Dawn Wambold (she/her) is a citizen of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, a PhD candidate at the University of Alberta, and a Killam Laureate. Born and raised between the Bow and Red Deer Rivers, with a view of the Rocky Mountains, Dawn lives on the same lands that have deep ancestral significance to her family. Her father’s Métis and Cree family names include Piche, Dumont, Blandion, Wildcat, Bernard, and Boudreau. Her mother’s Irish and English family names include Hagerty, Walton, Ward and Chapman. After spending over twenty years in the oil and gas industry, where she held diverse roles as a gas plant operator, welding inspector, quality auditor, and materials specialist, Dawn made a career transition in 2022 to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an archaeologist.

Her research for her Masters degree at the University of Alberta focused on using archaeology to tell the stories of Métis women involved in the winter bison hunts. This research goal was driven by the lack of women’s stories in her own family due to the passing of her grandmother when her father was only five years old.

Currently, Dawn is a scholar at the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology. She is honored to be able to continue to explore and share the stories of her Métis heritage through the use of archaeology. Her current research seeks to understand the connections between the Métis and the landscapes and people of Southern Alberta during the 1800s.