ghosts of camsell

I’ve had a few people get in touch and wonder if I’m still researching and writing about the Camsell. The answer is: YES!

It may not look like it from the number of times I’ve posted during the past couple of years, but I am constantly deepening my understanding of the issues involved – and my roles and responsibilities as a settler historian doing this work. It’s been five years since I first really started working in this area, and my thinking has been challenged (and often changed) at so many points along the way.

I continue to dig in archives, engage in community-based work, and make connections between media, researchers, family members, and former patients to help people find answers and foster more conversations around this important topic and lived experience.

Over the next few months, I expect to post more resources and links. In the meantime, please keep reaching out and I’ll do my best to help you find who and what you’re looking for. (Unfortunately at this time I can’t undertake full-time research quests to track down individuals, but the Nanilavut program has a lot of expertise and resources, and I will still try and guide you as best I can in your own process!).

Also, I would love to hear from you about what records you want access to and how you would like to be able to access them. I’m always thinking about this as I chat with archives and groups around Canada: where are these being stored? How can individuals and communities find them? And what are the privacy concerns around putting them online or out into the world?

More soon!

Danielle