“During my time studying forestry in Canada I have been introduced to the idea of Two‐Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk in Mi’kmaw)," our scholar James Broom shared with us, speaking about Earth Day. "Elder Dr. Albert Marshall outlines this as 'learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of mainstream knowledges and ways of knowing, and to use both these eyes together, for the benefit of all.' We all have a part to play to 'Restore the Earth' and only through working together can we achieve such a restoration and a sustainable future.”

Elder Dr. Albert Marshall outlines this as 'learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of mainstream knowledges and ways of knowing, and to use both these eyes together, for the benefit of all.'

The Earth Day theme this year is “Restore the Earth”; we thus reached out to our Canada Memorial Foundation Scholars and asked them what it meant to them, and what steps they were taking to help towards earth conservation.

Speaking about Forest Management, James adds: “A key principle of forest management is sustained yield, where we should only remove a modest amount of timber at each harvest, ensuring the collective growth of remaining trees is equal to what has been removed. Anthropogenic pressure on the natural environment will not go away and so to “Restore the Earth” we must factor in continued natural resource use. It is up to us to build businesses and economies of the future that use this idea of sustained yield at their core, rather than an afterthought.”

Dr. Rosie Oakes, now a Climate Services Scientist at the Met Office, discusses steps that we ought to collectively take in order to “Restore the Earth”: “The climate is changing because of human activities. This can feel like an overwhelming challenge but remember small actions spark big changes. On Earth Day, think about how you can make a change. This year I’m going to commit to cycling as much as possible, and eating local produce. If we work together, we can restore the Earth.”

Sari Ohsada, an MSc student in Environmental Change and Management at Wolfson College, University of Oxford, also shared her thoughts on how to “Restore the Earth” in the video below.

As the world continues to take measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic , we can all agree that the crisis has shown us “what happens when the world stops, pauses, even for a few months.” We are fortunate enough to have the tools to "Restore the Earth.” Now it’s time to act, with collaboration and commitment between all countries.

A Shining Beacon for Inuit Art

At the end of March the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) opened a wing dedicated to its collection of Inuit art. The new centre contains the largest collection of Inuit art in the world with close to 14,000 pieces from more than 2,000 polar region artists. With careful planning and Inuit guidance and leadership, the centre, Quamajuq (pronounced KOW-ma-yourk and meaning “it is bright, it is lit”) seeks to heal the past by leading into the future.

All photos in this story by Lindsay Reid

The most striking feature upon entry into the iceberg-like Bethel-granite-sculpted building—designed by LA architect Michael Maltzan (chosen as a result of an international competition)—is the three-storey glass vault. Where most museums stash their collection away, Quamajuq’s Visible Vault displays close to 5,000 stone carvings (which can be safely exposed to sunlight). Showing a range of creative techniques and making a statement on visibility, the vault will also have a digital component to promote accessibility which is currently in the works led by Maxine Anguk.

WAG’s large collection of Inuit art is connected to the history of the Hudson’s Bay Company presence in Winnipeg. Starting in the 1950s HBC played a major part in the global Inuit art market through its purchase of carvings that were later sold at the Handicrafts Guilds in Montreal and Winnipeg and in HBC stores. Through donations from private collections, the WAG holdings grew; additionally, in 2015 due to space and resources, the Government of Nunavut entrusted WAG with its Fine Arts Collection of over 7000 pieces. Curators at the museum continue the important work of stewardship of their collection (which also includes prints, textiles, clothing and digital media) by connecting with artists in their communities. Acknowledging the past and taking responsibility for the present, WAG seeks to honour the Spirit of the art they house and regularly holds ceremony and prayer in their vaults.

The vision for this new centre goes beyond an art museum to include a place for mentorship, learning, and intercultural dialogue in spaces that include a theatre, studios, and classrooms. The WAG’s Indigenous Advisory Circle is at the heart of all of their decolonization and Indigenization work, providing leadership and counsel in the development and planning of related WAG exhibitions, education, community outreach, partnerships, and programming. They also gathered virtually with Indigenous language keepers and elders in August 2020 to name the new wing.

Qilak, Main Inuit Gallery (Qilak means “sky” in Inuktitut)

A bridge between the North and the South of Canada, Quamajuq represents an important institution moving forward, an inviting accessible place for Inuit people and a carefully-curated place for intercultural dialogue so central to Canadian identity.

The inaugural show, INUA, curated by an all-Inuit team remains on view until December 2021.

Early Detection Saves Lives: Supporting Our Canada-UK Fellows and Cancer Research

We recently caught up with our Canada-UK Foundation Post-doctoral Fellow, Karol Nowicki-Osuch, who is now at Columbia University where we support his continued cancer research in collaboration with the Irving Institute, the British Columbia Cancer Institute (BCCRC), and Cambridge University.

Karol’s current research straddles multiple fields, as he aims to incorporate his computational and basic biology experience into clinical practice associated with oesophageal (gullet) cancer. This cancer type has a poor survival rate, with the vast majority of patients succumbing to the disease within five years. However, studies have shown that when this cancer is detected at early stages, it can be successfully treated without major effect on the quality of patients’ lives. Unfortunately, our ability to identify the disease early is limited by patients’ limited awareness of this cancer and by scientists’ limited understanding of the early stages of its development.

Karol’s early work showed that one type of oesophageal cancer (adenocarcinoma), despite being physically located in the oesophagus, originates from the patient’s stomach. This observation has a profound implication for clinical and research practice. The debate about the origin of this cancer has been ongoing for the last 50 years. By identifying the site of origin for oesophageal adenocarcinoma, future efforts and resources can be better targeted.

Currently, Karol aims to build on his prior experience and discoveries, searching for genetic characteristics of oesophageal cancer that distinguish it from the surrounding healthy tissues including its site of origin – stomach.

Karol’s research employs both British and Canadian discoveries and collaboration, building on a technology developed at BCCRC, called DLP+ technology which allows for detailed analysis of individual cancer cells, and using relevant clinical samples supplied by Cambridge University.

Karol likened cancer to nature’s petri dish: although devasting for patients’ lives, cancer must obey the law of evolution and natural selection where the fittest survives. Until recently, we did not have tools to study this process. However, DLP+ and other similar technologies give us tools to make to accurate measurement of the processes behind cancers’ origin and progression, and for the first time ever, we catch glimpses of evolutionary processes in cancer.

Karol shared with us, “The support of the Canada-UK Foundation has been fantastic in this process, thank you! The resources and connections you have provided, including links with Canadian institutes and exchange know-how, have been invaluable. I also greatly appreciate how much you value the collaboration, flexibility and innovation necessary to undertake this research.”

Although nascent in its current form, we remain hopeful that the tools and knowledge gained from Karol’s research will save lives by aiding our understanding of the early events in oesophageal cancer development. In turn, this would allow us to identify patients at risk of cancer development and transform their lives by offering them treatment options that are highly effective, affordable and with minimal side effects. Join us in wishing Karol well with this important research!

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