Kōrero with one of our new KĀHU members, Associate Professor Andrea Reid Stewart
Which tribe/people and area do you come from?
Nisg̱a’a n̓iiiy̓. Ksim Lax̱sgiik n̓iiy̓. Wilps Kwa’kaans wil w̓itgwiy̓. Lax̱g̱alts’ap wil jogay̓. Epekwitk wil w̓itgwiy̓.
Paternally, I come from the Nisg̱a’a First Nation in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. I belong to the Lax̱sgiik (Eagle) Clan and Wilps (House) Kwa’kaans. These are the homelands I live in today, in the Nisga’a Village of Lax̱g̱alts’ap. Maternally, I am of Irish ancestry, and was raised by my mother where she too was raised, on Epekwitk (Prince Edward Island) in Mi’kma’ki on Canada’s east coast.
What is your specialty area of research?
I have the immense privilege of running a collective based at the University of British Columbia which is a community of Indigenous scholars and allies that places the needs and interests of Indigenous Peoples at the heart of all that we do. At UBC, I am a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Fisheries Science, where I focus both on addressing some of the most urgent challenges facing aquatic and fishing systems today, while working to redefine how fisheries science itself is conducted. I and we work on a range of beings (from salmon to sturgeon to crabs to oolichan), as well as across ecosystems (oceans, estuaries, fresh waters) and disciplines (aquatic ecology and conservation, environmental science, Indigenous studies, social science).
What does flourishing Indigenous futures mean to you?
At the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries, we aim to engage in and restore healthy relations between fish, people, and place. We believe that conducting collaborative, just science strengthens our research praxis and its applications. We share in a commitment to prefigurative science, wherein we embody the future we want in the actions of today. The flourishing future, and indeed present, I and we are working towards is one where Indigenous sovereignty is respected and the deep interconnections between fish, people, and place are recognized and protected.
Why is international connectedness important for Indigenous people?
Waters and fish do not concern themselves with geopolitical borders. There is a fluidity to their existence, an ability to move around or through obstructions, that we all could stand to learn a lot from. I love the cross-pollinating possibilities that come with working across contexts and cultures, and believe that our advocacy work (essential to our science) is strengthened through international solidarity.
Can you tell us about a cultural practice or ritual where connection is celebrated?
Here in Nisg̱a’a Territory, we have an annual celebration that marks the start of our new year: Hoobiyee. Through multiple days of singing, dancing, and feasting, we celebrate the return of saak (oolichan) to our waters where they break winter hunger. They are known as our saviour fish – a tiny fish that chose to save an entire people.
