Indigenous Awareness Weeks 2022
Indigenous Awareness Weeks offer聽students, staff, and faculty the opportunity to learn about Indigenous cultures, histories, and communities, promoting greater knowledge and understanding about Indigenous peoples in Canada. They aim聽to raise awareness and initiate an exchange of ideas on First Nations, 惭茅迟颈蝉, and Inuit topics within the McGill community.
Indigenous Awareness Weeks provide a space to amplify聽Indigenous voices and perspectives on campus. Since 2011, invited guests have included聽academics, community members, Elders, and students. Topics have included health, identity, language revitalization, the Indian Act, Residential Schools, Indigenous legal traditions, Canadian policies, education, child welfare, and Indigenous ways of knowing.
This year's series marks the eleventh annual Indigenous Awareness Weeks series at McGill. It will take place from聽Monday, September 19th to Friday, September 30th.听All are welcome to attend the events, which are free.
Event Calendar
Week One
Monday, September 19th, 2022
Opening Ceremony & Keynote Address (5:45-8:00 pm), McGill University, Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry Building, Room M/1
Join us in celebrating the launch of this year's Indigenous Awareness Weeks! The event will begin with opening words from Kanien'keh谩:ka Faith Keeper Otsi'tsak茅n:ra (Charlie) Patton, followed by a keynote address by Celeste Pedri-Spade, McGill鈥檚 first Associate Provost (Indigenous Initiatives). Following this, attendees will be treated to performances by Inuit throat singers Nina and Sierra Segalowitz, and Kanien'keh谩:ka social song singers Iakotennikonhrare Doreen, Tiohatehkwen Patton, and Karonhiakwas Patton. Food from the Roundhouse Caf茅/Caf茅 de la Maison Ronde and drinks will be provided.
Tuesday, September 20th, 2022
Film screening of聽Three Thousand聽and Q&A with the director, asinnajaq (6:00-7:30 p.m.),聽McGill University, Macdonald-Harrington Building, G-10聽Auditorium
asinnajaq is a visual artist, filmmaker, and writer based in Montreal, QC. For her short film Three Thousand (2017), she uses thousands of hours of historical footage from the National Film Board of Canada's archive to reframe the past of Inuit and create a vision for the future. For more information on the film, visit the聽.
Wednesday, September 21st, 2022
Virtual presentation and Q&A with Cassidy Caron (President, 惭茅迟颈蝉 National Council) (11:00 am - 12:00 pm), Zoom
Cassidy Caron is a 惭茅迟颈蝉 woman with roots in the historic 惭茅迟颈蝉 communities of Batoche and St. Louis, Saskatchewan. She grew up closely connected to her 惭茅迟颈蝉 traditions, heritage and culture and is driven by her family and community values of respect, honesty, collaboration and responsibility. Cassidy is the first elected woman to hold the office of President of the 惭茅迟颈蝉 National Council.
Join President Caron for a live Zoom presentation on the聽past, present, and future of the 惭茅迟颈蝉 Nation.
Thursday, September 22nd, 2022
McGill Farmer's Market x Indigenous Awareness Weeks Collaboration (11:00 am - 5 pm),聽McGill University, 3460 McTavish St, Montreal
To celebrate Indigenous Awareness Weeks at McGill, Indigenous Initiatives is collaborating with the聽McGill Farmer's Market to bring more Indigenous artists and vendors to the Market. Stay tuned for a complete list of the Indigenous vendors you can check out and support.
Roundtable discussion on Inuit self-governance with panelists聽Pita Aatami (President, Makivik Corporation), Lisa Koperqualuk (President, Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada), and Natan Obed (President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami) (6:00-7:30 pm),聽McGill University, Moyse Hall Theatre
This roundtable discussion will explore Inuit self-governance at various levels: regional, national, and international. It will be moderated by Patricia Johnson-Castle, the former Director of Policy and Planning at the Nunatsiavut Government and the former Coordinator of the Indigenous Studies Program at McGill University.听
Watch the recording聽.
Friday, September 23rd, 2022
21st Annual McGill Pow Wow (11:00 am - 4:00 pm),聽McGill University, Lower West Field (845 Sherbrooke St. W.)
Dancers bring your regalia and drummers, bring your hand drums. First Nations, Inuit, and聽惭茅迟颈蝉 artisans, vendors, and organizations are welcome. This is a free, public event.
For more information, please contact聽firstpeopleshouse [at] mcgill.ca.听
For the full pow wow schedule, please visit the聽First Peoples' House events page.
Week Two
Monday, September 26th, 2022
狈颈谤颈辩补迟颈驳颈颈迟听(Coming Together to Eat) with Inuk chef Trudy Metcalfe-Coe (5:00-7:00 pm),聽First Peoples' House
Originally from Nain, Nunatsiavut, the Inuit Land Claims region in Northern Labrador, Inuk Chef Trudy Metcalfe-Coe has called Ottawa home for thirty plus years. Trudy started cooking around the age of twelve and takes pleasure in bringing comfort to family, friends and community, through her love of creating tasty dishes from Country Food (food from the Arctic such as caribou, seal, arctic char and musk ox).听
Join Chef Trudy as she prepares a meal for the Indigenous community at McGill's First Peoples' House.
Tuesday, September 27th, 2022
Live broadcast of "Wampum in Montreal History" with Darren Bonaparte (12:30 - 1:00 pm), McGill University YouTube
Tune into this live YouTube broadcast of聽"Wampum in Montreal History" with Darren Bonaparte. Bonaparte is the Mohawk writer, artist, and cultural historian behind聽. In this video, Bonaparte discusses wampum, or the belts through which the Haudenosaunee documented their history and culture, in the Montreal context.
View the presentation here:聽
Wednesday, September 28th, 2022
Inuit games demonstration by聽釔嬦摢釗� 釔嬦摢釗毬�(12:00-1:30 p.m.), University Centre - Shatner Building,聽Madeleine Parent Room (202)
Born in St. John's, NL, and raised in Ottawa, ON, 釔嬦摢釗� 釔嬦摢釗� (which translates to Stranger in English) has spent more than a decade demonstrating and teaching traditional Inuit games. At this event, 釔嬦摢釗� 釔嬦摢釗� will talk about the history of the games and demonstrate some of his favourites.
Join聽釔嬦摢釗� 釔嬦摢釗� on the 2nd Floor of the University Centre (3480 McTavish Street) for this exciting demonstration.
"The Legacy Game: Honouring the Indigenous Roots of Lacrosse" (Part One): A Presentation on the Meaning and History of Lacrosse by聽Mike Kanentakeron Mitchell (4:00-5:30 pm), RVC West Lounge 014
Kanentakeron is a knowledge keeper from Akwesasne who has played lacrosse all his life. For almost twenty years, he served as President of the Iroquois Lacrosse Association. He also served as the First Nations Director to the Canadian Lacrosse Association from 1998-2011. In 2014, Kanentakeron was awarded the Lester B. Pearson Award by the Canadian Lacrosse Association for his dedication, sportsmanship, and leadership in the lacrosse world. Read more聽.听
Kanentakeron is also the former Akwasasne Grand Chief, and "was a member of the historic Indian Film Crew, an all-Indigenous group of film trainees formed at the [National Film Board] in 1967." Kanentakeron directed the IFC film聽You Are on Indian Land聽(1969), which was formally credited to him in 2017. Read more聽.
Thursday, September 29th, 2022
McGill Farmer's Market x Indigenous Awareness Weeks Collaboration (11:00 am - 5 pm), McGill University, 3460 McTavish St
To celebrate Indigenous Awareness Weeks at McGill, Indigenous Initiatives is collaborating with the McGill Farmer's Market to bring more Indigenous artists and vendors to the Market. Stay tuned for a complete list of the Indigenous vendors you can check out and support.
"釔冡搫釔� 釔娽捇釖摋 釚冡悈釖敧釚� (INUA and Qaumajuq): Going Forward Together" with Krista Ulujuk Zawadski (6:00-8:00 pm),聽Macdonald-Harrington Building, G-10 Auditorium
Krista Ulujuk Zawadski is a curator, anthropologist, arts leader, researcher, scholar and writer, who is originally from Igluligaarjuk (Chesterfield Inlet) and now calls Rankin Inlet, NU, home. Zawadski will present a talk on her involvement in聽听补苍诲听.听INUA is the inaugural exhibition of聽Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, that brings together聽the work of over 90 Inuit artists from across Inuit Nunangat and southern centres.
Friday, September 30th, 2022
4th Annual "We Will Walk Together/Sk脿tne聽Entewathah矛ta" Event (10:00 am - 12:00 pm), Education Building (3700 McTavish St) Patio (outside) and Learning Commons area (inside)
This year's "We Will Walk Together/Sk脿tne Entewathah矛ta" event will involve an outdoor ceremony honouring the children, survivors, and families impacted by residential and day schools. It will include guest speeches and drumming performances. Following the ceremony, there will be an interactive information fair that highlights Indigenous initiatives within the Faculty of Education and beyond. The event's theme is "Education is the key to reconciliation."
"The Legacy Game: Honouring the Indigenous Roots of Lacrosse" (Part Two):聽Varsity Men's Lacrosse Game and Ceremony (7:45 - 10:00 pm),聽Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (475 Pine Ave W)
Friday, September 30th's varsity men's lacrosse game against Queens University will be dedicated to both Orange Shirt Day and Indigenous contributions to and stewardship of the game of lacrosse. In addition to the varsity game, the event will feature an opening ceremony, fundraising, half-time performances, and a closing ceremony involving the awarding of legacy sticks to the teams. Importantly, this is the first edition of what will become an annual Legacy Game at McGill.
The game will be free to attend for Indigenous peoples (please contact Aneeka Anderson at聽aneeka.anderson [at] mcgill.ca聽to receive your promo code). Orange shirts designed by聽White Buffalo Crafts By Isabelle (Isabelle Zwicker) will be sold at the game as a fundraiser for聽the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal, and donations are being accepted on the ticket platform below.
Get your tickets here:聽
