Aanii, Boozhoo, Koolamalsi, Shekoli, Shekon, Tansi
Welcome to Indigenous at York where you will find information about Indigenous people, services, spaces, and places available to the Indigenous community. Indigenous communities at York include a diversity of students, faculty and staff. Our communities are strong, supportive, and growing.
This platform is an introduction to what is available across campus. It is a space where we showcase the diversity and strength of Indigenous community, share our stories, and advance Indigenous wellbeing. You will find information about events for Indigenous students, staff and faculty, reports, resources, and more. We invite you to explore the page.
Miigwech, Niá:wen, Anushiik, Merci, Thank You, for joining us on this journey at York University.
Events
The Office of Indigenous Initiatives
The Assistant Vice President of Indigenous Initiatives is responsible for amplifying Indigenous voices, advancing Indigenous scholarship, and promoting the inclusion of Indigenous knowledges and languages within all aspects of university life. Our commitments include creating opportunities for meaningful engagement, supporting Indigenous students, staff and faculty, raising awareness of Indigenous presence, acknowledging and responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions Calls to Action and cultivating respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples both on and off campus.
Indigenous Council
The Indigenous Council at York University is made up of students, faculty, staff, and community members who work to strengthen Indigenous presence across the university, while building and maintaining reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities to ensure their voices are included in education decisions and goals.
The Council is committed to advancing access, representation, and success for Indigenous Peoples at York, now, and for future generations.
CIKL
The Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages (CIKL) is an interdisciplinary research centre that supports Indigenous and decolonizing scholarship. Bringing together Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, we aim to facilitate knowledge that re-centres Indigenous knowledges, languages, practices and ways of being.
CISS
The Centre for Indigenous Student (CISS) Services strives to create a sense of belonging and to support the academic, spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of a diverse Indigenous student population. We provide a safe community space that offers culturally appropriate support services and programs to facilitate students' success throughout their post-secondary studies.
Recognizing that Indigenous students are from all corners of Turtle Island, we welcome and encourage all students who self-identify as Indigenous to register with CISS to access our services and programs.
Student Associations
Indigenous Professors
Susan Dion
Kate Dunn
Deborah McGregor
Rebecca Beaulne-Stuebing
Wendy Makoons Geniusz
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Lisa Myers
Danica Pawlick-Potts
Department of Communications and Media Studies, Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (July 2026)
Maya Chacaby
Cora Coady
Jeffrey Hewitt
Brock Pitawanakwat
Department of Humanities, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
John Hupfield
Karen Drake
Indigenous Spaces
Miinkaanensing: Indigenous Reading Room
Miinkaanensing (pronounced mee-ni-kahn-en-sing), York University Libraries’ Indigenous Reading Room. Located in Room 202E of the Scott Library, Miinkaanensing is a new space that offers Indigenous students and researchers a quiet, safe environment to engage with Indigenous resources, especially as research into Indigenous topics is often characterized by depictions of trauma and colonial violence.
CIKL
Located on the 3rd floor of York Lanes, Rooms 347-353B, CIKL is a thriving research centre that supports Indigenous and decolonizing scholarship and works to facilitate knowledge that re-centres Indigenous knowledges, languages, practices and ways of being, and hosts a weekly smudging program on Tuesdays.
CISS
Centre for Indigenous Student Services
Located at 246 York Lanes on the second floor, the Centre for Indigenous Student Services (CISS) provides a safe community space that offers culturally appropriate support services and programs to facilitate students’ success throughout their post-secondary studies.
Skennen’kó:wa Gamig
Located at 35 Nelson Rd., Skennen’ko:wa Gamig is a dedicated cultural space on the Keele campus that hosts programming and is available for various events, ceremonies, gatherings, teachings, gardening and community. It is an informal centre for Indigenous community life at York where community members can feel they are not within the city.
The Indigenous Community Engagement Tool
The Indigenous Community Engagement Tool will help non-Indigenous researchers prepare to engage with an Indigenous community. It is in three parts (literature review, primer, engagement tool) and is designed to be used in consultation with Michael Johnny, Manager Knowledge Mobilization.
The Indigenous Council
The Indigenous Council of York University (the Council) is committed to supporting and building reciprocal relationships between Indigenous communities and York University in the interests of expanding all aspects of an Indigenous presence at York. Its purpose is to advocate for Indigenous Peoples to have greater access, input, and opportunities for higher education to the fullest extent possible at York University now and for future generations. As such, its mandate includes addressing the quality of the education that Indigenous students receive and by engaging with all aspects of the Indigenous strategy at York University. The Council is committed to addressing the education, culture, and service needs of Indigenous students at York University through processes of recruitment, addressing retention, ultimately, graduation and navigating York processes.
The Council will
- Promote and support the educational needs and aspirations of Indigenous students and communities.
- Work with York University in assessing and proposing changes to existing and emerging programs/services for Indigenous students and communities.
- Provide advice and advocacy support to individual students and to Indigenous Student Associations as needed.
- Engage with academic departments across the university to provide advice and exchange information relating to the development of new curricula and/or programs and or other developments relating to Indigenous peoples.
- Promote the University’s programs and services in the Indigenous community at large.
- Be involved in the financial planning with regard to externally generated funds allocated for Indigenous education.
- In partnership with York University, prepare and approve the multi-year funding request from
- the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skill Development (MAESD) for the Postsecondary
- Education Fund for Indigenous Learners (PEFAL).
- Delegate the two Co-Chairs to speak on behalf of the Council.
Membership
- The Council’s governance model includes membership from York University’s community, and its Indigenous constituency, and from broader Indigenous communities. While there will be representation from the Indigenous communities and the University at large, the majority of Council members must be Indigenous.
- Contact Indigenous Initiatives for more info indigenousinitiatives@yorku.ca