Open-access Métis journal Pawaatamihk: Journal of Métis Thinkers releases first issue

Pawaatamihk: Journal of Métis Thinkers, an open-access journal focused on Métis thought inside the academy and in the community, recently released its first issue. According to a press release from the University of Winnipeg, this open-access journal is the first “nation-specific journal in Canada.” It is dedicated to uplifting Métis voices, stories, and research and features community stories, poetry, visual culture, book reviews, and scholarly papers. The name Pawaatamihk was gifted by Métis Elder Verna DeMontigny; translated from Michif and Ininimowin, it signifies “a group of people dreaming.” The journal’s Circle of Editors is comprised of Métis academics Dr Cathy Mattes (UWinnipeg), Dr Chantal Fiola (UWinnipeg), Dr Jennifer Markides (University of Calgary), Dr Laura Forsythe (UWinnipeg), Lindsay DuPré (University of Victoria), and Dr Lucy Fowler (University of Manitoba). “There’s so much amazing Indigenous scholarship out there that there’s just not enough space,” said Fowler, who added that the idea for the journal stemmed out of a symposium in 2022. “We decided that we needed a place to be able to publish for our people, that would be centring Métis voices and prioritizing those experiences and so we decided, ‘we’ll just start it ourselves.’”