Amber Ridington

I am a folklorist with experience producing and curating exhibits, websites and documentaries that showcase cultural traditions.

My interest in cultural documentation grew out of my background in archaeology. During my eight years as a contract archaeologist (1992-2000) I became interested in not just what people left behind but also peoples’ living traditions – their stories, their songs, their lifeways - and what these mean to them.

I have an M.A. in Folk Studies from Western Kentucky University, a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia and I am currently working on my Ph.D in Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Based in oral history practice and theory, the projects I do tend to draw together aspects of the physical landscape, past cultural traditions and current traditions to represent multiple layers of the cultural landscape.  My approach is grounded in an awareness of the politics of cultural representation and my work is often applied, facilitating community self-representation.

Dane-zaa youth documenting elder Tommy Attachie during the production of Dane-Wajich – Dane-zaa Stories and Songs: Dreamers and the Land. 2005. Photo by Peter Biella