About Us

Willie Wilson

Elder and former chief

Art Hunter

Historical consultant & Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre guide

Art Hunter is from Manitou Rapids, Rainy River First Nations. Art began contributing to the Story Nations project as an interpreter at Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre in 2012. He is interested in learning more about the seven distinct communities that became Rainy River First Nations, and is passionate about preserving and sharing community histories.

Sarina Annis

Researcher

Sarina grew up in a small town two hours west of Toronto and now lives in Kitchener, on the Haldimand Tract. She is a PhD student at the University of Toronto’s Department for the Study of Religion, and her dissertation looks at the history of missionary religion in Treaty 3 territory. She travelled to Rainy River in 2019.

Krista Barclay

Researcher

Krista grew up in eastern Ontario and currently lives in Williams Treaties First Nations territory. Krista’s doctoral research in the Department of History at the University of Manitoba focused on family and community memory and the migration of Indigenous Hudson’s Bay Company families. In 2019 Krista became a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto, joining the Story Nations project and visiting Manidoo Ziibi for the first time.

Judith Ellen Brunton

Writer, researcher, and audio technician

Judith’s current project explores how legacies of oil extraction allow for specific contemporary imaginaries of the good life in Alberta. She grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and she is now a PhD candidate in the study of religion at the University of Toronto. Judith traveled to the Rainy River in 2015, 2016, and 2019.

Kyle Byron

Researcher and photo editor

Kyle’s doctoral research examines the linguistic and affective dimensions of “persecution” in the practice of street and campus preaching. He is from Alma, Michigan, and is currently a PhD student at department for the study of religion at the University of Toronto. Kyle traveled to the Rainy River in 2019.

Gregory Peter Fewster

Editor of the critical digital edition

Gregory’s research focuses on the texts and book cultures of the ancient Mediterranean, especially in early Christianity. His dissertation investigated the practices and politics of determining the authenticity of Paul’s letters. He is from London, Ontario, and is currently a SSHRC postdoctoral fellow. Greg completed his PhD in religion at the University of Toronto in 2019.

Keith Garrett

Content curator, researcher and writer

Keith’s research interests are in law and treaty history in Canada. He is from Toronto, graduated from the University of Toronto with a double major in History and Economics, and is now in law school at the University of Toronto. He has won the University of Toronto Excellence Award for his work on this website. Keith traveled to the Rainy River in 2018.

Suzanne van Geuns

Copy editor and design consultant

Suzanne’s research investigates how the internet launches socially conservative futures, looking at conservative Christian, antifeminist, and white nationalist online movements. She is from Den Haag, in the Netherlands, and came to the University of Toronto for a PhD in religion. Suzanne traveled to the Rainy River in 2019.

Magdalene Klassen

Researcher and editor

Magdalene’s research interests are in the history of immigration and the British Empire. From Toronto originally, she graduated from McGill University with a double honours in German and History, and is now a PhD student in History at John Hopkins University in Baltimore. Magdalene traveled to the Rainy River in 2018.

Roxanne Korpan

Content curator

Roxanne’s dissertation research focuses on the translation, publication, and distribution of Indigenous-language bibles in nineteenth-century Canada. She is from Regina, Saskatchewan, and she is currently pursuing PhD research in religion at the University of Toronto. Roxanne traveled to the Rainy River in 2019.

Christina E. Pasqua

Art and Visual Design

Christina is from Ottawa, born to a first generation immigrant from Nicaragua and a second generation Italian Canadian. She now studies at the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto. Her PhD research focuses on visual translations of the Bible. Christina traveled to the Rainy River in 2018 and 2019.

Audrey Rochette

Indigenous Relations Consultant

Audrey  is  Anishinaabe  from Waabadowgang, Whitesand  First Nation. Her passion for Indigenous relations was cultivated through her roles in the Indigenous community as  Senior Development Officer with  Indspire and  imagineNATIVE  Film + Media, the largest Indigenous film festival in the world. Audrey completed her MA in Religion in 2020 with a project on decolonizing museums through Indigenous voices, language, and ceremonies. She now works at the University of Toronto as an Indigenous Partnerships & Relations Specialist at Woodsworth College. Audrey traveled to the Rainy River in 2016 and 2018 and won a University of Toronto Excellence Award for her contributions to this website.

Kate Stoehr

Curriculum Resource Design

Kate is a master’s student at the University of Toronto’s Department for the Study of Religion. She is from Windsor, Ontario and has lived in Toronto for six years. Her current project looks at the influence of the Christian worldview on the colonial state’s policies of assimilation related to agriculture in the 19th century.

Russell Turner

Researcher and writer

Russell is from Alberta and currently works for Parks Canada as an Ecosystem Scientist. He researches and monitors species-at-risk within Wapusk National Park in Churchill, Manitoba, with a particular focus on the Cape Churchill Caribou herd. He also works as a scientific advisor on various Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area proposals in Manitoba. Russell traveled to the Rainy River in 2015 as an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto.

Valeria Vergani

Researcher

Valeria was born and raised in Verona, Italy. She completed her BA at Quest University Canada, in Squamish territory, before moving to Toronto in 2018 to join the Department for the Study of Religion. Valeria’s research focuses on the contemporary interfaith movement on Turtle Island, exploring the representation and leadership of Indigenous spiritual traditions in interreligious gatherings and interreligious dialogue.

Meaghan Weatherdon

Researcher and writer

Meaghan’s research is on the journey of Nishiiyuu, a social movement in which Cree and Inuit youth from Great Whale River, Quebec travelled 1600 km by foot to Canada’s capital Ottawa. She is from Ottawa, and is working on her PhD in the study of religion at the University of Toronto. Meaghan traveled to the Rainy River in 2015, 2016, and 2018.