Cree Literacy Network

Thanks to the Digital Arts & Humanities Graduate Program at UBC Okanagan we are delighted to send our congratulations to newly minted PhD, Dr Jon Corbett. Jon successfully defended his dissertation on February 27th. Truthfully, its title is exciting and just a little mind-blowing: ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ ᒫᒥᑐᓀᔨᐦᒋᑲᓂᐦᑳᐣ ᐃᑖᑎᓯᐏᐣ / nehiyaw mâmitoneyihcikanihkân itâtisiwin / Ancestral Code: Grounding Indigenous Computing in nehiyaw Epistemology.

Jon’s doctoral work has been co-supervised by Drs. Karis Shearer (FCCS) and Christine Schreyer (FASS), with committee members Drs. Patricia Lasserre (FOS), Fiona McDonald (FASS) and Sherry Farrell Racette (U Regina). The External Examiner was Dr Onowa McIvor (Indigenous Education, UVic) and Dr David Gaertner (Critical Indigenous Studies, UBC V).

According to the UBCO announcement:

This dissertation explores the intersection of Indigenous knowledge and modern computing practices. The author uses a nehiyaw (Plains Cree) perspective to develop innovative software and hardware designs that incorporate Indigenous cultural values and epistemologies. The research begins with an examination of the historical context of computing and establishes a theoretical framework rooted in nehiyaw storytelling and epistemology. It then explores the development of Indigenous-informed software, including a syllabic programming typeface, an integrated development environment, and a nehiyaw-based programming language. The dissertation also explores Indigenous hardware design, focusing on keyboard arrangements for Romanized nehiyawewin as well as the creation of a syllabic keyboard based on the nehiyaw syllabic star chart.

Warm best wishes, Jon: we look forward to hearing more about your work!