Kii’iljuus Barbara J. Wilson

Dr. Kii’iljuus— Barbara J. Wilson, is a Haida Kuuljaad (Boss Lady) of the Cumshewa Eagle Clan.  Kii’iljuus is an accomplished scholar, educator, and shape shifter who upholds and lives the ancient brilliance of her Kuuniisii—her ancestors—by challenging western science to uphold climate justice, advance food sovereignty, and promote truth and transparency in governance.

As a survivor of the Alberni Indian Residential School in the 1950s to early 60s, Kii’iljuus was counselled that university wasn’t in her future. Instead, she worked for decades across many fields, from fisheries to the National Film Board. It was later in life that Kii’iljuus returned to school, graduating in 1999 from the University of Victoria with a diploma in Cultural Resource Management and 2019 with a Masters of Arts from the Faculty of Education here at SFU. Today, she is an adjunct professor with the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries at the University of British Columbia, as well as a cultural advisor at UBC and SFU.

Kii’iljuus is a sought-after speaker who voices the urgent need for tll’yahda—to make things right—through bold climate actions. She is a fellow with the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions and was an official observer at COP 21 in Paris. She pours that same fierce energy into teaching and working alongside young leaders from coastal communities across the Pacific, from Palau to Alaska. Back home, she recently launched the Haida Heritage School: a place of healing and learning rooted in the ancestral knowledge, values, and laws of the Kuuniisii that will help prepare generations for the work ahead.

Kii’iljuus is an inspiring leader, teacher, mentor, and great grandmother who blends past wisdom with forward-looking innovation to challenge not just what we teach, but how we teach it. She strives to elevate Indigenous voices and authority in decision-making around the world. For her extraordinary contributions to the revitalization of ancient laws and responsibilities to the land, waters, and skies, all that makes us who we are, Kii’iljuus was conferred the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, from SFU in 2024.