As Indigenous dwellers in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal, how do we maintain our relationship with the land?

Iako'tsi:rareh Amanda Lickers
Seneca, Six Nations of the Grand River

Amanda is a designer, pedagogue and multi-media artist whose work reflects the interconnected relationship of land-body sovereignty. Nurturing her creative practice through land-based pedagogy and arts-based visual storytelling, her work has been exhibited at the Seneca Iroquois National Museum in Salamanca, NY and featured in public art events in Montréal such as Festival TransAmerique and Festival Phenomena. Amanda's co-directed short documentary-futurisms film titled Our Ways (2022) has screened in Toronto, ON, Ōtāku, New Zealand, Montréal, QC and London, England.  

An Indigenous co-design consultant, Amanda has worked with museologists, curators, architects, archaeologists and designers to implement Indigenous design principles and decolonize contemporary approaches to the built environment - on stolen lands. She continues to advocate for cultural safeguarding practices which uphold Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, looking to land-based methods and Indigenous technologies to guide the collaborative process.

A budding hide tanner, Amanda is a member of the Buckskin Babes Urban Moose Hide Tanning Collective producing fish skin leather and bone tools amongst honing other land-based skills. She has completed her first Artist Residency at Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity's inaugural Hide Tanning & Parfleche Residency in the fall of 2024 and she is the 2023-2025 Indigenous Land Restitution Research-Creation Fellow at the Canadian Centre for Architecture.  

https://bio.site/lickers

Katsi’tsahén:te Cross-Delisle is Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) Archaeologist, Rematriations and cultural advocate whose work focuses on Indigenous sovereignty, decolonization and the preservation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems.

She is a member of the Bear Clan at the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) Nation in Kahnawake, a Haudenosaunee (Rotinonhshon:ni) community located along the Saint Lawrence River. Cross-Delisle’s work is deeply rooted in the revitalization of her Indigenous culture, history and language, with a particular focus on Rematriation of Ancestral Remains and Cultural Heritage. Her formal training in Archaeology and Bio-Archaeology has allowed her to work within both Indigenous and Western frameworks, giving her a unique perspective on the intersection of cultural heritage and archaeological practices. Her work emphasizes the importance of community-driven research and Indigenous control over cultural and archaeological resources, particularly in terms of how ancestral sites are interpreted and protected.

In addition to her Archaeological work, Cross-Delisle has been a passionate advocate for the revitalization of Indigenous languages, which is an essential part of her identity. She has been involved in initiatives to bring the Kanien’ké:ha (Mohawk) language back into the public and educational settings, with programs that teach youth about their traditional knowledge, cultural heritage and cultural processes for the Ancestors. Her Advocacy work extends beyond Archaeology and includes speaking out on behalf of Indigenous rights. She has participated in mentoring roles, where she works with young Indigenous Scholars and professionals. Encouraging them to pursue academic research careers in fields like Archaeology, Bio-Archaeology, Anthropology, Indigenous Studies and Legal Studies. Through her leadership, she hopes to inspire a new generation of Indigenous Scholars and Activists who are dedicated to the preservation of their cultures and the fight for social justice.