Dr. Onowa Whitinui

Biography

Onowa McIvor Whitinui is a professor in the Department of Indigenous Education at the University of Victoria. As a member of the NEȾOLṈEW̱ project, her research explores practices in adult Indigenous language learning (AILL) and how adult Indigenous learners contribute to the preservation of language within their communities. With a background as maskiko-nehinaw (Swampy Cree) and Scottish-Canadian, Onowa has deep roots in the communities of Norway House and Cross Lake in northern Manitoba. She is grateful to work on the traditional territories of the SENĆOŦEN lək̓ʷəŋən people. Holding the President's Chair in Research for Indigenous language revitalization, she co-leads a SSHRC Partnership Grant that collaborates with nine Indigenous community partners across Canada, focusing on understanding and enhancing the contributions of Indigenous adults to the revival of Indigenous languages. Aiming to develop a nation-wide portal, nilla.ca, her work connects various language revitalization efforts across Canada, emphasizing the importance of Indigenous language revitalization, additional language learning, and community-engaged scholarship.

Research Interests