Raven Sinclair (Ótiskewápíwskew) is
Cree
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
/
Assinniboine/
Saulteaux
The Saulteaux (pronounced , or in imitation of the French pronunciation , also written Salteaux, Saulteau and other variants), otherwise known as the Plains Ojibwe, are a First Nations band government in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Al ...
and a member of
Gordon First Nation
The George Gordon First Nation ( cr, ᐳᓵᑲᓇᒌᕽ ''posâkanacîhk'') is a First Nations band government located near the village of Punnichy, Saskatchewan, in Canada. The nation has an enrolled population of 3,752 people, 1,191 of whom liv ...
of the
Treaty#4 area of southern
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
and member of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Saskatchewan.
She is a survivor and expert on the
Sixties Scoop, the practice of taking Indigenous children from their families and placing them in foster care or adopting them out to white families. She is a critic of the current child welfare system in Canada, especially as it relates to Indigenous peoples. She is a professor, film maker, author and facilitator. Sinclair is also a founding editorial member of IndigenousVoices in Social Work (UHawaii), and a regional editor for
AlterNative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples.
Education
Sinclair began studies at the undergraduate level at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
in 1981. She went on to study at
First Nations University in the bachelor of Indian social work program. At that time it was the only post-secondary program taking an Indigenous approach. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto and PhD from the University of Calgary.
Career
Sinclair is a full professor at the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Regina. She has published on the "Sixties scoop," with her work being cited by publications such as
The Canadian Encyclopedia
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage.
Available fo ...
, and has appeared on programs such as
CBC's "
The National."
Sinclair produced the film ''A Truth to be Told: The 60's Scoop in the Splatsin Community'' in 2016.
The film examines the idea of "child saving" and the impacts on Indigenous peoples and the child welfare system in Canada with a focus on the story of the Splatsin band’s (Shuswap) experience of child welfare removals in the 1960s and 70s.
She was an executive producer of the 2018 drama film ''
Trouble in the Garden
''Trouble in the Garden'' is a 2018 Canadian drama film, written and directed by Roz Owen.Brad Wheeler"Review: Trouble in the Garden has the best of intentions but lacks subtlety" ''The Globe and Mail'', February 14, 2019. The film stars Cara Gee ...
''.
"Sharing the story of the Sixties Scoop: Sask. professor, survivor acts as consultant for movie"
CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...
Saskatoon, March 2, 2019.
Selected publications
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, Raven
Living people
First Nations women
Academic staff of the University of Saskatchewan
University of Calgary alumni
Cree people
First Nations activists
Year of birth missing (living people)
Canadian indigenous women academics
First Nations academics
Film producers from Saskatchewan
Canadian women film producers
Sixties Scoop victims