Nancy Wiscutie-Crépeau

Professor and researcher at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), Nancy Wiscutie-Crépeau stands at the crossroads of two worlds: that of academic knowledge and that of Anicinabe traditions. What drives her, above all, is the transmission of knowledge and the vitality of culture – which is not static, but, on the contrary, alive, in motion, anchored in the present. 

For her, education extends far beyond the walls of the school. It takes shape in gestures, in ways of being, doing and knowing the land, and in the heritage, both tangible and intangible, of previous generations. Nancy seeks to preserve this traditional knowledge through her approaches, seeking to bring traditional knowledge into dialogue with contemporary practices, without distorting their meaning. 

 Nancy rejects the top-down logic of projects imposed on communities. She denounces colonial approaches that solicit without listening, adding weight to already heavy shoulders. She campaigns for real decolonization: respecting rhythms and human relationships, and building with – not for – communities. 

Originally from Senneterre, in the Wiscutie territory, she claims a deep sense of belonging, to her ancestral territory, to her family and to the ways in which knowledge is passed on. She has collaborated with a community where she is co-constructing programs in Anicinabe language and culture, in close collaboration with knowledge bearers, and is actively involved with Minwashin in setting up a resource center. She also designs educational tools rooted in stories, art and memory, through indigenous governance. 

Her commitment: to create pedagogical spaces where speaking, listening and relating become resources. She challenges academic performance and values human, collective and rooted processes. 

What she seeks: to transmit knowledge, and honor it in balance with what is living.