Both projects seek to educate McGill community members on Indigenous peoples and histories; build a welcoming environment for Indigenous students, staff, and faculty to engage with the academy; and strengthen relationships between McGill and Indigenous communities.

The proposals would fulfill a shared function. They would acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land, the Kanien’kehá:ka (‘People of the Flint,’ also known as ‘Mohawk’). Also, the Hochelaga Rock commemorates the Haudenosaunee (‘People of the Longhouse’) village of Hochelaga on which McGill is situated, while the Hiawatha Belt Flag has served as the representative symbol of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy for hundreds of years.

SSMU’s constitution commits to demonstrating leadership in social justice, and we recognize solidarity with Indigenous peoples.

In speaking with Kanien’kehá:ka people on and off campus, the Hiawatha Belt Flag has been described as a symbol of peace, and an invitation of camaraderie between nations. The central tree depicted on the flag, representing the Onondaga nation, symbolizes the Great Tree of Peace under which the nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy – the Seneca and the Cayuga to the left of the Tree, and the Oneida and the Kanien’kehá:ka to the right – buried their weapons after being united by Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker. The two lines on the Hiawatha Belt Flag extending outward on either side symbolize the outstretched hand of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, inviting other nations to join them in peace.

This summer, SSMU received word that the proposal for the raising of the Hiawatha Belt Flag had been rejected on the grounds that “while there is support for the spirit of [the Subcommittee’s] request to acknowledge Indigenous faculty, staff, and students, and express McGill’s commitment to greater inclusiveness, there remain questions about doing so by raising the flag. People feel that we should more fully consider this request in the context of other community members who may have a similar interest in celebrating a particular group or tradition.” Additionally, not only has the Rock remain unmoved after over four years of requests, but all traces of its presence have been removed from McGill’s website.

Building relationships means respecting Indigenous voices, listening to these proposals, and taking action.

This response denies the colonial history of this continent, and of the University. Any form of solidarity begins with acknowledging that Indigenous peoples have a relationship to the territory on which we are living that predates those of all others – a relationship that separates Indigenous peoples from being any “particular group or tradition.” Standing with Indigenous peoples means acknowledging this relationship, and that means acknowledging whose territory we are on through initiatives like the ones proposed.

Acknowledging traditional territory is a norm among student unions and universities across Canada. These acknowledgements range from flying the Métis flag on ceremonial dates at the University of Saskatchewan, to stating an acknowledgement of territory at the beginning of every legislative council meeting at the University of Alberta Students’ Union and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Alma Mater Society. UBC even installed signs bearing the names of its various host nations across its campus. Universities across Canada are recognizing the inseparability of standing with Indigenous peoples and acknowledging territory, and McGill is dragging its heels in the push to catch up.

The commitment […] is hollow if the priorities of Indigenous community members aren’t taken seriously by McGill.

The final report of the Principal’s Taskforce on Diversity, Excellence, and Community Engagement, released in February 2011, commits McGill to “developing and sustaining long-term relationships with local Aboriginal communities,” as well as making “improvements in the support offered to Aboriginal students […] at McGill.” The report goes on to state that “an active process of inclusion [of Indigenous students] is crucial” for supporting student retention. The University’s reluctance to act on the initiatives proposed by the Subcommittee on Equity for First Peoples and the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group is a dismissal of these commitments.

Building relationships means work on both sides. Indigenous community members are working to consult their peers on and off campus; develop proposals to support Indigenous students, staff, and faculty; and mobilize support for these proposals. Building relationships means respecting Indigenous voices, listening to these proposals, and taking action. The commitment to “an active process of inclusion [of Indigenous students]” is hollow if the priorities of Indigenous community members aren’t taken seriously by McGill.

The historical relationship between the academic community and Indigenous communities is fraught with exploitation, objectification, and paternalism. As participants in the academic system, McGill and non-Indigenous community members have a heightened responsibility to support and prioritize Indigenous voices at every opportunity. The creation of the Indigenous Studies program after a decade of pressure from Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, staff, and faculty is a step toward fulfilling this responsibility, but it is not an end in itself. Institutions across Canada have committed to moving past legal hurdles to build new relationships with Indigenous communities based on a shared acknowledgement of past and current colonial realities – so can McGill.

In the article’s original form, the Kanien’kehá:ka were referred to as the “first custodians of the land.” This has been changed to “traditional custodians of the land.” The correction has been appended to reflect the fact that the relationship between Indigenous custodians and their land is more than just temporal, as well as to mirror Indigenous voices on this issue.

Claire Stewart-Kanigan is SSMU Vice-President University Affairs. To contact her, please email ua@ssmu.mcgill.ca.

The post Solidarity, not statements appeared first on The McGill Daily.

At the October 30 session of the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council, the AUS adopted a stance of support for the development of an Indigenous Studies program at McGill. The AUS endorses the proposal for a Minor Concentration in Indigenous Studies that is currently undergoing the approval process, as well as both the expected expansion into a Major Concentration and the creation of a Chair in Indigenous Studies. The AUS Equity Commissioners have also expressed their enthusiastic support of these goals.

The AUS recognizes and affirms the necessity of offering an Indigenous Studies program at McGill. Given our location on traditional Haudenosaunee territory, we have a responsibility to support the growth and understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing, worldviews, languages, traditions, histories, contemporary realities, and cultures. An Indigenous Studies program will provide the opportunity for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to engage in this process, and support the resurgence of Indigenous cultures and peoples. We hope the development of an Indigenous Studies program will be a positive step in McGill’s relationship with the traditional keepers of the land and Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, and contribute to building an accessible environment for current and prospective Indigenous students, faculty, and staff.

The push from students and community members for an Indigenous Studies program has been long-standing. Now, after several years of dedicated efforts by KANATA: McGill’s Indigenous Studies Community, Allan Vicaire and the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office, the Aboriginal Law Students’ Association, the Indigenous Student Alliance, First Peoples’ House, the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group, the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC), Indigenous Access McGill, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), and many others, the program is closer than ever to fruition.

With the report completed earlier this year by SSMU Student Researcher Brett Lamoureux based on the extensive consultation process facilitated by the aforementioned students and staff, and the faculty support provided by Will Straw, Director of MISC, a full proposal for a Minor Concentration was submitted to, and approved by, the Faculty of Arts Curriculum Committee on November 11.

The program will be facing the next stage of approval at the November 26 meeting of the Faculty of Arts Curriculum Committee. Although several steps of Senate-level approval will follow this meeting, supportive attendance at the November 26 meeting is welcome. The AUS hopes to see the proposal reach the necessary deadlines of committee approval for the Minor to be offered to students by the 2014 Fall semester.

Indigenous Studies programs have been long-standing features in many other peer institutions. With establishment dates beginning in 1969 to 1982 to just this year, Concordia University, University of Toronto, University of Saskatchewan, and University of British Columbia are among the many major Canadian universities with successful programs in the field. McGill’s addition to this list is long overdue. Independent of the precedent set by peer institutions, McGill has an obligation to provide Indigenous students the opportunity to use academic channels to learn about their own peoples from an approach grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, and a responsibility to facilitate more informed, respectful understandings between non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples whenever possible. The AUS supports the fulfilling of these responsibilities as soon as possible.

Niá:wen to all of the groups and individuals behind reaching this stage in the proposal process.

The next meeting of the Faculty of Arts Curriculum Committee takes place on November 26, at 3 p.m. in Leacock 232.

Jacob Greenspon (AUS VP Academic) and Claire Stewart-Kanigan (Arts Senator) write on behalf of AUS Legislative Council, and can be reached at artssenator2@ssmu.mcgill.ca.

The post Indigenous Studies gains momentum appeared first on The McGill Daily.