September 23 at 12:00pm until September 27 at 7:00pm
McGill University’s Indigenous Awareness Week is designed to increase awareness at McGill about Indigenous peoples of Canada. The week honours the many Indigenous cultures across the country including the Métis, the Inuit and First Nations. The week also offers an opportunity to collaborate with community partners and draws active participation from McGill students, faculty and staff.
The week is organized by the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office at McGill University.
SEDE’s Indigenous Educational Program seeks to develop a broad-based educational campaign by providing Aboriginal-specific programming and opportunities for bridge-building among diverse members of the McGill community.
For more information, please contact the Indigenous Education Advisor, Allan Vicaire, via email at allan.vicaire@mcgill.ca or by phone at (514) 398-3711.
Monday, September 23rd
OPENING CEREMONY
12:00PM – 3:00PM, Ballroom, Thomson House, 3650 McTavish Street
The Opening Ceremony for the 3rd annual Indigenous Awareness Week will begin with a welcoming address and blessing from McGill’s elder Alex Sonny Diabo. The warm welcome will be followed by traditional Inuit throat singing by Nina Segalowitz and Taqralik Partridge. Finally, our keynote speaker
Michèle Audette, President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), will be presenting the realities and current issues faced by Indigenous women across Canada, ranging from healthcare, to domestic violence, to missing and murdered women.
Opening Ceremony Schedule:
•12:00PM – 12:30PM: Lunch Buffet
•12:30PM – 1:00PM: Welcoming Address and Blessing
• 1:00PM – 1:20PM: Inuit Throat Singing
• 1:20PM – 2:10PM: Challenges and Barriers for Indigenous Women with Michèle Audette
• 2:10PM – 2:30PM: Closing Remarks
Michèle Audette’s Biography:
Hailing from the Innu community of Mani Utenam, Michèle Audette followed in the footsteps of her mother, respected Innu activist Evelyne St-Onge. Working with Quebec Native Women Inc. since 1990, Audette was elected President of this organization in November 1998.
Endorsing her predecessors’ equal rights commitments, Audette was a strong advocate of women’s positions on a number of issues such as Bill C-7 on the division of matrimonial real property. She raised decision-makers’ awareness of the importance of women’s health, safe houses for Aboriginal women, youth issues and international development during her term in office. The Quebec Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (Commission of Human Rights and Youth Rights) recognized the many accomplishments of Quebec Native Women Inc. with an honourable mention in 2001.
Audette won a number of awards and distinctions for her work on social issues, including the Quebec YWCA’s Femme de mérite (Woman of Distinction) award in the Community involvement category in 2004. She was also one of La Presse’s personalities of the week in 2003. Her mandate with Quebec Native Women Inc. ended in March 2004 when she was appointed Associate Deputy Minister responsible for the Status of Women Secretariat in the Government of Quebec.
Audette became militant once again and took on an official role in 2012 when she was elected President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada.
Tuesday, September 24th
KANIEN’KEHÁ:KA ONKWAWÉN:NA RAOTITIÓHKWA LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL CENTRE TOUR
9:00AM – 1:00PM, Kahnawake Cultural Centre
Join us on a tour of the Kahnawake Cultural Centre’s permanent exhibit which showcases the rich culture and history of Kanien’keha:ka. Beginning with the foundation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to the 1990 Oka Crisis, the permanent exhibit features key cultural and historical events that best explain who the Kanien’kehá:ka people are.
Space is limited. Register by e-mailing asp.sede@mcgill.ca.
RESTRUCTURING THE INDIGENOUS-CROWN RELATIONSHIP IN CANADA: THE PROMISE OF INDIGENOUS MULTILEVEL GOVERNANCE
2:00PM – 4:00PM, Ballroom, Thomson House, 3650 McTavish Street
One of the most important political challenges facing this country is the strained relationship between Indigenous communities and the federal, provincial, and territorial governments of Canada. Although Canada has tried a variety of ways to better engage and establish stronger relationships with its Indigenous peoples, these efforts have largely failed, resulting in widespread distrust and conflict. Recent trends, however, offer some hope. In this presentation, Christopher Alcantara, an award-winning professor from Wilfrid Laurier University, will discuss how the emergence of Indigenous multilevel governance may provide an innovative and achievable model for repairing the relationship between the Crown and Canada’s Indigenous populations.
Christopher Alcantara is an associate professor in the department of political science at Wilfrid Laurier University. His main research interests are in the fields of Indigenous-settler relations and politics, territorial governance in the Canadian north, federalism and multilevel governance, public policy and administration, and more recently, Canadian voting behaviour. He has written two books, Negotiating the Deal: Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements in Canada (UTP: 2013) and Beyond the Indian Act: Restoring Aboriginal Property Rights (MQUP: 2010), the latter of which was coauthored with Tom Flanagan and Andre Le Dressay. He has published numerous articles in the Canadian Journal of Political Science, Canadian Public Administration, Electoral Studies, Public Choice, Publius: Journal of Federalism, Regional and Federal Studies, and Urban Affairs Review among others. His research was a finalist for the Donner Prize in 2011 and the McMenemy Prize in 2013, and has won the J.E. Hodgetts Award for best article in the Canadian Public Administration journal, as well as the David Watson Memorial Award for "the paper published in the Queen's Law Journal judged to make the most significant contribution to legal scholarship.”
WORKSHOP ORGANIZED BY KANATA
4:00PM – 6:00PM, Room 5001, Brown Buiding, 3600 McTavish Street
Description TBA
UNDERSTANDING MOHAWK: LANGUAGE AND HISTORY
6:00PM – 8:00PM, Room 430, 3610 McTavish Street
Discover and learn Mohawk. The session will provide opportunities to learn basic Mohawk and understand the historical evolution of the language and its recent revitalization program in Kahnawake. Guiding the session will be Akwiratékha Martin, Mohawk Language Instructor from the Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language & Cultural Centre.
Akwiratékha Martin is Kanien'kehá:ka from Kahnawà:ke and has been teaching Kanien'kéha for the past 9 years. Along with teaching, he has also been a translator and/or voice dubber for several APTN television shows, such as By The Rapids, and Finding Our Talk. He has recently worked for Ubisoft on Assassin's Creed 3 as Kanien'kéha Language Consultant. He is currently employed at Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center in Kahnawà:ke.
Wednesday, September 25 2013
MCGILL’S VISION: INDIGENOUS STUDIES PROGRAM
11:00AM – 12:00PM, Lev Bukhman Room (2nd Floor), SSMU Building, 3480 McTavish Street
Since the early 2000s, efforts have been made to develop an Indigenous Studies program at McGill University. On November 27th 2012, a forum was held jointly by the Students’ Society of McGill University and the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office. This forum was held to consult members of the McGill community on their vision for an Indigenous Studies program.
An information session, presented by current and former SSMU VPs of University Affairs, Joey Shea and Haley Dinel, will highlight the forum’s report and to continue the dialogue.
DREAMCATCHER MAKING WORKSHOP (STAFF AND FACULTY ONLY)
12:00PM – 2:00PM, Arts Council Room, Room 160, Arts Building
Explore your creative side and discover a part of First Nations traditional craft: the Dreamcatcher. The workshop will be led by Marie-Celine Charron from the Naskapis First Nation of Kawawachikamach.
Spaces are limited. Register by e-mailing asp.sede@mcgill.ca.
TRADITIONAL HOOP DANCING WORKSHOP
2:00PM – 4:00PM, Lower Campus
The Indigenous Student Alliance wants the McGill community to join them on the Lower Field for an interactive workshop on Indigenous hoop dancing. This will be an opportunity to get moving and discover traditional First Nation dancing.
EVENT ORGANIZED BY THE ABORIGINAL LAW STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
6:00PM – 8:00PM, LOCATION TBD
Thursday, September 26th
KAIROS BLANKET EXERCISE
10:00AM – 12:00PM, Room 200, Coach House, 3715 Peel Street
An interactive exercise on the relationships between the Crown and Canada’s Indigenous populations, from the settlers’ arrival to modern times. Participants are guided through centuries of denial of Indigenous nationhood and the gradual appropriation, relocation, and removal of Indigenous peoples and territories.
The exercise begins with blankets spread across the floor, which represent land occupied by Canada’s Indigenous populations. As participants are guided through centuries of negotiations, treaties, decrees, and other interactions with European settlers, the blankets on which they stand are slowly removed, until only a few participants remain on a small area representing what little remains of Indigenous territory today. The exercise will then be followed by a talking circle.
This event is hosted by Allan Vicaire, Indigenous Education Advisor, and Paige Isaac, Coordinator of the First Peoples’ House.
Spaces are limited. Register by e-mailing asp.sede@mcgill.ca.
DREAMCATCHER MAKING WORKSHOP (STUDENTS ONLY)
12:00PM – 2:00PM, Arts Council Room, Room 160, Arts Building
Explore your creative side and discover a part of First Nations traditional craft: the Dreamcatcher. The workshop will be led by Marie-Celine Charron from the Naskapis First Nation of Kawawachikamach.
Spaces are limited. Register by e-mailing asp.sede@mcgill.ca.
“WHO MAKES THE CALL?” A PANEL ON INDIGENOUS IDENTITY
1:15PM – 3:15PM, Lev Bukhman Room (2nd Floor), SSMU Building, 3480 McTavish Street
Centuries of colonization through government policies have blurred the line between Canada’s Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations. Today, Indigenous identity is a complex and multifaceted topic with different points of view to distinguish between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
Who has the right to define what it means to be an Indigenous person? Also, how important are language, ancestral territory, and culture in identifying oneself as being Indigenous? Is blood percentage a valid metric in determining this? Is Indian/Inuit status necessary to consider oneself Indigenous? Our panelists will address these questions and explore the complexity of this controversial and engaging subject.
Moderating this discussion will be Indigenous rights activist Ellen Gabriel. Panelists will include:
•Mohawk activist Cecile Charlie,
•Aboriginal artist Skawennati Fragnito,
•and McGill’s Michael Loft from the School of Social Work.
WAPIKONI MOBILE: PREMIERE OF SHORT FILMS
7:00PM – 8:30PM, Théâtre J. Armand Bombardier, McCord Museum, 690 Sherbrooke Street West
Join us for an exclusive screening of short films directed by First Nations youth. The Wapikoni mobile is a travelling audiovisual and music training studio that reaches more than 300 First Nations youth annually from across the province and provides them with valuable experiences in film and music creation.
Raymond Caplin, filmmaker of the short film animation In Your Heart from the Mi’gmaq First Nation community of Listuguj, will present his new short film and hold a Q&A session.
Friday, September 27th
KANEHSATAKE: 270 YEARS OF RESISTANCE
9:00AM – 11:30AM,Room 102, New Chancellor Day Hall, 3644 Peel Street
On a July day in 1990, a confrontation propelled Native issues in Kanehsatake and the village of Oka, Quebec, into the international spotlight. Director Alanis Obomsawin spent 78 nerve-wracking days and nights filming the armed stand-off between the Mohawks, the Quebec police and the Canadian army. This powerful documentary takes you right into the action of an age-old Aboriginal struggle. The result is a portrait of the people behind the barricades. Following the film, we will be joined by Elder John Onawario Cree who will discuss the aftermath and effects of the Oka Crisis on the Kanehsatake Mohawk community, then and now.
John Onawario Cree, Bear Clan Faithkeeper, Haudenosaunee, was born at his grandmother Marjorie’s home in Kanehsatake, Mohawk Territory and raised by his grandparents. He has worked in the United States as a Tree Surgeon, as an aircraft refueller and Aircraft Refueller Supervisor at Mirabel Airport and Trudeau Airport. He then became a bus driver for the Kanehsatake Education Centre for many years. In 2005, Onawario was hired as a Grandfather (Elder) to work with Indigenous inmates through Corrections Services Canada, from the minimum to the Super Maximum Special HandlingUnit in Ste. Anne des Plaines, Quebec. He is now retired but is often called upon to do retreats, openings, Sweat Lodge Ceremonies and Healing and Talking Circles and enjoys actively participating in conferences. Onawario has been happily married to his wife Linda for 43 years. They are very proud parents of a daughter and three sons, and grandparents to four grandsons and five granddaughters. Onawario still manages to do what he loves best – growing the “Three Sisters” - Indian white corn, beans and squash, traditional Grandfather tobacco and in the Spring, making maple syrup on his land in Kanehsatake.
INDIGENOUS HEALTH FOR FIRST NATIONS, INUIT AND MÉTIS
2:00PM – 4:00PM, Room 14, Leacock Building
When we think of the health and well-being of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations, many questions inevitably arise. How does Indigenous health compare to non-Indigenous health? Where is Indigenous health headed? How can we incorporate healing through nature and culture into the practice of healthcare? How can we implement strength-based approaches to healthcare programs and policy in Canada? Simon Brascoupé, Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University, will be giving a presentation on the status of healthcare for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada.
Simon Brascoupé, Anishinabeg/Haudenausanee – Bear Clan is a member of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, Maniwaki, Quebec. Simon Brascoupé is an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. He was recently awarded a Certified Aboriginal Professional Administrator (CAPA) from the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada (AFOA). He has a B.A. and M.A. from State University of New York at Buffalo, where he is also completing his Ph.D. He has a research interest in land-based healing, traditional medicine, and traditional knowledge. He conducts research and writes on cultural competency and safety. He published an article, Cultural Safety – Exploring the Applicability of the Concept of Cultural Safety to Aboriginal Health and Community Wellness, in the Journal of Aboriginal Health. He teaches Indigenous Studies at Carleton University. Previously Simon Brascoupé was Chief Executive Officer, National Aboriginal Health Organization; Director, Primary Health Care Division, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada; and Director, Aboriginal Affairs Branch, Environment Canada. He has written and worked in the field of traditional knowledge and intellectual Property Rights and is on Trent University’s Ph.D. Indigenous Knowledge Council.
COMMUNITY SOCIAL & FEAST
5:00PM – 7:00PM, Native Friendship Centre of Montreal, 2001 Saint-Laurent Blvd
Come together and partake in the closing ceremony of the 3rd Annual Indigenous Awareness Week. Socialize, eat, sing, dance, and share your experiences of the past week.
Indian tacos will be served. Dancers are encouraged to bring traditional regalia.
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