Indigenous Speaker Series: Jordan Wilson c̓əsnaʔəm, the city before the city (online)

Jordan Wilson belongs to the Musqueam Indian Band and is a curator and writer based in his ancestral homelands—what is now Vancouver, BC. He is a PhD candidate in anthropology at New York University.

Wilson will discuss his experiences and observations as a Musqueam community member and co-curator involved in producing the multi-site exhibition c̓əsnaʔəm, the city before the city. He will examine the issues present in the curation of a contemporary ethnographic (and ostensibly archaeological) exhibit, and the role of the curator—particularly a curator from the community represented—in such an endeavour. His talk will explore the question of balancing a community’s desire to right inaccurate historical representations of itself, while maintaining its privacy and control over knowledge. He will detail the challenges of respectfully approaching the representation of a collection of 10,000+ belongings (‘artefacts’) obtained through colonial displacement. Throughout, he will touch on Musqueam’s relationship with their ancestral territory and extensive history in this place.

The Indigenous Speaker Series is a series of insightful talks given by Indigenous scholars, writers, innovators, Elders, activists, storytellers and makers. These events are an occasion to amplify the voices and perspectives of Indigenous peoples and for participants to engage with speakers on issues impacting our communities. This series is organized by Indigenous Education and Services (IES) and the Teaching and Curriculum Development Centre (TCDC). On June 26, Eden Robinson will share an intimate look into the intricacies of family, culture, and place through her talk, The Sasquatch at Home: Traditional Protocols and Modern Storytelling.