Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center Tour
Kahnawake Cultural Centre
9:00AM – 1:00PM
Join us on a tour of the Kahnawake Cultural Centre’s permanent exhibit which showcases the rich culture and history of Kanien’keha:ka. Beginning with the foundation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to the 1990 Oka Crisis, the permanent exhibit features key cultural and historical events that best explain who the Kanien’kehá:ka people are.
Spaces are limited. Click here to reserve your spot!
Restructuring the Indigenous-Crown Relationship in Canada: The Promise of Indigenous Multilevel Governance
Ballroom, Thomson House, 3650 McTavish Street
2:00PM – 4:00PM
One of the most important political challenges facing this country is the strained relationship between Indigenous communities and the federal, provincial, and territorial governments of Canada. Although Canada has tried a variety of ways to better engage and establish stronger relationships with its Indigenous peoples, these efforts have largely failed, resulting in widespread distrust and conflict. Recent trends, however, offer some hope. In this presentation, Christopher Alcantara, an award-winning professor from Wilfrid Laurier University, will discuss how the emergence of Indigenous multilevel governance may provide an innovative and achievable model for repairing the relationship between the Crown and Canada's Indigenous populations.
Biography:
Christopher Alcantara is an associate professor in the department of political science at Wilfrid Laurier University. His main research interests are in the fields of Indigenous-settler relations and politics, territorial governance in the Canadian north, federalism and multilevel governance, public policy and administration, and more recently, Canadian voting behaviour. He has written two books, Negotiating the Deal: Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements in Canada (UTP: 2013) and Beyond the Indian Act: Restoring Aboriginal Property Rights (MQUP: 2010), the latter of which was coauthored with Tom Flanagan and Andre Le Dressay. He has published numerous articles in the Canadian Journal of Political Science, Canadian Public Administration, Electoral Studies, Public Choice, Publius: Journal of Federalism, Regional and Federal Studies, and Urban Affairs Review among others. His research was a finalist for the Donner Prize in 2011 and the McMenemy Prize in 2013, and has won the J.E. Hodgetts Award for best article in the Canadian Public Administration journal, as well as the David Watson Memorial Award for "the paper published in the Queen's Law Journal judged to make the most significant contribution to legal scholarship."
Film Screening & Discussion: Reel Injun
Room 5001, Brown Buiding, 3600 McTavish Street
4:00PM – 6:00PM
Come watch this must-see directed in 2009 on the slowly changing depiction of Native American people in the movie industry. Join us afterwards to have an informal discussion about it and share your impressions. Snacks will be provided and you will also get to meet some of KANATA's old and new executives!
About the Film:
Hollywood has made over 4000 films about Native people; over 100 years of movies defining how Indians are seen by the world. Reel Injun takes an entertaining and insightful look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through the history of cinema. Travelling through the heartland of America, Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond looks at how the myth of "the Injun" has influenced the world's understanding – and misunderstanding – of Natives. With candid interviews with directors, writers, actors and activists, including Clint Eastwood, Jim Jarmusch, Robbie Robertson, Sacheen Littlefeather, John Trudell and Russell Means, clips from hundreds of classic and recent films, including Stagecoach, Little Big Man, The Outlaw Josey Wales, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Atanarjuat the Fast Runner, Reel Injun traces the evolution of cinema's depiction of Native people from the silent film era to today.
Understanding Mohawk: Language and History
Room 430, 3610 McTavish Street
6:00PM – 8:00PM
Discover and learn Mohawk. The session will provide opportunities to learn basic Mohawk and understand the historical evolution of the language and its recent revitalization program in Kahnawake. Guiding the session will be Akwiratékha Martin, Mohawk Language Instructor from the Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language & Cultural Centre.
Biography:
Akwiratékha Martin is Kanien'kehá:ka from Kahnawà:ke and has been teaching Kanien'kéha for the past 9 years. Along with teaching, he has also been a translator and/or voice dubber for several APTN television shows, such as By The Rapids, and Finding Our Talk. He has recently worked for Ubisoft on Assassin's Creed 3 as Kanien'kéha Language Consultant. He is currently employed at Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center in Kahnawà:ke.
