Chief of Metepenagiag Mi kmaq Nation to deliver Pacey Lecture
Author: Communications
Posted on Mar 9, 2010
Category: UNB Saint John
What is the future of First Nations in Atlantic Canada?
Noah Augustine, chief of the Metepenagiag Mi'kmaq Nation, will give his insights into transforming dependency into self-sufficiency, good governance and a future for First Nations children when he delivers this year’s University of New Brunswick W.C. Desmond Pacey Memorial Lecture.
He will speak at the UNB Saint John campus on Tuesday, March 16, at 6 p.m. in Hazen Hall Lecture Theatre. His Fredericton lecture will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17, in the J. Harper Kent Auditorium, Wu Conference Centre. Both lectures are free and open to the public. Chief Augustine was born and raised in Metepenagiag (Red Bank) Nation. He is an activist, writer, community developer, father, leader and saqamaw. He was elected chief of his community in June 2004 and serves as the 14th elected chief of Metepenagiag.
Since 2000, Chief Augustine has worked exclusively in the area of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, both for the Assembly of First Nations and the Atlantic Policy Congress of Chiefs. In 2003, he authored a study on First Nations Traditional and Contemporary Governance for the Atlantic Policy Congress of Chief.
Chief Augustine serves as the co-chair of the Atlantic Policy Congress, founding co-chair of the New Brunswick Native Business Liaison Group, sits on the board of the Union of New Brunswick Indians, and is a member of North Shore Micmac District Council and Eagle Trust Fund.
His early career is highlighted by his contributions to the field of social work, particularly as one of Canada's youngest senior trainers in suicide intervention, and his work with prescription drug abuse in First Nation communities.
In the early 1990s Augustine was the project coordinator for Village of Thirty Centuries, a 48-minute produced-for-television documentary filmed in Metepenagiag. This award-winning film has been screened nationally and internationally, and is acclaimed for promoting cultural awareness and understanding of the Mi'kmaq on the Miramichi.
Hosted by the faculty of arts on both UNB campuses, the W.C. Desmond Pacey Memorial Lecture is presented by leading figures in humanities and social sciences. It was established in 1981 to honour the late Desmond Pacey, a distinguished UNB professor and administrator who died in 1975.
Contact:
Natalie Montgomery, Communication Officer (506) 453-4990