Hello Summer Institute Session II!

Hello everyone! We're still working on getting some of the interviews from Summer Institute Session I, but Session II has already started! The BUSH gallery Summer Institute, Site/ation, started on August 7, 2018, and we kicked it off with a really wonderful talk from Dr. Niigaan Sinclair about Treaty 1 on August 8th. We have an amazing group of facilitators and we're looking forward to see what kinds of ideas, thoughts, and relations will be cultivated over the next three weeks. Session II Faculty is Gabrielle (Gabe) L'Hirondelle Hill, Peter Morin, and Tania Willard. Tania is coming a bit later with her adorable children, but I was able to meet Gabe and Peter who arrived earlier. Together both of them led a smudge with the staff at Plug In ICA. I haven't smudged since I was maybe five years old, but it was always cleansing and calming, so it was really nice to be able start off the Summer Institute with smudging.

Introduction to Treaty 1 with Dr. Niigaan Sinclair introduced by Jenifer Paparraro.

Introduction to Treaty 1 with Dr. Niigaan Sinclair

Dr. Niigaan Sinclair was invited to speak at a public talk at Plug In ICA for the BUSH gallery Summer Institute. It was coordinated with Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba in order to help launch the second session of the Summer Institute of 2018, Site/ation. Dr Niigaan Sinclair is an assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba in Native Studies. He is commentator and a writer centring Indigenous issues and decolonization in context to Manitoba and Treaty 1. It was wonderful to have him in for a really informative presentation that asked us to re-examine colonial Canadian history from a lens that acknowledged the political and social climate of the times. The presentation was an introduction to Treaty 1 and the meaning of Treaty that would set the basis of BUSH gallery Summer Institute while working in and existing in Winnipeg and Manitoba.

On the same day, two-spirit elder, Andrew McLeod came in and visited to talk about being two spirit and decolonizing gender.  Though I had to miss a lot of the talk in order to prep for other needs, I still hugely appreciated what I did hear. Decolonizing gender is something I think about a lot, especially because almost every society has historically had other genders or different ideas surrounding gender outside of what we understand as the binary between man and woman until Christian colonizers forced these roles onto people in attempts to civilize and conquer them. Andrew McLeod speaking to how queer and trans indigenous people have always existed and how race and queerness are allowed to embody each other rather than being separate points of access was really beautiful and validating to hear.

Having both Niigaan Sinclair and Andrew McLeod visiting and speaking was a wonderful way to start the Summer Institute. Both were very informative and thoughtful. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the Summer Institute brings!