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Mari Kleist is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology. She earned a BA in Cultural and Social History from Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland in 2007, an MA in Archaeology from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2009, and a PhD in Prehistoric Archaeology from the University of Copenhagen in 2013. She is the first Greenlander to obtain a PhD in archaeology. Her research primarily focuses on pre-Inuit Dorset and early Inuit cultures across the eastern Arctic and Sub-Arctic, with broader interests in past human behaviours, cultural practices, and the role of material culture in social life. Kleist is dedicated to centering Inuit voices and perspectives in research and deconstructing colonial narratives.
Since completing her PhD, Kleist has held various positions in higher education, government, and as an independent researcher. She has taught undergraduates on the prehistory of Greenland and Arctic archaeology at Ilisimatusarfik and continues to serve there as an external examiner. From 2014 to 2016, she worked as Head of Secretariat for the Greenland Reconciliation Commission at the Premier’s Office. Prior to her archaeological studies, she obtained a certified primary and secondary teaching degree from Ilinniarfissuaq, Greenland in 2002 and taught for nearly six years at a public school in Nuuk. She co-directs research projects with colleagues from the University of Calgary addressing topics such as Inughuit creativity and environmental responsiveness. Kleist also serves as Rector of Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland.
A University of Calgary-led study in Antiquity unveils how Paleo-Inuit seafarers conquered remote Kitsissut Islands 4500 years ago using sophisticated skin boats and navigation, reshaping Arctic history.
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