Anita Lafferty

Anita Lafferty, PhD ( Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kṹé First Nation) moves with the stories, teachings, and responsibilities passed down by her ancestors. Rooted in Dene Cree ways of knowing and being, she carries forward matriarchal wisdom, on-the-Land education, and the revitalization of language and story. She has a PhD in Education from the University of Alberta (2022). Her doctoral research examined approaches of Indigenous curriculum perspectives grounded in Dene philosophy on the Land. She was awarded the 2023 Bacchus Award and the 2022 Margaret “Presh” Kates Doctoral Awards in Indigenous Education for her doctoral dissertation. She is currently a fellow with the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and an elected council for the International Arctic Social Science Association (IASSA). Her research includes learning from/with the Land, Indigenous methodologies, identity, healing, and matriarchal wisdom. As a storyteller, educator, and land-based researcher, Anita’s journey is rooted in relationships—listening, learning, and co-creating spaces where Indigenous youth, Elders, and communities lead. She carries forward the responsibility of amplifying voices that have been silenced, reimagining education through land, story, and resurgence.