When Dr. Ujunwa (Uju) Rita Onah came to Memorial to pursue a PhD in archaeology, she says she felt a strong connection with Inuit communities, through themes of resilience, culture, decolonization and reconciliation.
The Memorial fall graduate grew up in Nsukka Igbo, Nigeria, a small Indigenous community that has attracted mostly post-colonial educators through the University of Nigeria Nsukka.
When she was 10 years old, Dr. Onah found her grandfather’s autobiography.
She says the discovery was the beginning of her archaeological journey into identity.
“Okonkwo, my grandfather, was picked and trained by colonial masters from the age of 10, but by the age of 50, he realized he lost his identity despite his riches and education,” she said. “He claimed not to have been a complete man for not going back to his roots. ‘The best gift to a man or woman is knowing who you are and living to it,’ ended his autobiographic note.”
Prior to attending Memorial, Dr. Onah’s Indigenous studies led her to a bachelor of arts degree (archaeology), a master of arts degree (archaeology and heritage studies) and a bachelor of laws (Indigenous laws) degree.
Memorial University experience
As a per-course instructor at Memorial, she teaches students from diverse cultural backgrounds; as a researcher here, she is comparing the colonial experience of the Nigerian Igbo with that of the Labrador Inuit Indigenous communities.
“I imagine [Dr. Lisa Rankin] as being assigned by my ancestors to keep an eye on me.”
“Many archaeological projects have been carried out on Igbo archaeological sites and Labrador Inuit sites,” said Dr. Onah. “At this project’s heart is the desire to untangle the colonial influence from the agency of Indigenous people to better understand the decisions made by past people to preserve their culture and celebrate those achievements by encouraging greater inclusion of Indigenous voices.”
During her doctoral studies, Dr. Onah says she was able to maintain academic, career and life balance with the support of the Internationalization Office, the Graduate Student Union, the Student Volunteer Bureau, TAMUN, LUMUN, the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism and the Department of Archaeology.
“I am the first African PhD student in my department, and I frequently feel pressured to represent my race well,” said Dr. Onah. “My supervisor, Dr. Lisa Rankin, is my motivator, mentor and friend. I imagine her as being assigned by my ancestors to keep an eye on me.”
Dr. Onah collects her doctoral degree in archaeology during convocation on Thursday, Oct. 17.
She says she is open to more research projects and Indigenous consulting and will also continue teaching and molding young minds.
