in Yellowknife was an outstanding gathering, and I am very glad to have participated. There were about 250 attendees, mostly from the north, with very strong Aboriginal community representation. 

Chief Roger William doing a drum song alongside Chief Alfonse at t
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 14, 2014

By Brian Noble

Indigenous peoples recognize that one of the most effective means to protect both their tangible and intangible cultural practices is to exercise their own legal authority over them. This is especially challenging when faced with provocative colonial arrangements that deny Indigenous peoples’ jurisdiction. 

Ookpiks/Ukpiks distributed to members of the Swiss Council of States
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 26, 2014

By Karolina Kuprecht and Torsten Diesel (Inuit Heritage Trust)

The research project “Certified Trade with Indigenous Peoples” was devoted to the question: How can a voluntary certification system contribute to fairer sustainable trade with Indigenous peoples?  

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 23, 2014

By Marina La Salle

In early May 2013, the IPinCH Cultural Commodification, Indigenous Peoples, and Self-Determination Public Symposium and Workshop was held at the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 10, 2014

By Sarah Carr-Locke

The goal of the Cultural Tourism Working Group (CTWG) is to explore intellectual property issues that emerge from heritage tourism around the world. Since the last update, the group has gathered for two team meetings, participated in two conferences and begun planning our Cultural Tourism Resource Reader in earnest.

Photo: CBC
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 03, 2014

In the letter below, members of the IPinCH Project share their concerns about an unfolding conflict over private residential development on Grace Islet, located on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia (Canada). Grace Islet is an ancestral Coast Salish burial islet, on which human remains and numerous burial cairns have been documented.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Aug 12, 2014

The final IPinCH team gathering, “Weaving Us Together,” will take place at the Musqueam First Nation Cultural and Community Centre in Vancouver, on Friday and Saturday, November 7th  and 8th

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Aug 08, 2014

By Brian Egan

From July 24th to 26th IPinCH Steering Committee members and staff gathered in southwestern British Columbia for an intensive work retreat. Hosted at the Sasquatch Crossing Eco Lodge, a facility owned and run by the Sts’ailes First Nation, the retreat provided a rare opportunity for us to engage in detailed discussions about project objectives and outcomes and to make progress on planning major activities over the next two years.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Aug 08, 2014

We are pleased to announce that the final reports from two IPinCH-supported projects are now accessible online. These are the first of the long-anticipated series of Community-Based Initiative (CBI) reports to be completed and shared by IPinCH team members. Each is accompanied by a two-page project summary.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Aug 07, 2014

A new volume, Indigenous Heritage and Tourism: Theories and Practices Utilizing the Ainu Heritage, edited by IPinCH team members Hirofumi Kato and Mayumi Okada, has now been published by the Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies, Hokkaido University.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Aug 07, 2014

Traditional knowledge (TK) is broadly defined as the collective body of knowledge, experiences, traditions, and values held by societies that explain, record, and perpetuate their relationship with the world. The compatibility of TK with Western knowledge is hotly debated. An upcoming international conference, Itàà kati Traditional Knowledge Festival in Yellowknife, NWT, will explore the many dimensions of TK from a variety of perspectives.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Aug 05, 2014

On July 14, 2014, IPinCH co-hosted a half-day workshop with the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Office of Research Ethics (ORE) at the Halpern Centre on SFU’s Burnaby campus. The purpose of this event was to foster understanding across SFU offices about policies and procedures for community-based research.  

The Apache Heritage Reunion Event at Fort Apache and Theodore Roosevelt School N
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jul 31, 2014
The IPinCH Cultural Tourism Working Group (CTWG) is looking for your examples and experiences of tourism for a new resource handbook for use by communities and other stakeholders involved in or teaching about tourism. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 20, 2014

Who defines and owns cultural heritage? Is it the people who create it? What if heritage is being used in ways that are considered inappropriate, or even harmful? Who owns Native culture? 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 19, 2014

What if we could shift from “codification” to “embodiment” of research ethics? That is, move from words on a page that describe how we ought to conduct ourselves, to connecting with the intention of those principles and practices in concrete, meaningful ways. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, May 30, 2014

IPinCH is supporting an innovative new project developed by the Sealaska Heritage Institute, which uses zooarchaeological research to protect cultural heritage values. 

IPinCH team members at the SfAAs
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 25, 2014

By Claire Poirier and Ruth Aloua

At the 2014 meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology (March 17-22 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) five IPinCH graduate student Fellows presented their work in a panel titled Looking to the Past, Negotiating the Present, Informing the Future: Student Destinations in Engagement with Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 23, 2014

By Alexa Walker

It's been a busy year for the Bioarchaeology, Genetics, and Intellectual Property Working Group as we continue to make progress with a number of new initiatives, including a workshop planned for 2015 and several factsheets that will help to address issues emerging within the realm of bioarchaeology and genetics.

Caral, or Caral-Supe, was a large settlement in the Supe Valley, near Supe, Barr
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Mar 27, 2014

By Alvaro Higueras

I recently attended a very special meeting in Lima, Peru—my birth town. I found out about it from George Nicholas who I saw at SFU on my way to my annual family visit to Lima. I had not planned to do anything "academic" this time around, intending only to revisit the beaches and deserts near the city where I used to do field work decades ago.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Feb 27, 2014

By Kate Hennessy, Natasha Lyons, Dave Schaepe, John R. Welch, Mike Blake, Albert ‘Sonny’ McHalsie, Jane AndersonKimberly Christen Withey, Sue Rowley, Eric Kansa, and the Scowlitz First Nation

The "Sq’éwlets: A Stó:lo-Coast Salish community in the Fraser River Valley" project was recently awarded funding from the Virtual Museum of Canada to produce an innovative digital community “biography” centering on the Scowlitz First Nation and its history of collaborative archaeological work.

The IPinCH Steering Committee
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jan 23, 2014

In early December, the IPinCH Steering Committee gathered in person, and via Skype, at the Abercorn Inn in Richmond, B.C., where the group spent two days in deep discussion about project design, outcomes, and dissemination strategies.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jan 16, 2014

By Julie Hollowell

On an extremely cold November morning in Chicago, nine stalwart individuals braved the weather to attend a Saturday breakfast hosted by IPinCH, at the Eleven City Diner. Everyone was in town for the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, and this was a great opportunity for us to get caught up on each other’s personal and professional news.

2013

Moriori descendant, Nicole Whaitiri with a rakau momori (living tree carving) on
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 04, 2013

By Brian Egan

Case studies and community-based initiatives (CBIs) are at the heart of the IPinCH project. Not only do they reflect the diverse research themes that are central to IPinCH’s mission, but they are also the sites where productive and mutual relations between scholars, researchers, and community partners are developed. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Nov 28, 2013

By George Nicholas

Earlier this month, a group of IPinCH team members, including myself, Joe Watkins, Hirofumi Kato, Dave Schaepe, Rachel Giraudo, Carol Ellick, and Mayumi Okado, participated in a symposium on cultural heritage issues affecting Ainu and other Indigenous peoples. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Nov 28, 2013

Members of the IPinCH team, including Melissa Baird, Hirofumi Kato, Ndukuyakhe Ndlovu, and George Nicholas, were in Uppsala, Sweden, last month to participate in an international conference, “Archaeologies of ‘Us’ and ‘Them’?– Debating the Ethics and Politics of Ethnicity and Indigeneity in Archaeology and Heritage Discourse.” 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Nov 21, 2013

Many Indigenous groups around the world are struggling to come to terms with the issues an online environment poses to the presentation of the Indigenous past and cultural present.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 28, 2013

IPinCH team member, Terri Janke, an Indigenous Australian lawyer and solicitor, has recently turned her focus on the growing Indigenous business sector. In 2013, Terri Janke and Company produced a booklet called Law Way: Indigenous Business and the Law

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 21, 2013

The newest issue of our print newsletter is now available, with features on our work in Kyrgyzstan and Nunavik, updates from our case studies, team member profiles and more!

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 21, 2013

Mique’l is the recipient of the Society of Dance History Scholars (SDHS) Selma Jeanne Cohen Award for excellence in dance scholarship. Mique’l was granted the award for her paper, “Dancing Our Politics: Contemporary Issues in Northwest Coast First Nations Dance.”

“The Journey” — IPinCH Fellow Mique’l Dangeli Gifts Song to IPinCH
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 18, 2013

In the spring, our Work-Study student Aynur Kadir brought up the idea of using a signature sound to introduce our audio and video productions, one that reflected our dedication to the protection of cultural heritage. Naturally, we thought to ask IPinCH Fellow, Mique’l Dangeli, who, with her husband Mike, co-direct the Vancouver-based Git Hayetsk, an internationally renowned mask-dancing group. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 15, 2013

The IPinCH project is the first recipient of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Award, one of five categories of the organizations’ new Impact Awards. George Nicholas, IPinCH Project Director, accepted the award on behalf of the team on October 15th at the World Social Science Forum in Montreal.

Ellen Frankenstein
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 23, 2013

Ellen Frankenstein, IPinCH Associate and director of the non-profit organization, Artchange, Inc., is currently working on a film in collaboration with Haida culture bearer and Elder, Delores Churchill. The film follows Delores, a master weaver, on a journey to understand and replicate the spruce root hat found with Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, also known as the Long Ago Person Found. 

Jeremiah James in Sitka, AK, teaching a Skin Sewing Workshop - part of SHI's Sus
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 11, 2013

The Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), formed in 1980, is a Juneau-based, non-profit organization dedicated to perpetuating and enhancing the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska through cultural and educational programs. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 06, 2013

George Nicholas and the IPinCH project have been shortlisted for a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Impact Award, in the Partnership Award category. This is the first year of this award program.

Michael Klassen
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 04, 2013

This past spring, IPinCH Associate Michael Klassen successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation at Simon Fraser University. His landmark study, “Indigenous Heritage Stewardship and the Transformation of Archaeological Practice: Two Case Studies from the Mid-Fraser Region of British Columbia,” examined the implications of Indigenous heritage stewardship, from the viewpoints of the St’át’imc and Nlaka’pamux Nations, based on Michael’s years of involvement with communities in interior British Columbia.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Aug 16, 2013

We have a strong Japanese presence in the IPinCH project: not only are there a number of Japanese team members, but we also support a community-based initiative on Ainu Conceptions of Cultural and Natural Heritage in association with the Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies at Hokkaido University.  

Steering Committee
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jul 19, 2013

Last week, the IPinCH Steering Committee spent four days sequestered in a cozy cottage on Dayman Island, British Columbia, to map out the final two years of the project.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jul 19, 2013

Gwich’in Place Names Officially Recognized by Northwest Territories Government

Traditional place names can point not only to significant physical sites for Aboriginal peoples, but can also embody important intangible cultural values. Last month, the Gwich’in people celebrated the restoration of 414 of their traditional place names, which were officially recognized by the government of the Northwest Territories.

IPinCH at the White House
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 21, 2013

IPinCH Digital Information Systems & Cultural Heritage Working Group co-chair, Eric Kansa, was among 13 leaders and organizations honoured at the White House Open Science Champions of Change event on June 20th, 2013. Eric was chosen for his work in promoting open scientific data and publications to improve knowledge accessibility and create positive change. 

Me Rongo Congress Proceedings
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 21, 2013

In November 2011, IPinCH partner organization, Hokotehi Moriori Trust, organized the Me Rongo CongressMe Rongo is a Moriori term for “in peace” and the core themes of the Congress were sustainability, respect for the sacred, and cultural continuity.

Cultural Tourism Workshop
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 20, 2013

By Alexis Bunten

On May 31, 2013, the IPinCH Cultural Tourism Working Group hosted a Cultural Tourism Workshop as a kickoff event to the Stó:lo People of the River Conference in Chilliwack, B.C. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 20, 2013

The work of ELOKA, or the Exchange for Local Observation and Knowledge of the Arctic, is demonstrating the value of traditional oral history and community participation in scientific research. Since its beginning in 2007 as an NSF Arctic Observing Network project, ELOKA has worked closely with local Indigenous peoples of the Arctic to document traditional knowledge and to share data gathered through community-based monitoring (CBM).

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NAISA background image from website
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 20, 2013

Each year, the Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAISA) organization holds a conference that involves faculty and students from colleges and universities (tribal and non-tribal), community-based scholars and elders, and professionals working in the field. Attending the annual NAISA conference has become a great opportunity for IPinCHers to get together with their colleagues and to connect with Indigenous community members, scholars, and students from around the world.

IPinCH team member Alison Wylie named "Distinguished Woman Philosopher"
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 20, 2013

By Alexa Walker

IPinCH team member Alison Wylie has been named the 2013 Distinguished Woman Philosopher by the Society for Women in Philosophy (SWIP). SWIP aims to provide support and promote collaboration between women in philosophy and to raise awareness about the contributions of women to philosophy, as well as the discrimination faced by women in this field of study. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 20, 2013

IPinCH has embarked on an initiative to produce a series of Fact Sheets on different aspects of intellectual property (IP) to meet the needs of community members, researchers, and policy makers. These are designed to make information on key IP topics readily available in an easy-to-use format. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 19, 2013

Written by Alexa Walker 

On May 28, 2013 the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) announced the release of the First Nations Heritage Planning Toolkit, a document designed to support First Nations in the development of heritage related capacity, to provide information to First Nations on developing a heritage plan or policies, and to assist First Nations in responding to development referrals associated with heritage.  

George Smith
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, May 21, 2013

George Smith, an IPinCH Associate, has recently received an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, for his 30 years of dedication to cultural heritage management and public archaeology. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, May 17, 2013

The IPinCH-hosted symposium, Cultural Commodification, Indigenous Peoples, and Self-Determination, organized by Solen Roth and held in Vancouver in early May, made the front cover of the SFU-based newspaper, The Peak, this week.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, May 16, 2013

By Brian Egan

In early May, an eclectic group of scholars, cultural practitioners, and community representatives came together on the grounds of the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus to discuss concerns about the commodification of Indigenous cultural heritage. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 19, 2013

By John Welch

On a particularly busy (not to mention sunny and sultry) Friday afternoon (April 5), moderators, discussants, and audience members gathered at the Honolulu Convention Center at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, to discuss how archaeologists are taking up the challenges being presented by the growing corpus of international policy pertaining to the rights of Indigenous peoples and the just and proper conduct of large-scale land management projects.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 19, 2013

IPinCH team member Anne Pyburn, Professor of Anthropology, has received the Tracy M. Sonneborn Award and has also been named a Provost Professor by Indiana University. Recipients of these prestigious awards have achieved local, national, and international acclaim for their research and for teaching. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 19, 2013

IPinCH is working with the Inuit Heritage Trust (IHT), an IPinCH partner since 2008, on an initiative designed to enhance the management and protection of Inuit Cultural Heritage in Nunavut. In late March, IPinCH representatives met with IHT trustees and staff in Yellowknife to begin developing an initiative that addresses IHT concerns around intellectual property and cultural heritage and that would fit with IPinCH’s mandate. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 18, 2013

IPinCH is pleased to announce the awarding of five new graduate student fellowships, four for PhD students and one for a student undertaking MA studies. Introducing our new IPinCH Fellows:  

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Mar 25, 2013

By Heather Thompson

On Friday, January 11, 2013, Professor Catherine Bell hosted a small group dinner at the University of Alberta Law Centre. The purpose of the event was to gather Catherine’s current and former students in Edmonton who have been involved with the IPinCH Yukon First Nations (YFN) case study, to celebrate two publications in which students were involved as researchers and co-authors. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Mar 13, 2013

Dr. Claire Smith and Dr. Anne Pyburn, members of the IPinCH research team, were recently featured on VoiceAmerica’s online radio program, “Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality and 21st Century Archaeology,” hosted by Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein. The episode, titled “The Mission of Major Archaeological Organizations: World Archaeological Congress (WAC),” aired on March 6th, 2013.

Solen Roth
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Feb 14, 2013

Solen recently completed her Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. Her dissertation, titled Culturally Modified Capitalism: The Native Northwest Coast Artware Industry, is an examination of “how Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal individuals who are currently participating in the Native Northwest Coast artware industry of Vancouver (B.C.) view this market’s present configuration and envision its future."

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jan 01, 2013

This issue highlights the Secwepemc Territorial Authority gathering, the Yukon First Nations case study, anthropologist Lena Mortensen, project priorites, the new Hopi Cultural Preservation Office case study, upcoming events, cultural tourism working group activities, the Sto:lo Research and Resource Management Centre, and much more! Check it out!  

2012

Ngaut Ngaut: an interpretive guide
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 24, 2012

The Ngaut Ngaut Case Study, based in South Australia, has completed a major milestone with the publication of Ngaut Ngaut: An Interpretive Guide.

IPinCH Logo
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 12, 2012

IPinCH is pleased to announce the awarding of five new graduate student fellowships, three for doctoral students and two for students undertaking MA studies. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 10, 2012

On November 23rd and 24th, IPinCH’s Secwepemc Territorial Authority case study came to fruition in a historic gathering that brought together Secwepemc land defenders with several of Canada’s leading scholars on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and relations. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 05, 2012

Led by principal investigators Leigh J. Kuwanwisiwma, the Director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office (HCPO), and Justin B. Richland, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago, this study, which was recently approved by the IPinCH Steering Committee, will investigate how the HCPO manages Hopi cultural knowledge resources, given the differences between Hopi notions of navoti (‘traditional knowledge’) and Euro-American understandings of intellectual property. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 03, 2012

By the YFN Case Study Team

This summer, in collaboration with our community partners Champagne & Aishihik First Nations (CAFN), the Carcross-Tagish First Nation (CTFN) and the Ta’an Kwach’än Council (TKC), IPinCH team members Catherine Bell and Sheila Greer travelled across the Yukon conducting focus groups and participating in formal and informal discussions with Yukon First Nations (YFN) youth, elders, community members and heritage staff, seeking insight into what the concept of ‘heritage’ means to YFN communities and how heritage resources can be managed in such a way as to reflect and respect their values. 

Steering Committee uses Skype to Communicate
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Dec 01, 2012

Over the past few months, the IPinCH Steering Committee has been working hard to establish priorities and to make and implement plans for the remaining years of the project. 

The Apache Heritage Reunion event
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Nov 30, 2012

By Lena Mortensen, Dave Schaepe, and Kristen Dobbin

In our rapidly globalizing world, partaking in cultural tourism is an opportunity that many of us take for granted. Often as tourists we seek to experience the ‘authentic’ and in the process we snap photographs, we participate in rituals and festivals, we eat traditional foods, and we take home souvenirs. 

Kristen Dobbin
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Nov 30, 2012

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Kristen Dobbin as the new IPinCH Communications Specialist. Kristen brings an impressive set of skills and experience to this new position, including technical abilities in a wide range of communication technologies and an in-depth knowledge of the IPinCH project. 

SAA Archaeological Record
Posted by George Nicholas, Oct 03, 2012

Collaborative projects in archaeology are challenging to develop, but they have the potential to reap great benefits and satisfaction for the participants, especially so for Indigneous peoples. The September issue of the Society for American Archaeology’s SAA Archaeological Record, a quarterly publication, contains a special forum on International Collaborations, edited by Kisha Supernaut.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Sep 01, 2012

By Dr. Alexis Bunten, IPinCH Project Ethnographer

Between July 25 and August 9, I traveled to South Africa and Botswana to shadow IPinCH Researcher, Sven Ouzman, and Associate, Rachel F. Giraudo, as they made plans to collaborate with members of several San communities on heritage and IP issues through their IPinCH projects. 

Posted by Brian Egan, Aug 23, 2012

The Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage (IPinCH) project is an international research initiative involving collaboration among scholars and a diverse range of partners, including Aboriginal communities, government agencies, and professionals from a variety of fields.

Jenny Lewis in the field
Posted by Brian Egan, Aug 23, 2012

The Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage (IPinCH) project is pleased to announce that Jenny Lewis is the most recent recipient of an IPinCH Graduate Student Fellowship. Jenny is a PhD student (2015 expected graduation) in the Department of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. Her research examines various stakeholders’ use, commodification, and rehabilitation of archaeological heritage associated with Fort Apache-Theodore Roosevelt School (FA-TRS) in Arizona.

Posted by Brian Egan, Jul 05, 2012

IPinCH Associate Kim Christen recently accepted a “Guardians of Culture and Lifeways International Award” from the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM). Christen accepted the award on behalf of the Plateau Peoples' Web Portal, an interactive, online digital archive that provides access to Plateau peoples' cultural materials at Washington State University through tribal curation.

Emma Feltes
Posted by Brian Egan, May 11, 2012

IPinCH team member Emma Feltes has been awarded Dalhousie University's Governor General gold medal in the Humanities and Social Sciences for her work on the Laurier Memorial, a letter that sets out a vision for just relations between Indigenous Peoples and Canada that was given to Sir Wilfrid Laurier by the Interior Chiefs of British Columbia in 1910, and commemorated again in 2010.

Visit to Ziibiwing and ezhibiigaadek asin
Posted by Kristen Dobbin, May 09, 2012

By Julie Hollowell

On June 26, 2011, nine of us who had come together for the WAC Inter-Congress in Indianapolis drove seven hours north to the Isabella Reservation of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan to visit the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways, home to one of the first community-based studies funded by IPinCH.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, May 09, 2012

The Ngaut Ngaut Interpretive Project: Providing Culturally Sustainable Online Interpretive Content to the Public

The Nguat Ngaut rock shelter was the first “scientifically” excavated site in Australia in 1929, but it has much deeper meanings for local Indigenous people. 

inuvialuit Living History Website
Posted by George Nicholas, May 03, 2012

The Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre (ICRC) in Inuvik, N.W.T., is proud to announce the launch of a new website, Inuvialuit Pitqusiit Inuuniarutait: Inuvialuit Living History.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 01, 2012

This jam-packed issue includes our new Community-Based Research working group, introduces our Project Coordinator, tells of an IPinCH visit to the Ziibiwing Centre and the ezhibiigaadek asin petroglyphs, profiles legal anthropologist Rosemary Coombe, and offers progress updates on our fantastic case studies...and much more! 

Brian Egan
Posted by George Nicholas, Mar 19, 2012

The IPinCH Steering Committee is pleased to introduce our new Project Coordinator, Dr. Brian Egan.

Brian has more than two decades of experience working on land, natural resource, and environmental issues, primarily in Canada but also with some professional and volunteer experience in Latin America. Trained in both the natural and social sciences, Brian’s career has spanned a broad range of positions, including field ecologist, environmental consultant, research associate, policy analyst, and field operations supervisor.

Posted by George Nicholas, Mar 09, 2012

Indigenous people are under-served by both traditional all-rights-reserved copyright and Creative Commons licenses.

Posted by George Nicholas, Feb 22, 2012

By Nicole Aylwin

In late January, the IPinCH Working Group on Customary, Convention and Vernacular Legal Forms hosted a two-day Workshop, “Transforming Colonial Categories? Customary Law, Legal Pluralism and the Cultural Heritage of Indigenous Peoples,” at York University. Over the course of two days, graduate students and scholars from Canada and the United States gathered to consider the meaning of customary law and its relationship, both in theory and in practice, to legal pluralism, cultural heritage and intellectual property rights.

2011

Posted by Brian Egan, Nov 03, 2011

Over the course of four days this fall, IPinCH team members, advisors, students, and partners gathered to celebrate the completion of the first half of the project, and to refine plans for the future. The gathering of the members of the IPinCH collective generated excitement, ideas and connections to carry us into the second, more analytical phase of our research together.

Ziibiwing Centre of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways
Posted by Brian Egan, Jul 13, 2011

Following the World Archaeological Congress' "Indigenous People and Museums: Unravelling the Tensions" InterCongress in Indianapolis, members of the IPinCH team were invited to the Ziibiwing cultural center in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. 

Alexis Bunten
Posted by Brian Egan, May 06, 2011

The IPinCH Steering Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Alexis Bunten is joining the IPinCH collective as our new Postdoctoral Fellow. Alexis will be starting her research as IPinCH project ethnographer this summer once she has completed other commitments.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 25, 2011

Videos are a great format for documenting and sharing research experiences, knowledge, and progress, and for generating discussion in interactive and creative forums.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Mar 31, 2011

A food security knowledge tracking workshop was held in Iqaluit, Nunavut on March 1 - 2 . Rachel Hirsch (York University, Toronto), a researcher interested in public views of and involvement in Canadian environment and health policy, hosted the workshop. 

2010

Posted by Brian Egan, Dec 10, 2010

The Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish Nation) welcomed Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants from across North America and Japan to their Elder’s Centre and Chief Joe Mathias Community Centre, nestled at the foot of Grouse Mountain near Vancouver, for our IPinCH Community-Based Heritage Research Workshop in October, 2010. From the welcoming remarks and prayer given by Hereditary Chief Janice George to the closing by Elder Audrey Rivers, refreshments flowed and all our conference needs were met. Skwxwú7mesh know how to treat guests.

Anthropology News November 2010
Posted by Brian Egan, Nov 02, 2010

IPinCH Cultural Tourism Working Group Co-chair Lena Mortensen and Project Director George Nicholas were sparked to write an article for Anthropology News, November 2010, by the opening of a “traditional First Nations Village” operated for tourists by the Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia in a municipal park in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Nov 01, 2010

Find stories on our Flip Video Initiative, a profile on legal scholar Catherine Bell, new associates, conferences, workshops and more! 

Posted by , Sep 27, 2010

The IPinCH Steering Committee is pleased to announce funding for two new community-based initiatives/case studies based in Canada, but exploring issues of global concern.

The Ngaut Ngaut site, 23 August 2010. Photograph by Amy Roberts.
Posted by Brian Egan, Sep 09, 2010

Dr. Amy Roberts, a lecturer from the Flinders University Archaeology Department (South Australia) has recently joined the IPinCH project as a Scholar Associate. Amy is a multi-disciplinary researcher with training and experience in the disciplines of archaeology and anthropology.

Kate Hennessy
Posted by Brian Egan, Aug 11, 2010

Congratulations to IPinCH Associate Kate Hennessy, who says, “I have now defended/finished my doctoral program,” in Anthropology at UBC, “and my dissertation is already out in the world!"

Posted by Brian Egan, Jul 30, 2010

The IPinCH Steering Committee is pleased to announce our latest case study, developed by Brian Noble (Dalhousie University and IPinCH Co-investigator) and Arthur Manuel (Secwepemcul’w, INET Spokesperson).  

This community-based study will outline approaches to “cultural heritage” encounters within Secwepemc territory, examining what it would look like were we to fully accept and act upon the premise that Secwepemc Peoples’ have economic, political, and legal authority within their territory. 

Dave Shaepe Addressing the Public & the Constructive Engagement Panel
Posted by Brian Egan, Jun 30, 2010

Thanks to IPinCH Co-investigator Alison Wylie, the public panel discussion “Constructive Engagement: Scientific and Aboriginal Communities in Collaboration” brought together speakers in the fields of archaeology, health, and agriculture at Simon Fraser University’s downtown campus on June 18, 2010.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 01, 2010

This edition of the IPinCH Newsletter features our first Ph.D. Fellowships, new working group co-chairs, a profile on Project Director George Nicholas, workshops, conferences, case studies and more! 

Mesa Verde in Laate Spring Snow by George Nicholas
Posted by Brian Egan, Mar 25, 2010

‘Beyond the Tangible: Repatriation of Cultural Heritage, Bioarchaeological Data, and Intellectual Property’ can be found in the special section on repatriation in the March 2010 issue of Anthropology News. IPinCH team members George Nicholas, John Welch, Alan Goodman and Randall McGuire discuss repatriation of intangible aspects of cultural heritage.

Posted by Brian Egan, Feb 12, 2010

We’ve been tracking use of our Wikipedia page and thought you would be interested to learn of a significant and sustained increase in visits to the IPinCH Wikipedia page in recent months.

2009

Posted by Brian Egan, Dec 09, 2009

“I woke up very early this morning. I’m all excited,” said Inuvialuit elder Albert Elias about his trip to the Smithsonian Institution to re-discover Inuvialuit artifacts collected from his ancestors in the mid-1800s.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Nov 01, 2009

Our newest project newsletter is now available and features IPinCH in Japan, the Genographic Project, anthropologist Michael Asch, a new treaty relations case study and more! 

Ainu Ceremony, October 4, 2009, Hokkaido, Japan
Posted by Brian Egan, Oct 28, 2009

A recent trip by IPinCH Project Director George Nicholas and Steering Committee member Joe Watkins reaffirms the relevance and importance of our IPinCH project. In early October, Joe and George were invited to speak on cultural and intellectual property issues, and IPinCH, at a workshop at Hokkaido University in Japan.

Posted by Brian Egan, Oct 28, 2009

Last spring IPinCH Project Director George Nicholas was invited to prepare a piece on IP in heritage management for the “Resources” section of the journal Heritage Management. George subsequently invited members of the Steering Committee and Working Group Co-chairs to join him in that endeavor.

International Journal of Cultural Property (16:2)
Posted by Brian Egan, Oct 28, 2009

The current issue of the International Journal of Cultural Property (16:2) contains a special section on “Decoding the Implications of the Genographic Project for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage,” edited by Julie Hollowell and George Nicholas. 

Posted by Brian Egan, Oct 27, 2009
The online world of the Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage Project is easier on the eyes—and easier to navigate—after a redesign of the website.
 
Thanks to the excellent work of Cheryl Takahashi, the website’s new look is coupled with a more user-friendly interface.
Posted by Brian Egan, Oct 27, 2009

IPinCH will be well represented at the 42nd Annual Chacmool Conference hosted by the Chacmool Archaeological Association and the Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Oct 16, 2009

The Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish Nation) welcomed Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants from across North America and Japan to their Elder’s Centre and Chief Joe Mathias Community Centre, nestled at the foot of Grouse Mountain near Vancouver, for our IPinCH Community-Based Heritage Research Workshop in October. 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jun 01, 2009

Our very first IPinCH Newsletter is now available, featuring profiles of our team members, information about our community-based case studies and working groups, and much, much more! Enjoy! 

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Apr 01, 2009

Attending a meeting at the beautiful Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana from April 19 – 21 were Case Study Research Working Group co-chairs Brian Noble and Larry Zimmerman; along with IPinCH team members Jane Anderson, Cathy Bell, Julie Hollowell (workshop organizer), Stephen Loring, George Nicholas, Claire Smith, and Martin Wobst; Bonnie Newsom and Julie Woods, who are working with the community-based study initiated with the Penobscot Nation; and IPinCH Advisory Board members Anne Pyburn and Rick Wilk.

Posted by Kristen Dobbin, Jan 10, 2009

On January 9-11, 2009, the IPinCH Working Group Co-Chairs, Steering Committee and Advisors convened at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC, Canada to kick off our exciting, seven-year, international research project.