Strengthening the Now

Meaningful change doesn’t always happen in the spotlight. Sometimes, it unfolds in quieter moments, around a sewing table, in shared laughter between colleagues, or in the careful and intentional work of bringing Indigenous languages more visibly into museum spaces. 

Through Strengthening the Now, generously supported by TD Bank Group, the Indigenous Learning and Programs team at ROM has been able to create something deeply needed: space. Space for connection and for cultural grounding. Space for Indigenous staff to come together, learn from one another, and feel supported in ways that continue to strengthen and enrich their individual and collective experience at the Museum. 

This work builds on what has always been central to the Indigenous Learning and Programs team: relationships with Elders, artists, community, and one another. With dedicated funding, this program allows that work to be more intentional, more consistent, and more deeply embedded in the day-to-day life of the Museum. 

At the heart of this work is the Elder-in Residence Program. We are honoured to welcome Barbara Nolan as the inaugural Elder in Residence, affectionately and intentionally named Zigos, meaning “Auntie.” The title was chosen by Barbara herself, reflecting a role grounded in care, trust, and relational support. 

“The position of Zigos, Auntie, means a lot to me,” Barbara shares. “Aunties are in place of your mothers. People can share things with their Auntie that they might not share with their mom. It’s a different, sacred relationship. I am grateful to be an Auntie to Indigenous staff at ROM … so they know they can come to me, and I’ll be there to support them.” 

In many Indigenous cultures, Aunties hold a unique and essential role, offering guidance and listening without judgment. It is a role Barbara embodies fully.

“I’m happy to walk alongside them,” she says simply.

Since joining the team, Barbara has become an integral presence within the Indigenous Learning and Programs team, supporting workshops, contributing to meetings, assisting with translations, and, perhaps most importantly, helping to nurture relationships. 

“I really like what I’m doing at ROM,” she shares. “Working with young Indigenous people, supporting workshops, meetings … I’m just starting to get to know everyone better, and I’m looking forward to continuing to support where I can.” 

That support has taken many forms. Together, the team has worked to strengthen the presence of Indigenous languages across the Museum, now in their third year collaborating on Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Barbara has also developed a welcome guide in Anishinaabemowin, an important step in recognizing the language of the people on whose territory ROM stands. Barbara has also supported translation work, including for the Youth Cabinet’s year-end mural project, videos during International Indigenous Languages Day, and National Indigenous History Month, ensuring that Indigenous language is visible, valued, and alive within Museum spaces. 

But the impact goes beyond projects. “I really love seeing all Indigenous staff from various departments coming together,” Barbara reflects. “It’s a moment for everyone to connect, to support one another, to learn together. There is a community being created.” 

In December 2025, Barbara, alongside her daughter Colleen Nolan, led a staff workshop on sewing and making. While the session focused on skill-sharing and creation, what emerged was something deeper. Staff described feeling more grounded and connected and being able to bring their whole selves into their roles. 

Barbara brings decades of experience in language revitalization to her role. A proud Nishnaabe-kwe and first-language speaker of Nishnaabemowin, she has dedicated her life to ensuring the survival and growth of Anishinaabemowin through teaching and storytelling. 

“I am grateful to have survived the attempts by Canada’s residential school system to take my language from me,” she shares. “Now, I have the ability to share and revitalize it with others.” 

As the appointed Language Commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation, supporting 39 Indigenous communities and leaders, Barbara continues to advocate for accountability and action in language preservation. That commitment extends into her work at ROM. 

“Indigenous staff and visitors should see Indigenous languages represented here,” she says. “Institutions often provide English and French, but we are often overlooked. Indigenous Peoples deserve to see themselves represented too.”

Through her guidance, language is not just being included; it is being honoured. 

For Indigenous staff working within colonial institutions, programs like this are not simply “nice to have”—they are necessary. 

The Elder-in-Residence Program offers something that cannot be replicated through policy alone. It creates relational care. It gives opportunities for Indigenous staff to gather, share knowledge, support one another, and reconnect with culture in ways that strengthen both personal and professional well being. 

It also reflects a growing commitment to self-determination of Indigenous Peoples at ROM, prioritizing well-being and supporting staff through Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. 

Barbara is currently contributing to the upcoming program Language, Land, and Lens: Indigenous Voices in Wildlife Photographer of the Year. She will also support Anishinaabemowin language additions to the live beehive area in the Patrick and Barbara Keenan Family Gallery of Hands-on Biodiversity and the Waa-ni-aankobijigejig Future Ancestors Youth Summit, which celebrates Indigenous voices, arts, and cultures. 

And in her own way, she continues to advocate beyond Museum walls. Barbara laughs as she shares how she often speaks to taxi drivers about ROM on her way to the Museum, encouraging them to visit the Daphne Cockwell Gallery dedicated to First Peoples art & culture to learn more.

“There’s a section there for Indigenous Peoples,” she says. “Some of our sacred items are there, being cared for until they return to community.” 

Then, more firmly, “Our people are very humble about who we are, but we will speak up when we need to. And we deserve to be heard.” 

The Elder-in-Residence Program is not just a project; it is a living, evolving space of care, learning, and community. 

And its impact is already being felt—in the laughter shared between colleagues, in the quiet confidence of speaking one’s language, and in the knowledge that someone, an Auntie, is there to listen. 

This is what it means to strengthen the now.

Leslie McCue is the Manager of Indigenous Learning and Programs at ROM.