Connecting with Indigenous Nations

Montreal is Tiohtià:ke, which means “where the currents meet” in Kanien’kehá:ka. During your Museum visit, take your exploration booklet to set off on an adventure with your family! Through observation, imagination and discussion, children and adults encounter Indigenous nations with the exhibition Indigenous Voices of Today.

Activity presented by Hydro-Québec. Recommended for children aged 6 to 11.

In the spirit of equity, diversity and inclusion, the McCord Stewart Museum invites you to connect with Indigenous cultures along with your colleagues or business partners.

Enjoy an inspiring, engaging and educational experience with our new package designed to meet the needs of companies wishing to raise their staff’s or clientele’s awareness of the realities of Quebec’s Indigenous nations.

Independant in-class workshop | Two 60-minutes sessions

Open the doors of your classroom to Indigenous voices with the Objects tell their stories digital education kit. The learning resource relies on an interactive and participative approach to support students as they explore different aspects of Indigenous societies and hear how community members view their thriving traditions, values and cultures!

Presented over two days, Nine Indigenous, Quebecois, Canadian and international experts from various fields of research and intervention, discuss the social, political and religious practices surrounding wampum in three seminars.

Capitalizing on the unprecedented interest generated by Wampum: Beads of Diplomacy, learn more on to these cultural objects.

On the occasion of the exhibition Presence of the Past, presented as part of the Contemporary Native Art Biennial (BACA), take part in a conversation with artist MC Snow, archaeologist Roland Tremblay and the Museum’s Indigenous Cultures curator, Jonathan Lainey.

This round table discussion explores artistic creation, research and preservation as ways of reappropriating Indigenous cultural assets.

• The Museum offers free admission to members of Indigenous communities (free access limited to the eligible individual only.). Reserve your ticket online.
• Indigenous communities seeking information about cultural objects from the Museum’s Indigenous Cultures Collection, please contact: autochtones-indigenous@mccord-stewart.ca.

Through the permanent exhibition Indigenous Voices of Today, as part of an effort to initiate dialogue and foster understanding, the Museum seeks to encourage a meaningful connection. Here are some suggestions and resources to guide you in your journey to becoming an ally of Indigenous nations.

The McCord Stewart Museum sits on land used and occupied by Indigenous peoples for millennia that has never been ceded by treaty. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation has a profound and ongoing attachment to this territory, which it calls Tiohtiá:ke. Acknowledging that colonialism has had devastating consequences on First Peoples, the Museum recognizes its duty to help raise awareness of Indigenous cultures and to support their continued vitality.

In line with its five-year strategic plan for 2022-2027, the Museum is engaged in a process of decolonization. The institution is committed to becoming an agent of change for a more just society and earning the trust of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Find out more about the actions implemented in the 2022-23 annual report:

• Easier access to objects in the Indigenous Cultures collection for source communities
• Enhancement of Online Collections thanks to the release of all Indigenous Cultures collection recordings and the option to download royalty-free, high-resolution images for any use
• Revision and addition of over 200 Indigenous names for objects in the Indigenous Cultures collection, in accordance with the wishes expressed by Indigenous Nations
• Identification of a suitable location for ritual ceremonies
• Easier access to Museum spaces for communities, for their own needs

Thank you to the members of the Indigenous Advisory Committee, who generously and graciously share their valuable insight with the Museum’s teams. The committee, which began its work in June 2021, is a platform for sharing and discussing the challenges of Indigenous museology.

The committee  focuses on:

• Recommending approaches and initiatives for indigenizing the Museum
• Supporting the institution’s commitment to decolonize museological practices
• In collaboration with the Collections Management team, analyzing future requests for the repatriation of objects from the Indigenous Cultures collection
• Offering a cross-disciplinary perspective on Indigenous content in the Museum’s programming
• Bolstering its efforts to hire and retain Indigenous staff, in accordance with its diversity, equity and inclusion policy