UPEI appoints new dean of Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies
Dr. Angelina Weenie, from Sweetgrass Nation, Saskatchewan, has been appointed dean of the UPEI Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies (IKERAS) for a five-year term effective July 1, 2024.
Dr. Angelina Weenie, who is Cree (nehiyaw) and speaks Cree (y) dialect fluently, is a tenured associate professor at the First Nations University of Canada, where she served as a department head from 2002–2012 and program coordinator of Indigenous education from 2016–2018.
Her research and teaching interests lie in Indigenous epistemology, culturally responsive pedagogy, approaches to Indigenous language reclamation, land-based pedagogy, and research methods with Indigenous peoples.
As part of a Global Academic Teacher Education (GATE) partnership, Dr. Weenie and representatives from nine countries are exploring changes to teacher education from a global Indigenous perspective. She was an invited speaker at the GATE conference in 2023 in Belgium to share recent advances in this work.
Among her leadership contributions, Dr. Weenie has co-developed a Master of Indigenous Language Education (MILED) program in partnership with the University of Regina. She has also contributed to the development of a new Master of Indigenous Education (MIED).
Dr. Weenie has recently co-authored a book, Dance Your Style: Cree Pedagogy. It outlines how Indigenous people can successfully advance Indigenous knowledge in education and research. The book analyses the various roles of First Nations communities and Elders in making space for Indigenous knowledge in universities.
Dr. Weenie holds a BEd (1979), BA (1989) in English, postgraduate diploma (1996) in Indian and Northern Education, and MEd (2002), all from the University of Saskatchewan, and a PhD (2010) in Education from the University of Regina.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome Dr. Weenie to UPEI,” said Dr. Greg Naterer, Vice-President, Academic and Research. “The Faculty of IKERAS has achieved extraordinary success since its inception. I look forward to working with her as the faculty continues to grow and build positive momentum in partnerships with Indigenous communities in the province.”
Dr. Naterer thanked Professor Erin Reid, interim dean of IKERAS since January 2024, and Dr. Gary Evans, inaugural interim dean, for their leadership of IKERAS.
The Faculty of IKERAS was created by the UPEI Board of Governors in November 2021 as one of the first steps on the University’s journey of reconciliation and in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action. IKERAS brings Indigenous knowledge and ways of doing to the forefront of the University, positioning UPEI as a leader to achieve decolonization and benefit from Indigenous knowledge.
