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Lorna Williams

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Lorna Williams, OBC, OC (born 1947 or 1948) also known as Wánosts’a7, is an educator, scholar, filmmaker, and respected Indigenous elder known for her contributions to Indigenous language revitalization and Indigenous education. She is a member of Lilʼwat First Nation of Mount Currie, British Columbia and a Ucwalmícwts speaker.[1] She is professor emerita at the University of Victoria where she was Canada Research Chair in Indigenous knowledge and learning in the faculties of Education and Linguistics.[2] She is past chair of First Peoples' Cultural Council.[3] She sits as an observer on UNESCO's Global Task Force for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.[4]

Early Life and Education

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As a child, Williams attended first an Indian Day School and then residential school at Saint Joseph's Mission, where her Ucwalmícwts language was lost. When she returned home, community elders helped her relearn her language and she became an English interpreter in her community.[5]

Williams earned a Bachelor's degree from Simon Fraser University and a Doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Tennessee. [6]

Work

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In 1972, Williams was part of a small group of parents who converted the local Indian Day School into the Xetólacw Community School in Mount Currie, the second school converted to band-controlled in all of Canada. In order to teach the bilingual and bicultural curriculum that the community wanted, Williams helped develop a writing system for the Ucwalmícwts language as well as a teacher training program and curriculum materials in both Ucwalmícwts and English. [7] [8]

Williams was part of the Constitution Express movement in 1980-82, [7] [9] which advocated for the inclusion of Indigenous rights in the Constitution Act 1982 when Canada's constitution was patriated from the UK. [10]

Starting in 1984, she worked as a First Nations Education Specialist with the Vancouver School Board. [9] [11] She spent three years as Director of the Aboriginal Education Enhancement Branch at the BC Ministry of Education, directing research, policy, and implementation in all areas of education for Indigenous students.[12] Williams' work in Vancouver schools is the subject of the documentary The Mind of a Child, which she co-produced and which won a Canada Award at the 1997 Geminis. The film follows Williams' research into Reuven Feuerstein's education methods for child survivors of the Holocaust, and her work adapting these for First Nations education. [11] [13]

Williams was board chair of the First Peoples' Cultural Council during the development of the first FirstVoices typing apps [3] and the Our Living Languages exhibit with the Royal BC Museum.[14]

In 2004, Williams joined the University of Victoria as the founding Director of Aboriginal Education. [15] In 2008 she began a Canada Research Chair position and Onowa McIvor became the new Director of what was now called Indigenous education.[16] Dr. Williams led the creation of undergraduate and graduate degrees in Indigenous Language Revitalization, and a Master's in Counselling in Indigenous Communities.[5]

She created a required course in Indigenous Education for all teacher education programs at the university, and co-chaired a task force for the BC Deans of Education to require all BC teacher education programs to include an Indigenous education course.[2] She co-chaired a Canadian Deans of Education report to achieve the same federally.[17]

She retired from the university at the end of 2013.[16] She works around the world as a teacher, mentor, and education consultant, including with the UNESCO Decade of Indigenous Languages.[2][4]

Publications

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Books

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  • Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science With Western Science, Book 1 (2016), ed. with Gloria Snively
  • Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science With Western Science, Book 2 (2016), ed. with Gloria Snively
  • Sima7: Come Join Me (1991) [18] ISBN 0-88865-077-9
  • Exploring Kingfisher Lake With Elaine (1986) [19] ISBN 0-88894-907-3
  • Exploring Mount Currie (1984) [20]
  • Cuystwí malh Ucwalmícwts: Lillooet Legends and Stories. (1981) ed. with Martina Larochelle and Jan van Eijk [21] ISBN ISBN 0-920938-03-5
  • Cuystwí malh Ucwalmícwts: Ucwalmícwts curriculum for intermediates (1979), with Jan van Eijk and Gordon Turner ISBN 0-920938-01-9.

Films

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  • The Mind of a Child: Working with Children Affected by Poverty, Racism and War (1995) [11]
  • First Nations: The Circle Unbroken (1993) [22]

Awards and Honors

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References

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  1. ^ a b Barde, Joel (13 January 2020). "Lil'wat Nation member awarded Order of Canada". Pique Newsmagazine.
  2. ^ a b c d "Lorna Williams, Fellow 2021". www.trudeaufoundation.ca. Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b Brennan, William (12 June 2013). "A Lifeline for Endangered Languages". The New Yorker.
  4. ^ a b Baker, Oscar III (Dec 18, 2022). "Líl'watul elder attends Paris launch of UNESCO's decade of Indigenous languages". CBC.ca. CBC. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Dr. Lorna Wanosts'a7 Williams | Indspire". indspire.ca. 7 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Dr. Lorna Williams - University of Victoria". UVic.ca. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  7. ^ a b Richardson, Lisa (25 May 2018). "A warrior for Wisdom: talking with Wanosts'a7 Lorna Williams, Part 1". The Wellness Almanac. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  8. ^ Cullen, Roisin (23 June 2024). "Through their eyes". Pique Newsmagazine. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Secretariat, Intergovernmental Relations. "Members of the Order of British Columbia: T–Z - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  10. ^ Coulthard, Glen; Feltes, Emma (3 March 2022). "How the Constitution Express transformed Canada ⋆ The Breach". The Breach. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  11. ^ a b c "Key Personel : The Mind of a Child : Face to Face Media Films & Video". www.facetofacemedia.ca. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Indigenous Knowledge(s) + Language in the Academy". www.sfu.ca. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  13. ^ Common, R. W.; Frost, Lorraine (1998). "Video review of: The Mind of a Child by Face to Face Media Society in association the National Film Board of Canada". Canadian Journal of Native Studies. 18 (1): 141–143. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  14. ^ Petrescu, Sarah (7 June 2014). "Museum highlights First Nations languages with new exhibit". Times Colonist. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Indigenous language revitalization". UVic.ca. University of Victoria. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  16. ^ a b Marinakis, Aliki; McIvor, Onowa. "History of Indigenous education in the Faculty of Education". UVic.ca. University of Victoria. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  17. ^ "ACDE launches its Accord on Indigenous Education". Association of Canadian Deans of Education. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  18. ^ McLennan McCue, Sharon A. (May 1992). "Book Review: SIMA7: COME JOIN ME". CM Archive. 20 (3). Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  19. ^ Funk, Grace E. (July 1987). "Book Review: Exploring Altona With Rachel..." CM Archive. 15 (4).
  20. ^ Richardson, Lisa (31 May 2018). "Stucum Wi: Wanosts'a7 Dr. Lorna Williams walks in wisdom, Part 2". Pique Newsmagazine. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  21. ^ "Lillooet Bibliography". www.ydli.org. The Yinka Déné Language Institute. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  22. ^ MacKeen, Meredith (November 1993). "Review: First Nations: The Circle Unbroken". CM Archive. 21 (6). Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  23. ^ "SFU 2016 Honorary Degree Recipients". www.sfu.ca.
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