Tricia McGuire-Adams, an Anishinaabe researcher from Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek and assistant professor at the Faculty of Education of the University of Ottawa, holds the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Ganandawisiwin (CIHR). She has received $511,380 in funding from the John R. Evans Leaders Funds – Canadian Foundation for Innovation to create a research lab to study Indigenous knowledge systems and well-being.
This new lab, which will be known as the Indigenous Intellectual and Well-Being Research Lab, will be devoted to research led by Indigenous individuals on topics such as the land, language, ceremonies, and well-being.
“This project will connect the knowledge systems created and transmitted by Indigenous peoples, Elders and other Knowledge Keepers, and will enrich them by recording and disseminating their knowledge systems,” explains Dr. McGuire-Adams.
It will establish a space that supports the principles and protocols of Indigenous research, in which ceremonies and visiting are indispensable. This type of space is extremely important for Indigenous research and for the Indigenization of universities. The new lab will preserve Indigenous knowledge in innovative ways in the interests of many Indigenous communities.
It will also provide innovative training opportunities to students, who will conduct research in a Indigneous community settings. “Thanks to this lab, they will learn Indigenous research methods and the processes involved in developing community partnerships in a setting that fosters engagement, of which they will form an integral part,” says McGuire-Adams.
The University of Ottawa has implemented various measures to support Indigenous individuals in university. The Indigenous Intellectual and Well-Being Research Lab will concretely encourage the Anishinaabeg presence on campus and foster Anishinaabeg intellectual fulfillment and research at uOttawa.
Professor Tricia McGuire Adams' lab is one of 10 University of Ottawa projects supported by the Canadian Innovation Foundation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund, totalling $2.7 million.