The McMaster Indigenous Health Movement's Art is Medicine exhibit encourages viewers to learn more about health and well-being from an Indigenous youth perspective
From Jan. 26 to Mar. 9, Hamilton Artists Inc. is hosting the Art is Medicine exhibit, curated by the McMaster University Indigenous Health Movement, a student-based initiative at McMaster that works to educate students and community members about current issues related to Indigenous health and well-being. The exhibit features work by Indigenous youth artists Anang Binesi, Courtnee Osawabine, Justice Ryan, Nikaronhya'a Dawn Martin and Shayde Sandy.
The exhibit highlights issues related to Indigenous health and well-being through mediums such as photography, painting and traditional beading practices. The artworks strive to re-examine Indigenous health and add the perspectives of younger generations to the conversation.
Albany Sutherland and Darci Debassige are the co-chairs of IHM and the idea for the exhibit came from their brainstorming efforts This year, their focus has been heavily on community engagement and getting more students off-campus, so Sutherland pitched the idea to Hamilton Artists Inc. and put out a call for Indigenous artists under 30 to contribute to the event.
Sutherland pointed out that there are not many youth shows around Hamilton's art scene at the moment and the exhibit's themes contribute to its uniqueness.
"Focusing on healing, medicine, community and well-being, and intertwining all those themes together, is important and powerful. People wanted to come out and see the art, meet with the artists and learn," said Sutherland.
Focusing on healing, medicine, community and well-being and intertwining all those themes together is important and powerful. People wanted to come out and see the art, meet with the artists and learn.
Albany Sutherland, Co-chair, Indigenous Health Movement
The exhibit has had great turnout so far and the IHM received positive feedback on their community-centred approach. Art is Medicine also co-opened with I hear you everywhere I go, an exhibit by Indigenous and Black tattoo artists at the Inc. The two exhibits complement each other thematically and have attracted a larger audience together.
Sutherland hoped those who visit the exhibit will recognize other ways of seeing and understanding health and well-being beyond the clinical and Western-based ones.
It is also important to acknowledge that Indigenous health, well-being, spirituality and knowledge are all intertwined and show up in different contexts. This exhibit is just one of those contexts, providing new and impactful perspectives to the broader community. [Is this based on something they said in the interview? Seems a bit out of place where it currently is--NG]
Sutherland also explained why students specifically should check out the exhibit, besides McMaster's connection to the IHM and the chance to see friends or peers participating in an art event [this sentence reads awkwardly, reword--NG]
"I think it's also just good for students to get out into the community and leave campus and experience the art scene in Hamilton and community. I know a lot of McMaster students don't get to experience that. So I think it's kind of like a positive push," said Sutherland.
Art is Medicine is a great exhibit to check out for students interested in anything creative or to learn more about Indigenous cultures and traditions. The exhibit also, crucially, provides the opportunity to get more involved with the Hamilton community beyond campus.
McMaster Museum of Art exhibition We Remain Certain portrays Haudenosaunee’s complex history to strike conversations about our future
The We Remain Certain exhibition had its opening reception on Jan. 11 from 5-8 p.m. at the McMaster Museum of Art, and will be available for public viewing until Mar. 22, 2024.
This exhibition was funded in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics. Their other supporters include the Ontario Arts Council.
We Remain Certain depicts the lasting connection between the Haudenosaunee people and their Grand River Territory home. The Haudenosaunee, also known as “people of the longhouse,” Iroquois or Six Nations, are members of a confederacy of Aboriginal nations that reside across southern Ontario, eastern Quebec and south into New York State. This exhibition is curated by a collective of Haudenosaunee artists, and the contemporary pieces delve into Haudenosaunee land tenure, exploring the intricate history, treaty agreements and displacements along the Grand River. It ultimately aims to ignite conversations and thoughts around our collective future, utilizing Haudenosaunee "Original Instructions" as a foundation for understanding and collaboration.
This collection was curated by Protect the Tract Collective, a Haudenosaunee-led project that conducts research, policy development and encourages civil engagement through the promotion of land stewardship (caring for and continuously learning about a piece of land despite its ownership) over the Haldimand Tract, featuring artists Dakota Brant, Denny Doolittle, Betts Doxtater, Kaya Hill, Rick Hill, Arnold Jacobs, Ken Maracle, Steve Maracle, Shelley Niro, Greg Staats, Steve Smith, Kristen Summers and Jeff Thomas.
The exhibit aims to communicate that, while the past remains certain, the future can be changed based on what we learn from our history.
“Arenhátyen tsi ní:tsi teyottenyonhátye’ kwató:ken tsi nī:tsi yonkwa’nikonhrayén:ta’s. Awęhęgyeh shęh hodęˀ dewahde:nihs, haˀgadagyeˀshǫˀ shęh nˀagwanigǫ̲ha:do:gę: It does not matter what continually changes, our understanding remains certain,” as stated on the M(M)A website.
Arenhátyen tsi ní:tsi teyottenyonhátye’ kwató:ken tsi nī:tsi yonkwa’nikonhrayén:ta’s. Awęhęgyeh shęh hodęˀ dewahde:nihs, haˀgadagyeˀshǫˀ shęh nˀagwanigǫ̲ha:do:gę: It does not matter what continually changes, our understanding remains certain
M(M)A website
Integrating Indigenous knowledge into all McMaster faculties would open opportunities for moving beyond symbolic gestures of reconciliation
Education is a necessary component of reconciliation, which cannot be achieved without acknowledging the uncomfortable truths about Canada's past and present actions. Education is a key call to action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report. One way to improve education is to build Indigenous knowledge into university courses and curricula.
Indigenous knowledge systems are complex bodies of wisdom and skills developed over centuries and passed down through generations. Unlike Western knowledge, where humans sit at the centre, Indigenous knowledge considers everything in the natural world to be an essential part of an interconnected whole.
Integrating Indigenous knowledge into every faculty and department at McMaster would open new opportunities to learn things through traditional perspectives. Shifting beyond only discussing reconciliation to taking real action would also help students learn lessons about colonialism, residential schools, intergenerational trauma, and Indigenous resurgence among many other topics.
Dawn Martin-Hill, the chair of McMaster's Indigenous Education Council and a Mohawk of the Wolf Clan, spoke about how the integration of Indigenous studies could be realized at McMaster.
“The university students that I teach are incredibly enthusiastic, but they just want this information, especially the environmental students and the natural science students. I get frustrated because we could conquer the world if we actually had a path to work together,” said Martin-Hill.
The university students that I teach are incredibly enthusiastic, but they just want this information, especially the environmental students and the natural science students. I get frustrated because we could conquer the world if we actually had a path to work together.
Dawn Martin-Hill, chair, McMaster's Indigenous Education Council
Currently there are two significant barriers to the distribution of Indigenous information.
First, because students pay for their education, they may not support the integration of Indigenous studies if they don't think it will be relevant to their degree. However, learning about Indigenous ways of life is a moral obligation to remedy our relationships with those native to Canadian lands. And, Indigenous knowledge is applicable to all subjects within both the sciences and humanities.
“I didn’t know I would love engineering so much because I liked the way they think. It’s similar to Indigenous thinking in a weird way because they just want to solve problems. They want to execute things in a way that is efficient,” explained Martin-Hill.
The second barrier is a more structural one that Martin-Hill has been working to resolve for many years. Indigenous peoples are relied upon to lead the integration of their knowledge into university curricula, but there are not yet enough academics available to do this work at McMaster.
“It’s a lack of human resources because we were in residential schools and not in mainstream schools. There’s a lot of reasons why they’re just now populating these spaces,” said Martin-Hill.
Martin-Hill expressed that students have the power to make demands to resolve these barriers. McMaster is depriving students of opportunities to learn about the land they study on and the locally based Indigenous ways of knowing.
“Students have a lot of agency and authority and what frustrates me is I feel like they don’t know. They could change this space in a minute if they just got together, mobilized, and said, ‘Look, we demand. We want this information. Why is it not being given to us?’” concluded Martin-Hill
Students have a lot of agency and authority and what frustrates me is I feel like they don’t know. They could change this space in a minute if they just got together, mobilized, and said, ‘Look, we demand. We want this information. Why is it not being given to us?'
Dawn Martin-Hill, chair, McMaster's Indigenous Education Council
In the face of contemporary issues like the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot to be learned from Indigenous peoples. Although they make up about five per cent of the global population Indigenous peoples protect 80 per cent of the Earth's biodiversity. Their knowledge and work plays a critical role in the maintenance of a healthy planet.
To learn more about Indigenous knowledge, McMaster's Indigenous Health Learning Lodge is facilitating a series of lectures called Sharing Notable Indigenous Pedagogy & and Education. The SNIPE lectures are all about Indigenous ways of thinking in relation to interdisciplinary subjects. The first lecture in the series, covering how Indigenous knowledge can mitigate health and wellbeing, was hosted Wednesday, November 15. The date for the next lecture has yet to be determined, but more information can be found on their website.
How Indigenous education for international students can help empower a generation of professionals committed to reconciliation
At the start of all campus events, gatherings and classes, the following words have become ingrained as an important symbol of respect: “McMaster University recognizes and acknowledges that it is located on the traditional territories of the Mississauga and Haudenosaunee nations and within the lands protected by the Dish with One Spoon wampum agreement.” This land acknowledgment holds meaning and familiarity for students who have spent their lives in this country, but for international students, it can be challenging to appreciate these words in the same way.
As newcomers to Canada, international students require educational support to better understand and learn about Indigenous peoples and their past as the original inhabitants of this land.
Without recognizing the deep-rooted history of colonialism, oppression and racism Indigenous communities have and continue to endure, international students fall prey to the notion that Canada was always dominated by western, Eurocentric culture. These preconceived notions are harmful in and of themselves, but they also perpetuate harm against Indigenous peoples.
Home to over 600,000 international students, Canadian universities have a duty to create awareness of these issues among students who have not had the opportunity to learn about the history of Canada prior to post-secondary education.
In the 2020-21 school year, international students composed more than 15% of the McMaster student population. Yet there are little to no existing supports designed for newcomers on campus who may be interested in learning about Indigenous history.
As an educational institution that strongly promotes every individual’s right to the truth, McMaster must create and develop education to equip international students with the appropriate resources and tools to initiate meaningful discourse on Indigenous history, culture and contemporary realities.
McMaster University’s Indigenous Strategic Directions, created in accordance with the 94 Calls to Action by the Indigenous Education Council, outlines goals and approaches to improving Indigenous research, education, student experience, and leadership on campus. However, the directions for Indigenous education currently remain focussed on enhancing the delivery of Indigenous studies and courses, which may not be accessible to students in all fields of study.
While the Indigenous Education Council is taking crucial steps toward reconciliation, they also have a unique opportunity to educate the international student body of the atrocities experienced by Indigenous peoples. As such, partnerships between McMaster’s Indigenous Education Council and International Student Services could offer international students an important opportunity to reflect on and recognize their privilege and responsibilities as guests on this land.
With the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation having passed on Sept. 30, we face a stark reminder of how much there is yet to accomplish for the progression toward the reconciliation between Indigenous communities and Canadian settlers.
Canadian universities cannot cultivate a generation of leaders who will advocate for Indigenous peoples and do their part for reconciliation without sharing the truth. Mandating, proactively involving and providing international students with an orientation to Indigenous history on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and at the beginning of each fall term is a necessary step towards fostering safe spaces for these students to learn and build bridges of mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation.
Though most of our educational institutions currently fail to promote awareness of Indigenous history among students new to Canada, I believe domestic students also have an important role to play in honouring Indigenous history and highlighting the structural inequities Indigenous communities continue to face. Meaningful conversations and sharing insightful resources are just some of the ways we as domestic students can encourage our newcomer peers to seek out the truth.
Currently, Indigenous history, including topics such as the legacy of residential schools, is embedded within the curriculum for grades 4 to 10 in Ontario to inspire generations of advocates who are ready to support Indigenous peoples and their rights. Of course, international students will not receive the years of education that domestic students possess, but with the right education and support, they can be involved and empowered to take action.
By igniting a commitment to supporting Indigenous peoples and reconciliation among international students, we can help prepare future professionals who will advance sustainable equity, diversity, and inclusion in their lives, workplaces, and Canadian society.
C/O Yoohyun Park
Concerns raised surrounding clean drinking water access in Indigenous communities
At the beginning of October, Iqaluit residents began noticing an odour in their tap water and some expressed feeling ill. After an initial inspection of the treatment plant and water samples on Oct. 4, the city of Iqaluit determined that the water was safe to drink. However, a second investigation on Oct. 12 yielded different results.
Since Oct. 12, Iqaluit has been under a state of emergency and residents have been advised not to drink tap water, even after boiling or filtering it, due to a presence of fuel in the water supply.
Since Oct. 12, Iqaluit has been under a state of emergency and residents have been advised not to drink tap water, even after boiling or filtering it, due to a presence of fuel in the water supply.
Amarah Hasham-Steele, News Reporter
On Oct. 24, the Canadian Armed Forces arrived in Iqaluit to set up a reverse osmosis water purification system. The CAF is purifying water from Iqaluit’s Sylvia Grinnell River and transporting it to a city water truck, which then transports it to water filling depots.
Until the arrival of the CAF, residents were receiving bottled water from distribution sites and collecting water from the Sylvia Grinnell River.
While the CAF is providing residents with potable water, trucked water deliveries in Iqaluit will no longer contain potable water as of Tuesday, Nov. 9. While residents can still use trucked water deliveries for bathing, laundry, handwashing and dishwashing, they are no longer able to drink it.
The state of emergency in Iqaluit is currently set to last until Nov. 23.
At McMaster University, Makasa Looking Horse is actively involved in projects that address water needs for Indigenous communities. One such project is the Global Water Futures project, which Looking Horse is the educational lead for.
Global Water Futures is a Canadian university-led research project aiming to manage water futures in areas with cold climates, such as Canada, and landscapes changing due to global warming.
“Global Water Futures aims to position Canada as a global leader in water science for cold regions and will address the strategic needs of the Canadian economy in adapting to change and managing risks of uncertain water futures and extreme events,” stated the Global Water Futures website.
Looking Horse highlighted that water crises in Indigenous communities are not uncommon and that they can happen for a multitude of reasons. She explained that water crises occur when there are problems with treatment plants and when there are problems piping water from treatment plants to households.
“Infrastructure within Canada for Indigenous communities is in really bad shape,” said Looking Horse.
“Infrastructure within Canada for Indigenous communities is in really bad shape.”
Makasa Looking Horse, Educational Lead of the global Water futures project
In 2015, 126 drinking water advisories existed in First Nations, prompting the federal government to commit to resolving them by March of 2021. However, inadequate funding was allocated to meeting this goal and many advisories remain in effect. Water-borne diseases occur within First Nations 26 times more than the national average and people living on reserves are currently 90 times more likely to have no access to running water compared to non-Indigenous people living off reserves.
On Nov. 3, the Cooperative Indigenous Students Studies and Alumni at McMaster shared a post about the Iqaluit water crisis and noted how the federal government has not kept their promise to eliminate water advisories in Indigenous communities.
Mainly, CISSA referred to the fact that 58 advisories still remain despite prime minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to eliminate all long-term boil water advisories by March of 2021.
“It has become abundantly clear that one cannot disentangle social conditions from health conditions and that the causes of recurrent Indigenous water insecurity are rooted in sociopolitical neglect. The lack of access to clean, safe water is a reflection of long standing political and economic marginalization,” stated CISSA in their post.
For McMaster students, Looking Horse noted that there are always ways to help make clean water more accessible in general.
“Whether it's donating water to the food bank or cleaning up [garbage], whatever you want to work on, whether that's writing or doing something physical, you can definitely do something to make a difference,” said Looking Horse.
“Whether it's donating water to the food bank or cleaning up [garbage], whatever you want to work on, whether that's writing or doing something physical, you can definitely do something to make a difference.”
Makasa Looking Horse, Educational Lead of the global Water futures project
Looking Horse has extensive experience protecting access to water for Indigenous communities. Beyond her role in Global Water Futures, she did a lot of advocacy work to protect the Six Nations water supply when she found out that Nestle was taking 3.6 million litres of water from the Six Nations aquifer without the community’s permission.
Within Global Water Futures, Looking Horse has been part of multiple community projects, such as tracking snapping turtles on Six Nations to collect more data about the environment.
“This kind of project really hasn't hasn't existed before and so we're super proud [of it]. It's a water project on Six Nations that all of these different professors at McMaster University and other universities and different departments are working [on] together,” said Looking Horse.
The water crisis continues to be a significant issue in Iqaluit and across Indigenous communities, with many long-term water advisories still in effect and goals to resolve them not being met. McMaster students interested in taking action can refer to CISSA’s social media posts with more information on petitions to sign and links where donations can be made.
C/O @goodmindsindigenousbooks
GoodMinds.com provides voices to Indigenous authors and their stories
By: Serena Habib, Contributor
GoodMinds.com is the largest Indigenous bookseller in Canada, but its impact extends far beyond that of a typical bookstore. It is a source of inspiration, a well of knowledge, a voice for Indigenous authors, an educational hotspot and a support for Indigenous communities across North America.
Dave Anderson, whose spirit name is Wahwahbiginojii, is Bear Clan of Dene and Anishinabe descent born in Atikokan, Ontario. As an educator with a doctorate in Indigenous education, he has been involved with Goodminds.com on a number of projects and is constantly directing students and teachers to GoodMinds.com in order to help them learn about Indigenous peoples.
Anderson described GoodMinds.com as an Indigenous way of doing business, with the purpose of helping Indigenous peoples and business grow economically due to disproportionate socioeconomic barriers faced.
The original vision for GoodMinds.com was to ensure there was a place where Indigenous authors could be supported and promoted. Founded over 20 years ago by Jeff Burnham and currently run by Achilles Gentle, the company’s owners have personally looked at every single book before choosing to sell it, ensuring it accurately represents Indigenous peoples in an honest and prideful way. Anderson described how each book will keep your mind growing in the spirit of having “GoodMinds”.
“Respect, responsibility and relationship: that's what GoodMinds is about . . . Understanding our relations, understanding the knowledge of each other, respecting that knowledge and being responsible to do what needs to be done,” explained Anderson.
Another important part of GoodMinds vision is to support Indigenous libraries through their initiative, Supporting Indigenous Libraries Today. Since many Indigenous communities have neither libraries nor access to books, five per cent of every sale goes towards SILT.
In addition to selling books, the company speaks to students, libraries and schools. They also support Indigenous education in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. The company tries to ensuring libraries purchase Indigenous books from Indigenous booksellers and reach out to schools and their teachers to help with the delivery of educational concepts and issues relating to Indigenous communities. GoodMinds have also begun to publish works by Indigenous authors and present interviews and reviews with Indigenous authors on their YouTube channel in their collection, “13 Moons 13 Reads.”
For Indigenous peoples, stories are a critical way of remembering and celebrating their life on this land.
“We're learning our teachings again, we're learning to laugh again . . . The resiliency and the life that these authors bring in spite of what’s happened — that needs to be shared. There’s a vision . . . there’s a life. And we need to celebrate that life,” explained Anderson.
For non-Indigenous people, this is an important opportunity to finally listen to the stories of Indigenous peoples. We all can learn from these teachings and from the interactions of Indigenous peoples with the land we live on today. They have been offering their teachings for 500 years to help us understand our land. It is time we embrace one another and learn so we can step towards a better future.
“We are in a time of truth and reconciliation and educating everybody, understanding everybody,” said Anderson.
As an example, Anderon spoke about the climate crisis. There are a number of books about Josephine-ba Mandamin, a Water Walker who walked around all five Great Lakes, carrying a bucket of water and a staff, singing Anishinaabe water songs and honouring the water because of how important it is.
The stories about her and the reasons behind her actions can teach us how to value water and ensure that our future generations will have clean water. The lessons from these stories are applicable to every one of us. To further explain our relationship with our land and water, Anderson recalled a statement from a Cree Elder he had spoken to.
“It’s about Kenanow. It’s about all of us. That’s you and me and the water and the plants and the animals and the land. It’s about all of us living together,” said Anderson.
Reading one story is taking one step on a road towards learning and understanding our place and responsibility as human beings on this shared land. The path of learning is ever-expanding; every book illuminates a path to infinite more for us to discover.
GoodMinds’ catalogue feature lists so that every individual can find multiple books for themselves. Anderson also recommended 500 Nations and the Truth About Stories as places to start reading Indigenous work.
To complement university courses, there are books in every subject ranging from engineering, medicine, astronomy and many more. The children’s books, novels and poetry collections also share wisdom from an Indigenous perspective that are beneficial for everyone to become more aware of.
“It’s your first step on [your] road — your road to knowledge [and], to being. If you've taken that first step, it means there's something that has brought you here. And now, there's more . . . There's so much for us to learn,” explained Anderson.
The truth about stories, as Anderson powerfully described, is that everything we need is in the story. GoodMinds provides us with these stories in a way that allows us to help our communities by making a purchase and by reading a book. Let us open a story and join hands and minds for a future of flourishing and friendship.
“It's a time when we live together and for us to share with you. [Y]ou can listen in and we'll grow together to build a better world, a world that we can be proud of to leave for our children [and] our grandchildren,” said Anderson.
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.
C/O Creeson Agecoutay, CTV News
It's time to recognize what we've done and stop celebrating genocide
cw: indigenous inequalities, genocide, residential schools
The Silhouette encourages both the McMaster University and Hamilton communities not to partake in Canada Day celebrations. Take the time to reflect on not only the recent news about the countless graves found at residential schools across the country, but also the inequalities that Indigenous peoples face each and every day.
"McMaster University stands on land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement. Wampum belts are beads bound onto strings which narrate Haudenosaunee history, tradition and laws. The “Dish With One Spoon” wampum was created to bind the nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to the Great Law of Peace. The “Dish” represents the shared land, while “One Spoon” reinforces the idea of sharing and peace."
This is the land acknowledgement said at the start of every McMaster function. While this is a start, this is not enough on the path to reconciliation or the path to trust.
There is no pride in genocide and we will not stand by and continue to watch these inequalities surface. While we made a commitment last year to continue our work to uplift BIPOC voices, we have noticed that our articles lack Indigenous voices. The Silhouette is a platform for students to share their voice to other students and the McMaster/Hamilton communities. If we do not represent all students, we are not meeting our mandate nor our goal.
There is no pride in genocide and we will not stand by and continue to watch these inequalities surface.
ANDREW MROZOWSKI, VOLUME 92 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE SILHOUETTE
As part of Volume 92, we want to ensure we are providing space for Indigenous students and faculty members to share their input on issues, to share their stance on university affairs, but most importantly, to share their stories. This will not be exclusive to Volume 92 and will be a commitment renewed every year with each Editor-in-Chief, masthead staff member and volunteer contributor. With this commitment, we will also creating our first Indigenous stories special issue this year. This will become an annual celebration of Indigenous stories, a critical lens of Indigenous issues, a place to showcase artwork and most importantly — to shed light on the voices that comprise a large part of our community.
We recognize that not all students reside in the Hamilton area. To find out whose land you currently occupy, go to https://www.whose.land/en/.
We also understand that many conversations currently being had within non-Indigenous communities have the potential to be traumatic. A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for residential school survivors and others affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-441.
The Indigenous Studies Program at McMaster has many resources for Indigenous students including an Indigenous Student Success Advisor, Writing workshops and various Elder talks: https://indigservices.mcmaster.ca/
Commercial fishers spark violence as anger builds toward Mi’kmaw fishers’ fishery
In September, Sipekne'katik First Nation launched a self-regulated fishery in Southern Nova Scotia, distributing licenses and regulating harvest amongst Mi’kmaw persons without the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
According to the Supreme Court Marshall ruling in 1999 and the 1760s Peace and Friendship Treaties, Mi’kmaq people are entitled to fish outside of the DFO regulated season.
However, as Mi’kmaq fishers began to harvest outside of the commercial session, many non-Indigenous people were angered, sparking violence and ultimately, a rehearing of the previous Marshall ruling in November 1999.
A clarification was issued by the high court, stating that the federal government can still regulate the Mi’kmaq fishers if there are concerns over conservation. The clarification also noted that there should be consultation with the First Nations groups first and the government should be able to justify its concerns.
Although the Supreme Court ruling stated that they have the right to hunt, fish and gather in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, the ruling did not clearly define what a moderate livelihood entails. Sipekne'katik First Nation Chief Michael Sack said that the definition of their moderate livelihood should be defined by Mi’kmaq persons themselves.
Canada doesn’t have the right to tell Indigenous people what ‘moderate livelihood’ means, my column #MikmaqRights https://t.co/s5rcJsZmhK
— Tanya Talaga (@TanyaTalaga) October 22, 2020
While non-Indigenous fishers claim to have concerns over conservation, conservation has been and continues to be a priority amongst Mi’kmaq persons. Others have also pointed out that the number of traps non-Indigenous fishers hold are extensively greater than Mi’kmaq fishers.
Now, with the launch of the fishery, non-Indigenous people are once again opposed to the idea of allowing the Mi’kmaq community to fish outside of DFO regulation.
Anger from non-Indigenous fishers has been high since September when dozens of Mi’kmaq and commercial fishers gathered at a wharf in Saulnierville, Nova Scotia.
"We're just here to exercise our right. We don't want to fight with anyone and we ask the commercial fishermen to please respect that,” said Sack.
"We're just here to exercise our right. We don't want to fight with anyone and we ask the commercial fishermen to please respect that,” said Sack.
Over the next few weeks, hostility from commercial fishers continued to escalate and on Oct. 5, a Mi’kmaw fisher’s vessel was destroyed in a suspicious fire. The vessel was used for commercial fishing and the owner of the vessel was one who received new licenses for the Mi’kmaw fishery.
In the next week, non-Indigenous commercial fishers and their supporters raided and vandalized Mi'kmaw lobster storing facilities. Several hundred non-Indigenous fishers had gathered together and made their way to a lobster pound in New Edinburgh. A van was later set on fire, lobsters were stolen and the facility was damaged.
Another raid took place in Yarmouth, a neighbouring county, where Mi’kmaw fisher Jason Marr had to hide within a lobster pound as his vehicle was vandalized by a mob outside. The group called on the fisherman, telling him to give up the lobster that he had harvested.
“They totally annihilated that building, just tore it all apart. They took all the lobster," Marr told CBC.
“They totally annihilated that building, just tore it all apart. They took all the lobster," Marr said.
Marr also noted that the RCMP did not respond efficiently to the situation and did not try to stop the vandalization.
On Oct. 16, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the government’s response, saying that they are active in trying to resolve the situation.
Across social media, there has been a call to action to support Mi’kmaq fishers in standing their ground and spread awareness about the ongoing hostility toward the Mi’kmaq.
Activists are encouraging people to contact the DFO, asking them to stand by the Mi’kmaq, as well as reach out to various politicians such as the Prime Minister, Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Minister of Justice.
“The Canadian government is completely complacent and responsible in their allowance of violence to continue. They uphold the racism, violence & genocide Canada was founded on. It’s time to be actively anti-racist. We need to stand up for the Mi’kmaq as allies & in solidarity to colonial violence that oppresses our Black kin in the same breath," wrote an activism-focused Instagram account, notanotherblacklife.
"... It’s time to be actively anti-racist. We need to stand up for the Mi’kmaq as allies & in solidarity to colonial violence that oppresses our Black kin in the same breath,"
Local artist explores Indigenous identity and resurgence with her beadwork
Art has long been a way for artists to create a space for themselves in a world where they feel one doesn't exist. It’s a way of carving out a tangible space to explore and reclaim who you are. For several Indigenous artists, including Kanien'kehá:ka beadwork artist Darien Bardy, art is an act of expression as much as it is an act of resurgence.
Bardy was born and raised in Hamilton. Growing up, she struggled with her Indigenous identity and history. She regularly faced racism and often had to act as if she didn’t know much about her culture in an attempt to avoid such encounters.
As she got older, Bardy became involved with a number of groups for Indigenous peoples, including the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre, the Aboriginal Health Centre and the Native Women’s Centre. It was through this work that she was first introduced to and became interested in beadwork.
Beading is a traditional Indigenous art form with a long history. The final pieces are considered a manifestation of the artist's good intentions. It’s also an art form that has gained a lot of attention recently for its prominence in projects supporting Indigenous resurgence.
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For Bardy, beading served as an important connection to her history and she didn’t expect it to grow into something more. People began to ask her where they could purchase her pieces, she made her Instagram page Beads in the Trap and things really took off.
“It really just took on a different shape because at first I was like, “this is going to be my page for just documenting my beadwork journey and see how I'm improving over the months”. . . But then it just kind of turned into something bigger,” said Bardy.
“It really just took on a different shape because at first I was like, “this is going to be my page for just documenting my beadwork journey and see how I'm improving over the months”. . . But then it just kind of turned into something bigger,” said Bardy.
Now Beads in the Trap has almost 4000 followers and Bardy’s products sell incredibly quickly, often on the day she posts them. But even as her business continues to grow, Bardy’s personal connection to beading has not diminished. If anything it has grown and taken on a larger meaning. It is no longer solely about helping her connect to her own history and understand her identity, but it is also a way for her to help other Indigenous youth do the same.
“I describe it as Indigenous resurgence in contemporary colonialism because my stuff is not very traditional but I think it represents a lot of urban Native youth or Native youth in younger generations that don't necessarily conform to the traditional ways, but still are influenced by traditional ways,” explained Bardy.
This is seen even in the name of Bardy’s business, which is a reference to the Nicki Minaj song Beez in the Trap. For Bardy, these pieces are another way in which she reconciles the different aspects of her identity.
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“In our culture, it's like when you're touching the beads…the good thoughts that are happening in your mind come out through your fingertips and into the beads. So while you're beading, you're literally creating a physical piece of your good thoughts and your good intentions. Those intentions and those good words and thinking good thoughts and wanting good things for whoever wears them – that’s in every single piece that I put out. So, even though my pieces aren't traditional looking . . . the intentions and the good mind is still behind it,” explained Bardy.
Bardy also sees her business as a starting point for conversation about Indigenous histories and resurgence. Especially because many of her pieces can be worn, people often ask her — or her friends and family — about them, creating an opportunity and an opening for these important conversations.
“What I want people to get out of it is just a symbol of like, we're still here, you can be an ally to us by supporting Indigenous artists . . . [I want people to] walk away with a sense of we're still here. Indigenous people are still here and we’re still trying to figure out where to go from here. We're still trying to figure out what it means to be Indigenous in the world now. Now that we're not a targeted people all the time. Now that we actually have space to breathe and be who we are, who are we?” said Bardy.
"[I want people to] walk away with a sense of we're still here. Indigenous people are still here and we’re still trying to figure out where to go from here," said Bardy.
Brady’s art, the histories and traditions it merges as well as the conversation it encourages are very much an act of expression and resurgence on both a personal and a community level.
