Authentic relationship-building for Indigenous research spreads community 

When Dr. Adrianne Xavier, assistant professor in the Indigenous Studies department, was awarded the Petro-Canada Young Innovators Award in 2021, she was enthusiastic about providing students with opportunities to engage in real-world, community-based activities while involving them in her research.  

The grant, valued at $25,000, recognizes the research achievements of an innovative scholar within the first eight years of their research career at McMaster and provides funding support to enable the active participation of undergraduates in a research endeavour. The funds helped support Xavier’s project to get students involved in her research and to learn the importance of relationship-building when researching Indigenous communities.   

“I was really looking for the opportunity to give Indigenous Studies students the chance to experience what it is to build relationships in a very safe place on campus,” said Xavier. “I wanted them to learn more about what it means to be in the process of actively building relationships on purpose—relationships that could lead to research but might not.”   

Xavier believes that students need to know the importance of building authentic relationships partly because of extractive research practices that have historically caused harm to Indigenous communities.  

Reflecting on an experience while she served as a vendor at a local farmer’s market, she recalls the impact it had when a member of her community asked if she would still return the following year if nobody purchased anything.  

“When you have a community that is so accustomed to only being offered something for a little while, you’re afraid to invest yourself in it because it won’t last,” said Xavier, who is also the former director of the Indigenous Studies Program and a member of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute (MIRI). “I think that really speaks to the value of relationships.” 

Despite many limitations imposed by the pandemic, Xavier was able to foster unique and meaningful relationship-building experiences for her students and the McMaster community more broadly.  

Funds from the grant were used to establish the McMaster Indigenous Studies Community Book Club, organized by the Indigenous Studies department and open to all McMaster students, staff and faculty. The book club, a program that now continues beyond the term of the grant, has served to share stories and build relationships across the campus community.  

Grant funding was used to support students from the Indigenous Studies program to develop a proposal for a memorial garden in the Atrium of L.R. Wilson Hall in honor of Chief Arnie General as a reflection of his belief in the natural world. This activity helped students build their knowledge of ecological relationships, deepen their connection to Indigenous culture and feel a sense of lasting impact on the Indigenous Studies program.   

In the first year of the grant, Xavier and her students also launched their first Research Symposium to allow students to highlight their work. Justice Ryan, Junior Researcher and Administrative Assistant at the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute, helped lead the initiative in its first year and has continued to be involved ever since. 

“The Research Symposium fosters authentic relationship within the Indigenous Studies program and in the broader McMaster community through facilitating meaningful dialogue around allyship and showcasing Indigenous excellence in the early stages of students’ academic journeys,” said Ryan, who is also a recent graduate from McMaster’s anthropology program with a minor in Indigenous studies. “The success and continuation of the Research Symposium can be attributed to the myriad relationships fostered through the event. From volunteers to presenters to participants, students continue to return in support of this event – usually with two new friends in tow!”

The Research Symposium has continued beyond the terms of the grant as an important event to connect undergraduate and graduate students through their research.  

While the pandemic forced Xavier to revise some of her original plans for the grant funding and her project, she feels confident that these experiences will leave a lasting impact on her students and McMaster more broadly.  

“I’ve seen it my whole life. When you place value on relationships and you place value on community, then these things can perpetuate.” 

The Call for Applications for the 2024 Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award is open until March 6, 2024, when application packages are due to Faculty offices for Faculty-level review.  Any questions from interested applicants can be directed to Kris Knorr (knorrk@mcmaster.ca).