“There was a real sense of community,” Professor Lynn Davis of Trent’s Indigenous Studies Department said about the Celebrating Indigenous Knowledges: Peoples, Lands and Cultures Conference held at the University from June 16-20, 2010. “The keynote speakers were incredible, every one made such a contribution to our sharing and understanding. They all reinforced the importance of Indigenous Knowledge as the centre of our scholarship.”

Celebrating Indigenous Knowledges: Peoples, Lands and Cultures, an international conference organized in celebration of the tenth anniversary of Trent’s Indigenous Studies Ph.D. Program was a huge success, bringing in over 200 delegates and visitors from across Canada and around the world.

Organized by the Indigenous Studies Department at Trent, the purpose of the conference was to celebrate and explore the interdisciplinary nature of Indigenous studies scholarship and the new learning opportunities that continue to become available as collaborations between academics and Traditional Knowledge holders grow. Presenters and conference participants came to Trent from as far as Australia and New Zealand as well as New Mexico.

In his opening remarks to the conference delegates, Trent president and vice-chancellor Dr. Steven E. Franklin commented on the University’s strong history in delivering Indigenous Studies programming at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

In 1969, Trent became the first university in North America to establish a department dedicated to the study of Aboriginal Peoples. The country’s first Master of Arts program in Native Studies was introduced in 1986 and the Ph.D. program, the first of its kind in Canada and one of only three such programs in North America, followed in 2000.

Joining Dr. Franklin in welcoming the conference delegates were Chief Keith Knott of Curve Lake First Nation, honorary conference chair Marlene Brant Castellano, Professor Emeritus and Aboriginal Elder Shirley Williams, chair of Indigenous Studies David Newhouse and the director of the Indigenous Studies Ph.D. program Paula Sherman.

“Trent has been in the forefront in signalling a transformation in identity and consciousness of the unique and precious resource of Indigenous Knowledge,” said Marlene Brant Castellano. “This conference is a milestone recognizing ten years of the Indigenous Studies Ph.D. program at the University.”

The five-day conference also featured a roster of keynote speakers including Traditional Elders Edna Manitowabi (Anishnaabe) and Tom Porter (Mohawk), who have been leading Indigenous traditional teachers at Trent University and across Anishnaabe and Haudenosaunee communities; and Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Maori), Gregory Cajete (Tewa) and Manulani Meyer (Hawaiian), who are among the foremost spokespeople in a revolutionary Indigenous scholarship.

Speaking about the Ph.D. program’s milestone anniversary, Linda Tuhiwai Smith said, “It is good to celebrate milestones of where we have come from, but the question is, where does this take us? What does Indigenous Knowledge help us to become? How comfortable it is to live in a box where the knowledge is all produced for you? I am glad that indigenous knowledge won’t fit neatly in the box.”

Throughout the conference, more than 80 presentations by Indigenous Studies scholars were held on a variety of topics. Highlights included: “Atlantic Aboriginal Nurses: Acknowledging Past, Reconciling the Present to Redress the Future,” “Decolonizing Public Policy: Métis Perspectives in Ontario,” “Climate Change from the Medical Wheel Perspective,” and “From Endangered Peoples to Endangered Worldviews.”

In his presentation entitled, “Indigenous Studies Ph.D. program: Indigenous Knowledge, Western Knowledge and the Academy: A Perfect Fit?” Professor Don McCaskill, founding director of the doctoral program at Trent, spoke about the early days and vision statement of the program, finding the balance between scientific scholarship that is academically challenging and rooted in experience. “What is Indigenous about Indigenous Studies?” asked Professor McCaskill. “Indigenous knowledge is local knowledge that is unique to a given culture. It is personal, oral, holistic.”

Conference Elders Doug Williams (Mississaugas of Curve Lake) and Shirley Williams (Odawa – Manitoulin Island) were also present at the conference and joined Michael Thrasher and Jake Swamp to deliver a variety of traditional teaching workshops on Medicine Wheel Teachings, Eagle Feather Teachings, and Water Teachings.

In addition to the more formal presentations, a variety of interactive social events included: three sunrise ceremonies, a tree planting ceremony in honour of the Ph.D. program, a trip to the Petroglyphs, a performance at Nozhem: First Peoples Performance Space at Trent, and participation in the Ode'min Giizis (Strawberry Moon) Festival, a multidisciplinary festival of arts featuring regional, national and internationally recognized Indigenous artists.