Shows
The True CanadiansHarrison Ford Need Not ApplyPopular culture often equates archeology with the trials and tribulations of Hollywood blockbusters like Indiana Jones. But when it comes researching Métis history, the film’s star Harrison Ford need not apply. Instead, the Métis look to researchers like Kisha Supernant, who uses digital spatial data instead of whips to find such archival treasures as beadwork instead of gold chests. Like Indiana Jones, Supernant takes her research to the field, not for adventure and mayhem but, sadly, to use ground-penetrating radar to discover unmarked graves at former residential schools.Of Métis descent, Supernant is the D...
2025-07-091h 02
IdeasHer job is to find buried children at residential schoolsMétis archeologist Kisha Supernant was sometimes called a 'grave robber' when she started her line of work. With an eye to restorative justice, she tries to help Indigenous communities locate the graves of children who died at residential schools. Now, she's called on to find children's graves. In this public lecture, Supernant explains how the use of traditional knowledge systems, as well as cutting-edge ground radar techniques helps families find their loved ones. The work also allows communities to begin healing. It’s a science, she says, of the heart and head.
2025-05-1254 min
SSH: The PodcastEpisode 11: Indigenous-Engaged ArchaeologyIn this episode, we chat with Professor Kisha Supernant about Indigenous-led and community-engaged archaeology, and the work of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology (IPIA). Dr Supernant is the Director of the IPIA and a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alberta. The IPIA Guide to Good Relations when working with Indigenous communities is being released this month.
2025-04-2214 min
The Archaeology Podcast Network FeedIndigenous Archaeology: Reclaiming Narratives of the Past - Plains 07In this episode of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, host Carlton Shield Chief Gover dives into the field of Indigenous Archaeology, exploring its roots, principles, and growing impact on the discipline. Indigenous Archaeology is more than just a methodology; it’s a movement to reclaim and represent the histories of Indigenous communities in ways that honor their perspectives and sovereignty. Carlton unpacks how this approach emerged, shaped by Indigenous scholars, activists, and allies who advocate for a respectful, community-centered archaeology that reflects the voices and values of Native peoples. He discusses how Indigenous Archaeology reshapes research practices, challenges traditional na...
2024-11-1426 min
The Great Plains Archaeology PodcastIndigenous Archaeology: Reclaiming Narratives of the Past - Ep 07In this episode of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, host Carlton Shield Chief Gover dives into the field of Indigenous Archaeology, exploring its roots, principles, and growing impact on the discipline. Indigenous Archaeology is more than just a methodology; it’s a movement to reclaim and represent the histories of Indigenous communities in ways that honor their perspectives and sovereignty. Carlton unpacks how this approach emerged, shaped by Indigenous scholars, activists, and allies who advocate for a respectful, community-centered archaeology that reflects the voices and values of Native peoples. He discusses how Indigenous Archaeology reshapes research practices, challenges traditional na...
2024-11-1426 min
National Trust for Canada - Heritage is Living PodcastHeritage and Reconciliation with Dr. Kisha SupernantOn this episode, we are exploring the connection between heritage conservation and Reconciliation with Dr. Kisha Supernant.
Guest Bio
Dr. Kisha Supernant (Métis/Papaschase/British) is the Director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology and a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alberta. An award-winning teacher, researcher, and writer, her research interests include the relationship between cultural identities, landscapes, and the use of space, Métis archaeology, and heart-centered archaeological practice. Her research with Indigenous communities (including Métis and First Nations) in western Canada expl...
2024-10-2248 min
SORAPODSORA Circus Pt 1The three SORAteers are back together for a two-part episode looking back on Season 1 of SORA-pod and getting ready for Season 2! Reflecting on feedback and guests’ observations from the first season, part 1 of this episode considers how themes of power and knowledge, activism and scholarship, and community and imagination emerged interconnectedly across the episodes. The three hosts consider how this is reflected in everyday and academic contexts like the AAA, in what can be known and seen and what is not, and what alternative ways to organize and produce knowledge could be – time for SORA-com(mune)!
For a tr...
2024-07-021h 03
WetwiredPremium Episode 29: The World’s Oldest Pyramid? feat Bill Farley and Steph Halmhofer (Unlocked)A few weeks ago a paper was published in the journal Archaeological Prospection that the Gunung Padang site in Indonesia is not, as is generally believed, around 2 thousand years old. And that it is actually closer to 20,000 years old.
For $5 a month, you can help support the show and listen to our full premium episodes. You'll also get access to all of our past subscriber only episodes, which is pretty cool.
https://www.patreon.com/wetwired
This claim was first floated back in 2014 but was largely disregarded for a few reasons. This 2023 paper seems like it’s mostly trying to vi...
2023-12-021h 49
2 Crees in a PodSearching for our relatives with Dr. Kisha Supernant2 Crees in Pods invites Kisha into a conversation to discuss her work with the search for unmarked graves at Indian Residential Schools. We explored how this spirit work invites us to find ourselves and mourn collectively through this process.
2023-04-241h 34
Earth AncientsDr. Paulette Steeves: The Indigenous History of North AmericaThe Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere is a reclaimed history of the deep past of Indigenous people in North and South America during the Paleolithic. Paulette F. C. Steeves mines evidence from archaeology sites and Paleolithic environments, landscapes, and mammalian and human migrations to make the case that people have been in the Western Hemisphere not only just prior to Clovis sites (10,200 years ago) but for more than 60,000 years, and likely more than 100,000 years.Steeves discusses the political history of American anthropology to focus on why pre-Clovis sites have been dismissed by the field for nearly a century. She...
2023-04-081h 34
Let's PauseFirst Nation and Indigenous Peoples ReconciliationOn this episode of Let's Pause, we explore the intersectionality of racial and ethnic identity in First Nation Indigenous peoples and historical traumas beset by colonialization. Join us as we welcome Dr. Kisha Supernant, Director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archeology and Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta. As an indigenous and First Nation member of the Metis, she is uniquely poised to educate and connect cultural identities, "kinscapes," and the cartographies of deep time relevant to the Pacific Northwest (and to us all). Dr. Supernant leads us in a discussion of the use o...
2022-09-1544 min
CANADALANDDigging For DoubtOstensibly the idea was to do media criticism. That is what the article in the National Post, The Year Of The Graves, set out to do; to hold the press to account and to correct errors that occurred in the reporting of the discoveries of unmarked graves at former Indigenous residential schools.But that was not its impact.Featured in this episode: Terry Glavin, author of Year Of The Graves and National Post columnist; Karyn Pugliese, executive editor at National Observer; Robert Jago, freelance writer and entrepreneur.Further reading:The year of...
2022-06-0644 min
The CRM Archaeology PodcastBooks that Shaped Your Career - Ep 240Archaeologists read a lot but most of what we read does not change way we view and practice archaeology. On today's show, our hosts talk about the books that shaped our careers.Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimagingInterested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.Start your own podcast with Zencastr and get 30% off...
2022-06-0158 minThe Archaeology Podcast Network FeedBooks that Shaped Your CareerArchaeologists read a lot but most of what we read does not change way we view and practice archaeology. On today's show, our hosts talk about the books that shaped our careers.Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimagingInterested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Zencastr makes it really easy! Click this message for more info.Start your own podcast with Zencastr and get 30% off...
2022-06-011h 03
Talking CultureA Heart-Centered PracticeThis week Meghan talks to Dr. Kisha Supernant and Dr. Natasha Lyons about a heart-centered practice of archaeology and the book they co-edited Archaeologies of the Heart. They examine the ways in which we can make room for care, emotion, and relationality alongside rigour in our work and how the seemingly simple idea of beginning from the heart can radically change the way we practice archaeology.Dr. Kisha Supernant is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and Director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology at the University of Alberta. You...
2022-02-241h 00
RadioCIAMSSAPIENS Talk Back: Archaeology and Social JusticeThe Archaeology Centers Coalition and RadioCIAMS present “SAPIENS Talk Back”: eight conversations with students and scholars that expand upon the insights of Season 4 of the SAPIENS podcast entitled “Our Past is the Future.” In this episode, we welcome the featured guests of Episode 3 of SAPIENS Season 4: Dr. Kisha Supernant, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alberta and Director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology, and Lenora McQueen, an activist who has worked tirelessly to preserve the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground in Richmond.
“SAPIENS Talk Back” was developed in collaboration with the Indigenous Archaeology...
2022-02-2440 min
SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything HumanAt the Heart of It AllFor its practitioners, archaeology can feel like it is unearthing events deep in the past … until it doesn’t. What is the experience of researchers who discover their life stories are tied to an archaeological site? Dr. Kisha Supernant and Lenora McQueen share their journeys to the unmarked graves of First Nations and Métis peoples and African American burial grounds, respectively, and how their connections to their ancestors transform their work.
(00:00:16) The Truth and Reconciliation Commission seeks to understand what happened at Indian residential schools.
(00:01:02) Dr. Kisha Supernat introduces her work as a Méthis archaeo...
2022-02-1625 min
First Voices Radio10/31/21 - Dr. Kisha Supernant, Leya HaleIn the first segment, Host Tiokasin Ghosthorse welcomes Dr. Kisha Supernant. She is Métis, Papaschase and British and the Director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology at the University of Alberta. An award-winning teacher, researcher, and writer, her research interests include Indigenous archaeology, the use of digital technologies in archaeology, and heart-centered archaeological practice. She is the Director of the Exploring Métis Identity Through Archaeology (EMITA) project, a collaborative research project which takes a relational approach to exploring the material past of Métis communities, including her own family, in western Canada. ...
2021-11-0157 min
Go Dig a HoleGDAH Halloween 2021 Double HeaderHappy Halloween!
This year we decided to bring double the fun with TWO NEW EPISODES of the Go Dig a Hole podcast. There are also TWO WAYS TO LISTEN: episodes 81 and 82 are available individually and as an all-in-one double header! The double-header is linked above.
EPISODE 81 - Archaeology in Folk Horror and Haunting w/ Travis Corwin
Individual show link:
First up, Travis Corwin tells a frightening tale of an archaeological site in the murky swamps of Florida where horrifying events happened to the archaeologist who worked there. Travis also discusses the idea of "haunting" as a way to relate traumatic...
2021-11-012h 09Go Dig a HoleGDAH Ep81 - Archaeology in Folk Horror and Haunting w/ Travis CorwinFirst up, Travis Corwin tells a frightening tale of an archaeological site in the murky swamps of Florida where horrifying events happened to the archaeologist who worked there. Travis also discusses the idea of "haunting" as a way to relate traumatic events of the past being temporal anomalies that shatter linear concepts of time and our relationships to the past. PLUS, he had "City of the Dead" (1960) playing on a massive projector behind him so Chris could watch a classic folk horror movie.
LINKS:
Follow Travis Corwin on Twitter www.twitter.com/leftistdadjokes
Eleanor Scott 'Randall's Round' (1929) https://hauntedlibraryblog.blogspot...
2021-11-011h 03
ECAMP PodcastS02E06 | Examining a pan-Latinx identity & Indigenous burials in Blackmud Creek RavineLuciana Erregue shares her story of immigrating to Edmonton from Argentina and considers the notions of race & a shared Latinx identity. Then, Dr. Kisha Supernant discusses her work with the Papaschase Nation in the Kaskitayo neighbourhood.
2021-07-1049 min
The Extreme History Project: The Dirt on the PastFeminism and Gender in Archaeology with Meg ConkeyJoin us for a deep dive into gender and feminism in archaeology with archaeologist, Meg Conkey. Meg is professor emerita of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley and is known for introducing feminist perspectives into archaeology. We discuss her early work with Janet Spector, Joan Gero, and others to bring women and gender into the study of archaeology and what it means to do archaeology as a feminist.
To learn more:
Engendering Archaeology: Women and Prehistory edited by Margaret Conkey and Joan Gero
What this Awl Means: Feminist Archaeology at a Wahpeton Dakota...
2021-06-281h 25
This MattersHow radar technology found the unmarked graves of 215 Indigenous children, renewing calls for more searches and truthAn Indigenous archaeologist reflects on the discovery in Kamloops, explains how radar technology helps find burial sites in a culturally respectful way and the reckoning that will follow in finding the full truth behind Canada’s residential school system. Guest: Kisha Supernant, Director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology and associate professor at the University of Alberta
2021-06-0216 min
A Life In RuinsSAA 86th Annual Conference: An Indigenous Response
In this special edition of the A Life in Ruins Podcast, Carlton co-hosts an episode with Emily Van Alst, Ash Boydston-Schmidt, and Kay Mattena. The four discuss the recent SAA controversy surrounding the "Curation, Repatriation, and Accessibility: Vital Ethical Conversations" session. Specifically, the “Has Creationism Crept Back into Archaeology?” presentation.The four Indigenous scholars discuss their thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the content of the presentation, their disappointment in the SAA for platforming the talk, the future of the SAA, and how the society can improve its ethics and better support its Indigenous scholars.Lastly, they...
2021-05-021h 09
Foreign Countries4.1 Latest Research on the Peopling of North America: Fluted Points & Migrations in the Ice-Free Corridor, Canada.Support future seasons of the show: https://patron.podbean.com/ForeignCountries
Buy Foreign Countries a coffee:
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Prof. Jack Ives, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Alberta.
https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/jives
Dr. Gabriel Yanicki, Curator of Western Archaeology, Canadian Museum of History.
https://www.historymuseum.ca/learn/research/
Assoc. Prof. Kisha Supernant, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Alberta.
https://sites.ualberta.ca/~sup...
2021-05-0238 min
Heritage VoicesReclaiming Culture Through Archaeology - Ep 49Today’s podcast features Honey Constant (Sturgeon Lake First Nation), a Masters Student at the University of Saskatchewan and Senior Interpretive Guide at Wanuskewin Heritage Park. We travel through her journey as an Indigenous woman towards a career in Plains Indigenous public archaeology. A few of the topics we cover include Indigenous representation, intergenerational trauma from residential schools, as well as reconciliation, Indigenous Place Names, and navigating virtual vs. in person consultations, interviews, and education during the COVID-19 pandemic.LinksHoney Constant's WebsiteHoney’s InstagramHoney’s TwitterWanusk...
2021-03-1648 min
masinahikan iskwêwak – Book Women PodcastSeason 2 Episode 10 - Kisha SupernantThis week, the aunties hang out with Métis scholar and Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alberta Dr. Kisha Supernant. We talk: maps, emotional labour, archeology, anthropology, cousins, and more!
Connect with her in one of the following ways:
Her blog: metisarchaeologist
Twitter: @archaeomapper
Email: kisha.supernant@ualberta.ca
Other things we chatted about:
Archaeologies of the Heart edited by K. Supernant, J.E. Baxter, N. Lyons, and S. Ataly
Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology
Rupertsland Centre for Métis Research
CBC Article on Kisha's work with resid...
2021-01-0551 min
Keeping it Riel with the Youth TeamMétis Archaeology - Kisha SupernantHappy Métis Monday! This episode features Métis archaeologist, Kisha Supernaut. Join our conversation where we learn about the practice of archaeology, how Kisha uses Indigenous understandings of the world to inform her work, and the significance her work has on contemporary Métis issues.Kisha's Email -- kisha.supernant@ualberta.caKisha's Twitter -- @archaeomapper & @UofA_IPIA
2020-09-1442 minHeritage VoicesIndigenous Archaeology as Practice - Ep 35On today’s episode Jessica hosts Dr. Kisha Supernant (Métis), Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta. You may remember Dr. Supernant from Heritage Voices Episode 30 on Cultural Landscapes. Dr. Supernant talks about how the indigenous experience in Canada differs from that in the US, including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We also talk about Métis identity and how it has been largely misunderstood. Finally, we talk about archaeology and identity, the real and complicated consequences of archaeology, and how to do archaeology right no matter the location and associated communities by working through an Arch...
2019-11-191h 13
MEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairsConfronting History, Unmaking HeroesGiven how all of our Summer Series shows dig deep into our archives, perhaps it’s only fitting that our first episode of the season explores history and heroes. Although, as you’ll hear, what constitutes the latter is certainly in the eye of the beholder. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): Kisha Supernant, anthropological archaeologist and associate professor at the University of Alberta; Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s Department of Drama and Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University; Lakota activist and communications professional Taté Walker...
2019-06-2750 minHeritage VoicesCultural Landscapes Panel SAA2019 - Ep 30On today’s episode Jessica hosts a panel at the 2019 Society of American Archaeology conference on Cultural Landscapes. Panelists include Dr. Kisha Supernant (Métis) Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, Wade Campbell (Diné), Ph.D. student at Harvard, Michelle La Pena, attorney, writer, and former Pit River Tribal Councilwoman, Dr. Sean Gantt, Director of Education at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Kassie Rippee, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Coquille Indian Tribe, and Briece Edwards, Deputy THPO for the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde. Some of the considerations discussed include cultural landscapes and movement, landscape change through time and...
2019-06-1855 min
Let's Find Out8 – How We Know What’s True (Live)Under an avalanche of fake news and misinformation, it seems more important than ever to understand how we know what’s true. On March 11, 2017 we brought out a panel of speakers to The Needle Vinyl Tavern in Edmonton. They answered audience questions about how they know what’s true in their field.
Our panelists:
– Dr. Kisha Supernant (Métis Anthropology Professor & Archaeologist)
– Dave Cournoyer (Writer/Political Watcher at daveberta.ca)
– Sarah Hoyles (Producer behind the ECAMP podcast on Edmonton history)
More information at http://letsfindoutpodcast.com.
2017-03-291h 20
Let's Find OutMarch 11 – Let’s Find Out Goes Live At The Needle!Have you been digging listening to Let’s Find Out? Then come bring your history questions to an all-ages live taping!
We’ve got an amazing panel of speakers coming out to The Needle Vinyl Tavern in Edmonton on March 11:
– Dr. Kisha Supernant (Métis Anthropology Professor & Archaeologist)
– Dave Cournoyer (Writer/Political Watcher at daveberta.ca)
– Sarah Hoyles (Producer behind the Edmonton City as Museum Project podcast on Edmonton history)
I’ll be asking them how they know what’s true in their field. And you’ll have a chance to submit your questions ab...
2017-02-1601 minMEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairsWhy is Canada so obsessed with long-lost white explorers?According to The Guardian, it's a discovery that "challenges the accepted history behind one of polar exploration’s deepest mysteries." This week, 168 years after it sank, a ship once captained by the famous British explorer Sir John Franklin seems to have finally been found. Known as the HMS Terror, it was one of two large crafts used by the ill-fated Franklin expedition, now the stuff of legend for both Britain and its colonial offspring, Canada. But amidst these tales of Terror's ruin and reported recovery in Arctic waters, we might ask where Arctic people fit into all of this. Ou...
2016-09-1525 min