FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Indigenous Studies

Students sitting and talking in a circle outside on the McMaster campus.

About the Indigenous Studies Department

About the Indigenous Studies Department

Indigenous Studies at McMaster can be traced back to the first Drumbeat conference in 1989, organized by Indigenous students and co-hosted by the Six Nations Confederacy.

 

The Indigenous Studies Department is home to 11 Faculty Members, the largest number of Indigenous Faculty members in an Indigenous Studies Department at a Canada University, as well as Sessional Faculty from Indigenous Communities and Indigenous administrative staff members.

History of Indigenous Studies at McMaster

Indigenous Studies at McMaster can be traced back to the first Drumbeat conference in 1989, organized by Indigenous students and co-hosted by the Six Nations Confederacy.

 

At the time, Dr. Peter George, Dr. Harvey Feit and Chief Harvey Longboat of the Six Nations Confederacy responded to the request of Dawn Martin-Hill, an undergraduate student, to develop courses to address the needs of Indigenous students. This resulted in the development of the President’s Committee on Native Students and the McMaster First Nations Students Association.

 

The Indigenous Studies Program supported Chief Longboat’s vision and has initiated the development and accreditation of numerous courses focused on supporting and teaching language, culture and history with an emphasis on Haudenosaunee people.

 

Timeline

1992 – The Indigenous Studies program was established, offering a three-year BA degree.

 

2014 – Indigenous Student Services Department move to Student Affairs, growing out of work and supports provided through the Indigenous Studies Program

 

2015 – Expansion of the Indigenous Studies Program to a four-year Honours degree

 

2022 – The program grew into a department, expanding Indigenous education and research at the university

Indigenous Strategic Directions Plan

In 2021, following a campus-wide collective effort with Indigenous groups, a new Indigenous Strategic Directions Plan was developed by the Indigenous Education Council and McMaster Indigenous Research Institute.

 

View the McMaster Indigenous Strategic Directions Plan