Chelsea Forseth

Topic

Telling My Auto EthnoGRAPHIC Story through My Drawings of Stó:lō and Sq'éwqel Archival History

Anthropology

Date & location

• Thursday, December 21, 2023

• 9:00 A.M.

• Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Andrea Walsh, Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria (Co-Supervisor)

• Dr. Alex Boudreault-Fournier, Department of Anthropology, UVic (Co-Supervisor)

• Dr. Keith Carlson, Department of History, UVic (Non-unit Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Fiona McDonald, Community, Culture and Global Studies, University of British Columbia Okanagan 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Sonya Bird, Department of Linguistics, UVic

Abstract

I used visual research methods such as drawing for inquiry and creating auto ethnographic multimedia graphic stories about my experiences with Seabird Island First Nation and Stó:lō First Nation archival history (including archival audio recordings and photos), my reflections, and memories as a Sq'éwqel Seabird Island community member. Archie Charles’ oral stories from the Seabird Island Strength of Claim Project Database are central to this project. I explored drawing as a research method to establish a personal connection with archival history and community and create community-accessible resources for future education initiatives. Through this research, I found that I, the participant/researcher, became very curious and inspired by the inquiry, which forged a stronger connection to my community. In sharing my Indigenous graphic stories, I hope to find a way to educate on the diversity of Indigenous perspectives and engage readers in a way that connects them to Indigenous archival history and culture. These findings will be put forward to create unique Sq'éwqel Seabird Island First Nation educational programming.