Manidomakwakwe Ma'iingan

My pronouns are they/them. I am a mixed-race adoptee, my father was Ojibway and my Mom is Scottish, and I live in Ontario at the forks of the Antler River, and my clans are Wolf clan and Robinson on the Ojibway and Scottish sides respectively. My spirit name, Manidoo Makwa Kwe means Spirit Bear Woman. Politically, if I have to identify myself within colonial political frameworks, I would call myself an Anarchist with agrarian leanings. Spiritually I identify as pagan. I have a Portuguese water dog named Gawain who is in training to become my service dog. I am a graduate student at Western University. My research focuses on medical anthropology, and conducting participatory research with Autistic youth and adults. I believe Autistic people are experts on our own lives and should have a platform in setting research priorities on the principle of 'Nothing About Us Without Us'. I am working in the development of arts based and accessible qualitative research methodologies. I am also a visual artist. I work mostly in arcrylic and inks, but I also make some jewellery and do porcupine quill embroidery. My work deals with themes of identity, transcending boundaries, and human relationships with landscapes. I enjoy gardening and foraging and have a special interest in mushrooms, permaculture, and ethno-botany. When I have time to read for pleasure (which is unfortunately less often now that I am in grad school) I enjoy fantasy novels, magical realism, folklore, and Gothic literature.