The Silhouette - Education and Reconciliation - November 17, 2022

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News news editor Amarah Hasham-Steele news@thesil.ca news reporter Kate O’Melia newsrep@thesil.ca news staff writer Bela Davidson news staff writer Edwin Thomas

Opinions

opinion editor Ana Mamula opinions@thesil.ca opinion staff writer Hadeeqa Aziz opinion staff writer Breanna Khameraj opinion staff writer Fatima Sarfraz opinion staff writer Ayushka Tiwary

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arts & culture staff writer Michelle Li arts & culture staff writer Joleen Awad humans of mcmaster staff writer Esther Liu

Sports

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sports staff writer Miguel Sibal sports staff writer Alyssa Wheeler sports staff writer Jenny Zhao

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cover by julio diaz, nisha gil, andrew mrozowski, and christina osadchuk

Volume 93, Education and Reconciliation Issue

Thursday, November 17, 2022

The Silhouette | McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

Looking back . . . 2021

The Importance of Education and Reconciliation

Last year, we collaborated with the Indigenous Studies program on our first Education and Reconciliation issue. It’s important to us The Sil houette continues to strive to carve out spaces for under-rep resented voices on campus and that we work in collabo ration with communities as much as possible to ensure their voices and stories are at the centre of this work.

Contact

Executive Editor (905) 525-9140, ext 22052 Editor-in-Chief (905) 525-9140, ext 27117 Advertising executive@thesil.ca

MUSC B110 McMaster University 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON

Land Acknowledgement

McMaster University is located on the traditional territories shared between the Haudenosaunee confederacy and the Anishinabe nations, which was protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement. The “Dish” represents the shared land, while “One Spoon” reinforces the idea of sharing and peace.

We are guests on this land and are privledged to be able to work, study and live here. The Silhouette recognizes that this acknowledgement is only a single step towards reconciliation and that a lot of progess still needs to be made. We commit to ensuring Indigenous voices are heard and that their stories be told.

Get Involved

Interested in contributing? Scan the QR code, fill out the Google Form and let us know what you want to cover!

Legal Acknowledgement

The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, ad dress and telephone number for verification only. Letters should be 300 words or less. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions and editorials expressed in The Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, the McMaster Students Union or McMaster University. The Silhouette is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. The Silhouette Board of Publica tions acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community and the McMaster Students Union. Griev ances regarding The Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn: The Silhouette Board of Publications. The Board will consider all submissions and make recommenda tions accordingly.

INDIGST 2IR3 teaches Indigenous resurgence to both McMaster and incarcerated students

The new course is the first step for the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute’s Prison

Education Project

Edwin Thomas News Staff Writer

The Silhouette sat down with Savage Bear, director of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute, to discuss her new course set to start in January 2023 taught at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener.

The new course is part of the Walls to Bridges National Program where Bear sits as co-director. The program aims to imple ment post-secondary education in prisons and jails nationwide, offering classes that both incarcerated and non-incarcerated students can attend. The program values dismantling stigmas and creating collabora tive spaces for incarcerated students.

“We have a lot of stereotypes, we have a lot of ideas and understandings about what prison is, what incarcerated folks are like. And our incarcerated folks also have ideas about university. And so we bring these two groups together to break down those boundaries,” said Bear.

“We have a lot of stereotypes, we have a lot of ideas and understandings about what prison is, what incarcerated folks are like. And our incarcerated folks also have ideas about university. And so we bring these two groups together to break down those boundaries.”

Savage Bear Director of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute

Working with the Edmonton Institution for Women, Bear implemented the Walls to Bridges program during her time as an assistant professor at the Departments of Native Studies and Women and Gender Studies at the University of Alberta. She made continuing her work of implement

ing post-secondary education in prisons a priority when appointed as the director of McMaster’s Indigenous Research Institute in July 2021.

“You have 10 students from the univer sity and 10 students in the [prison]. We hold a classroom in the prison, it’s a three-credit course for a semester. It’s a normal course in every other way, except it’s in a prison and half your classmates are incarcerated folks,” said Bear.

Savage Bear Director of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute

Bear described the course as covering historical Indigenous tragedies and how communities preserved their cultures and traditions.

“We are looking at Indigenous peoples who have resisted and have pushed back against colonial policies, legislation, the Indian Act — all those types of oppressive structures that pushed back against them historically . . . We have to recognize that Indigenous people didn’t just lie back and take these colonial pressures. They fought back,” said Bear.

Bear facilitates the course with group discussions and group projects between in carcerated and non-incarcerated students. She characterized incarcerated students that register for courses as eager with an appetite to learn.

“I’ve rarely come across a university class where all the students do all the read ings all the time. My incarcerated students do all the readings all the time. They make notes of what they liked and didn’t like and they’re some of the most critical thinkers I’ve ever come across in my entire teaching career. So it’s such a pleasure to have that

type of mind because they come from all different kinds of backgrounds,” said Bear.

The Walls to Bridges Program is the first of a three-tier plan for the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute’s Prison Education Project. The second tier involves support for post-incarceration students living in transition houses to attend courses on campus for either a credit or an audit. Tier three is a mentorship program that provides supports to formerly incarcer ated people to apply for university. Bear described the project as a pipeline for in carcerated people, from prison to transition housing to post-secondary education.

Bear highlighted the value of this unique course setting and structure as life-changing for university students.

“It is a life-changing course. And you rarely come across those in your life. Walls to Bridges has been like that for students since it started. If you want something that’s going to challenge you, that’s going to be dynamic, that’s going to make you uncomfortable, but be incredibly rewarding, then this is the course for you,” said Bear.

C/O Dr. Savage Bear

“You have 10 students from the university and 10 students in the [prison]. We hold a classroom in the prison, it’s a three-credit course for a semester. It’s a normal course in every other way, except it’s in a prison and half your classmates are incarcerated folks.”

McMaster’s Truth and Reconciliation Day panel in review

Esther Liu HOM Staff Writer

On Thursday, Sept. 29, the McMaster University Indigenous Studies depart ment hosted a Truth and Reconciliation Day panel Discussion.

The discussion explored the history and continued impacts of the residential school system, the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ s report and Indigenization of post-secondary education.

The recording of the panel can be found on the McMaster Daily News website.

The panel was moderated by Savage Bear, director of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute and featured Vanessa Watts, Mary Jane McCallum and Lianne Leddy as speakers. The speakers were from McMaster, the University of Winnipeg, and Wilfrid Laurier University respectively.

This panel was the first public event hosted by the newly formed Indigenous Studies Department.

Bear began the event with a smudging to cleanse the spirit and heart.

In her introduction, Watts, the first panelist, explained what the concept of truth looks like in truth and reconciliation. In particular, she spoke of the intertwined history of anti-Indigenous rhetoric and policy facilitating the forceful removal of Indigenous children from their homes and cultures into residential schools.

“[We are] entering this era, this dis course of reconciliation, without paying too much attention to the truth, unless it’s about an interest in trauma. I think it’s so

important to talk about and know about the traumatic things that have happened in the Indian Residential School system, but [it is also important] to tell the truth about the settler-colonial state,” said Watts in her introduction.

Further, she highlighted that there is a focus on the settler-colonial perspective of truth and reconciliation, rather than the perspectives of Indigenous peoples.

“I think [reconciliation for non-Indig enous peoples] ends up being the center of discussion a lot. A lot of questions of: ‘how do I contribute, how do I reconcile with Indigenous peoples?’ Well, what about Indigenous peoples? How do we reconcile?” said Watts.

She also discussed the importance of acknowledging the rebellion from the stu dents, how survivors must undergo lengthy and potentially emotionally-taxing process es to receive reparations. She ended her section of the panel by discussing how these processes inform how we approach the topics of truth and reconciliation today.

McCallum’s section of the panel focused on the lack of integrated teaching regarding Indigenous history and residential schools within the Canadian school system and child labour in Mount Elgin Industrial School.

“Mount Elgin history exists in the stories that are told about it across gen erations . . . Maybe, if we keep going with Orange Shirt Day, there will be more of an understanding of these important early schools in Ontario, even here in Hamilton,” said McCallum.

Leddy spoke of how Canada is not fulfilling the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission despite committing to them seven years prior.

“Canada has more calls to action that haven’t even been started, 19, than it has yet fully completed, 13,” said Leddy.

Further, she emphasized the danger of treating the calls as a checklist, noting that reconciliation is an ongoing process that cannot be simply completed through the calls alone.

“A lot of that labour falls on Indigenous peoples, regardless of what sector we’re talking about in the calls to action,” said Leddy.

Leddy also spoke of Indigenization in university settings, specifically about the leadership and labour, both practical and emotional, that Indigenous staff and faculty perform. She noted that they are often asked to educate or inform without acknowledgement of their work.

“Colonialism is ongoing and not uniquely historical in nature . . . these are not things of the past,” said Leddy.

After the event, Leddy gave a statement to the Silhouette regarding the event:

“It was wonderful to see so many people attend the event, accepting the invitation to think deeply about Truth and Reconciliation, learn about the truth of the Indian Residential School system, and reflect on the importance of meaningful reconciliation.”

Though this event challenges Mc Master students to apply a critical lens when discussing ongoing colonialism and learning more about Indigenous histories, Canada still has a long way to go when it comes to addressing truth and reconcilia tion and fulfilling their calls to action.

C/O Georgia Kirkos

Panelists discuss the ongoing impacts of residential schools and what truth and reconciliation look like at the university

OPIRG, Solar Car, EWB funding discussed at SRA

During the Nov. 13 SRA meeting, the SRA discussed OPIRG funding and voted to send McMaster Solar Car and Engineers Without Borders to referendum

Amarah Hasham-Steele News Editor

On Nov. 13, the Student Representative Assembly met and discussed the future of funding for McMaster’s current Bylaw 9 groups. These groups are non-MSU, non-university groups that receive funding out of student tuition.

The SRA began by discussing the future allocation of funding to McMaster University’s chapter of the Ontario Public In terest Research Group. Kazza Topp-Nguyen, Treasurer of the group, suggested OPIRG can be thought of as a startup incubator for social movements, providing funding, space, mentorship and resources to public interest projects.

The presenters summarized the ser vices they provide to students and their pro posed budgets for these services. OPIRG proposed a budget of $10, 000 to allocate to 10 different public interest projects on campus. Currently, Mac Divest, Hong Kong at Mac and Environmental Zine are being funded by OPIRG. Beyond funding projects, OPIRG has several other initiatives on campus, including the Fair-Trade Festival, a BIPOC-focused book club and the commu nity garden.

OPIRG proposed a budget of $12,000 for experiential learning projects, wherein community organizations carve out short term projects for students, involving 50 hours of work for students and a $1,000 dollar stipend.

After OPIRG members presented, some SRA members raised concerns about fund ing allocations. Engineering Caucus leader Annirudh Arora asked multiple questions about the amount of funding allocated to staff salaries in the OPIRG budget. Arora noted 79 per cent of OPIRG’s budget goes towards the salaries of its two paid staff members, while the other 21 per cent goes towards the services offered. He ques tioned why this is the distribution.

OPIRG members responded by noting 79 per cent towards staffing is a relatively standard figure and citing CFMU’s 87 per cent towards staff.

The SRA took a straw poll to assess whether members were in favour of continu ing to work with OPIRG and approving their budget, assuming they would take recom mendations from the finance committee. The SRA polled overwhelmingly in favour of working with OPIRG. Only one member, Kevin Hu, from the Engineering Caucus, was not in favour.

build and race a fully functional solar car by 2024.

Arora motioned to send Solar Car to referendum for three main reasons: they have not produced a solar car since 2016, their budget is misrepresentative of their current spending and their organization primarily benefits engineering and business students, rather than all students at Mc Master. Currently, students pay $1.11 each year to fund Solar Car.

Regarding the lack of solar car pro duction, Solar Car representatives referred to a disaster phase that occurred between 2017 and 2019, due to conflicts around design failure and struggling leadership. The setbacks that arose from this phase, they explained, were severely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. They stressed the disaster phase would not happen again and that they are on-track to produce a car by 2024.

Regarding the misrepresentations in the budget, Solar Car stressed they have not wasted money, nor have they incorrectly estimated the amount that they need. Rath er, they are saving the money to spend on car parts once they reach the appropriate steps in the process. Solar Car representa tives also explained they recycle as much as possible from previous designs and heavily research cost-effectiveness.

referendum passed, with 15 SRA members voting in favour, nine voting against and four abstaining.

The last Bylaw 9 group that was discussed in the meeting was Engineers Without Borders, which students currently pay $0.41 for each year. This money goes towards a fellowship, previously given to two students but, as of this year, given only to one.

SRA members raised questions about the lack of fee information on the website and the exclusivity of the opportunity. EWB representatives explained that their website is currently under construction. Regarding the exclusivity of the fellowship, they em phasized that the opportunity is available to students from all faculties, citing the fact that three of the last four winners have been non-engineers.

The motion to send EWB to referendum passed, with twenty SRA members voting in favour, six voting against and two abstain ing.

The motion to send EWB to referendum passed, with twenty SRA members voting in favour, six voting against and two abstaining. The SRA polled overwhelmingly in favour of working with OPIRG.

After discussing OPIRG, the SRA moved into a conversation about McMaster Solar Car, an organization that is aiming to

Finally, regarding the inclusion of other faculties, Solar Car said that students across all areas of study are welcome to try out for the Solar Car team. They also said that different roles, which might suit stu dents with different interests, will become available throughout the process. They cited an upcoming opening of an interior design role as an example of this.

The motion to send Solar Car to

The SRA meets biweekly on Sundays at 5:00 p.m. Students can come observe the SRA meetings in Gilmour Hall 111 or stream them online from the SRA Facebook page.

The McMaster Students Union PRESIDENT’S PAGE

to experience the wonderful aspects of our community and regain a sense of stability.

SIMRANJEET (SIM) SINGH President

president@msu.mcmaster.ca

905.525.9140 x23885

I hope you’ve had a won derful fall thus far! It’s been a joy watching student life re turn to campus over the last couple of months. Indeed such activity has been sorely missed. The MSU is proud to be an avenue wherein hun dreds of spectacular student leaders work and volunteer their valuable time to im prove student life on campus. I am delighted to see the re turn of large-scale events to a level not seen in multiple years. It has been my privi lege to witness a new gener ation of students beginning msu_mcmaster msumcmaster.ca

While our services have blossomed, club events have also returned in a massive way. The more than 300 MSU-recognized clubs have begun to make full use of the resources at their disposal to host creative, unique, and in spiring events to build com munity, engage the student body, and help everyone feel a sense of belonging. The grass roots organizing, creation of positive spaces, and skill de velopment that happens in side MSU clubs, is one of the most positive experiences for students during their time at Mac. Undoubtedly, clubs are an amazing example of student leadership, and it is wonderful to see it in action.

I continue to make prog ress on the five pillars of my platform: Student Wellness, Building a Stronger Ham ilton Community, Sustain ability, Equitable Education, and Career Development. Of late, I have taken a particular

The President’s Page is a space sponsored and used by the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Board of Directors (BoD) to communicate with the student body. It functions to highlight the Board’s projects, goals, and agenda for the year, as well as the general happenings of the MSU.

focus on the topic of Equita ble Education, as Open Ed ucational Resources (OERs) are an area in which I have made significant progress. McMaster is poised to invest significantly more resourc es into OERs and student research assistant positions, which will help create new free, and lower cost educa tional materials, thus making education more accessible at Mac. Furthermore, in the realm of Student Wellness, I am happy to report events such as MacMoves Week, in which the MSU collaborated closely with the University, have been resounding suc cesses. Another unique event I was delighted to see come to fruition was the Hamilton mayoral candidates’ debate. Along with the MSU’s Mac Votes awareness campaign, the debate helped students make more informed choices in the recent municipal elec tion. In addition, the MSU partnered with the City of Hamilton to host a polling station on campus, which

made voting far more acces sible to students. Looking ahead, the MSU Campus Events department will host the McMaster Holiday Mar ket from November 28th to December 2nd from 2PM to 8PM (daily), outdoors in the Arts Quad. It will be a won derful opportunity to shop fun, holiday-themed items from local vendors. There is no event cost or registra tion required. At the Hol iday Market you’ll be able to find unique presents for loved ones, enjoy live en tertainment on stage and snap some Insta worth pics inside the lighted tunnel! While university life is not without its struggles, I have always found Mac to pos sess a unique character that supports students, helping people to excel no matter the circumstance. The Mc Master student communi ty is robust and lively, and I hope the McMaster Holiday Market will become the new est tradition to our campus.

SARPHINA CHUI Vice-President (Finance)

ELIZABETH WONG Vice-President (Education)

MITCHELL GERMAN Vice-President (Administrative)

SIMRANJEET (SIM)

SINGH President

The notwithstanding clause should be a last resort

On Nov. 2, 16 members of provincial parliament were removed from the Ontario legislature for calling out Premier Doug Ford’s decision to invoke the notwith standing clause in order to pass anti-strike legislation, targeted at education workers.

The notwithstanding clause, Section 33 of Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, gives federal, provincial and territorial governments the ability to tempo rarily override certain parts of the charter, including sections that deal with citizens’ fundamental and legal rights. When the charter was being developed, the clause was included as a sort of a failsafe, a way for the government to maintain its author ity of the courts and a check to ensure the charter wasn’t too rigid.

The notwithstanding clause is ultimate ly meant to be a measure of last resort to be used only in extreme circumstances.

The Canadian Union of Public Em ployees has been in discussion with the provincial government throughout October, pushing for an increase in wages and great er investment in education services. Nego tiations broke down at the end of the month and workers moved into a strike position.

However, the provincial government introduced Bill 28 which made any strike illegal and imposed a contract on the edu caiton workers. The government’s argument for introducing the legislation was rooted in limiting the further disruption to children’s education, after the past few years of the pandemic.

Regardless of how well intentioned they may seem though, by invoking the notwithstanding clause to introduce the legislation, the provincial government acted in a fundamentally undemocratic manner and took away a fundamental right from education workers.

Opposition MPPs called out the Pre mier and his goverment on this. However, because it is apparently “unparlimentary” to call the Premier a liar, even if it is objective ly true, the MPPs were walked out of the

chamber. A lie of omission is still a lie and the Premier is only taking into consideration the facts that suit his needs at this moment and ignoring those that do not, including the fact that education workers are current ly not being paid a liveable wage.

I think there’s a kind of irony in that the clause that was intially meant to check the power of one group is now being blatantly abused by another to allow them to main tain the the status quo and thier power.

While the legislation was ultimately walked back following strong public outcry and support for education workers, it’s also a concerning signal for the future. Espe cially given that this is the second time this government has invoked the clause, the first being back in 2018 to reduce the size of Toronto’s city council.

By normalizing the use of the notwith standing clause, something that should be a last resort, is a slippery slope, the pro vincial government appears to be showing how far they are willing to go to advance thier agenda and protect thier interests — even if it means they trample over the rights of thier citizens.

The provincial government abused the notwithstanding clause in their dispute with education workers, trampling over thier fundamental rights

Nisha Gill Editor-in-Chief

Moving towards reconciliation means sharing the truth with students new to Canada

Ayushka Tiwary Opinions Staff Writer

At the start of all campus events, gather ings and classes, the following words have become ingrained as an important symbol of respect:

“McMaster University recognizes and acknowledges that it is located on the traditional territories of the Mississauga and Haudenosaunee nations and within the lands protected by the Dish with One Spoon wampum agreement.”

This land acknowledgment holds meaning and familiarity for students who have spent their lives in our country, but it can often be challenging for international students to appreciate these words in the same way.

As newcomers to Canada, international students require educational support to better understand and learn about Indige nous peoples and their past as the original inhabitants of this land.

Without recognizing the deep-rooted history of colonialism, oppression and racism Indigenous communities have and continue to endure, international students fall prey to the notion that Canada was always dominated by a western, Eurocen tric culture. These preconceived notions are harmful in and of themselves, but they

also perpetuate harm against Indigenous peoples.

Home to over 600,000 international students, Canadian universities have a duty to create an awareness of these issues among students who have not had the opportunity to learn about the history of Canada prior to post-secondary education.

In 2020-21 school year, international students composed more than 15 per cent of the McMaster Univeristy student population. Yet there are little to no exist ing supports designed for newcomers on campus who may be interested in learning about Indigenous history.

As an educational institution that strongly promotes every individual’s right to the truth, McMaster must create and develop education to equip international students with the appropriate resources and tools to initiate meaningful discourse on Indigenous history, culture and contem porary realities.

McMaster’s Indigenous Strategic Di rections, created in accordance with the 94 Calls to Action by the Indigenous Education Council, outlines goals and approaches to improving Indigenous research, education, student experience and leadership on cam pus. However, the directions for Indigenous education currently remain focussed on en hancing the delivery of Indigenous studies

and courses, which may not be accessible to students in all fields of study. Partner ships between McMaster’s Indigenous Ed ucation Council and International Student Services could offer international students an important opportunity to reflect on and recognize their privilege and responsibilities as guests on this land.

With the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation having just passed on Sept. 30, we face a stark remind er of how much there is yet to accomplish for the progression toward the reconcilia tion between Indigenous communities and Canadian settlers.

Canadian universities cannot cultivate a generation of leaders who will advocate for Indigenous peoples and do their part for reconciliation without sharing the truth. Mandating, proactively involving and providing international students with an orientation to Indigenous history on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and at the beginning of each fall term is a necessary step towards fostering safe spaces for these students to learn and build bridges of mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation.

Though most of our educational institu tions currently fail to promote awareness of Indigenous history among students new to Canada, I believe domestic students also have an important role to play in honouring Indigenous history and highlighting the structural inequities Indigenous communi ties continue to face. Meaningful conver sations and sharing insightful resources are just some of the ways we as domestic students can encourage our newcomer peers to seek out the truth.

Currently, Indigenous history, including topics such as the legacy of residential schools, is embedded within the curriculum for grades four to 10 in Ontario to inspire generations of advocates who are ready to support Indigenous peoples and their rights. Of course, international students will not receive the years of education that do mestic students possess, but with the right education and support, they can be involved and empowered to take action.

By igniting a commitment to support ing Indigenous peoples and reconciliation among international students, we can help prepare future professionals who will advance sustainable equity, diversity, and inclusion in their lives, workplaces, and Canadian society.

Without recognizing the deep-rooted history of colonialism, oppression and racism Indigenous communities have and continue to endure, international students fall prey to the notion that Canada was always dominated by western, Eurocentric culture. These preconceived notions are harmful in and of themselves, but they also perpetuate harm against Indigenous peoples.

How Indigenous education for international students can help empower a generation of professionals committed to reconciliation

A new ‘why’ behind truth and reconciliation efforts

How our approach towards truth and reconciliation needs to be humane, not transactional

Ardena Basic Opinions Contributor

Much of the motivation behind the Truth and Reconciliation movement is remedying the suffering Indigenous communities have experienced in the past. As settlers, we wear orange, make land dec larations and promote discussion to make up for how we have treated these groups in the past.

While this outcome, a collective move ment of actions meant to create greater quality of life and overall living conditions, is certainly agreeable, the justification be hind our actions lacks conviction. In saying that we want to make up for the past, we are essentially giving an end date to our efforts. As a result, once we feel as though we have done enough, we can lessen the prominence and significance of our actions.

For example, if we one day remedy significant issues such as illiteracy, unem ployment and landlessness for Indigenous communities, we might believe we have provided an adequate solution and can now decelerate truth and reconciliation initia tives.

If we do one day decide that we have righted our wrongs, we no longer have an incentive to continue.

This current approach thus limits the longevity of the Truth and Reconciliation initiatives and subsequently the positive impact that needs to be made.

We live and work on Indigenous land every single day. As such, our appreciation and work towards understanding this fact needs to remain perpetual and potent. We must find and implement actions and move ments that speak to us more intrinsically and do not end when we have reached a specific goal. A more fitting solution should be to look towards our solidarity in sharing common humanity.

From a biological perspective, we want to care for and protect our common DNA. This motivates our instincts towards guarding others from harm and ensuring they have the ample means for survival. In essence, it is within our natural tendencies to protect fellow humans and their quality of life in any way possible.

From a more moral perspective, and referencing the golden rule, we should treat others as we would want ourselves to be treated. We are all equal as human beings and should care for and respect others spirits accordingly.

This should be the main foundation when we are considering our efforts towards increasing the quality of life for

Indigenous communities. Though, it is ironic that we must think about ourselves in order to be motivated to do good for others. Especially since the focus is supposed to be on the Indigenous community.

However, practicing self-reflection in general, can help us understand our posi tioning within this issue and the impact we can make. Moreover, it can further lead us to question what actions we are currently taking and if we should be doing more to make the most out of our initiatives.

If we ensure to keep the main point in mind; the immoral, unjustifiable suffering

Indigenous people faced; we can look to our similarities in organizing our remedial actions.

Overall, in order to have a sustained, long-term impact through truth and recon ciliation, we need to ensure our reasoning is just as sustainable.

It is not we-them, but the us that should motivate one to want to make impactful changes. What hurts one human hurts all of humanity, so, the truth and rec onciliation movement should be a mirror of the treatment all of humanity merits.

PHOTO C/O Gabrial Dalton, Unsplash

A more fitting solution should be to look towards our solidarity in sharing common humanity.

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McMaster

Humans of McMaster: Dr. Robert Innes

ly leads an example for other institutions across Ontario. It’s so necessary and we’re just really excited to see those cross-faculty linkages. One other thing is we’ve talked to a number of the faculty at Laurier, Guelph and other institutions and the ideas are germinating. In particular, we’ve been in discussions with folks at Mohawk College talking about collaborations too. We’ll be looking at working with different nations to create pathways for Indigenous students to come to McMaster.

What’s next for the department?

Esther Liu HoM Staff Writer

The Silhouette: Please introduce yourself.

Robert Innes: My name is Rob Innes. I’m a member of Cowessess First Nation located in Treaty 4 territory. I am currently the chair of the Indigenous studies department and I’m an associate professor.

Was there anything you had to adjust to when moving from one university to anoth er?

I’m from Saskatchewan and there’s a differ ent dynamic in terms of Indigenous people. Indigenous people have a much bigger presence at the University of Saskatch ewan. Here in Hamilton and the [Greater Toronto Area], in general, Indigenous people are erased and may be an afterthought. At McMaster, there are fewer Indigenous professors than at McMaster than at the University of Saskatchewan. People reach out to Indigenous faculty, to our department for all kinds of requests. It is a little bit more pressure but at the same time, we’re the Indigenous Studies Department. This is part of what we do. We educate and provide skills for students to better the sense of Indigenous community. For the faculty itself, however; it is extra labour and it often happens at a very early time in their career. Junior faculty usually get some time to develop their research and get their horses up and running before they have to do more administrative work. Indigenous faculty get burdened with administrative work right from the get-go. First-year tenure track faculty are already asked to do a lot more administrative work than the average fac ulty at the university. For McMaster’s new Indigenous Studies Department, I tell peo ple that we got this brand new kitchen, we got nice new cupboards, but the cupboards are empty. What we’re doing this year is stocking those cupboards. It’s an opportuni ty to build on the foundation of what’s being done here and set an exciting direction for Indigenous Studies on campus.

How do you see this department and its growth benefiting students?

The department has 11 faculty, all Indig enous, and currently, there is no other de partment in Indigenous Studies in Canada with that many Indigenous faculty — that in itself is sending a message to Indigenous students in the region that this is some thing they can pursue here. There’s a lot of opportunity here. Even for non-Indigenous students, they can benefit from taking courses in Indigenous Studies. Many of our faculty are cross-listed in different depart ments so students can still take classes with an Indigenous focus. So, we’re also looking at working collaboratively with oth er departments for courses and looking at ways that we can tap into students in other departments. It’s a precedent that definite

We are really looking at solidifying our un dergraduate program. We have some really dynamic instructors in our department and they do amazing things in research and in their teaching. We’re pushing for more land-based spiritual learning, service-learn ing kinds of lab classes, courses that take students outside of the classroom. We want to push students to get on the land and work with communities. Something about Indigenous Studies has been, since its inception, pushing students to become critical thinkers, to go beyond critiquing policies and to then have skills that are useful to community. We want them to be conscious [and] not just about: ‘Okay, how do I get a job?’ Yes, we all want jobs, but how are you going to give back to the com munity? No matter what students pursue, we want to impart skills of critical thinking, problem-solving, coming up with new ideas and being creative in ways that will benefit communities. We want students to bring together the applied and the theoretical. It’s not good enough to critique and tear something down, we have to think: ‘What’s an alternative? How do we solve this?’

“For McMaster’s new Indigenous Studies Department, I tell people that we got this brand new kitchen, we got nice new cupboards, but the cupboards are empty. What we’re doing this year is stocking those cupboards.

It’s an opportunity to build on the foundation of what’s being done here and set an exciting direction for Indigenous Studies on campus.”

Robert Innes Indigenous Studies Chair at McMaster

C/O McMaster University

“We’re pushing for more land-based spiritual learning, service-learning kinds of lab classes, courses that take students outside of the classroom. We want to push students to get on the land and work with communities . . . We want students to bring together the applied and the theoretical.”

Robert Innes

Indigenous Studies Chair at McMaster

Arts & Culture

One dish, many spoons

Jordan Carrier’s new podcast highlights Hamilton’s Indigenous history

Abonti Nur Ahmed A&C Reporter

Jordan Carrier created the One Dish, Many Stories podcast to share the history of Indigenous peoples and places in Hamilton. The podcast was created in her last year of undergraduate Indigenous Studies at McMaster University. She developed the project under the supervision of Vanessa Watts. For this project, she recorded three episodes and later released them after graduating.

“[The podcast is about] understanding the history that the lands that Hamilton sits on existed long before we called this place Hamilton. Nations lived on these lands and they had their own terms for the lands or how they used the lands,” said Carrier.

Starting a podcast was something she always thought about but never followed through with until recently. For Carrier, it was an awakening moment to see how little people knew about Indigenous stories in Hamilton and how single-sided the history of Hamilton seemed to be within the com munity.

“I started thinking somehow we need to incorporate other stories. There’s more than one narrative to history and experi ences — even contemporary experiences. That’s when I had the idea of the podcast,” said Carrier

of the One Dish, Many Stories podcast high lights different topics with the united goal of educating the larger community about Indigenous experiences.

In the first episode released, she shared her own story alongside the history behind various names of places on the land now known as Hamilton. She discussed how her experiences with racism as a child affected how she perceived and carried herself. To her, sharing her own story was crucial in understanding why she created the podcast.

The second and third episodes delved

ism I experienced as a young Indigenous person and how I internalized that. It wasn’t until I moved to Hamilton and got connected to the Indigenous community in Hamilton that I really started to embrace my identity as First Nations person,” said Carrier.

In each recent episode, she has a guest come to contribute to the conversation. All the guests either reside in Hamilton or work within Hamilton. It was important for Carrier to include the perspectives of other Indige nous peoples within Hamilton when talking about the history and the repercussions of past events.

“It was really important to have local context and perspective to really highlight that Indigenous peoples are still here. We’re still thriving. We’re still reclaiming all that’s been taken from us or our loss through the colonial project,” said Carrier.

Jordan Carrier Creator of One

Carrier emphasized there is always more that can be done and the importance of self-reflection on one’s privilege and presence within an area. She encouraged reflection and continuous learning about the stories of Hamilton beyond traditional teaching.

“Continue questioning, “Okay, why do I only know this one perspective out of our existence as people in Hamilton? What is missing?” There are so many different communities that make Hamilton what it is,” said Carrier.

One Dish, Many Stories touches on the experiences of Indigenous peoples in what is now Hamilton and the history behind it. Carrier currently has three episodes out and hopes to release more soon. She hopes listeners will learn from the podcast and continue to educate themselves.

“It was really important to have local context and perspective to really highlight that Indigenous peoples are still here.

We’re still thriving. We’re still reclaiming all that’s been taken from us or our loss through the colonial project.”

Dish, Many Spoons

“I started thinking somehow we need to incorporate other stories. There’s more than one narrative to history and experiences — even contemporary experiences. That’s when I had the idea of the podcast.”

Jordan Carrier Creator of One Dish, Many Spoons

Indigenous Markets create space for businesses to share their culture

Michelle Li A&C Staff Writer

Hosted by the Hamilton Public Library, the Indigenous Markets program has been running since May 2022. It runs every second and third Saturday of the month, showcasing two to three Indigenous ven dors every time. It is planned to run through December of this year.

The idea for the Indigenous Markets began with Lorie Lee, the senior leadership support manager at the Central Library branch of the Hamilton Public Library.

The purpose of the Indigenous Markets is to support local Indigenous artists by increasing their exposure and connecting them to community members, especially after they were hit hard during COVID-19 lockdowns.

When selecting vendors to feature at their markets, the Hamilton Public Library team wanted to focus on representing Indigenous culture. As a result, they have a wide variety of small businesses to represent art from the community, books, clothing and sculptures.

Not only are the markets helping Indig enous artists and businesses form con nections at the event, but the markets also bring in interest from other organizations to spotlight their work and products. For in stance, external organizations have reached out and offered spots to some Indigenous artists at their events.

“It’s not just about selling. It’s about bringing people into our spaces and giving the Indigenous artists and our members who visit, the opportunity to interact and learn from each other while building social cohesion,” said Lee.

standpoint, she hopes participating in these markets supports their small business and allow them to make meaningful connec tions with others.

“This is a project that I’ve loved working on and I’ve greatly enjoyed interacting with all the people that have come out. . . because people are so excited. It’s been something very rewarding for me and I’m just happy to see people connect again,” said Lee.

To bring back Indigenous Markets next year, Lee and the Hamilton Public Library team will need to reapply for grants. The markets are currently made possible through the My Main Street Community Activator Grant offered by the Canadian Urban Institute.

“It’s making a larger connection in the community other than just in the library which is the whole intention of the grant.

explained Lee.

Senior Leadership

at

After visiting the Indigenous Markets, Lee hopes people will have a better under standing of local artists and Indigenous people and their culture. From the artist’s

The whole reason for writing it [was] to have that long-lasting connection in the commu nity itself; not just in one space, but across the community,”

“It’s making a larger connection in the community other than just in the library which is the whole intention of the grant.”

Lorie Lee Senior Leadership Support Manager at Hamilton Public Library - Central

Hamilton Public Library introduces Indigenous Markets to draw eyes to Indigenous small

businesses and culture

“It’s not just about selling. It’s about bringing people into our spaces and giving the Indigenous artists and our members who visit, the opportunity to interact and learn from each other while building social cohesion,”

Lorie Lee

Support Manager

Hamilton Public Library - Central

Six Nations’ lacrosse team has had a fantastic year

Want to watch lacrosse? Check out the Six Nations Chiefs!

also leading the team in assists with 22.

Jovan Popovic Sports Editor

The Six Nations Chiefs, a lacrosse team based between Brantford and Caledonia on the Six Nations of the Grand River, is a part of the major series lacrosse league based in southern Ontario.

The league features four teams; the Co bourg Kodiaks, the Brooklin Lacrosse Club, the Peterborough Lakers and the Chiefs. The Chiefs had a fantastic year, leading the standings by the end of the regular season with a record of six wins, three losses and one tie.

Despite the strong regular season, the Chiefs were unable to clinch the champion ship victory, as their second place coun terpart, the Lakers, ended up winning the last game of the year, taking the title. The Lakers had a regular season record of five wins, five losses and zero ties, but thrived in the playoffs with a record of six wins and four losses. The Chiefs held the same play off record, but lost the games that mattered most unfortunately.

Despite the strong regular season, the Chiefs were unable to clinch the championship victory, as their second place counterpart, the Lakers, ended up winning the last game of the year, taking the title.

In the finals the Chiefs played six games against the Lakers, winning games two and five, but losing games one, three, four and six. The championship game took place on Aug. 28 in Peterborough.

Through the regular season the Chiefs were good for 9.3 goals per game on aver age, but still held a goal differential of neg ative three. Their leader in goals and points was Austin Staats, who was in his second year with the team. He totalled 22 goals and 38 points on the year. Staats would also account for three game winning goals - the same total as the rest of his teammates combined.

Staats’ only point leader competition came from Cody Jamieson, the only other player to finish with more than 30 points. Jamieson would finish with 34 points while

A major missing factor for the team this season seemed to be Lyle Thomp son, who scored seven goals in only three games played. Interestingly, two of his seven goals came as power play goals. It is not clear why Thompson was unable to play the entirety of the year.

Goalie Doug Jamieson also deserves significant credit for his performance on the year, maintaining a save percentage of near ly 80 per cent. He only allowed 66 goals in 326 attempts. In comparison, backup goalie Warren Hill kept a less impressive save percentage of 57 per cent, while playing just over half as many min utes as Jamieson.

A potential reason for suc cess on the year was the rare requirement of call-up players.

The team only had one game played with a call-up, which featured Ma son Hill. The regulars were

always on the field for the Chiefs.

The next priority for the club following the completion of the regular season and the playoff runs is the 2023 draft. It appears that Owen Sound and Oakville will be making a return to the league, based on the draft order. The Chiefs will have the sixth overall pick in all five rounds, excluding the third round. The Brooklin Lacrosse Club owns the rights to that pick.

A major missing factor for the team this season seemed to be Lyle Thompson, who scored seven goals in only three games played. Interestingly, two of his seven goals came as power play goals.

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