KANATA Vol. 8 Winter 2015

2015 KANATAVolume 8: Winter 2015 The Undergraduate Journal of the Indigenous Studies Community of McGill University McGill University Montreal, Quebec, Canada KANATA acknowledges that McGill University is situated on traditional Haudenosaunee territory. i KANATA Acknowledgements Faculty, Administrative & Scholarly: Support and Advisors Orenda Boucher, Kakwiranoron Cook, André Costopoulos, Allan Downey, Gwenn Duval, Stefan Fong, Suzanne Fortier, Adriana Goreta, Minette Haddon, Kahente Horn-Miller, Paige Isaac, Amy Johnson, Michael Loft, Karen Elizabeth McAllister, Neale McDevitt, Suzanne Morton, Maria Naso, Charmaine Nelson, Ronald Niezen, Colin Scott, Ellen Sharpe, Will Straw, Daviken Studnicki-Gizbert, Allan Vicaire Organizational Support Aboriginal Sustainability Project (ASP), Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), Jay Rajpal, Le Cagibi, Le Délit, Indigenous Access McGill (IAM), First Peoples’ House (FPH), McGill Aboriginal Outreach, The McGill Daily, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC), The McGill Tribune, MUGS, Native Friendship Centre of Montreal (NFCM), Quebec Public Interest Research Group – McGill (QPIRG-McGill), Social Work Student Association (SWSA), Society for Equity and Diversity in Education (SEDE), Student Society of McGill University (SSMU), Yale Native American Cultural Center Primary Advisors Pamela Fillion, Jaya Bordeleau-Cass, Nicolas Magnien ii 2015 Editorial Team KANATA: Volume 8 | Winter 2015 Executive Coordinators Chris Gismondi and Caleb Holden Editors-in-Chief Caleb Holden and Marta Kolbuszewska Executive Board, 2014-2015 Ariane Carter – Finance Coordinator & Editor Mélanie Wittes – Internal Coordinator & Editor Ashley Bach – Fundraising Coordinator & Editor Marta Kolbuszewska – Communications Coordinator & Editor Jasmin Winter – Outreach Coordinator & Editor Iain Childerhose – Outreach Coordinator & Editor Rosie Hatton – Exec Board & Editor Catherine Penney – Exec Board & Editor Jed Nabwangu – Exec Board & Editor Editors Alexander Furneaux, Avelaine Freeman, Caroline Copeman, Casarina Hocevar, Emily Weatherbed, Evelyne To, Haya Rizvi, Jackie Cooper, Jacob Schweda, Jaky Kueper, Jennifer Yoon, Kate Harris, Kariane St-Denis, Mackenna Caughron, Michael Wrobel, Monica Allaby, Nicole Cerpnjak, Nina Patti, Varun Chandra, Vita Azaro Design, Layout Jay Rajpal © 2015 KANATA. All rights reserved. The authors and artists retain full rights to their own work and have granted KANATA the right to publish their work. Graphics, Layout and Integration by AhnGroup (www.ahngroup.ca). Printing by Solutions Rubiks inc. (www.rubiks.ca). Printed in Canada. Cover pages printed on FSC certified paper. Interior pages printed on FSC certified, 100% post- consumer recycled paper. iii KANATA A Word From This Year’s Coordinators As this year’s Executive the territory we now know as Coordinators of KANATA: Canada. Through encouraging McGill’s Indigenous Studies collaboration between students Community, we are proud to from such disciplines as present the eighth edition of our History, Anthropology, Political interdisciplinary, student-run Science, English Literature, journal as our contribution to the and International Development growing discourse surrounding Studies, among others, new Indigenous issues at McGill opportunities emerge to unsettle University. Since KANATA’s first our understanding of the history publication in 2009 - under the of this land and engage in fruitful direction of founder and adviser, academic relationships as we Pamela Fillion – the organization move forward. has been a strong voice promoting Indigenous content, both on At the root of this program were campus and in the broader three new courses: an Introduction community of Montreal. As we to Indigenous Studies taught by look toward the future, we are Professor Allan Downey; the humbled by the efforts of so many History and Development of other students, faculty members, Aboriginal Law taught by lawyer administrators, and activists and professor-of-practice, Kathryn who have worked tirelessly to Tucker; and Decolonizing North ensure that our voice now joins American Indigenous History, a chorus of others advocating for co-taught by Professor Downey Indigenous issues at McGill. and visiting Yale professor and McGill alumnus, Ned Blackhawk. The year in Indigenous Studies As Professor Downey’s guest at McGill has been one for the editorial illustrates, these new history books. In September, courses often presented alternative we witnessed the launch of the pedagogical approaches to much-anticipated Indigenous complicate students’ notions of the Studies minor program, housed traditional academic discourse. by the McGill Institute for That so many of the ideas the Study of Canada (MISC). emerging from these classes have The program presents an found their way into this volume interdisciplinary approach to is emblematic of their immediate the study of the First Peoples of impact on student scholarship. iv 2015 the latter half of the twentieth While these developments are century. We greatly appreciated to be celebrated in their own the opportunity to contribute right, they mark the beginning of to this discussion on the best what must be a continued effort to practices for moving forward with Indigenize the academy at McGill. this campaign. As such, KANATA has led an initiative this year to discuss the Finally, we wish to extend our origins and development of the sincere thanks to all of those whose McGill “Redmen,” the mascot time and energy made KANATA’s of the men’s athletic program. Volume Eight our largest and After consultation with First most successful release to date. Peoples’ House, McGill’s Social We are particularly indebted to Equity and Diversity Education the kind words and wise counsel Office, Professor Downey, and of QPIRG McGill, KANATA’s Professor Blackhawk, Chris founder, Pamela Fillion, last presented a public forum on year’s Executive Coordinators, the history of athletic naming Jaya Bordeleau-Cass and Nicolas at McGill and advocated for a Magnien, and our Editorial team, name change. KANATA endorses without whom this surely would the appropriate representation not have been possible. of all Indigenous peoples at McGill. Contrary to alternative narratives, the “Redmen” name Chris Gismondi has been historically associated Caleb Holden with Indigenous peoples through Executive Coordinators, 2014- the subsequent creation of junior 2015 varsity teams, student-submitted logos, and colloquial usage in v KANATA Editors’ Note We are proud to present the As Editors-in-Chief, we’ve had eighth annual edition of the the pleasure of working with a KANATA Indigenous Studies talented team of authors, artists, Journal. Reflecting on the content and editorial volunteers to set of this year’s volume, we see it as about exploring the answers to a unique celebration of McGill’s these and other questions over the new minor program in Indigenous course of subsequent pages. We Studies. Our first essay, which are fortunate to have been able focuses on the development of the to curate such a diverse body of University of Manitoba’s Native work in which each contribution Studies program in the 1970s, challenges the viewer and informs considers many of the questions our understanding in new and that remain in the early days interesting ways. On behalf of of McGill’s program some five KANATA’s editorial board, we decades later: invite you to explore the result and reflect on these questions for How can Indigenous yourself. epistemologies be integrated into the Eurocentric academy? Caleb Holden What effect will new pedagogies Marta Kolbuszewska have on the style and substance Editors-in-Chief 2014-2015 of students’ experiences in this institutional setting? How will they influence Indigenous and non-Indigenous students alike? vi 2015 Guest Editorial: Indigenizing McGill By Dr. Allan Downey The 2014-2015 academic year created in these educational spaces has been a historic one for McGill– and it has gotten into our eyes so located on the traditional territory we cannot see clearly, into our of the Kanien’kehá:ka– as the ears so we cannot hear clearly, university marked the launch into our hearts so we cannot feel of the new Indigenous Studies “clearly,” and into our minds so program at the McGill Institute we cannot think clearly. We have for the Study of Canada (MISC). been taught and socialized to see The undergraduate minor is the the ways of Indigenous peoples result of the determined efforts as folklore and this dust continues of both Indigenous and non- to be produced and kicked up.2 Indigenous students who, with the Kanesatake community member help of the First Peoples’ House, and elder John Cree may have KANATA, MISC, SEDE, and captured it best when he visited others, challenged the university my class in the fall of 2014 in to increase its Indigenous content. which he stated, “You know what’s This marks one positive step funny, I know everything about towards decolonizing the university you, your governments, your and pushing the institution into laws, your history and culture, new areas of study that are long and yet, you know nothing about overdue. me.” So how do we begin to bring There is little question that the clarity and balance and recognize relationship between academia and the importance of Indigenous Indigenous peoples hasn’t always knowledge? been a positive one and repairing The new Indigenous Studies that relationship is ongoing. program is a start. Indigenous Within the educational system Studies has quickly become one there

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