CONVERSATIONS: ELMER GHOSTKEEPER
Elmer Ghostkeeper is an Elder, Language Carrier, Author and Scholar from Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement in northern Alberta. Elmer grew up closely connected to this land on a mixed […]
Author Archives: jasonsurkan
COMMUNITY: CYPRESS HILLS
The land that is Cypress Hills has been home to Indigenous Peoples for at least 15,000 years. Pleistocene Hunters capitalized on this area as the glaciers retreated. (1) It was […]
Métis Architecture and Design Symposium
After several years of inquiry into the origins and contemporary state of Métis architecture in the Prairie Provinces, a one-day Métis Architecture and Design Symposium was hosted at Laurentian University’s […]
Métis Domestic Thresholds and the Politics of Imposed Privacy
This paper was co-authored by David Fortin, Jason Surkan, and Dani Kastelein. It is published in the book “Our Voices: Indigeneity and Architecture”, published in 2018 and available for sale […]
CONVERSATIONS: MARIA CAMPBELL
Maria Campbell is an Elder, Author, Scholar, Storyteller, Playwright, Broadcaster, and Filmmaker who grew up on the fringes of the boreal forest region of Saskatchewan near Park Valley. She […]
MATERIAL CULTURE: MÉTIS FOLK HOME
Note: A similar version of this essay was published by SITE magazine in June 2017, titled “Towards an Architecture of Métis Resistence.” In 1986 an award-winning interpretive center opened at […]
COMMUNITIES: ROOSTER TOWN
On the Fringe: Urban Colonial Planning in Rooster Town, Manitoba Canada has a long history, far longer than our colonial history. Indigenous people have occupied Canada since time immemorial, and […]
CONVERSATIONS: NORMAN FLEURY
Norman Fluery is an Elder, Michif language expert and storyteller from St. Lazare, Manitoba. His work is prolific and diverse in nature. Norman works tirelessly to promote and educate on […]
SSAC CONFERENCE: MAY 30- JUNE 4, 2016, REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN
From May 30th-June 4th, 2016, Jason presented a paper at the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada annual conference in Regina Saskatchewan. The paper, titled “Towards and Architecture of Métis Resistance: The Evolving Tectonic and Spatial Orders of a Saskatchewan Vernacular,” was co-authored by David Fortin, Jason Surkan and Dani Kastelein. The paper focused a method of home construction unique to the Métis families of the St. Laurent district in Saskatchewan. The full text can be found here and the presentation here.
MATERIAL CULTURE: MÉTIS SKIFFS
Jules Daignault is a Métis boat builder from Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan.
The Métis Architect...(?) 