UWinnipeg’s Sanford Riley Fellow Dr. Susan Hill is a Haudenosaunee citizen (Mohawk Nation/Wolf Clan) and lives at the Grand River Territory (Six Nations). She is an Associate Professor in the departments History and First Nations Studies and director of First Nations Studies at the University of Western Ontario. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Native Studies from Trent University, an MA in American studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Michigan. Her research interests include Haudenosaunee land history, Indigenous research methodologies, Indigenous archives and ethics and Native education.

The archival records of the Department of Indian Affairs document both Canada’s oppression of Indigenous communities as well as Indigenous resistance to assimilation policies.  Dr. Hill spoke about a project undertaken by First Nations Studies at the University of Western Ontario to improve access to Indian Affairs records held by Library and Archives Canada.  The goals of the project include making information available to First Nations communities in Southern Ontario, developing collaborative research projects between university and community scholars, and promoting a better understanding of the shared territories and histories of First Nations communities of Southern Ontario.

The Riley Fellowship in Canadian History promotes the study and dissemination of Canadian history. This fellowship is awarded annually to a scholar or scholars of Canadian history interested in pursuing and sharing their interest in the study of Canada with the faculty and students at the University of Winnipeg and interested members of the community. The Department of History, University of Winnipeg is responsible for selection of the Riley Fellows and the administration of the programme.

Funding for the Riley Fellowship in Canadian History is made possible through a generous endowment from Sandy Riley of Winnipeg who is an enthusiastic student of the history of Canada. He is a former Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg and a vigorous supporter of Canada’s National History Society.