Tse’k’wa and UNBC Collaboration on Cultural Accessibility is Awarded SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant

The Tse’k’wa Heritage Society and researchers from the University of Northern British Columbia are working together to advance cultural understandings of accessibility with support from a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Engage Grant. 

At Tse’k’wa, an ancient cave site at Charlie Lake in northern B.C., Dane-zaa ancestors have gathered to meet, share, rest and celebrate for more than 12,500 years. In 2012, three Dane-zaa First Nations (Doig River, Prophet River and West Moberly First Nations) came together to purchase the property and establish the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society; they have since made significant infrastructure improvements at the site, aimed at increasing accessibility and promoting public education. Tse’k’wa was designated a National Historic Site by Parks Canada in 2019. 

“Past leaders reclaimed this land because they knew it was important for our identity and for our future. We continued their work. We protected the site, built safe access, brought home the artifacts, and created programs so people could learn our stories, language, and culture,” says Tse’k’wa Heritage Society Board President and Doig River First Nation representative Garry Oker. “We want to guide this work, so it remains culturally strong and connected to the Dreamers’ prophecies.”

The research project grew out of conversations about accessibility work already underway at Tse’k’wa and a shared interest in exploring what accessibility can mean beyond physical access. After first learning about the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society’s work through a Dane-zaa friend, UNBC Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (NRES) graduate student Mikhaila Carr connected with the Society’s President Garry Oker and Executive Director Alyssa Currie to explore a vision for accessibility-related research. Since then, through visits to Tse’k’wa and opportunities to meet community members at Doig Day, Treaty Days, and West-Mo Days in 2026, Carr has enjoyed getting to know more people connected to the site and learning about the work involved in its ongoing stewardship. 

“The UNBC research team wants to listen, learn, and reflect on how accessibility is understood and practiced at Tse’k’wa, guided by the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society and Dane-ẕaa community members. I kept hearing about this incredible historical and cultural site that not only prioritized the physical accessibility of the site by implementing accessible trails and facilities but was also working to develop cultural teaching and learning opportunities to connect with both Dane-zaa and non-Dane-zaa people visiting the site,” says the UNBC PhD student. “The goal of our project is to help surface where discussions of accessibility and belonging may take them in their future dreams for the site”.

The project will make use of and build on previous research completed by Tse’k’wa: focusing on the people who care for the National Historic Site about what accessibility means from a Dane-ẕaa perspective. The research team will interview Elders and knowledge holders from the three partner First Nations to provide guidance and direction on a broad range of issues, including accessibility. Carr points out accessibility is often only thought of or discussed as physical access, amenities like ramps, accessible parking, and washrooms; this project will highlight the importance of Dane-zaa connection to the Tse’k’wa site, looking through an accessibility lens. 

While the project has been under development for over a year, it was recently awarded $40,000 in funding support from the SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant. The funding will support project operation, honour participant’s knowledge, and create opportunities to share what is learned with the Dane-zaa community and practitioners at relevant events and conferences. The Tse’k’wa Heritage Society is also contributing more than $16,000 in in-kind support towards the joint research project; the project, in turn, will shape future funding requests by the Society.

“This collaboration has given Tse’k’wa an opportunity to reflect on the development of the site and consider how we would like to move forward with our accessibility work,” says Society Executive Director Alyssa Currie. “It’s helped us broaden the ways we think about accessibility to include both physical and cultural components. Looking at the ‘big picture’ of accessibility is an investment to ensure that future Tse’k’wa development is in line with both the communities’ values and industry best practice. 

“Mikhaila has become a familiar face at Tse’k’wa and I’m excited that this funding will support our continued partnership with UNBC.”

The project’s findings will identify and shape Tse’k’wa Heritage Society’s interpretive planning processes and cultural programming, as well as highlight how members and visitors find connection and belonging at the sacred site.

“Indigenous peoples have unique perspectives about disability and accessibility,” says UNBC Department of First Nations Studies Associate Professor Dr. Rheanna Robinson, Carr’s co-supervisor for this project. “This grant is an important opportunity to highlight culturally grounded insights on inclusion and belonging.”

MEDIA: Full resolution photographs can be found here. For more information, please contact Alyssa Currie, Tse’k’wa Executive Director at 250-224-7906 or TsekwaHeritage@gmail.com or Mikhaila Carr, UNBC Graduate Researcher at mcarr@unbc.ca.