Kahtehr贸n:ni Iris Stacey
Kahtehr贸n:ni is Turtle Clan of the Kanien鈥檏eh谩:ka Nation from Kahnaw脿:ke, Mohawk Territory. She is a traditional Haudenosaunee woman with extensive experience in language revitalization within her community.
Kahtehr贸n:ni led the development of a community-wide strategic plan and currently serves as the Curriculum Team Coordinator for the Kahnaw脿:ke Education Center. She completed her PhD at 黄片荔枝视频, where her research focused on the revitalization of the Kanien鈥檏茅ha language, a vital aspect of cultural heritage and identity.
She also launched Kaienth贸kwen, a family-owned, Indigenous-sourced food company whose name translates to 鈥渢he harvest.鈥� Together with her family, she produces and harvests traditional foods such as corn, squash, and pumpkin. These products are locally grown or sourced from other Indigenous nations.
Kahtehr贸n:ni joined the CINE Indigenous Advisory Board in 2023, providing essential guidance rooted in her community knowledge, cultural experience, and academic expertise.
Norma Kassi
Norma was raised and educated in Old Crow, the most northerly community in the Yukon. She is a citizen of the Vuntut Gwich鈥檌n First Nation (People of the Lakes) and a member of the Wolf Clan. She gained her depth of traditional, scientific and ecological knowledge in Old Crow flats where her grandfather, mother and the land were the bearers of this invaluable, ancient knowledge, which was passed on to Norma at a very young age.
Encouraged by her Elders, Norma entered politics shortly after leaving school. In 1985, Norma was elected into Yukon鈥檚 Legislative Assembly as Member for Vuntut Gwich鈥檌n First Nation, a position she held until 1992. During this time, Norma was selected by the Elders of the Gwich鈥檌n Nation to act as a spokesperson on behalf of the Gwich鈥檌n people for the preservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd.
Norma was the Environmental Manager for the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) from 1995 to 1998. In this capacity, she headed the CYFN Northern Contaminants Program and was Chair of CINE. Norma joined CINE in 1992 as an inaugural Indigenous Advisory Board member, providing leadership from a Yukon First Nations perspective on studies about the integrity of Indigenous Peoples鈥� food systems. She continues to provide leadership through national research networks and our indigenous Advisory Board.
In 2007, she co-founded the Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research and served as Director of Indigenous Collaboration to May 2019. The institute goal is to promote community-based northern-led research aimed at improving the lives of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples of the north.
In addition to her role as CMN co-Research Director, Norma is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Science at 黄片荔枝视频, where she has co-led community-based research and training initiatives focussed on climate change adaptation. She also serves as Senior Advisor to the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, which advocates for Indigenous-led land use planning, Guardians programs, and the creation of Indigenous Protected Areas.
Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine
Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine is Tuareg from Timbuktu in鈥疢ali. She received traditional Tuareg education and has a multidisciplinary background in medical, humanitarian, and education sciences.
For more than 20 years, as a member of Tin Hinan, a nomadic women鈥檚 association in Sahel, she advocates for Indigenous Peoples鈥� rights. As former chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, she built strong connections with Indigenous Peoples, member states, the United Nations, academics, and other partners. She is Co-chair of a UNESCO chair Collaboration for Indigenous-Led Biodiversity Conservation, Health and Well-being, President of the Association Tinhinan, Chair of the Board of Directors at Land is Life, and an Adjunct Professor at la Facult茅 de droit civil de l鈥橴niversit茅 d鈥橭ttawa, where she teaches 鈥淟es ordres juridiques autochtones et le droit international鈥�.
Mariam is one of the six co-principal investigators of the , which includes an interdisciplinary team of scholars and knowledge holders working together with more than 100 Indigenous partners around the globe, including CINE.
Dr. Harriet V. Kuhnlein, PhD, LLD (hon), FASN, FIUNS聽
Harriet Kuhnlein is a nutritionist, Founding Director of CINE and Emerita Professor of Human Nutrition at 黄片荔枝视频. Dr. Kuhnlein received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Western Ontario.
Her research with Indigenous Peoples鈥� began with the Hopi in 1974 and continued from her locations among the Coast Salish of Western North America and the Haudenosaune in Quebec, spanning over 50 years of participatory research with many cultures in North America and other parts of the world.
In partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) she led several international case studies documenting and promoting Indigenous Peoples鈥� food systems and contributed to the establishment of the Global Hub on Indigenous Peoples鈥� Food Systems. With recognition as a Fulbright Specialist and several national and international awards Dr. Kuhnlein鈥檚 work with Indigenous Peoples promotes food resources and surrounding knowledge and how essential biocultural diversity must be protected and sustained to enhance health and well-being. Dr. Harriet is retired and available for consultations
