Reconciliation in the Digital Age: Biskaabiiyaang Indigenous Metaverse Awarded $1 Million

In a landmark effort to advance Indigenous cultural and linguistic preservation, Biskaabiiyaang has been awarded close to $1 million in federal funding

We are thrilled to announce that Biskaabiiyaang, an Indigenous metaverse that helps users learn the Anishinaabe language, culture, and ways of life, has received close to $1 million in federal funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Project Overview and Partnerships

Biskaabiiyaang aims to create a path towards healing and reconciliation and is the first step in a decade-long project aligned with the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages, directly responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action 65.

This project could not exist without its partnerships with the Nokiiwin Tribal Council, York University, UniVirtual, and the collaboration of Rebecca Caines, associate professor in theatre and creative technologies at York’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD), and Robyn O’Loughlin from the New Brunswick Ministry of Education.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Biskaabiiyaang challenges players to learn Anishinaabemowin to save the language from extinction. By exploring ruins, listening to Elders’ teachings, and taking lessons from nature, players are immersed in Indigenous history and culture. Guided by the Nokiiwin Tribal Council, our work ensures Indigenous communities decide and drive the project’s direction.

Addressing Colonial Erasure in the Metaverse

Our chief visionary, Professor Maya Chacaby, emphasizes the importance of disrupting colonial erasure in new technologies. She states, “Metaverses, as we see them in the Western world, are spaces where Indigenous people do not exist. That is a form of colonial erasure happening in these new technologies that I really want to disrupt.”

Part of the interdisciplinary research program Connected Minds: Neural and Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society, Biskaabiiyaang addresses the impacts of colonization on Indigenous communities, supports culture-based healing practices, and encourages language reclamation.

Professor Chacaby has long promoted Anishinaabe culture and language through innovative courses. Her gamified approach to learning, which began with a Dungeons and Dragons-style role-playing game in Anishinaabemowin, led to higher proficiency levels and easier language acquisition for her students. She wanted this gamified, immersive education to be accessible to all, leading to Biskaabiiyaang’s current setting: the developing metaverse.

Inspired by the technical language used in MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and Fallout, Professor Chacaby realized virtual worlds were perfect for cultural learning. “If young people can talk in this very sophisticated technical language about a made-up world, we can do the exact same thing with our culture,” she says.

Building a Community-Driven Archive

Guided by youth and Elders, Biskaabiiyaang will gather traditional stories and healing practices that will become the foundations from which the virtual world is built. We emphasize inclusivity, ensuring marginalized groups such as Indigenous women, Two-Spirited people, and those with disabilities have their voices heard.

With the support of the SSHRC grant, Biskaabiiyaang is building an audio and visual archive that serves as the foundation of the metaverse. Scott Baker, education manager for the Nokiiwin Tribal Council, is excited about incorporating Elders’ teachings into the virtual world. Audrey Gilbeau, executive director of the Tribal Council, emphasizes the longevity of these stories and teachings, which will live on beyond our lifetimes. Read more about their thoughts on the project here at York U News.

Technical Development and Collaboration

UniVirtual, the technical service provider for Biskaabiiyaang, plays a crucial role in designing and developing the visual and interactive components of the virtual world. While they do not directly participate in knowledge sharing and collection, UniVirtual handles all technical aspects of translating this material into the metaverse, as directed by the Nokiiwin Tribal Council.

With the new creative technologies program at AMPD’s Markham Campus, the Biskaabiiyaang team includes undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral research fellows, and Indigenous teens, all who will work on the metaverse and receive training in Northern Ontario.

Demo the world of Biskaabiiyaang here.

For more information, contact: 

Carolyn Cronin – Marketing & PR, UniVirtual 
carolyn@cndg.info 

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