Last summer, I joined the IMPRESS Indigenous mentorship program as a mentor. This year, I signed up again. I didn’t have many opportunities for mentorship as a student, so I really value this opportunity to provide support to other students. Representation is important, especially in academic circles. It’s important for students to build their professional network and have safe spaces to ask questions, share frustrations, and navigate challenges. I also learn so much from the students I work with, it’s really an exchange of knowledge and experience.
The IMPRESS program runs through June & July each year, with some internships extending into August. It is a paid internship for Indigenous students who are assigned a team to work on a research project with and a mentor to guide them along the way. If you are an Indigenous student looking for summer opportunities, I highly recommend the program: https://www.mcgill.ca/branches/programs/impress#:~:text=The%20Indigenous%20Mentorship%20and%20Paid,one%20of%20our%20units%20%E2%80%94%20all
Wahéhshon Whitebean and Cheyenne Neszo have been named recipients of Rathlyn Fellowships. Awarded annually through the Indigenous Studies Program at McGill, Rathlyn Fellowships support Indigenous graduate students at McGill in their studies and research. Each Fellowships is worth $15,000.
Author: Mia Fischlin
I want to express my deep gratitude and appreciation to the selection committee for awarding me a Rathlyn Fellowship. My funding ends this summer. This award is meant to support my research this fall, as I focus on writing my dissertation. I would also like to congratulate Cheyeen Neszo as well!
Full copy the article is pasted below.
Niawenkó:wa 🙂
Rathlyn Fellowships awarded to graduate students in Education and Law
Wahéhshon Whitebean and Cheyenne Neszo have earned Rathlyn Fellowships which support Indigenous graduate students at McGill in their studies and research
Wahéhshon Whitebean and Cheyenne Neszo have been named recipients of Rathlyn Fellowships. Awarded annually through the Indigenous Studies Program at McGill, Rathlyn Fellowships support Indigenous graduate students at McGill in their studies and research. Each Fellowships is worth $15,000.
The Rathlyn Fellowship is given out each year through the Indigenous Studies Program at McGill.
Roger Warren and his wife Mary Warren founded the Rathlyn Foundation in 1984 to support medical research, veterinary sciences, and educational institutions throughout Canada. Since then, the Foundation has endowed graduate and professional degree fellowships across several faculties.
This year’s Rathlyn Fellowship recipients:
Wahéhshon Whitebean (Faculty of Education)
Wahéhshon Whitebean is a Wolf Clan member of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation at Kahnawà:ke. The mother of three is a language advocate and activist. Whitebean began her doctoral research as a Tomlinson Fellow, and then as a Vanier Scholar. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Educational Studies program at the Department of Integrated Studies in Education.
Wahéhshon Whitebean
Over the past six years, Whitebean’s worked at the Kahnawà:ke Education Center on language and culture reclamation initiatives. In 2020, she co-authored the first research policy and code of ethics for the Kahnawà:ke education system. Since November 2021, she served as the Research Consultant and Chair of the ethics committee.
Whitebean’s doctoral research largely encompasses the topic of the Indian Day Schools and education reform in her home community. She works closely with Elders, Indian day school survivors, and other community members to elicit multi-generational stories of Indian day schooling in Kahnawà:ke. The research, which incorporates Kanien’kéha language and Kanien’kehá:ka knowledge through multigenerational storytelling, is aligned with modes of communication and knowledge sharing that are truly Indigenous and decolonizing.
By authentically applying Indigenous methodologies and frameworks in her research, Whitebean has developed a unique expertise in writing and sharing stories in Indigenous education and history.
The purpose of her study is to gain insight into the lived experiences of former day school students and identify the impacts and cultural losses that affected individuals and potentially, Kahnawà:ke as a community, by examination through a multigenerational lens. Her research does not reinforce a meta-narrative of Indigenous trauma. Through oral history/tradition, Kahnawa’kéhró:non [people of Kahnawà:ke] will re-story this challenging part of community history through a people centered and strength-based lens.
Cheyenne Neszo (Faculty of Law)
Cheyenne Neszo is a member of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation near what is currently called Prince George, British Columbia. Neszo works in class actions where she is involved in diverse cases including Indigenous rights and government negligence. She is also participating in a language revitalization program with her Nation’s Lheidli dialect of the Dakelh language.
Cheyenne Neszo
Neszo completed her law degree at Thompson Rivers University. After law school, Neszo clerked at the Federal Court of Canada and completed her articles at the Department of Justice. She is currently working toward completing her thesis for a Master’s degree in McGill’s Faculty of Law. Her research is focused on Indigenous tax laws and policies.
Neszo’s thesis explores the current state of Aboriginal tax law, including tax provisions in the Indian Act, self-government agreements and the tax provisions in modern-day treaties. She argues that there are laws that appear to grant Indigenous Nations greater authority over their fiscal situations but are in fact, undermining Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.
Her research suggests that part of the sovereignty for Indigenous Nations is their inherent authority to determine what laws they use – whether those of their own Nation, Western laws, or a mix of both – in creating a taxation system for their Peoples. Neszo says that Indigenous tax laws are a necessary step towards reconciliation and the reclamation of Indigenous nationhood and sovereignty.
My colleague Kahtehrón:ni Stacey and I were honoured to be invited to co-present at the Workshop on Structure & Consistency in Languages of the America’s (WSCLA) conference at McGill University on Friday April 28, 2023. Our talk featured our family stories, personal language learning journeys, and a recap of the efforts made in Kahnawà:ke in language reclamation for over fifty years.
I am presently in the analysis stage of my doctoral research. I briefly discussed one of the themes that I am exploring in my research, language – which includes: language loss/shift as a result of Indian Day Schools, impacts of Indian Day Schools on language & cultural identity transmission, and language reclamation as a healing process from multigenerational trauma.
Kahtehrón:ni spoke about her important work exploring new pedagogical tools for advanced second language learners, specifically Haudenosaunee women. This included a structural approach (lexical expansion & grammar refinement) and a communicative approach (kin focused communication & oral tradition). This is a promising and exciting framework for Rotinonhsión:ni advanced language pedagogy!
Niawenhkó:wa to the organizers, student volunteers, and attendees. We had many great questions and discussion following our presentation. It was truly a pleasure to have so many community members and scholars engaged in discussions about Onkwehonwehnéha 🙂
*Photo courtesy of Professor Jessica Coon, Linguistics McGill University.
I was invited to present my oral history research at Concordia University, in a graduate class (ARTH 668: Theories and Methodologies in Art History: Feminist Approaches to Oral History). It’s exciting when opportunities come up that allow me to share my work with other students that have similar interests. Graduate students generally have more experience in research and are in a different place than undergrads. I am truly grateful for these opportunities.
The topic I research (#IndianDaySchools) is a sensitive and difficult topic. I cannot assume that students understand what and Indian Day School is in the first place. I do a general 101 of schooling (Indian Day Schools, Indian Residential Schools) and include mention of child welfare institutions. This work is deeply personal to me. I am very open and candid about my own life experiences and family history. There are risks in being open – vulnerability can mean opportunities for others to do harm. All I can do is live and share my truth.
Niawenhkó:wa to the class for listening and for being respectful.
The instructor (Cynthia) presented me with a beautiful gift, a copy of Rehearsals for Living by Robyn Maynard & Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. I can’t wait to read it 🙂
On a side note, it felt great to be back at Concordia. I missed the vibe there. I don’t miss the parking, construction, and traffic though 😉
