From left to right: Zoe Todd, Wenona Hall and Wanda John-Kehewin

New faculty

Welcoming new department members to Indigenous Studies

December 15, 2022
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Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Department of Indigenous Studies is pleased to introduce our community to three department members who have joined us during the fall semester: Wenona Hall, Zoe Todd and Wanda John-Kehewin.

Wenona Hall

Associate Professor

Stó:lō scholar Dr. Wenona Hall has recently become a faculty member in Indigenous Studies, however, she is already an established member of our university community. A triple alumnus of the university, she holds her BA, MA, and PhD from SFU.

Dr. Hall is from Sq’ewqeyl First Nation and the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe, located in Chilliwack. She joins us from the University of the Fraser Valley, where she was the Department Chair, as well as an Associate Professor, in Indigenous Studies. 

Dr. Hall’s doctoral research at SFU focused on self-determination and Indigenous governance, while her master’s thesis research examined Indigenous/Sto:lo justice. In addition to her continuing interest in these areas, she is also interested in examining processes of decolonization and Indigenous resurgence. This spring semester, Dr. Hall will be sharing her knowledge and expertise with our students by teaching INDG 401 - Indigenous Peoples and Public Policy.

Zoe Todd

Associate Professor

Métis anthropologist and researcher-artist Dr. Zoe Todd blends their creative talents with their knowledge of innovative research methods and Indigenous philosophy to examine and advocate for the complex relationships between Indigenous sovereignty and freshwater fish conservation in Canada.

Dr. Todd is a co-founder of both the Institute for Freshwater Fish Futures and the Indigenous Environmental Knowledge Institute (IEKI) at Carleton University. In 2020, Dr. Todd was elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars. In 2018, they were a Yale Presidential Visiting Fellow.

Dr. Todd holds their BSc in Biological Sciences and an MSc in Rural Sociology, both from the University of Alberta, and a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Aberdeen.

Wanda John-Kehewin

2022-23 Shadbolt Fellow

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) recently announced the scholars selected to the 2022-23 Jack and Doris Shadbolt Fellowship in the Humanities Program. The Department of Indigenous Studies is honoured to host Wanda John-Kehewin, a Cree poet and author. 

Wanda John-Kehewin has several publications that are forthcoming in 2023, including her third book of poetry, Spells, Wishes, and the Talking Dead: ᒪᒪᐦᑖᐃᐧᓯᐃᐧᐣ ᐸᑯᓭᔨᒧᐤ ᓂᑭᐦᒋ ᐋᓂᐢᑯᑖᐹᐣ mamahtâwisiwin, pakosêyimow, nik, which will be published in March. Visions of the Crow, a graphic novel, will be published in April 2023, while her young adult novel, Hopeless in Hope, is also coming out later in 2023. Her work has previously been short-listed for the Indigenous Voices Award, and she has won the Empowered Poet Award from the World Poetry Foundation.  

As a Shadbolt Fellow, Wanda John-Kehewin will contribute towards the program's goal of increasing the visibility of the contributions of the humanities and arts to the university community. The program also aims to engage the wider community through publicly involved scholarship and creativity.