Anita Lafferty

Anita Lafferty is a Research Associate at the Aurora Research Institute (part of Aurora College) and holds significant external appointments as a fellow with the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and elected council member for the International Arctic Social Science Association (IASSA).

Her academic foundation includes a PhD in Education from the University of Alberta (2022), where her doctoral research examined Indigenous curriculum perspectives grounded in Dene philosophy through land-based approaches.

Her scholarship centers on Indigenous ways of knowing, emphasizing land-based education, matriarchal wisdom, and the revitalization of language and story. She actively engages with Indigenous youth, Elders, and communities to amplify silenced voices and reimagine education through resurgence, focusing on identity, healing, and decolonial methodologies. Her work bridges traditional knowledge with contemporary educational frameworks to foster cultural continuity.

Her exceptional contributions have been recognized through prestigious awards:

• 2023 Bacchus Award
• 2022 Margaret “Presh” Kates Doctoral Award in Indigenous Education

As a storyteller and land-based researcher, she cultivates relationships across generations to co-create transformative educational spaces rooted in Dene Cree epistemologies.