Roronhiakewen (He Clears the Sky) Dan Longboat
This is his first time away from Turtle Island and he is both humbled and honoured to be invited to attend the Indigenous Knowledge Conference in the beautiful homeland of the Māori People.
Longboat was born in Ohsweken (The Place of the Willows) – The Grand River Territory – he is a Turtle Clan member of the Mohawk Nation and a citizen of the Haudenosaunee the Six Nations Confederacy. He graduated from Trent University in 1977 with a B.A. in Native Studies, with a special interest in behavioural psychology. He holds both a Masters and a PhD in Environmental Studies from the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. He began teaching part-time in the Indigenous Studies Program at Trent University in 1995 with his mentor, the late Chief Jake Thomas. He served as the First Director of Studies for the Native Studies PhD Program in 1998. In 2004, Longboat officially joined Trent’s Faculty of Indigenous Studies. He is currently both a Professor in The Department of Indigenous Studies and the Director of the Indigenous Environmental Studies Program.
As part of his Master’s Degree research, Longboat designed and developed Trent University’s Indigenous Environmental Studies Program. The only one of its kind in North America, this program uses Indigenous knowledge, western environmental and social sciences to explore local, regional, national, and international environmental issues facing Indigenous People, communities and cultures. Students now earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science Degree in Indigenous Environmental Studies. The program is evolving to incorporate an expanded focus that includes; Indigenous Peoples Health and the Environment, Traditional Foods and Medicines, Natural Resource Restoration, Sustainable Indigenous Communities and an International Indigenous Environmental Network. He envisions creating an Indigenous Environmental Research Institute to provide research support to Indigenous peoples and communities in enhancing capacity to resolve health and environmental issues impacting communities.
In the past he coordinated the Haudenosaunee Cultural Education Search Conference, and was the Founding Chair of the Haudenosaunee University Planning Committee. He presented at the; Invasive Species and Biodiversity Conference, York University, The Indigenous Scholars Conference University of Alberta, Aboriginal People in the Fur Trade; the 8th Annual North American Conference, The Assembly of First Nations National Environmental Conference, Trent University’s International Indigenous Environmental Conference, The International World Air and Waste Management Conference, State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) and The Environmental Studies Association of Canada; the Canadian Association for Studies in Indigenous Education; the Congress of Social Sciences and Humanities; and the 5th World Environmental Education Conference. The Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation on First Nations Solid Waste Management and was Project Evaluator for the Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment for the US Environmental Protection Agency.
He has also served as a member of; The International Joint Commission’s Science Advisory Board for The Great Lakes Watershed. He has served on The Advisory Board for the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, The Premier’s Roundtable on the Environment and Economy, First Nations Technical Institute’s Indigenous Health and Environment Programs, The Chiefs of Ontario Office. He is a board member for Learning for a Sustainable Future, the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force and is a cultural advisor and instructor for several academic programs and institutions including: First Nations Technical Institute, St. Lawrence College, Sir Sandford Fleming College, Guelph University, Ryerson University and York University.
Longboat is a strong supporter and advocate for language learning and cultural practice, as the foundation for Indigenous thought and practice, which he believes will help provide innovative solutions to common issues of today. As a life long learner, Longboat strongly encourages study with Elders and Traditional People. He recognizes the critical importance of language learning and support for culturally based programs. He encourages youth to participate in the Longhouse and in their Nation and Confederacy governments, to support and assist the Hereditary Leaders and Traditional Peoples. He believes direct involvement and active participation through working together and always using a “Good Mind”, to be a major part of our responsibilities as Onkwehonwe (Real Human Beings).