Allies – Emily Anson

What does it mean to be an Ally? Being an Ally is about disrupting oppressive spaces by educating others on the realities and histories of marginalized people. The term ally means that you recognize the privilege that settler cultures have and take for granted. It also implies that you challenge and work towards breaking down those barriers that continue to violate Indigenous communities. Being an Ally requires social action, strength, courage, humility, and a support network.

In our new series, we talk to some of the people who are working alongside Indigenous students, researchers, and mentors in hopes of enacting some kind of tangible change. First up is Emily Anson, a PhD candidate in Anthropology, studying under the supervision and guidance of Dawn Martin-Hill.

Tell us a little about yourself, and what you are studying at Mac.

I am a career archaeologist and settler of the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora. I studied archaeology and anthropology at Wilfrid Laurier University for my undergraduate degree, then focused on the repatriation of cultural material to Indigenous communities for my Masters research at the University of Toronto. After 13 years as a field archaeologist I left my career to return to school, beginning my PhD in 2022.

Archaeology has deep, structural inequities and does not serve the Indigenous peoples whose material culture it studies, and I felt I could no longer continue to participate in such a system without attempting to change it. My focus is creating new frameworks for archaeology that involve collaborative work and the eventual rematriation (returning) of the discipline itself (including its design, practice, and implementation) to Indigenous communities.

What was it that drew you to archeology and anthropology?

My years in the field working alongside brilliant Indigenous archaeologists who are to this day not considered ‘real’ archaeologists by the ministry that controls archaeology in Ontario pushed me to return to school to research the deep problems with archaeology, and to pursue real solutions that could bring about tangible change to the discipline here.

Tell us about the research you’re doing.

My research has a few facets. One, my work with the Ohneganos project, first with adding archaeological site data to the Terrastories map, a counter-mapping initiative driven by Haudenosaunee elders and community that aims to make land data more accessible to all community members. My research with Ohneganos has since expanded into my work with Kaeliana Smoke, an Anthropology Masters student, interviewing knowledge keeper Norma Jacobs about the Peacemaker’s Journey and partnering with Canadian Geographic. My Ohneganos work contributes to my research goals as it is a beautiful example of Indigenous community-driven work in improving heritage data sovereignty and access.

I am also involved in a study which aims to explore barriers that Indigenous students and community members face when they wish to be involved in archaeology and heritage projects. In addition, I have recently joined a committee at McMaster focusing on returning ancestors currently housed at the university to their home communities.

What’s the most exciting thing about working on The Peacemaker’s Journey?

It is an unbelievable privilege to be able to speak with Norma about her wisdom and her travels. It is such an intimate experience and I feel like I am part of something truly beautiful and crucial. Being in this position allows me to listen and to hear in a way that traditional academic work often cannot. I am forever thankful to Dawn and Ohneganos for giving me a role in these important works.

Is there any one thing about your research that has surprised or amazed you?

The loving team and community we have built with Ohneganos astounds me every day. We are engaging in serious work and research that is crucial to our next steps as human beings and our resilience in the years to come, and yet at the same time there is so much love and intimacy and support amongst our researchers. This team is special, and I believe it is because of the value Ohneganos places on Indigenous knowledge and science and an ethos of interconnectedness. We are taking care of each other, just as we are working towards taking care of the planet.

What’s next for you on your academic journey?

My hope is that I can continue to participate in projects such as these and build on the intimate connections we have forged. My long-term goals are to affect real change for archaeology, even if that means that I as a settler archaeologist may have a smaller, different, or eventually nonexistent role in the archaeology of the future.