McGill launches Indigenous Studies undergraduate program
By Karl Hele
After more than a decade in the making, on Dec. 10, 2014 McGill University officially launched its minor undergraduate program in Indigenous Studies. The new minor holds great promise. I can remember as a doctoral student at McGill in 1999-2003 being part of the discussion relating to the need for such a program. Pamela Fillion, a former McGill student, noted that more than 166 people were involved in its creation and that the program was a student-driven initiative. At a fundamental level it consists of two core courses in Indigenous Studies and four courses drawn from Anthropology, Canadian Studies, English, Geography, History, Law, Political Science, or Social Work and an Interdisciplinary Field Course. While McGill does not yet have any tenured or tenure-stream Indigenous faculty, the Indigenous and non-Indigenous students as well as staff and faculty at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC) are looking forward to future hires. As Drs. Allan Downey and William Straw noted, the minor is only the beginning.
The launch itself was a nice affair held at the university’s faculty club with Alan Downey, the Indigenous Studies minor’s academic associate and member of the Nak’azdli First Nation (British Columbia). The opening prayer was conducted over water, since smudging may have setoff the building’s fire alarms. Elder Jean Stevenson spoke to the importance of water and education as life forces. She was followed by the drumming of the Buffalo Hat Singers, the keynote address by Ms. Fillion, as well as a performance by Mohawk rapper Will E. Skandalz and his protege MRFlow. Skandalz act was phenomenal, particularly a moving piece about a little girl wanting her dad to remain at home rather than head off to work in high steel far away. It brought many in the room to tears.
In addition to the creation of the minor, McGill authorized the creation of a new logo for the program. The logo featuring three geese was designed by Marcy Maracle from McGill’s Indigenous Student Alliance. Maracle drew inspiration from the MISC’s logo of 13 geese that represent each province and territory in Canada. The three geese represent each of the major language-cultural groups within Quebec – the Haudenosaunee, the Inuit, and the Algonquian (i.e. the Cree, Algonquin, Abenaki, Innu, Atikamekw, Naskapis, Malecite, and Mi’kmaq). Within the wings of each goose are a blend of Quebec Indigenous stylistic art aimed at showing the unity of all Indigenous nations. Finally, the birds in flight represent the potential and importance of education for students and Indigenous peoples. With the minor and logo, McGill University has taken its first steps towards the indigenization of the academy for the benefit of its entire student body.