Winter Indigenous Speakers Series
On Monday, January 30th, 2023, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) will launch its first annual Winter Indigenous Speakers Series. The Series includes four in-person events from January through March. Partnering with various groups on campus, including the Department of Family Medicine, the Anti-Black Racism Action Plan, and the Indigenous Student Alliance, the OII aims to bring diverse Indigenous voices to campus in the spirit of collaboration.
Please find the event schedule below.
A Visit with Inuk Elder Reepa Evic-Carleton
Monday, January 30th - 5:30-7:00 pm
On Monday, January 30th from 5:30-7:00 pm, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and the Department of Family Medicine will host Inuk Elder Reepa Evic-Carleton (Pangnirtung, Nunavut) for a lighting of the qulliq and discussion led by Inuk Assistant Professor in Family Medicine, Richard Budgell. Together, they will discuss the meaning of the qulliq, their work in the health field, and more.
Location: The Department of Family Medicine (5858 Côte-des-Neiges, Montreal), Third Floor
The Iskweu Project: Addressing the MMIWG2ST+ Crisis in Montreal with Tanisha Gallichon
Wednesday, February 8th - 4:00-5:30 pm
Join the Office of Indigenous Initiatives as they host Tanisha Gallichon, Project Coordinator of the Iskweu Project, for the 2023 Indigenous Speakers Series. Tanisha will present a talk on her work at the Iskweu Project, a Montreal-based initiative out of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal addressing the MMIWG2ST+ crisis. More on Iskweu:
“The Project wishes to respond to an immediate need for assistance expressed by families and loved ones in the case of an Indigenous woman or girl (trans, two -spirit) goes missing. Its aim is reducing and ultimately eradicating the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (trans, two-spirit) of Quebec; to offer support and ensure adequate response from institutions when someone goes missing. It seeks to reduce barriers in accessing support and receiving an adequate response from institutions that have historically discriminated against Indigenous peoples.” Read more here.
Reparations, Landback, and the Possibilities of Kinship as Solidarity with Kyle T. Mays
Wednesday, February 22nd - 4:00-5:30 pm
Join the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and the Anti-Black Racism Action Plan Initiative as they host Dr. Kyle T. Mays for a talk titled "Reparations, Landback, and the Possibilities of Kinship as Solidarity." Kyle T. Mays (he/him) is an Afro-Indigenous (Saginaw Chippewa) scholar of urban history/studies, Afro-Indigenous studies, and contemporary popular culture. He is an Associate Professor in the Departments of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of 3 books including, City of Dispossessions: Indigenous Peoples, African Americans, and the Creation of Modern Detroit (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022) and An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States (Beacon Press, 2021).
A Visit with Iakoiehwáhtha Patton
Wednesday, March 8th - 11:30-2:30 pm
On Wednesday, March 8th from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, Iakoiehwáhtha Patton will visit First Peoples' House to meet with Indigenous students and connect. Iakoiehwáhtha (Iako) Patton is a Kanien’kehá:ka writer and academic who was born and raised in Kahnawake. She is the first female First Nations recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship, the world’s oldest and most prestigious international graduate scholarship programme. She is currently completing her undergraduate degree in History of Art, Anthropology, and Renaissance Studies at the University of Toronto and is particularly interested in Netherlandish art as it relates to gender and colonialism.
Iakoiehwáhtha's visit will take place over two lunch sessions. Because the lunch will be catered, registration is required (register here). The first lunch session will take place from 11:30-1:00 and the second from 1:00-2:30. Lunch boxes from Kahnawake-based Messy Kitchen with a sandwich, salad, and beverage will be provided.
This event is part of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives' Winter Speakers Series and is presented in partnership with the Indigenous Student Alliance (ISA), an Indigenous student-led club on campus, and the First Peoples' House.
