U of S archaeology student works to incorporate Indigenous world view
Micaela Champagne wants to see a shift in archeology, through repatriating Indigenous artifacts and drawing from traditional knowledge.
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Archaeology isn’t about digging up the past for Micaela Champagne. The University of Saskatchewan student uses her work as a conduit for traditional knowledge and language.
For Champagne, archeology is a way to reconnect people with culture. At the moment, that takes the form of introducing Cree and Michif into her lessons at the Science Outreach office, where she teaches community school students in order to increase Indigenous engagement in the sciences.
In the future, she hopes it will involve returning material culture, like artifacts and remains, to Indigenous communities.
“These items and remains were taken without any consent or consultation of the communities and then studied, tested, put on display,” she said. “I think it’s important that if we want to move forward in archeology, there needs to be more community informed consent, as well as consultation on any types of projects.”
Champagne said she wants to see archeology shift away from its colonial roots, through repatriation and also by placing a greater emphasis on respecting Indigenous knowledge.
“We are on Turtle Island here in North America, and, unfortunately, it always hasn’t been the practice of acknowledging different perspectives other than Western perspectives when it comes to things like science,” she said.
“I think it’s important to realize that Indigenous science perspectives are as valid, if not more valid.”
Champagne, who was recognized at the Indigenous Student Achievement Awards earlier this year, said she was drawn to archeology while on a trip to Egypt, where she saw work being done to restore part of King Tut’s tomb.
Seeing that happen in person made her realize it was something she could pursue as a career, she said.
Her passion for learning and change-making comes from the women in her life. She’s always admired her mother’s resilience and strength, even in the face of systemic and institutionalized racism, she said.
“My mom has really ingrained in me that education is the one thing that no one can ever, ever, ever take away from you. And that has been something that has been extremely important and influential in my life.”
Champagne turns to her kokum to provide her with a fuller view of the world as she works to integrate an Indigenous science perspective into her own lessons.
Her motivation as she finishes her degree is honouring and passing that on, especially when she looks back at a time when her family and so many others weren’t able to engage in traditional practices or speak their own languages.
“It’s extremely important to me that I am trying to integrate this into my daily life. And that includes my life here at Science Outreach by integrating these teachings,” she said.
“I’m trying to learn as much as I can, before my kokum passes on. It’s important that I’m able to pass that on to other students as well.”
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