番茄社区

Our people

Lisa Kealohapa驶aokahaleole Hall

Program director
Indigenous Studies
(Kanaka Maoli) Lisa Kahaleole Hall is the director of Indigenous Studies at UVic. She received an MA and PhD in Ethnic Studies from the University of California at Berkeley. She graduated with a BA cum laude in Women’s Studies from Yale University. Her research and teaching interests include the intersections of race, colonialism, and indigeneity with gender and sexuality.
On leave
Office: Clearihue A309
Jeff Ganohalidoh Corntassel

Professor
Indigenous Studies
(Cherokee Nation) Jeff Ganohalidoh Corntassel received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Arizona in 1998. Corntassel’s research and teaching interests focus on “Everyday Acts of Resurgence” and the intersections between Indigenous internationalism, community resurgence, climate change, gender, and community well-being.
Office: CLE B304 | Office hrs: Th 10-11:30am
Rachel George

Assistant professor
Indigenous Studies
(nuučaańuł) Rachel yacaaʔał George received her PhD in Indigenous Governance from the 番茄社区. She specializes in Indigenous politics—particularly on Indigenous conceptions of justice and their intersections with projects of reconciliation. Her current areas of research include coastal Indigenous governance, relationality, resurgence, and storytelling.
Office: CLE B305 | Office hrs: Thur 2-3:30pm or by appt.
Megan Lukaniec

Assistant professor
Indigenous Studies

(Huron-Wendat Nation) Megan received her Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests include Indigenous language reclamation and revitalization, language documentation, lexicography, language contact, and language change. Her teaching interests include various topics related to Indigenous languages and their reclamation.

On leave
Office: CLE B302 | Office hrs: by appt
Mick Scow

Assistant teaching professor
Indigenous Studies
(Kwakwaka'wakw/Snuneymuxw) Mick is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Indigenous Governance at the 番茄社区.  His work focuses on revitalizing Indigenous fatherhood and family-based resurgence.
Office: CLE A305 | Office hours: Thursdays 11:30-12:30
Tracy Underwood

Assistant Teaching Professor
Indigenous Studies
W̱SÁNEĆ Matriarch Tracy Underwood PhD candidate, Assistant Teaching Professor in Indigenous Studies. Tracy upholds daily her Matriarchal duties of protecting and preserving Children, Land, Language and Culture of her people. Tracy is an expert in land-based learning, history, storytelling, ethics and care for children, families and communities. She can discuss issues of land occupancy, the doctrine of discovery and how ongoing land dispossession negatively impacts herself and her husband, her eight children and ten grandchildren in their daily lives. As a part of her PhD ȽÁU, NOṈET SXEDQIṈEȽ framework, Tracy does a presentation that is called “JÁEȽNOṈET”.
Office: CLE A307 | Office hrs: Mon 2:30-3:30 or by appt.
Clinton Kuzio

Sessional instructor
Indigenous Studies
Clinton Kuzio is Cree and a member of Fisher River Cree Nation (he reminds us that band membership is not equal to ethnicity, hence the mention of both). He grew up in Cranberry Portage where his parents, Vangie and Cliff, taught him how to hunt, fish and trap as a child and also gave him a curiosity about settlers, teaching him how to borrow from settler culture without becoming assimilated. This led to becoming a teacher and lawyer, working primarily in colonial institutions and learning how settler-colonial society and whiteness needs to be navigated cautiously. Clint’s focus is on justice from a Cree perspective, identity and anti-racism. He works towards these in his committee work with the BC Human Rights Tribunal, his job with the Victoria Cool Aid Society, and in facilitating anti-racism workshops in his free time. He does all this with the support of his partner in crime, Dr. Ilka Thiessen and their Golden Retriever, Finn.
Office: Office hours: by appt online or by phone
Ruth  Parrish

Ruth Parrish

Administrative assistant
Indigenous Studies
(Haida Nation)
Office: CLE A311 | Office hours: Mon-Th 9:30-3:30