On Nov. 7, MIRI invites the community to learn more about ongoing Indigenous-focused research McMaster
This year the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute is hosting an Indigenous Research Day on Nov. 7. Indigenous Research Day highlights the Indigenous-focused research done at McMaster University and will be held at CIBC Hall.
This is the second time that the conference is being hosted at McMaster University. Savage Bear, director of McMaster Indigenous Research Institute, assistant professor in McMaster’s Indigenous studies department and the national director for Walls to Bridges, shared that last year the conference had sold out completely. This year, they’ve moved to a bigger venue to welcome the McMaster community event.
Indigenous Research Day will be composed of 12 presenters, where they will present their research. The day is structures to include presentations, and then interactive components where guests can conversate about the knowledge being presented. Bear shared that their keynote speaker for the day is Bonnie Freeman, associate professor at the school of social work and the current Indigenous Scholar in Community at MIRI.
This year Elya Porter, Research Coordinator at MIRI, is the Lead organizer for Indigenous Research Day. Indigenous Health Learning Lodge, Indigenous Studies Department, Indigenous Student Services, The FEAST Centre for Indigenous STBBI Research, University Advancement and Indigenous Health Movement supported her throughout to promote the day.
“It's been a privilege to work collaboratively with Indigenous Student Services, Indigenous Studies Department, University Advancement, The FEAST Centre for Indigenous STBBI Research, Indigenous Health Learning Lodge, and Indigenous Health Movement to plan Indigenous Research Day, and promote and celebrate the Indigenous Research being done by our faculty, students, staff and community at McMaster,” said Porter in a statement to the Silhouette.
Bear shared how engaging it has been to have the support of the many organizations at McMaster.
“The Indigenous community, internal and external at McMaster, is growing and incredibly strong. . .It's great to have so many voices at the table. It's very important that we have a diversity of voices to consult with to make sure that we're covering all our bases,” said Bear.
IHM’S Faculty Outreach Coordinators Ethan Michalenko and Eric Han shared that they served as support and provided input as members of IHM. Michalenko shared that their experience working with MIRI was very valuable as IHM plans their own annual conference as well.
Michalenko shared that at this year’s event Indigenous students throughout campus are invited to present their research regardless of discipline. He is excited to learn about the body of work done by Indigenous students at McMaster.
“I think, though, one thing for me that particularly stood out is this year is they're having Indigenous presenters that aren't necessarily doing research in Indigenous methodologies and topics. I think it’s very cool to see kind of the outreach of all the Indigenous people in campus that are involved in research and kind of what their work is involved in,” said Michalenko.
Both Michalenko and Han expressed the importance of Indigenous Research Day at McMaster. Michalenko shared that it’s important to share Indigenous knowledge and ethics, so we can integrate this information within McMaster, as well as the larger community.
Han agreed, adding that the research day allows the community to connect and build off each other’s ideas. It emphasizes collective learning and understanding, which he shared is heavily valued by Indigenous researchers.
“It's very important to have these research days for the McMaster community, specifically when it's focused on Indigenous research. Because there's a lot of systemic incompatibilities with Western and Indigenous knowledge and ethics, surrounding all these topics. So very important to teach the community about their perspective and how they can integrate their work in alongside the Indigenous communities,” said Michalenko.
As someone who has seen the project from start to end, Porter is excited to hear about the work being done by members of McMaster.
“I'm looking forward to listening and learning about the Indigenous research being done across campus,” said Porter.
Bear shared that her favourite aspect is the work of students. She believes that students serve as a fresh set of eyes, that allow for a new perspectives and knowledge to prevail. Moreover, she shared that often despite being very bright, as students they are still building their presentation skills. It inspired the workshop being hosted by MIRI prior to the conference to teach skills that are needed for presenting at conferences.
If you are interested in the upcoming event please register on their Eventbrite.
Jordan Carrier's new podcast highlights Hamilton's Indigenous history
Jordan Carrier created the One Dish, Many Stories podcast to share the history of Indigenous peoples and places in Hamilton. The podcast was created in her last year of undergraduate Indigenous Studies at McMaster University. She developed the project under the supervision of Vanessa Watts. For this project, she recorded three episodes and later released them after graduating.
"[The podcast is about] understanding the history that the lands that Hamilton sits on existed long before we called this place Hamilton. Nations lived on these lands and they had their own terms for the lands or how they used the lands,” said Carrier.
Starting a podcast was something she always thought about but never followed through with until recently. For Carrier, it was an awakening moment to see how little people knew about Indigenous stories in Hamilton and how single-sided the history of Hamilton seemed to be within the community.
“I started thinking somehow we need to incorporate other stories. There’s more than one narrative to history and experiences — even contemporary experiences. That’s when I had the idea of the podcast,” said Carrier.
I started thinking somehow we need to incorporate other stories. There’s more than one narrative to history and experiences — even contemporary experiences. That’s when I had the idea of the podcast.
Jordan Carrier, Creator of One Dish, Many Spoons
Each episode of the One Dish, Many Stories podcast highlights different topics with the united goal of educating the larger community about Indigenous experiences.
In the first episode released, she shared her own story alongside the history behind various names of places on the land now known as Hamilton. She discussed how her experiences with racism as a child
affected how she perceived and carried herself. To her, sharing her own story was crucial in understanding why she created the podcast.
The second and third episodes delved into well-researched thoughts on relationships Indigenous peoples have with treaties and Northern Indigenous people being displaced from their homes and
being sent to the Sanitorium in Hamilton.
"[In] the very first episode . . . I talk about the racism I experienced as a young Indigenous person and how I internalized that. It wasn’t until I moved to Hamilton and got connected to the Indigenous community in Hamilton that I really started to embrace my identity as First Nations person,” said Carrier.
In each recent episode, she has a guest come to contribute to the conversation. All the guests either reside in Hamilton or work within Hamilton. It was important for Carrier to include the perspectives of other Indigenous peoples within Hamilton when talking about the history and the repercussions of past events.
“It was really important to have local context and perspective to really highlight that Indigenous peoples are still here. We’re still thriving. We’re still reclaiming all that’s been taken from us or our loss through the colonial project,” said Carrier.
It was really important to have local context and perspective to really highlight that Indigenous peoples are still here. We’re still thriving. We’re still reclaiming all that’s been taken from us or our loss through the colonial project.
Jordan Carrier, Creator of One Dish, Many Spoons
Carrier emphasized there is always more that can be done and the importance of self-reflection on one’s privilege and presence within an area. She encouraged reflection and continuous learning about the stories of Hamilton beyond traditional teaching.
“Continue questioning, “Okay, why do I only know this one perspective out of our existence as people in Hamilton? What is missing?” There are so many different communities that make Hamilton what it is,” said Carrier.
One Dish, Many Stories touches on the experiences of Indigenous peoples in what is now Hamilton and the history behind it. Carrier currently has three episodes out and hopes to release more soon. She hopes listeners will learn from the podcast and continue to educate themselves.
On Sept. 30 the McMaster community observed the second annual Truth and Reconciliation Day with on-campus gatherings, an educational panel and Indigenous artwork
On Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, the McMaster University community observed Truth and Reconciliation Day. The federal holiday was first established in 2021 to honour the victims, survivors and all members of the Indigenous community affected by the painful history of Canadian residential schools. This is the second year Canada has observed Truth and Reconciliation Day as a national holiday.
Truth and Reconciliation Day coincides with the previously established Orange Shirt Day, which is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day honouring all Indigenous children taken from their homes and put into residential schools.
Orange Shirt Day commemorates survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad’s experience being stripped of her new orange shirt on her first day of residential school. The orange shirt is now used to represent how Indigenous students had their identities stripped away from them by the residential school system.
While other Canadian provinces designated Sept. 30th as a statutory holiday, Ontario did not.
Several events were planned approaching Truth and Reconciliation Day, including a virtual tour of the Mohawk Institute Residential school as well as a recorded panel discussion hosted by the Indigenous Studies faculty.
The panel featured guest speakers Dr. Vanessa Watts, Dr. Mary Jane Logan McCallum and Dr. Lianne Leddy. It was moderated by the director of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute, Dr. Savage Bear. They focused on the historical context behind the creation of the residential school system, as well as how these institutions were falsely contextualized in archives, using propaganda and the erasure of painful truths.
Additional to the informational panel, the MSU Diversity and Equity Network facilitated both social media-based and in-person informational campaigns leading up to Truth and Reconciliation Day. Infographics and informational resources were posted on the MSU Diversity Instagram.
Avantika Vaidya, a social and political advocacy coordinator for the MSU Diversity and Equity Network, described how, along with the advocacy role they played on social media, the social and political advocacy team also commissioned Indigenous muralist Kyle Joedicke to paint a piece to be displayed on the McMaster campus.
The piece is currently being displayed in the Peter George Centre for Living and Learning and will be later given to the Indigenous studies department. Vaidya explained the main goal of this project was to create a space of visible expression of Indigenous culture and bring that into the McMaster community.
“I think art in all forms is one of the only universal languages that ties in humans from across cultures and identities. I think that using this kind of medium as a celebration on the second year of Truth and Reconciliation Day seemed very appropriate, and we're excited that it was able to be carried out and is there for everyone to appreciate and understand its value,” said Vaidya.
“I think art in all forms is one of the only universal languages that ties in humans from across cultures and identities. I think that using this kind of medium as a celebration on the second year of Truth and Reconciliation Day seemed very appropriate, and we're excited that it was able to be carried out and is there for everyone to appreciate and understand its value.”
Avantika vaidya, MSU DEN Social and Political Advocacy Coordinator
Vaidya spoke on the importance of recognizing Truth and Reconciliation Day as a federal holiday. Although classes were canceled, campus was alive with vibrant celebrations and meaningful recognitions. Community members marched together, participated in painting an orange armour stone at the on-campus Indigenous Circle and gathered for a film screening of Indian Horse.
“I think when you explicitly create a day for recognition and when you announce it as such, it does create a space for opening up discussions amongst people who maybe aren't as informed of its significance and of its history.” said Vaidya.
“I think when you explicitly create a day for recognition and when you announce it as such, it does create a space for opening up discussions amongst people who maybe aren't as informed of its significance and of its history.”
Avantika vaidya
