2026
CRKN Virtual Conference: Creative Collaborations, Collective Momentum
Virtual
May 12 - 14, 2026
Reconciliation through Metadata: Naming the Unnamed in Residential School Photos
Tuesday May 12, 2026
From 2:00pm to 2:30pm
The University Archives and Special Collections (UASC) has four restricted photo albums that pertain to the students and staff at the Lebret Indian Industrial Residential School which closed in 1998. The school affected the Starblanket First Nation, Peepeekisis Cree Nation, Okanese First Nation, Little Black Bear First Nation, Standing Buffalo First Nation, and Métis people in and around Lebret, Saskatchewan, Canada.
After her hiring in 2024, Sadie Anderson found her grandfather in four different photos within these albums, all of which neither she nor her mother had seen before. This prompted the idea for a community engagement to ensure communities are aware of the existence of these photos, correct and enhance metadata records, and seek guidance for stewardship decisions around the photos while in keeping with traditional Indigenous protocols and practices. Jessica Ye was brought onto the project due to its metadata / digital component.
This presentation will share the results of this first engagement held in September 2025 along with reflections to improve future engagements. It will demonstrate the importance and necessity of incorporating Indigenous communities and Indigenous Knowledges into preservation practices and strategies in order to uphold Indigenous data sovereignty.
Community Engagement Team: Tim Hutchinson, Lindsay Stokalko, Alycia Bockus-Vanin, Cassius Goulet, Myles Shingoose, Dallas Pelly, Jenelle McArthur
kēhtē-ayak and Cultural Helpers: Cliff Davis, Gail Starr, Edith Starr, Beverley Poitras, Lawrence Pinay
Participants’ Nations: Starblanket First Nation, Peepeekisis Cree Nation, Okanese First Nation
