C/O Kevin Patrick Robbins

McMaster’s Indigenous studies courses offer historical and contemporary insight into Indigenous affairs

Founded in 1992, the Indigenous studies program at McMaster University offers a variety of courses related to Indigenous affairs. The program website discusses their unique approach to teaching, which emphasizes the importance of community knowledge.

“This community-driven approach encourages students from various cultural backgrounds to learn about the history and lives of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples from an Indigenous perspective,” the website stated.

Adrienne Xavier, Director of the Indigenous studies program, discussed the method of teaching that the program uses and how important it is for developing an understanding of Indigenous affairs.

“Ultimately, it's not any one particular class for me. It's the approach that our faculty have, which is giving [students] unique perspectives and ideas around what is truly possible and what Indigenous ways of knowing look like,” said Xavier.

According to Xavier, all of the classes are taught with this community-focused approach in mind, and they all provide valuable learning experiences. However, Xavier highlighted a few specific courses that are especially significant.

One of the courses that Xavier highlighted was INDIG ST 1AA3, introduction to contemporary Indigenous studies.

The course description states that students will explore the relationship between Indigenous peoples and mainstream society in the 20th century. Specifically, the course will examine governmental policy, land claims, economic development and self-determination.

Xavier noted that this course is valuable for giving students foundational knowledge about Indigenous affairs and introducing them to the conversation.

“It's really about understanding that there are a lot of different ways for students to engage in the knowledge of what's going on with Indigenous communities today,” said Xavier. 

Xavier further emphasized the importance of students educating themselves regarding Indigenous history and issues.  

“I think that everybody should have some base of knowledge on Indigenous issues, Indigenous history [and] Indigenous contemporary concerns,” explained Xavier.

Xavier said that, although no program is perfect, she believes the Indigenous studies program has been effective at reaching students and helping them to better understand Indigenous history and contemporary affairs.

“No school has it done perfectly right. No instructor does everything exactly the way that every student needs. Every student learns a little differently [and] every instructor teaches a little differently,” said Xavier.

However, Xavier said the Indigenous studies program has been able to connect students to the faculty, to each other and to the content. Xavier expressed hope that even more students will seek out Indigenous studies courses in the future.

“I will urge students to always be looking at Indigenous studies for different new courses [and] for what's being offered each year because we don't always have the faculty to offer everything every year,” Xavier said.

As settlers on Indigenous lands, it is crucial that students acknowledge their use of the land and educate themselves regarding Indigenous culture. At McMaster, taking an Indigenous studies course is one way to do so.  

C/O Georgia Kirkos

Dr. Dawn Martin-Hill combines her knowledge of anthropology with Indigenous research

In 1992, when McMaster’s Indigenous studies program was first introduced, Dawn Martin-Hill of the Mohawk wolf clan was one of the founders of the program. As an associate professor for both the department of anthropology and the ISP, she has worked through several projects that have brought attention to the Indigenous community and educated the people of the McMaster community.

Martin-Hill’s current research focuses on Indigenous knowledge and cultural conservation, Indigenous women, traditional medicine and health and the contemporary practice of Indigenous traditionalism. 

In a recent interview with Mongabay, Martin-Hill explained how she was inspired to do the work she does.

“I am an anthropologist in my field research. I worked in northern Alberta, which was dealing with the oil industry and the logging industry. I spent a lot of time up there and saw the destruction to their land and the impact it was having on the community and how they had no resources whatsoever. But yet they managed to get to the [United Nations]. They managed to get decisions against Canada. I was impressed with the fortitude,” said Martin-Hill.

Martin-Hill noted the contrast between what she saw while working in northern Alberta and the conversations happening at university. 

“When you see people putting everything on the line for the land and then you go to university and it’s all very ivory tower and theoretical — it made no sense to me,” said Martin-Hill. 

In 2007, Martin-Hill wrote a book known as The Lubicon Lake Nation: Indigenous Knowledge and Power to give a voice to the Lubicon Nation, a Cree First Nation in Northern Alberta. The book aims to illustrate the history of the Lubicon using its documented history and talk about the hurdles they face from the Canadian government. 

At McMaster, Martin-Hill has made her research focus centered on issues faced by Indigenous communities. Currently, she is working on Ohneganos, a Global Water Futures project that looks into Indigenous water research. The work they do aims to integrate western science with Indigenous and local knowledge.

“Our research uses an innovative research framework, informed by the Indigenous community partners, to facilitate sharing and integration of Western Science and Indigenous and Local Knowledges. This process of “co-creation” enables us to develop appropriate, place-based [and] sustainable solutions to the water crisis impacting our partner communities and other Indigenous communities across Turtle Island,” 

dr. dawn martin hill

The research focuses on two different projects. One of them is Co-creation of Indigenous Water Quality Tools. Within this research project, there are three different focuses: traditional ecological knowledge, ecosystem health and sensor system and data synthesis.

This specific water project aims to target the Six Nations of the Grand River, which is comprised of Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca and Tuscarora. It hopes to keep track of the water quality and environmental health of both areas. This can then be used to make models that help develop sustainable solutions. 

“Building capacity to monitor source waters with environmental sensors, we will investigate ecosystem health and the cause of health issues related to contaminated water, design inclusive poly-centric decision-making models for water governance and develop appropriate place-based sustainable solutions,” stated the Global Water Futures site.

Martin-Hill works tirelessly to advance the field of anthropology and shed light on the many injustices that Indigenous peoples face. The work she is currently doing ensures that information related to these injustices exist. At McMaster, Martin-Hill and other Indigenous researchers are what help educate the community on these issues that cannot be ignored.

How McMaster observed the first official National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

C/O Marcus Urbenz, Unsplash

On Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was observed across the country. Meant to acknowledge the tragic legacy of the residential school system and honour those who were and are impacted by it, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation became a federal statutory holiday in June 2021 and was celebrated for the first time in September. Although it is a federal statutory holiday, it is not recognized as a statutory holiday by numerous provinces, including Ontario.

At McMaster University, this day was observed through a series of events on campus. Katelyn Knott, coordinator of Indigenous-focused events at McMaster, explained the significance of these events.

“As part of the Orange shirt campaign, we did a commemoration event at the beginning of the day, which included a sacred fire, some drummers and dancers. The drum group was called Spirit Vision and they’re a local Hamilton group. We put this on to commemorate the uncovering of Indigenous children at residential schools as well as acknowledging [Phyllis Webstad],” said Knott. 

A survivor of the residential school system, Phyllis Webstad founded Orange Shirt Day in 2013, as a way to acknowledge the history and legacy of residential schools in Canada. As of this year, Orange Shirt Day became officially recognized as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. 

“[This was] significant because music and dance is a great way for Indigenous people to come together to celebrate, to honour or to heal each other. And so we did that and we invited the McMaster community to join in with us for some teachings and some honoring,” explained Knott.

Knott also discussed how on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, many Indigenous faculty and staff members at McMaster called on the community to take steps towards reconciliation. 

“Some of the recommendations were to pick [just one call to action] and make that commitment to addressing it. Other ones were to read and familiarize yourself, if you haven't already, with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to look into the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, to do that self-education beyond September 30,”

katelyn knott

Despite the on-campus events that acknowledged the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, classes and tests continued to operate at McMaster. While instructors had the option to cancel their classes or to use their classes for relevant discussion, they also had the ability to continue classes and assessments as usual. 

One on-campus event, A Conversation about Indigenous Inclusion, was originally scheduled to take place on Sept. 28 but was cancelled on Sept. 27. This event, organized by McMaster's Equity and Inclusion Office and Indigenous Link, was advertised as a discussion about how to best include Indigenous peoples in the workplace.

On Sept. 24, the Cooperative of Indigenous Students Studies and Alumni at McMaster published an Instagram post calling for the cancellation of this event. In their post, CISSA highlighted the lack of on-campus Indigenous voices included in the planning of this event, the questions about identity raised by the description of the speaker as having Métis ancestors and the focus on Indigenous inclusion rather than self-determination. 

“[F]rom Indigenous perspectives, the idea of ‘identity and inclusion is highly problematic. Grounded in a [World Health Organization] Commission, Indigenous peoples have largely rejected a social inclusion framework — our goal is to self-determine,” CISSA stated. 

When the Silhouette reached out to the Equity and Inclusion Office to discuss the cancellation of this event, they declined to interview. 

When discussing McMaster’s approach to reconciliation and support for Indigenous peoples, Knott expressed appreciation for the services available on campus. 

“They have so many different programs, so many different initiatives and supports. In my time as an undergraduate and graduate at McMaster University, they were foundational to my success. If folks are looking for support or just a sense of belonging, [I really encourage] that they reach out to Indigenous Student Services and Indigenous studies program,” said Knott.

Adrienne Xavier, director of the Indigenous studies program, noted that McMaster’s Indigenous studies program has been in place for a long time and as a result, McMaster is somewhat ahead of other universities in their reconciliation efforts. 

“There were a lot of movements that have been made, but those were things that McMaster chose to do before the TRC. They didn’t need to be asked by the government; they were asked by Indigenous communities,” said Xavier. 

However, Knott also highlighted that there is much more progress to be made. 

“[Regarding] the dialogue that we're having as Indigenous people with the institution, I think that there are definite positive parts and positive people. But we can always do better,” said Knott. 

In discussing how McMaster can continue to take steps towards reconciliation, Knott emphasized the need for more Indigenous staff and faculty members. 

“Indigenous staff and faculty do really incredible work and are overburdened by the demands that are put on Indigenous people,” explained Knott. 

Xavier emphasized that reconciliation is a long process, but that the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has opened a wider conversation about Indigenous affairs. For many individuals, Xavier explained, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is their first introduction to this conversation.

“We aren't a problem. At the end of the day, Indigenous people have history in this country, but we aren't an issue. We aren't a problem to be solved. We are people to be celebrated. We are people to be acknowledged. We are histories that have to be understood,” said Xavier.

C/O Yoohyun Park

While lacrosse may be a game many Canadians are familiar with, its history often goes unnoticed

In 1994, by the National Sports of Canada Act, lacrosse was officially declared as the national summer sport of Canada. The term lacrosse came about in 1636 when French missionary, Jean de Brebeuf, compared the stick they played with to a bishop’s crozier, or la crosse. However, the game has existed for centuries, originally played by Indigenous tribes across North America, referred to as stickball, The Creator’s Game, Baggataway by the Algonquin and Tewaaraton by the Iroquois, both of which translate to “little brother of war.”

The Creator’s Game was an essential part of Indigenous culture and religion. This name came from the idea that lacrosse was gifted to the people by the Creator, the being responsible for creating everything on earth. As such, the game was used by the Iroquois to teach lessons, for instance, that everyone has struggles and that the key to survival is friends and allies. 

The other name, “little brother of war,” stems from the Iroquois using the game as a way to train young men to be warriors and to settle disputes without going to war. The game could include anywhere between 100 and 1,000 players at a time, playing until the predetermined number of points were achieved by one team. The game was vicious, injuring players with cuts, broken bones and the occasional death

Indigenous lacrosse was played with three to five foot long sticks made of wood and the netting was made of dried out animal hide. Alf Jacques is an Onondaga Turtle Clan lacrosse stick carver. Jacques explains the significance of the wooden stick in an interview with The Equinox. 

“You make that stick from nature. That’s a living piece of wood that you make that out of. The energy of that living tree then transfers to the player,” explained Jacques. 

This fits with the Iroquois culture and belief that, when a man dies, his lacrosse stick is buried with him. The first thing he does when waking up in the afterlife is to take the stick and begin playing. 

However, after the Indigenous people were colonized and assimilated into Canadian culture, so was the game of lacrosse. In 1834, a group from the Caughnawaga tribe demonstrated the game in the city of Montreal. In 1856, Canadian dentist, Dr. William George Beers, founded the Montreal Lacrosse Club and ten years later came up with an adjusted set of rules for the game including a rubber ball and newly designed stick. 

Allan Downey (Dakelh, Nak’azdli Whut’en) is a McMaster professor in the department of history within the Indigenous studies program. His first book, The Creator’s Game: Lacrosse, Identity and Indigenous Nationhood, traces the history of lacrosse in Indigenous communities and demonstrates how lacrosse is an example of the appropriation, then reclamation, of Indigenous identities. 

In his book, Downey describes why he played lacrosse, but also the inherent appropriation he recognized within the game. 

“When I was a kid, I was always told that field lacrosse . . . was a “gentleman’s game,” and we as players would be penalized if we swore. Later, I learned that this dated from an 1860s effort to construct lacrosse as a gendered white middle-class sport for Canadians who were naturalized as gentlemen,”

Allan downey

The book examines the process through which identity is created, articulated and the transformation within Indigenous communities as they continue to play their sport and maintain it as an Indigenous game amongst external and internal challenges. 

While lacrosse is a sport that may sometimes be overlooked in mainstream media, it is important to recognize its Indigenous roots and reflect on how Indigenous culture has shaped the Canadian landscape. There is still much to learn and many inherent biases to recognize and put aside as we work to reconcile the past and create an equitable future. 

Although not many know about the varsity sport, the relationship between McMaster sports and the varsity golf team are on bad terms. 

It's been two months since most varsity sports have begun, with the largest emphasis thus far on the football and the soccer teams and their success this season. However, there are many other sports that are a part of the McMaster community which do not get as much attention as others. One of these sports is golf

Currently, if you were to search up the roster for the men’s and women’s golf teams on the Marauders website, you would end up with an “Error 404” message. This essentially means that the editors of the website and the sports committee have not been updating the community on every team within the university. That is not the only outdated team page on the website. If one was to search up the rowing or the fastpitch teams, they would be greeted with the 2019 rosters, even though the current 2021 seasons are well underway. 

Recently, the men’s golf team took part in the Ontario University Athletics regional qualifiers in Pickering where they finished in fourth place, meaning that they qualified to the national tournament in the spring. 

Although the men's golf team reached remarkable success, they have not received much attention throughout the season. With only one article written about them on the Marauders website this season, their last spotlight on McMasters Sports page was in 2017

Kavith Ranchagoda, a second-year computer engineering and management student, spoke about the mistreatment and the lack of effort McMaster puts into his varsity team. 

“We did really well at the start of the season. We [tied for third] in the provincials and now we’re going to compete in the nationals . . . They barely cover us in the media and when they do, it's like a line or two,” said Kavith.

Kavith is considered as one of the best players that McMaster has to offer in golf. Competing at numerous regional and national tournaments in Canada, he excelled at every single one and was considering moving to the United States for further golf success when COVID-19 hit. 

“Last year just before COVID-19 hit, I was meant to move to the U.S. for golf scholarships, but then the pandemic started. I chose McMaster instead not only because of my program, but because I [expected] good support from the athletics department as a golfer,” explained Ranchagoda.

During the Pickering regionals, Ranchagoda managed to tie ninth place in the whole competition, proving that he is an incredible asset to the varsity team. He believes that he will do even better at the national tournament in the spring.

“The provincial qualifier was a really good showing from me and I am proud of it. However, I do think that I will do even better in a couple of months when we start playing again,” said Ranchagoda. 

However, Ranchagoda also explained the disadvantages associated with being a part of the golf team. He expressed his concern with the financing, the maltreatment and the obsolete feeling that the golf team has. 

“Although we are really happy with our performances, it’s not perfect. Our coach is the one that buys extra gear and he facilitates us for every tournament that we play. McMaster does not provide us with extra gear,” said Ranchagoda. 

Perhaps the worst part of the whole treatment of the golf team is the “yearly fee” that the varsity players have to pay to take part.

“We have to pay $1,000 to the university to take part in the varsity team. It is disappointing because many other teams don't have to, but we must. It’s also strange because we have to pay to represent a university. Also, the university does not provide the option for transport through their negotiated contract but it is cost prohibitive for us to utilize it since it does not fit our requirements for smaller group transport needs,”  

Kavith ranchagoda

Ranchagoda’s statements certainly reveal a lot about how the McMaster varsity department is treating its sports teams with inequality. Without a doubt, this is a call for change within varsity teams in the university.

C/O Seyran Mammadov and McMaster sports Instagram

The baseball team finds big success in 2021, bringing back several awards.

As Canadian university sports teams returned from more than a full year off from their sports, many found themselves brushing off the rust that came from no in person practices and light workouts. The Marauders baseball team was not one of them. 

After a near elimination earlier in October, the team surged all the way to the Ontario University Athletics finals against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, falling six to two while earning themselves a silver medal. To complement their successful season, outfielder Nik Motruck also won his second consecutive most valuable player award and pitcher Josh Kalmin took home the rookie of the year award

As if a provincial silver medal wasn’t exciting enough, Josh Kalmin had an amazing week upon hearing that he had officially been declared the rookie of the year award winner, catching him by surprise. 

“I was in Costco getting a mattress for my apartment when I saw that I was mentioned on Twitter. When I first saw it, it was exciting. [It’s] obviously really nice to be recognized by your peers for an award like that . . . Although it’s an individual award, the culture that McMaster baseball set up for me coming in was really the driving force. This team gives 110 per cent every single day,” explained Kalmin.

Although Kalmin had a great season himself, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the team, who finished with a record of three wins and two losses and came one game away from elimination in the qualifying round — but they never let go of their hope. Kalmin spoke to the fight in the team, praising his teammates for never letting go. 

“I think that the season had a lot of ups and downs and there were a lot of opportunities for us to quit or give up, but this team really persevered and we came together as a group,” said Kalmin.

Kalmin stressed how proud he was of the team and the silver medal that they brought home, but remains hungry for more after getting ever so close to the gold.

“I’m proud of the team and the year we had, with us overcoming everything that we overcame, especially with what happened in the regional. I’m proud of the accomplishment we had, but I want to come back next year and finish the job [and] win it all,” explained Kalmin.

The team overcame a lot to get to where they were. Going into the regional, not only were they on the brink of elimination after losing the first two games on Saturday Oct. 10, but they were also still in shock over an injury to two of their teammates. 

During their second game on Oct. 10, Mark Zanette and Nicholas Velocci struck one another in a scary collision and ended up leaving the field in an ambulance. Not only were the two players unable to contribute to the team going forward, but it left their teammates extremely emotional and distressed. Fortunately, this event turned into motivation for the squad, who needed to win both Sunday games to avoid elimination.

“Saturday was a shock to us. Seeing what happened was hard, I had tears in my eyes. A lot of the guys had tears in their eyes . . . Going into Sunday, our choice was either [to] be done, or [to] come back, win two games and continue the season. Going back on that bus Sunday morning, we knew we were going to win. No one on our team ever said anything [possibly losing]. We were going to do it for Nick and for Mark,” said Kalmin.
The team came through on their promise, qualifying for the playoffs and finishing their season with a silver medal, their second highest ranking since winning the gold in 2008.

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