University College of the North Library Completes ‘Elder’s Traditional Knowledge’ Archive

(Thompson, MB) – The University College of the North (UCN) Wellington & Madeleine Spence Memorial Library at the Thompson campus completed a 16‐week long digitization project to create an online archive titled Elder’s Traditional Knowledge. The project in partnership with the Keewatin Tribal Council was made possible through the Libraries and Archives Canada’s funding Listen, Hear Our Voices. The initiative preserves valuable audio and video recordings that reflect Northern Manitoba’s Indigenous culture, heritage, and language.

“This project is exactly the kind of reconciliation effort that we need to engage in our libraries at UCN,” said UCN Associate VP, Reconciliation, Research & Academic Innovation, Harvey Briggs. “This project honours the past but looks toward the future of our Indigenous communities in northern Manitoba. We hope that this archive will grow and provide an excellent resource for all or students, researchers, and community members.” The digitized collections include interviews of elders produced in the early 2000s as part of UCN instructor Dr. Peter Geller’s course Kayas Acanohkiwina: Legends of Long Ago, conference
recordings and oral history material.

Through the Libraries and Archives Canada funding, UCN preserved material originally stored in fragile physical formats and built knowledge and capacity in digitizing cultural and language material.

The Elder’s Traditional Knowledge audio and video material is openly available to UCN and Northern Manitoba communities for educational and research purposes. Visit guides.ucn.ca/etk/home.

University College of the North provides learning opportunities to northern communities while respecting diverse Indigenous and northern values.