Barbara Moktthewenkwe Wall is a Bodwewaadmii Anishinaabekwe of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in Shawnee, Oklahoma and a traditional Knowledge Holder. She is a storyteller, educator, professional engineer, writer, and dreamer. Barbara retells Anishinaabe stories to audiences of all ages, weaving together teachings, humour and song. Barbara’s essay “Nokmisag: Bemnigying” is the final piece in the book Grandmothers and Grandmothering: Creative and Critical Contemplations in Honour of our Women Elders. Wall lives near Peterborough, Ontario where she is a professor serving as the Director of Studies and teaching in the Indigenous Environmental Studies in Sciences program within Trent University’s Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies. She is a frequently requested guest speaker. Her newest book is Power With: Indigenous Knowledges, Environmental Practice, and the Strength of Collaboration (June 2026), which calls for a paradigm shift in environmental science and education.
Barbara is a mother, auntie, daughter and Grandmother. Her interests include reclaiming, remembering and revitalizing women’s knowledges and practices, and decolonizing education using Indigenous pedagogies. Barbara holds a PhD in Indigenous Studies from Trent University, as well as a BS in Geological Engineering from Michigan Technological University, and MS in Civil Engineering from University of California Berkeley. She is on the cusp of receiving her PhD in Indigenous Studies from Trent University. Barbara lives in rural Ontario, where she spends time on and in the beautiful waters, nurtures traditional Anishinaabe foods, and turns sweetwater into maple sugar.
“Barbara was an absolutely incredible guest speaker for our Discovery Virtual Conference. The teachings and knowledge she shared about the Anishinaabe relationship with land, water & the cosmos were very inspiring, and encouraged thought and reflection from our staff on how to work towards reconciliation and respect with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples in our everyday lives and in our work. We loved how she personalized her presentation to our group, how open she was to questions, and how she spoke about ways our team could create positive change. You could tell our group learned a lot and drew great inspiration from all that she shared. Barbara’s talk was one of the highlights of our conference and we are so grateful she was willing to present to our team. We highly recommend Barbara and hope to work with her again in the future.” — Ontario Parks, 2021
