Indigenous Initiatives in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies
We, the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Alberta, are a faculty, staff, and student body that is trans-affirming and committed to feminist, inclusive, intersectional, and decolonial learning, that is committed to truth and reconciliation.
2022-2026 Courses
WGS-GSJ offers many courses that specifically focus on Indigenous content and most of our course canon integrates Indigenous thought, practice, and history into course content.
Indigenous Focused:
- GSJ 598/NS 504: Intersectional Methods and Research
- WGS 498/GSJ 598 (special topics): Indigenous Genders and Sexualities
- WGS 280: Indigenous Women, Autobiography, and Life Writing
- WGS 298 (Special Topics): Decolonizing Fashion
- WGS 298 (Special Topics): Gender, Health, and Wellness: Indigenous Perspectives
- WGS 480/GSJ 498: Indigenous Feminism
- MACE 597: Indigenous Arts-Based Research and Practice
Indigenous Content:
- WGS 101: Representations of Girls and Women
- WGS 102: Gender and Social Justice
- WGS 220: Feminism and Popular Culture
- WGS 240: Feminism and Food
- WGS 244: Critical Disability Studies
- WGS 255: Gender and Sexuality in World and Indigenous Religions
- WGS 270: Feminism and Sexualities
- WGS 321: Feminism and Film
- WGS 332: Contemporary Feminist Theory
- WGS 390: Feminism and Environmental Justice
- WGS 360: Race, Class, Gender
- WGS 420: Law and Feminism in Canada
- WGS 440-GSJ 540: Body Politics
- WGS 455: Religion, Spirituality, and Social Justice
- WGS 460-GSJ 560: Masculinities
- WGS 470-GSJ 570: Sexualities (Special Topics)
- WGS 498-GSJ 598 (Special Topics): Feminist Approaches to Health and Wellness
- WGS 498/GSJ 598: (Special Topics): Feminist Narrative Inquiry
- WGS 501: Social Justice Workshop
Walls to Bridges is a course taught by Lana Whiskeyjack and Lisa Prins in our department. While not true for every Walls to Bridges course, the University of Alberta model centers Indigenous content.
Lana Whiskeyjack’s Research Projects
2026-2027 “Ceremony is gender-affirming care” Experience of Two-Spirit youth and their kinship relations in inclusive rites of passage
Canadian Institute of Health Research, Indigenous Gender and Wellness Development Grant
Principal Investigator: Lana Whiskeyjack
Co-Investigators: Dr. James Makokis and Amanda Almond
$185 240
2025-2026 Reclaiming the spirit of our womb: developing a spirit-centred lens
SSRHC Insight Development Grant
Principal Investigator: Lana Whiskeyjack
$75 000
2025-2026 Art-Based Knowledge Translation and Envisioning with Indigenous Gender and Sexuality-Diverse Youth and Their Kinship Relations
Indigenous Engaged Research Grant
Principal Investigator: Lana Whiskeyjack
$6 000
2025-2026 Indigiqueer Language Revitalization Project
Supporting Indigenous Language Revitalization (SILR)
Principal Investigator: Lana Whiskeyjack
$55 000
2025-2026 tapahtêyimôkamik (Humble Lodge) Gathering
Killam Research Fund
Principal Investigator: Lana Whiskeyjack
$5 000
2024 Kâpâhpicik amiskwak (Laughing Beavers): Rematriating MENopause Through Laughter, Language, and Love Reclamation
KIAS Dialogue Grant
Principal Investigator: Lana Whiskeyjack
$2 500
2024- 2026 Art-Based Knowledge Translation and Envisioning with Indigenous Gender and Sexuality-Diverse Youth and Their Kinship Relations
Indigenous Engaged Research Grant
Principal Investigator: Lana Whiskeyjack
Co-Applicant: Jana Grekul
$264 383
2022-23 Kîsikwan Gathering
Indigenous Engaged Research Grant, University of Alberta
Principal Investigator: Lana Whiskeyjack
Collaborators: George Desjarlais, Alsena White, Dr. Dwayne Donald, Dr. Kevin wâsakâyâsiw Lewis, James Lamouche, Dr. James Makokis
$6 000
2022 Reconnecting to the (heart)land with Indigenous gender and sexuality-diverse youth and their kinship systems - wahkohtowin
SKIPP (Situated Knowledges: Indigenous Peoples and Place) Seed Grant
Principal Investigator: Lana Whiskeyjack
Collaborators: James Lamouche, Edmonton Two Spirit Society, okimaw kihew mekwanak
$5 000
2022- 2025 Strengthening Kinship Relations Through Inclusive Rites of Passage for Indigenous Gender and Sexuality-Diverse Youth and Their Support Systems
Canadian Institute of Health Research, Indigenous Gender and Wellness Development Grant
Principal Investigator: Lana Whiskeyjack
Co-Investigators: Dionne Gesink
Collaborators: Dr. James Makokis, Edmonton Two Spirit Society, Rainbow Alliance for Youth of Edmonton (RAYE)
$481 301
Lisa Prins-Faculty Service Officer Supported Work
Our faculty service officer, Lisa Prins, is engaged in numerous Indigenous centered experiences in her work with adult community engagement.
Indigenous Women’s Drumming Project 2021-present
North Saskatchewan Collective, Edmonton AB
As lead grant writer working with a collective group of Indigenous artists secured a $100,000 Canada Council for the Arts grant to explore, document, and share multiple events and interviews centred around criminalized and incarcerated Indigenous women’s experience at the Big Drum. This builds on previous work with an Intersections of Gender grant that was supported through the University of Alberta.
- Coordinator and administrator of the grant and budget
- Work alongside Indigenous Elders and other stakeholders, learning and following protocol
- Develop and maintain relationships within and between conflicting spaces and people (i.e. Correctional Services Canada and formerly incarcerated people)
- Host multiple workshops and gatherings for criminalized Indigenous women. Three thus far, with an additional four planned for 2022/2023
- Organize recording needs and possibilities for Indigenous drummers
Indigenous Prison Arts and Education Project 2017-present
Formerly Indigenous Women and Youth Resilience Project
Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB
Work collaboratively and collectively within a small group to develop and facilitate Indigenous curriculum for incarcerated peoples. Meet weekly to discuss individual and group practice in prison education.
- Work and learn alongside Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers
- Provide support as requested by Elders and Knowledge Keepers and Correctional Services staff to facilitate communications to visitors to the prison
- Co-instruct weekly Walls to Bridges classes for 30 students, both incarcerated and not, inside Edmonton Institution for Women (EIFW - a federal penitentiary)
- Participate in building and nurturing long-term relationship between institutions (ie. University and EIFW) and across different institutional cultures and communities (ie. University faculty and students and incarcerated peoples)
- Collaboratively provide administrative support for Walls to Bridges courses, facilitating needs from Edmonton Institution for Women and Correctional Services Canada, the Office of the Registrar, the University Library, Faculty of Native Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Community Service-Learning
Events - Recent WGS sponsored and co-sponsored events
- March 2022 Dallas Cullen Memorial Lecture featured Ta7talíya Michelle Nahanee is a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh anti-colonial designer writer and educator.
- September 2022 Dallas Cullen Memorial Lecture featured Indigenous law professor Darcy Lindquist
- February 2023 Valentines Day with Feminism event featured Indigenous poet, U of A graduate and UBC professor, poet Billy Ray Belcourt
- March 2023 Feminist Research Speaker series featured Indigenous scholar and artist Lana Whiskeyjack
- October 2025 CSCP Plenary Speaker Lana Whiskeyjack (University of Alberta) "Spirit In nêhiyaw Research And Land-Based Practices (co-sponsored by WGS/GSJ)