Orange Shirt Day, or the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a time to pause and remember the children who never returned home from residential schools and honour the survivors, their families and their communities.
The day is also a reminder of the responsibility of each settler to engage with the ongoing process of reconciliation — not just by attending public events of commemoration, but through finding ways to explore the distinct cultures, traditions and knowledge systems of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, meaningfully and personally.
Here are five ways that settlers in the McMaster community can learn and contribute to truth and reconciliation:
1. Learn about the history of the land McMaster is located on
“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.”
A land acknowledgment (PDF) recognizes Indigenous peoples and their enduring connection with their traditional territories and its histories. It also expresses gratitude to Indigenous peoples for their stewardship and protection of the lands from which they have been largely dispossessed through the development of Canada. It is important to understand the meaning behind the words in an acknowledgment, such as the Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant, and its historical and cultural significance.
The McPherson Institute provides an Introduction to Indigenous Cultural Competency for McMaster Educators: Acknowledgement, which includes a short introduction to the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement, as well as links to learn more about the wampum covenant, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation?and the?Six Nations of the Grand River.
Nature@McMaster also provides a historical timeline of the McMaster Forest from pre-European contact up until 2022, when the property received updated Cayuga, Ojibwe and English names.
2. Visit the Indigenous Health Learning Lodge
The Indigenous Health Learning Lodge (IHLL) provides services, supports and programs for the academic success and well-being of all First Nations, Inuit and Métis students in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at McMaster, as well as non-Indigenous faculty, staff and learners. Follow the IHLL on Instagram to learn about upcoming events and offerings.
Within the IHLL is the Knowledge Library, comprised of the IHLL resource collection and the IHLL Knowledge Broker, which provides access to specialized knowledge in Indigenous health, wellness and ways of knowing and being, health research, Indigenous health and related issues.
3. Go on a self-guided tour of Indigenous artwork around campus
The McMaster campus showcases beautiful and moving works of art by Indigenous artists. Take the time to go around campus and find the paintings, sculptures and carvings, indicated below, and learn about each piece and its artist.
“It’s important to display Indigenous art on campus. It’s one way we can disrupt the historical erasure of Indigenous people’s existence within academic institutions.” – Brooke Fearns, McMaster alumni
If you would like a piece of Indigenous artwork on campus included on this map, please submit a request for it to be added.
Paintings
- Indigenous mural, Kyle Joedicke – Located on the fourth floor of the Institute for Applied Health Sciences, the mural illustrates the passing of knowledge to the younger generation.
- Art Installation (Spirit Soar; Red Dresses, Red Fabric, Red Tapestry, Red Dreams; Rainbow Reverie; Seven Generations of Interwoven Wisdom), Natalie King – The four-panel mural is displayed just inside the main entrance to the Burke Science Building. Visit the full article to learn more about each panel and the story behind the installation itself.
Sculptures and carvings
- Bear, Pauta Saila (PDF) – Located within the entrance to the Health Sciences Library is a dancing bear, which often appears in Inuit sculpture and is connected to ideas around cosmology and spirituality.
- Covenant, Mary Anne Barkhouse – Welcoming visitors to the McMaster Museum of Art, the artist describes this work as a chance encounter between two coyotes: “we size up the other side…decide to either play or fight. It is all part of a natural order that is as old as time itself.”
- Inuit Dream of the Coming of the Spring, Bill Merkosak – The large, encased carving resides within the Jan and Mien Heersink Reading Pavilion. Merkosak is an established Inuit sculptor known for his whale bone carvings, inspired by Inuit traditions and legends.
- Sedna (Women’s Spirit) with Polar Bear, Ashevak Kenojuak – Located at the entrance to the FHS administration area within the Health Sciences Centre, the stone sculpture is part of the legacy left by Ashevak.
4. Visit the Health Sciences Library, online or in-person
The Health Sciences Library (HSL) has curated a selection of books aimed at helping individuals understand truth and reconciliation and how to incorporate reconciliation into their daily lives. Books can be borrowed by learners, staff, faculty and those outside of the McMaster community. Visit the HSL website for more information.
The HSL also offers Can-Core: Academic Videos, a growing collection of content from Indigenous filmmakers by and about Indigenous peoples and issues, which is accessible to the McMaster community.
5. Attend the screening of Bones of Crows on Sept. 30
Join the McMaster community for a special screening of Bones of Crows in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Hosted by the Indigenous Health Learning Lodge, in partnership with the Undergraduate Medical Education program, the film will be screened at McMaster’s three campuses: Hamilton, Waterloo and Niagara. Admission is free for all FHS faculty, staff and learners, but donations of menstrual products and diapers are appreciated.
Additional experiences and opportunities for learning:
- Join Nature @ Mac to plant trees and shrubs in the Food Forest for the future Indigenous Teaching Garden.
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