This is Indian Land train bridge in Garden River First Nation
Indigenous Knowledge Systems lab
After many moons of yarning over bowls of tea with Dr. Tyson Yunkaporta, author of Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, Dr. Melanie Goodchild founded the IKS Lab in 2024. The Lab was launched at Makwa Waakaa'igan (Algoma University) and is now housed at Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig, an Indigenous post-secondary institute. The Shingwauk IKS Lab is a sister entity to the IKS Lab at Deakin University, founded by Melanie's relative Tyson Yunkaporta. In 2024 Dr. John Davis, Joshua Waters and Stephanie Beck travelled from Australia to Bawating (place of the rapids) to visit the traditional homelands of Melanie's ancestors in Anishinaabeg territory including Baawaating, where Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig is located and Ketegaunseebee (Garden River) First Nation, for kinship and embassy ceremonies to link the two sister labs.
ketegaunseebee
Dr. John Davis and Joshua Waters from IKS Lab at Deakin visiting Ketegaunseebee (Garden River) First Nation for ceremonies with Dr. Melanie Goodchild and family, May 2024
Stephanie beck
Artist Stephanie Beck, IMAGI-NATION Ko-Founder, Beck Design Studios and AIME visiting Ketegaunseebee First Nation for ceremonies with Dr. Goodchild and family, May 2024
Professor song
Artist Stephanie Beck and Professor Song visit Algoma University campus in Baawaating to ko-llaborate on the IKS Lab sister entities, May 2024
IKS lab Field trip 2024
In the fall of 2024 the IKS Lab organized a field trip for Algoma University students, staff, members of the Canadian Association of Science Centres Indigenous Community of Practice, and Elders Eleanor Skead and her husband Bert Landon from Treaty 3 to visit Yale University and the Garrison Institute in New York. Dr. Goodchild offers an annual guest lecture for a class in the Faculty of Environment at Yale and she co-hosted the Becoming Earth: Honouring Nature as the Source of Life retreat with her relative Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Lakota.
