The goal of the Critical Campus Tour (CCT) is to encourage thoughtfulness about McGill University's occupied sites through a truth-seeking and anti-colonial lens.
Having incomplete knowledge of institutional history can lead to furthering oppressive values and actions within higher education. The CCT is an opportunity to engage with sites and monuments which may at first seem mundane, but if we pay attention, stand to teach us about the complexities of historical and ongoing colonial violence As we look critically at the campus, we also highlight the hopeful work being done by Indigenous students, staff and faculty members who are dedicated to decolonizing this space.
VIRTUAL CRITICAL CAMPUS TOUR
BE CURIOUS. BE CRITICAL.
What can you discover about the namesakes of the buildings and streets where you live and work?
Who do these commemorations and monuments primarily serve?
What role can monuments play in the face of historic wrongs?
What place do commemoration and symbolism have in the process of reconciliation?
What roles can art play in commemoration and reconciliation? What is revealed or concealed when colonial monuments are removed?
How can Indigenous excellence be more visible on campus?
How can settlers lead their own education and truth-seeking journeys without burdening Indigenous peoples?
How can students, academics and staff actualise decolonisation on campus?
JAMES MCGILL MONUMENT
McGill University was named after a man who had enslaved at least five Black and Indigenous peoples: Jack or Jacques, a Black man (c1760-1838); Sarah, a Black woman (c1763-1809); Marie-Louise, a Black woman who had joined the household as a girl (c1765-1789); an Indigenous boy whose name is unknown (c1768-1778); Marie Potamiane, an Indigenous girl (c1773-1783).
James McGill's participation in colonial practices and the transatlantic slave trade helped to establish this institution located on traditional Kanien’kehá:ka land. His bequest of £10,000 led to McGill’s founding; wealth which is inherently tied to the colonial economic system. In the mid-1800s, amidst a financial crisis, the preConfederation government loaned money to McGill to prevent the institution’s closure. The government funded the loan with money taken from the Six Nations’ Trust Funds, of which the government was the fiduciary trustee. The transfer of money was made without the permission of the communities of the Six Nations, and while McGill paid back this loan, the government never reimbursed the Six Nations’ Trust Funds.
McGill’s website states: “The University acknowledges the deep, long-lasting adverse impacts that these practices have exerted on Black and Indigenous communities.” The ongoing impacts of these realities continue to affect Black and Indigenous communities throughout this institution today.
y p embedded into it a plaque that claims; “Near here was the site of the fortified town of Hochelaga listed by Jacques Cartier, in 1535, abandoned before 1600. It contained 50 large houses, each lodging several families, who subsisted by cultivation and fishing.”
Back in 1859, land was being excavated close to the intersection of Metcalfe and de Maisonneuve. The uncovering of human and animal remains, as well as other artifacts, led John William Dawson, McGill’s principal and leading geologist, to believe they had uncovered Hochelaga. Jacques Cartier had written about Hochelaga, a sixteenth-century thriving agricultural community that he had visited in 1535 but by 1541 could not find any trace of the settlement.
Subsequent research suggests quite strongly that the site was too small and too old to have been Hochelaga. There has been much debate and disagreement amongst historians about the site, yet Parks Canada unveiled the Hochelaga Rock in 1925 on the lower field of Mcgill Campus, a move associated with the popularisation of monuments and memorials after the First World War.
Fast forward to 2017, advocacy by Indigenous Professor, Michael Loft, was successful in having the monument relocated to a more visible location near the Roddick Gates, directly across from a statue of James McGill, which has since been removed due to continued acts of vandalism. The move of the Hochelaga Rock also gave McGill a lot of visibility in the press. Alongside the relocation of the 12,000 lb rock, the Provost Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education was announced in 2017.
13TH CENTURY HAUDENOSAUNEE VILLAGE
Between 2016 and 2019, archaeological excavations carried out in the Peel Street sector brought to light the remains of village life associated with the St. Lawrence First Peoples. A series of radiocarbon studies indicate that the site was, in all likelihood, occupied between the years 1300 and 1400.
The village was very large with at least 50 longhouses and an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people. Archaeologists had hoped that what was uncovered was Hochelaga village, but it seems to be too old to be possible.
Recent discoveries include more than 2,000 potsherds, almost a hundred fragments of ceramic pipes, and a variety of food remnants, including animal bones and charred seeds. Given the importance of these archaeological discoveries, it was decided to showcase First Nations history in Rue Peel’s redesign. Through collaboration with Kahnawà:ke community members, this initiative is part of the Montréal Strategy for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, adopted in 2020. The first design feature that highlights the discoveries are the cast iron tree grates installed all along the street. Openings in the tree grates reference a pattern found on the Iroquoian potsherds. In addition to showcasing the results of the archaeological digs, they have become an emblem for Rue Peel.
Sherbrooke and Peel
The Redbirds
The McGill men's varsity nickname “Redmen” became prominent in 1927 as a reference to the McGill school colours. However, in 1947 as part of the post-war campus reconstruction, the newly hired American football coach, Vic Obeck used it as a way to brand the McGill football team. Other McGill teams used the nicknames the Indians or Braves. By 1952 a cartoon of an Indigenous man with a football under his foot was used as a logo. This was especially harmful because until 1961, no Indigenous person could attend the university without losing status under the Indian Act. In the 1980’s, there was a Redmen logo in the gym above the scoreboard The Redmen logo was removed by the Mcgill Athletics board in 1992, but the name stayed.
Former Indigenous student-athlete, Tomas Jirousek, led the campaign to change the varsity name. On October 31, 2018, students rallied chanting “change the name” and “not your Redmen,” with petitions and open letters to the administration following. On April 12, 2019, the administration officially announced that it would drop the name. In 2020, the men’s varsity teams were re-named the Redbirds.
Other violent terms through McGill’s history were used during the early 1960’s to late 1970’s when the women’s teams were known as the McGill Squaws; “squaw” is a slur historically used to describe North American Indigenous women. The women’s teams were re-named the McGill Martlets, whose namesake is a mythical bird that appears in the University’s crest. The martlet has no feet that never roosts from the moment of its birth until its death.
Sir Arthur Currie Memorial Gymnasium, 475 Pine Ave West
FIRST
McGill's First Peoples' Ho Indigenous students who education. It is the hope students receive at McG Indigenous students including Métis, Inuit, & First Nations (both "status" & "nonstatus"), Maori and Aboriginal folks.
FPH is a space where students can find support and encouragement to succeed in their studies and remain connected to their culture. Students have access to cultural support through Elders-in-residence, weekly soup and bannock, student groups, a drum circle, beading workshops, and a singing group. Students also have acess to academic support through subsidized tutoring and monthly workshops. The First Peoples’ House serves also as a residence for Indigenous undergraduate and Graduate students.
The Indigenous Student Advisor of the First Peoples’ House is a great point of contact for students if they need support.
McTavish Street, Peterson Hall
The Office of Indigenous Initiatives works to embed Indigeneity in all facets of university life and strengthen the awareness and alignment of various Indigenous initiatives across the university, including the annual Indigenous Awareness Weeks (IAW) a two-weeklong event series involving Indigenous academics, artists, and community members. In addition, they also support Indigenous student and faculty success and support the implementation of McGill University's 52 Calls to Action on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous education.
Appointed in 2022 as McGill’s first Associate Provost (Indigenous Initiatives), Professor Celeste Pedri-Spade oversees McGill’s ongoing response to the 52 Calls to Action articulated by the Provost’s Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education. Celeste is Anishinaabekwe (Ojibwe) and a member of the Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation in northwestern Ontario.
As of the Fall 2022 census, 257 students—1.1 per cent of the total student population— self-identified as Indigenous. As of February 2022, there were 31 Indigenous faculty and staff members. OII confirmed that 15 Indigenous faculty and staff joined McGill in 2022/2023 and that another 10 will be welcomed at a ceremony in October 2023 all of whom are teaching Indigenous courses.
Institute for Indigenous Research and Knowledge (IIRK)
A $13 million donation from McGill alumnus Gerald Rimer in November 2021 will support a major renovation of the University’s Leacock Building ($10 million) and build the foundation for the future Institute for Indigenous Research and Knowledges ($3 million). IIRK will support the educational needs of students and faculty, facilitate experimental learning, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration.
In an interview with the Tribune, Noelani Arista, member of the Kanaka Maoli people of Hawaii, Director of the Indigenous Studies Program, and chief proponent of the IIRK, said that the Institute will have three main focusses: Language, land, and governance. The IIRK will include an Indigenous language lab, an on-site knowledge centre, and a physical location that will serve as the centre for the Indigenous Studies Program.
“Our institute proposal sees itself as filling many of the calls to action of the provost report,” Arista said “We felt strongly that it was very important to create an academic and disciplinary unit that was dedicated to Indigenous research proper.”
Arista explained that initially, the Rimer family was set to sign off on a $10-million donation However, in the last hour of the meeting, the family’s sons were introduced to the IIRK team and were so enthusiastic about the organization’s prospects that they added on an additional three-million dollars to support the project
INDIGENOUS ART EXHIBITS @ McGill
McGill is home to many art pieces and exhibitions celebrating Indigenous artistry. The ‘Virtual Tour: Indigenous Art on Public Display at McGill’ is available online, which includes;
Sans titre, Rita Letendre (McLennan Library Building, 3459 Mc Tavish St, 4th Floor)
Rita Letendre is Abenaki First Nations. “Letendre was working at a time when it was not only controversial for an Indigenous artist to be working in any style that was not considered “traditional,” but it was also controversial for any artist to be working in a non-figurative style.” Madeline Holton, Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative (ISCEI) Research Assistant
Projections Kwe Faculty of Engineering (17 Rue Sherbrooke West)
Projections Kwe is a pilot digital exhibition aiming to strengthen the inclusion of underrepresented groups within the Faculty of Engineering through art and increase access to art for the entire McGill community. This exhibit was curated by the Engineering Undergrad Society’s Indigenous Inclusion Committee The exhibition displays 30 artworks from a variety of First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities across Canada. This is the first exhibit of its kind at McGill. The Faculty of Engineering has also installed two permanent artworks by Benjamin Chee Chee in their building
Nadia Myre
Mamidonenindam Miskwa (James Administration Building, 845 Sherbrooke St W)
Nadia Myre is a contemporary artist and a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg First Nation. The works question the notion of assessing one's identity through blood quantum by presenting different, more or less diluted “Indigenous compositions.” McGill Visual Arts Collection acquired three out of five of the pieces in the collection. Three artworks by Nadia Myre titled Mamidonenindam Miskwa are displayed in the James administration building. A large photographic work by Nadia Myre titled, Mamidonenindam (Meditations Respite 03) is located in the main lobby of the McLennan Librar.
McCall MacBain Arts Building, 853 Sherbrooke Street West
FLYING THE FLAGS OF QUEBEC’S
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
As part of the Provost Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education final report 2017, Call to Action #28 focusses on Flying the Flags of Quebec’s Indigenous Peoples;
28. Flying the Flags of Quebec’s Indigenous Peoples (immediate term)
In recognition of the importance of building respectful and reciprocal relations with Indigenous nations, the Task Force calls on our University to:
As of June 2018, replace the Martlet flag, which flies from the Arts building, by the Iroquois “Hiawatha Belt” flag (symbolic of unity among the Haudenosaunee) for one week beginning on National Aboriginal Day (21 June);
On a rotating basis every year, fly the flag of each First Nation in Quebec; and
Place a permanent Hiawatha Belt flag at the recently relocated Hochelaga Rock on the lower campus
Flying the Hiawatha Wampum Flag, as well as the flags of other nations living in Quebec, on National Indigenous Peoples Day and on McGill University Pow Wow is now an established and normalized practice as a symbolic gesture to promote reconciliation. A permanent Hiawatha Belt flag is yet to be placed on the lower campus.
Rue Peel, from Rue Smith to Mount Royal Park
TSI NIION KWARIHÒ:TEN (OUR WAYS: PEEL TRAIL)
Accompanied by an audio guide available on the app Portrait Sonore, “Our ways: Peel Trail” is composed of 11 bronze sculptures that tell the story of Iroquoian peoples and newcomers to the island of Montréal. The sculptures line the trail along Rue Peel and represent the island’s history since the arrival of the Europeans.
The trail The trail offers a dialogue between the work of two artists, one Kanien’kehá:ka, MC Snow, and the other non-indigenous, Kyra Revenko. The themes are inspired by the Kanien’kehá:ka ceremony of thanks, Words Before All Else. This ceremony is performed by an Elder to start important gatherings. It consists of a series of thank-you messages, which honour each element that gives life and allows everyone to be together at that particular moment.
Between 2016 and 2019, archaeological excavations in the Rue Peel and Rue Sherbrooke area uncovered remnants of an Iroquoian village dating from the 14th century This important discovery was the inspiration for the trail Alongside the sculptures, there are other components of the trail: mature trees that now benefit from enlarged planting pits and new trees that are protected by cast iron tree guards to represent the disting features found on pottery that was discovered during the excavations
The trail was the result of a co-creation project carried out with the Kahnawà:ke band council, members of the Kahnawà:ke Mohawk community, urban design professionals, archaeologists and city representatives.
555 Sherbrooke Street West
QUEEN VICTORIA STATUE
The monument of Queen Victoria was first erected in front of Schulich School of Music in 1900. The Queen Victoria statue has been a focal point for anti-colonial activism over the years. On St Patrick’s day in 2019 the statue was doused with green paint and again, during the curfew times of Covid-19 pandemic, the statue was covered in red paint. The Delhi-Dublin Anti-Colonial Solidarity Brigade have claimed responsibility for vandalising the statue on multiple occasions.
After the 2019 incident, the Brigade shared: “The presence of Queen Victoria statues in Montreal are an insult to the self-determination and resistance struggles of oppressed peoples worldwide, including Indigenous nations in North America (Turtle Island) and Oceania, as well as the peoples of Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, the Indian subcontinent, and everywhere the British Empire committed its atrocities. Queen Victoria’s reign, which continues to be whitewashed in history books and in popular media, represented a massive expansion of the barbaric British Empire. Collectively her reign represents a criminal legacy of genocide, mass murder, torture, massacres, terror, forced famines, concentration camps, theft, cultural denigration, racism, and white supremacy. That legacy should be denounced and attacked.”
The monument is now enclosed in a box while the Schulich School of Music is refurbished.
Shatner University Centre, 3480 McTavish
THE TRIBUNE
The McGill Tribune was founded in 1981 as a student-run newspaper that became editorially independent in 2011, when the Société de Publication de la Tribune (SPT) was formed, separating the publication from the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). The Tribune publishes roughly 25 articles per week, and editions of the paper are distributed in 65 locations around McGill campus.
In 2023, The Tribune announced the removal of ‘McGill’ in their name in light of McGill’s violent and racist origins. The Tribune has acknowledged its own history of perpetuating discriminatory violence against Black and Indigenous students. The paper has since revised their workplace conduct policy and application processes to eliminate the discriminatory barriers that did not open doors for all. They continue to work toward redressing and eliminating all forms of institutionalized oppression within their systems.
The Tribune also advocates for McGill University to change its name; “We are divorcing McGill from The McGill Tribune. And it’s about time our university changes its name, too.”
THE MCCORD STEWART MUSEUM
In 1919, McGill was persuaded to house the personal art and object collection of David Ross McCord, (1844-1930) who was suffering from financial struggles and deterioration of health. McCord has been described as “an ardent Canadian imperialist who believed that war strengthened both individual manliness and national character.” In 1921, the McCord National Museum opened its doors for the first time, originally located where the McLennan library now stands.
In 2013, the McCord Museum merged with the Stewart Museum, which occupied the British fortified depot on Île Sainte-Hélène, a 19th century military construction. This agreement gave rise to a new administrative entity; the McCord Stewart Museum. It wasn’t until 2021 that the Stewart Museum permanently closed and the exhibits of both museums were housed in the Sherbrooke street location.
Since then, the museum administration has been engaged in a process of Indigenization aimed at increasing the relevance and accessibility of the Indigenous Cultures collection to Indigenous communities and ensuring that its scope reflects their concerns and contemporary perspectives.
The exhibition, Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience, bears witness to the still unrecognized knowledge of Indigenous peoples in Quebec and Canada as well as the deep wounds they carry and their incredible resilience. This permanent exhibition was originally curated by Elisabeth Kaine (1955-2022) of the Huron-Wendat Nation
Jusipi Nalukturuk sculpted this Inukshuk with help from Bobby Aupaluktuk and Allie Nartai. The Inuk artist says that Inukshuk means “that which acts in man’s place” and acts as either guides, points of reference or markers.
This inukshuk was built with approximately 200 stones and was first constructed on the island of Naqsaluk, off Inukjuak in Nunavik. In 1990 it was dismantled and shipped from Nunavik to the Centre des Arts Contemporains du Québec workshop in Montreal and installed in 1992.
