Sarina Simmons

Sarina is a PhD candidate in the Department for the Study of Religion and holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her dissertation tells the story of Conservative Mennonites who arrived on Manidoo Ziibi or “Rainy River” in the 1960s and began a Christian mission among the Rainy River First Nations Anishinaabeg. She explores the relationship between religion and settler colonialism by grounding her analysis in scholarship on treaty relationships and Treaty 3 territory in particular. Her work is situated in the interdisciplinary field of the study of religion and weaves together insights from history, anthropology, and Indigenous studies. Sarina has been involved with several initiatives in collaboration with Rainy River First Nations' Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre since 2019, including Kiinawin Kawindomowin Story Nations and Treaty Conversations. She is also a mother of two and lives on the Haldimand Tract in Kitchener, Ontario.