by Bernard Perley

I very much enjoyed and was honoured to serve as President of CASCA when the organization celebrated fifty years at the Kelowna “Sedimented Histories” conference.  At the conference, I noted the long history of critical engagement and contributions to our discipline from our forebears.  Before becoming President, while I served as President-Elect, I was mentored by a wonderful leader and scholar, Monica Heller.  Working with the incredible CASCA executive committee members, together, we recognized we were all still finding our way forward following the covid pandemic.  The disruptions to our personal as well as professional lives cast long shadows that required care and patience.  I was inspired by Monica’s calm and steady leadership during a turbulent moment in our organization.  The greatest gift that came out of my president-elect year was confirmation that our members are the heart and soul of CASCA.  The patience, understanding, and trust we received from members as we, the executive, reset CASCA operations leading to the fiftieth anniversary celebration was affirmation that CASCA is essential to maintaining our sense of community and mutual support.  

I would like to reflect on the Kelowna conference for a moment.  Not only did I take the reins of CASCA as its President, I sought to position our society for a vibrant CASCA future. Together with the executive committee, we started conversations we organized under the theme “CASCA Futures.”  I was hoping that the Kelowna conference would be the pivot moment for CASCA; pay all due homage to our illustrious past but also to look forward to the next fifty years for our members and our society.  There were three separate conversations with diverse representation which offered many perspectives and proposals for moving forward.  Among the questions and ideas for future engagement were membership diversity (does CASCA membership extend beyond Canadian borders?  Should it?), CASCA’s regional and thematic focus (what makes Canadian Anthropology Canadian?), how do we image Canadian Anthropology beyond the academy?  These were important themes and questions that were built into the programming for the Montréal conference.  Kelowna was the pivot from the past toward possible futures.  On a personal note, as Wolastoqwiyik Nekwotkuk (a member of Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick) I was disappointed that Truth and Reconciliation received such scant engagement in Kelowna.  As I said in my remarks at the Kelowna AGM, “Let’s not put the First Peoples of this continent last on our CASCA agenda.”

I loved Montréal!  The city, the food, the people, and the conference all contributed to a memorable completion of my term as President.  Personally, the landscape sculpture titled Tsi nïion kwarihò:ten, Nos récrits, notre voie: parcours Peel, Our Ways: Peel Trail*, offered a grounding experience to the “Confluences” theme for the CASCA conference (see photo 1 and 2).  The co-creation aspect of the project anticipated the conversations we had during the conference.  I would note the primacy given Kanien’kehä:ka (the Mohawk language) is an important reminder for our members that Indigenous languages should not seem alien and we should avoid erasing the ancestral voices of this continent.  CASCA is a bilingual organization but I envision a CASCA commitment to incorporating more Indigenous language into our conferences.  It broke my heart to hear Elder Kenneth Atsenhaienton Deer  apologize for not speaking his ancestral language.  We can do better.

I am pleased to say we are doing better but there is much more we can do.  As I pass the halfway point of my Past-President tenure I can say with all honesty that I am inspired by the leadership of the CASCA executive committee.  The committee is a “dream team” of imaginative and dedicated members who continue to embody the patience, kindness, and generosity I observed as President-Elect.  The initiatives for CASCA Futures have seen some significant contributions.  We witnessed the re-organization of the practicing anthropology network into a robust Anthropology in Praxis network.  CASCA’s other networks continue to engage our members with mini-conferences and awards.  I’ve taken on the Environmental Anthropology Network and will be sending out invitations soon.  The most significant continuity that makes all of our CASCA futures possible is the trust our members show the CASCA executive in ensuring member concerns and visions for our collective wellbeing are safeguarded.  As I complete my term in the CASCA Presidential cycle, I can assure all members that the future of CASCA is in very good hands with current President Liesl Gambold and President-Elect Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier and the rest of the “dream team” executive committee.  It has been an honour to serve this truly special community.

Wisoki woliwon naka opc oc!

Bernie

* See https://montreal.ca/en/articles/our-ways-peel-trail-50611.