Who is Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane?

Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane (Anishinaabe/Three Fires Confederacy) is honored as a Nokomis of eight grandchildren, from her three children. She dedicates her life’s work, of Mino bimaadiziwin, in keeping with the 8th Fire prophecy, as a 7th Fire prophecy community member. Karen’s path to social action and scholarly work started as a youth during the height of the civil rights era of the seventies (Toronto). Her activism, she attributes to both her parents – both survived the Indian Residential School experience. Her early social justice engagement established in idealism, artistic spirit, and free speech, provided a crucial beginning for her inquisitive spirit. Karen spent her early years as a dancer, artist, and writer that evolved into education. She spent the past forty years mentored by iconic Indigenous scholars from the Great Lakes of her people to Treaty Three, Treaty Six and currently in Treaty Seven. Her Euro-Western education includes a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature, graduate studies in Educational Policy Studies (M. Ed). Currently a PhD candidate on the topic of Anishinaabe/Indigenous pedagogy at the University of Alberta. She currently is an Assistant Professor at Mount Royal University, cross-appointment with Humanities and Liberal Arts/Education, Calgary, Alberta.

Bibliography

  1. 2021 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non‐Fiction. Award announcement
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fPdvMqafsM. 

  2. Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane Wins Top Canadian Children’s Book Award. 

    JANUARY 19, 2022 By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.
    https://www.albertanativenews.com/karen-pheasant-neganigwane-wins-top-canadian-childrens-book-award/ 

  3. Ontario Culture Days. Conversation between artists Tanya Linklater and Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane. (October 22, 2021).
    https://onculturedays.ca/tanya-and-karen-2021-oncd/

    During this conversation, Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane and Tanya Lukin Linklater share insights into their practices as artists, educators, and writers working within Indigenous performance methodologies. Reflecting on their ongoing relationships with one another, place, language, and those who have shaped their work over time, Pheasant-Neganigwane and Lukin Linklater carefully consider their personal processes of situating embodied practices in community and in the arts. They will speak to the Indigenous performance histories that ground their contemporary approaches, as well as the role of intergenerational exchange as a mode of learning. The conversation, with moderator Clare Butcher, takes place ahead of Lukin Linklater’s contribution to the 2022 edition of the Toronto Biennial of Art and the Culture Days Creatives in Residence Program.

  4. Aambe Giigididaa Wiikwemkoong - Let's Talk Wiikwemkoong - Ep.4 with Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane. (January 18, 2021).
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR9A9y2w-2s

    Community television of Wikwemikong, hosted by Kerry Assiniwe.

  5. Maamwi. Together. Ensemble. (2020). Laurentian University Alumni: Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane.
    https://laurentian.ca/alumni/newsletter/karen-pheasant-neganigwane

  6. Debajehmujig Storytellers.  Decolonizing our Rhythm: Shiibaash’igan Trek to Liberation. (September 29, 2020).
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zqGtNZRQrY&t=3s

    Song and dance have long held a compelling rhythmic space to Anishinaabek. Colonial laws and policies came into rule that stopped or had Anishinaabek hide their song and dance practices. In 1951, the federal government changed the Indian Act legislation of charging those who practiced cultural ways being “guilty of an indictable offense” (1895). Post White Paper (1969) & Red Paper (1970) times sparked Canada’s civil rights movement. Within this time also was an increase of reserve communities celebrating a renewed hope of liberation through song and dance, known as the – Powwow.

  7. Books & Ideas: Powwow, A Celebration with Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane | Calgary Public Library.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTnyrvTXlLc (August 2020).

    Author Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane chats with historian Cheryl Foggo about her new book and her personal experiences as a dancer. Books & Ideas is a regular virtual program at the Calgary Public Library,

  8. Baby Bundle Project: Traditional Knowledge Sharing. (August 2020)
    https://www.facebook.com/events/3359462040778672/?active_tab=discussion

    Join Karen, born and raised in Toronto, as she shares about her journey to come to a place of liberation, as an Anishinaabe kwe. Karen shares the Magic of her Traditional territory. Importance of reclaiming kinships system, how dance transformed her life and her recent book, Powwow: Celebration through Song and Dance

  9. Alberta Writer’s Guild. Powwow: A Celebration Through Song and Dance. (July 7, 2020)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYqBejc2IQ8&feature=youtu.be 
    • Streamed live on Jul 7, 2020

  10. University of New Mexico. Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. Covid-19: Concepts of Sickness and Wellness. (April, 2020).
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcL456mKlcM

    In the Wellness section is an interview with Anishinaabe author and educator Karen Pheasant Neganigwane, about the Jingle dress dance - additional interview content is upcoming regarding healing dance.

  11. Windspeaker: Powwow  A celebration through Song and Dance. (March 4, 2020) 
    http://www.cjwe.ca/news/news/powwow-a-celebration-through-song-and-dance/

    Anishninaabe author and educator Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane is a competitive powwow dancer who has crafted a narrative that tells the history of the powwow, a celebration of Indigenous culture that occurs throughout North America.

    In her upcoming book, Powwow A celebration through Song and Dance, Pheasant-Neganigwane describes the history of colonization and Indigenous resistance that culminated in the 19th century, while sharing her thoughts on protocols, regalia, songs, dances and even food that you can find at powwows from coast to coast, and the important role they play in Indigenous culture and reconciliation.

  12. Pow Wow Xperience (Aug 28, 2018)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=emb_rel_end&v=Kgm1HKPFzIc&list=RDCMUCR3uGP_koNLN7Oa91gJ1zjQ&fbclid=IwAR0qFQO9BTUuav7d5ReEz8-oa-laH2hs96kSE9xjCNWOCLLeByZH5zq3EDQ&app=desktop•

    Listen to three experienced pow wow participants as they describe how they joined pow wow and how you can too.

  13. Protect the Water. (May 11, 2017).
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_wXiU7NSTY

    Karen J Pheasant leads Jingle Dancers, Stephanie Evans, Winona LaDuke, and others on the sidewalk outside of the Metro Centre downtown Calgary where Enbridge is hosting its annual shareholders meeting. Their prayers and message is for all to unite to protect our water and our mother. Marci Cho to the drummers and dancers for allowing this to be recorded. May 11th, 2017. featuring Annie Humphrey singing and on drum. First Nations from Anishnabe Manitoulin Island, Cold Lake Dene First Nation, Athabasca Chipewyan, Treaty 7 and many other

  14. Warrior woman: . Karen Pheasant on Lifelong Learning, Yoga & Dealing with Modern Day Racism. (May 8, 2017).
    https://www.womenwarriors.club/s01e06-karen-pheasant/

    As the daughter of parents that survived residential school, Karen has witnessed and been a part of the economic and social tragedies of Indigenous peoples: the daughter of an alcoholic father, a high school drop out, and a young single mom. Her strong intuition that knowing one’s culture, kinship system, community and Indigenous identity saved her, and her children from the cycle of intergenerational trauma.

    The belief in herself, community and family support, and having Indigenous academic mentors allowed Karen to complete her Bachelor of Arts, master’s in education, and is currently enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Alberta.

    This episode, Karen shares the magic of her traditional territory, Manitoulin Island, the importance of reclaiming our kinship systems, how yoga transformed her life, and her experience running for Edmonton public school trustee.

    “One of the unfortunate realities, particularity of my parents time –both my parents are residential school survivors – they grew up with the stigmatism of dumb, stupid Indian. Them being my parents, I grew up with that too.” – Karen Pheasant

    “It takes a lot of courage and where I put my hand out and say I cannot do this alone. The truth of the matter is, we are like the eagles and the wolves, we are a society-based people – we don’t work in isolation, and we don’t work best that way.” – Karen Pheasant

  15. Making Edmonton:Karen. (April 4, 2017)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GLFCEausZ0&feature=emb_logo 
    Karen: Anishnaabe jingle dancer Karen reflects on family, education, reconciliation, and the everyday racism that Indigenous people face in our city.

  16. The Malady of the Jingle Dress? (January 27, 2013). By Karen Pheasant
    https://web.archive.org/web/20190320194613/https://www.acc-cca.com/research-page/archived-articles/the-malady-of-the-jingle-dress-by-karen-pheasant/  

  17. Sudbury Star Column: Catching up with my favourite Jingle Dancer. (April 12, 2015)
    https://www.thesudburystar.com/2015/04/12/catching-up-with-my-favourite-jingle-dancer-n-column-dance-has-opened-doors-for-manitoulins-karen-pheasant/wcm/81cd8bd0-9d74-4ac4-3cf5-3b3ad7a5e552

  18. The Promise: Transfer of the Anishinaabe Kwe dance to the Next Generation. (August 24, 2010). 
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKmWjn8nL9o

    The latest round-up of News From Indian Country on the Native News Update from the studios of IndianCountryTV.com on the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Reservation at Reserve, Wisconsin with host Paul DeMain.Today' Stories include: ICTV interviews Karen Pheasant on here first book on the Jingle Dress dance.

  19. Jingle Dress Interview with Anishinaabe scholar
    The Jingle Dress, a Modern Tradition An Interview with Brenda Child
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b36QFGTlajk 

    College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota
    The Ojibwe jingle dress is associated with healing and Brenda Child, a professor of American studies and American Indian studies, discovered that it arose from the global flu pandemic of 1918-19. She points out that that was also a time in which the United States outlawed ritualistic dancing, making the jingle dress dance a radical tradition from its beginning,