The Faculty of Science was pleased to welcome Kori Czuy from the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary as part of the Dean’s Seminar Series on November 28th. Dr. Lucy Lee, Dean of Science, introduced Kori to the large audience of 75+.
Her talk entitled, (Re)weaving frayed connections: the depth of science and mathematics knowings within Indigenous stories, shared the journey towards ethno (mathematics) through Indigenous ways of knowing. Her talk was engaging and offered many opportunities for questions and discussions.
Ethno (mathematics) makes space to reconnect the human with mathematics. It is a relationship that requires a reconnect after been lost or overlooked when imperialism and colonialism began to promote a mathematics that prioritized the abstract and focused on learning and truth as acquired through generalization and categorization. She used story as a way to reignite lost connections between humans, the land, community, and mathematics. Her research brings together students with Elders and community to experience the depth of knowledge within stories of land and culture, creating more relatable and holistic connections to the math and science that surrounds us all.
If you missed her presentation, you can view her talk in its entirety on UFV’s MediaSpace.
KORI’S BIOGRAPHY
Kori is Cree Métis Polish, born by the banks of the Peace River in Treaty 8 in Northern Alberta. Her roots are connected to both Red River Manitoba and North Battleford Saskatchewan, and her spirit now thrives amongst the prairies and mountains of Treaty 7. After graduating with a B.A. at the University of Calgary, Kori began to explore the world for almost a decade. She navigated between teaching and educational consulting jobs from Europe to Africa to Asia, and even circumnavigated the globe on a ship volunteering in multiple countries and met dignitaries such as Daniel Ortega and Fidel Castro to speak about peace and de-nuclearizing. But after working with local Indigenous children in central Malaysia, she was motivated to return to school and get a Master’s degree in Education and International Development (at the Institute of Education in London, England) to learn how to better support Indigenous ways of knowing within education. After completing her M.A., she decided to return to her home country, to learn from her own blood, land, and history.
Thank you to Shirley Hardman from the Indigenous Affairs Office and everyone from the Indigenous Student Centre in Chilliwack for assisting with Kori’s visit to CEP.
