Research Pods
Niitsitapi Pod
The Niitsitapi Pod is located in the heart of the traditional territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy and based in the Centre for Indigenous Arts Research & Technology (CIART) at the University of Lethbridge/Iniskim.
Centre for Indigenous Arts Research & Technology
University of Lethbridge
Community Partners:
A’tsimaani: the Blackfoot
Rematriation Committee
The Research:
Based in the Centre for Indigenous Arts Research & Technology (CIART) at the University of Lethbridge/Iniskim, the Niitsitapi Pod is located in the heart of the traditional territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Working closely with Indigenous Elders, faculty partners, students, artists, and Community Partners, this Pod focuses on incorporating Niitsitapi stories (in speech, song, poetry) into AI systems to understand the world, and how the underlying computational architectures might need to be reshaped to do so effectively. Research areas include but are not limited to: Indigenous digital media, Indigenous epistemologies, and Indigenous language and art.
Research areas:
Indigenous Digital Media
Indigenous Epistemologies
Indigenous Language and Art
Leroy Little Bear
Pod Lead
Jacqueline Rice
Pod Lead
Amethyst First Rider
Pod Co-Chair
Debbie Many Bears
Pod Coordinator
Tom Little Bear
Elder in Residence
Christine Clark
Pod Collaborator
John Anvik
Pod Collaborator
Josephine Mills
Pod Collaborator
Don McIntyre
Faculty Collaborator
Sidney Shapiro
Faculty Collaborator
Blair Many Fingers
Graduate Research Assistant
Justin Eagle Plume
Graduate Research Assistant
Michelle Sylvestre
Graduate Research Assistant
Nayan Velaskar
Graduate Research Assistant
Owen Healy
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Aiden Eagle Plume
Student Intern
Melissa Shouting
Soundscape Project lead
Quincy Yellow Wings
Soundscape Project Coordinator
Pod Alum
Migueltzina Solís
Pod Community Research Liaison & Artist in Residence (Sept 2024 - Sept 2025)
Serene Weasel Traveller
Pod Community Research Liaison & Artist in Residence (Sept 2024 - Sept 2025)
Anastasia Many Bears
Pod Coordinator
Deen Mohammad Abdullah
Postdoctoral Researcher
Blaise Russell
Graduate Research Assistant
Kaiya Healy
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Payne Many Guns
Undergraduate Research Assistant (July 2025 - Nov 2025)
Seth Villamil
Undergraduate Research Assistant
