WLU Press celebrates Canada Prize win for ‘Deyohahá:ge:: Sharing the River of Life’ and shortlist honour for ‘Soundin’ Canaan’

June 18, 2026

The WLU Press title Deyohahá:ge:: Sharing the River of Life has been named one of five winners of the 2026 Canada Prizes, marking national recognition of the press’s leadership and Wilfrid Laurier University’s commitment to advancing Indigenous scholarship and treaty relationships.

The book, edited by Daniel Coleman, Ki’en Debicki and Bonnie M. Freeman, was selected from a shortlist of 10 titles — half of them French‑language publications — making WLU Press one of only two publishers with two English‑language books on the list.

Alongside the winning title, Soundin’ Canaan: Black Canadian Poetry, Music, and Citizenship by Paul db Watkins was also shortlisted, underscoring WLU Press’s reputation for publishing innovative, interdisciplinary scholarship that shapes national conversations in the humanities and social sciences.

The Canada Prizes, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and awarded by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS), recognize the five most inspiring and transformative scholarly books published each year. Each winning title receives a $4,000 prize and is selected through rigorous peer review by scholars.

“Deyohahá:ge:: Sharing the River of Life reflects the purpose of the Canada Prizes: to recognize scholarly books that advance knowledge while helping readers engage more deeply with the relationships that shape Canada,” says Karine Morin, FHSS president and CEO. “Through its engagement with the treaty relationships embodied in the Two Row Wampum and the Covenant Chain, this book offers a powerful reminder that scholarship can deepen our understanding of foundational agreements and the responsibilities they continue to carry.”

For WLU Press, the recognition affirms the strength of its editorial program and alignment with emerging scholarship.

“To have two titles recognized at this level demonstrates that we continue to be at the centre of the conversations that matter most to humanities and social sciences scholars,” says Mat Buntin, WLU Press director and publisher. “It tells me that our publishing program is closely attuned to the priorities of scholars in Canada, as these authors and their scholarship are at the cutting edge of their fields.”

Deyohahá:ge:: Sharing the River of Life

Deyohahá:ge:, meaning “two roads or paths” in the Cayuga language, evokes the Covenant Chain – Two Row Wampum, often called the “grandfather of the treaties.” Established more than 400 years ago between the Haudenosaunee and European settlers, the treaty symbolizes equity and mutual respect through two parallel paths travelling the river of life side by side.

Deyohahá:ge:: Sharing the River of Life brings together contributors from Six Nations and their neighbours to explore how principles of the Covenant Chain – Two Row Wampum can guide renewed relationships today. This collaborative approach resonates with the vision set forward in the treaty, as well as Laurier’s Indigenous Strategic Plan, which includes a commitment to respect, honour and uphold treaty relationships.

“This book offers a powerful, community-rooted way forward for understanding and living our treaty responsibilities,” says Darren Thomas, Laurier’s associate vice-president: Indigenous Initiatives. “I have worked alongside many of the book’s contributors and am excited about what they have created to benefit our relations.”

The cover of Deyohahá:ge:: Sharing the River of Life features a mural on Laurier’s Brantford campus created by the #TAG Project, an Indigenous‑led research initiative based at Six Nations.

Indigenous Imaginings

Deyohahá:ge: is the first title in WLU Press’s Indigenous Imaginings series, edited by Daniel Heath Justice, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Textual Sovereignties and distinguished university scholar at the University of British Columbia. The series aims to foreground Indigenous worldviews, sovereignties and intellectual traditions through visionary, grounded and community-engaged scholarship.

“The Canada Prizes lift up the most transformative and path-clearing scholarship in the humanities and social sciences, and it is deeply satisfying to see Deyohahá:ge:: Sharing the River of Life in the list of 2026 honorees,” says Justice. “In a time of increasing incuriosity, cruelty and hostility toward transformative scholarship, Deyohahá:ge: is a profound and generous work that deeply considers how we can live, think and dream together better.”

Deyohahá:ge:: Sharing the River of Life is already influencing conversations beyond academia. An open-access educators’ guide is helping high school teachers bring the book into classrooms and the Hamilton District School Board featured Deyohahá:ge: in a board-wide professional development day, integrating it into reconciliation-focused learning.

Soundin’ Canaan: Black Canadian Poetry, Music, and Citizenship

The second WLU Press title shortlisted for the 2026 Canada Prizes, Soundin’ Canaan, explores Black Canadian poetry through music, history and politics. Watkins uses a DJ methodology to weave together close readings, musical traditions and cultural history, offering a fresh approach to understanding Black Canadian citizenship and identity.

“Soundin’ Canaan fits squarely within WLU Press’s longstanding leadership in critical literary studies,” says Buntin. “What makes it stand out is the innovative way it mixes poetry, music and criticism. This is the kind of interdisciplinary work at which the press excels, and that serves to advance knowledge and understanding.”

After more than 50 years of scholarly publishing, Buntin says 2026 Canada Prize recognition highlights both the continuity and evolution of WLU Press’s editorial vision.

“WLU Press has supported Indigenous scholarship and critical literary studies for many years, so this is gratifying recognition for decades of relationship and scholarly contribution,” says Buntin. “These books represent the best of that tradition while also pushing into new, interdisciplinary, community-engaged directions.”

Learn more about the 2026 Canada Prizes and WLU Press.