Lorna Wanósts’a7 Williams, O.C., O.B.C.
Victoria, British Columbia
An esteemed member of the Lil'wat First Nation, Lorna Williams is a pillar of Indigenous elementary-to-university education. Professor emerita and the first Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Knowledge and Learning at the University of Victoria, she is also the first director of the school’s Indigenous education program. She developed authoritative curricula in Indigenous language revitalization by using traditional teaching and learning practices. Her courses were also revolutionary for their inclusion of Indigenous pedagogy, spiritual leaders and knowledge keepers. She has indelibly strengthened language reclamation and revitalization in Canada.