In our fourth and last virtual session of Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange (MAKE), we continue to explore themes of “Hyperlocal Worlding.” In this session, led by Jade Nixon, we examined the imbrications of abolition and decolonization, and their relationships to waterways.

In Week 3 of Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange (MAKE), we continue to explore themes of “Hyperlocal Worlding.” In this session, led by Harsha Walia, we examined carceral borders on Indigenous land. Here’s a brief recap of our session reflections and learnings.

In this co-authored Brief, Mendizabal et al examine the federal government's proposed Youth Climate Corps pilot and what it would take for the program to support Indigenous-led climate solutions. Read the full Brief: yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/the-you...

In Week 2 of Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange (MAKE), we continue to explore themes of “Hyperlocal Worlding.” In this session, led by Dr. Autumn BlackDeer, we examined understandings of queerness and feminism as they relate to colonialism. 💡 What does it mean to decolonize conceptions of queerness?

Join us in Edmonton for the first time ever! In advance of the 150th anniversary of Treaty 6, join us for a discussion on its enduring significance and the challenges of implementation today. Register: 150-years-treaty-6.eventbrite.ca

Minh Do examines the legal and political dimensions of Gitxaała v. British Columbia. The case considered B.C. 's mineral claims system – which permits companies to acquire rights to Indigenous lands without consultation or consent. Read the full brief: yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/the-pol...

Reconciliation has become part of the script of corporate Canada — but who benefits from the story being told? Artwork: Bailey Macabre Nêhiyaw Michif, Ukrainian Read the full Special Report: yellowheadinstitute.org/report/lifti...

Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange (MAKE) 2026 is underway!  In our first session, led by Dr. Megan Scribe and Nazbah Tom, we oriented ourselves towards hyperlocal worlding, and ways in which we can relate to ourselves and others. What does hyperlocal worlding mean to you? 📍🌏

Annie King traces the history of the Norman Wells Oilfield through stories shared in Fort Good Hope, examining how Imperial disrupted reciprocal relationships b/w people, water, animals, & land – asking what is required to right a century of historic wrongs. yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/after-a...

In this Brief, Michaela M. McGuire (Jaad Gudgihljiwah examines how fiscal decisions intersect with justice policy, resource development and militarization – and what that reveals about Canada's approach to addressing gender violence. Read the full Brief: yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/sunsett...

Hayden King traces the "off-ramp" approach to re-shaping the Act, showing how incremental reforms have created a landscape where First Nations are increasingly opting into new legal and policy frameworks outside the Act. Read the full Brief: yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/the-ind...

Canada has a long history of surveilling Indigenous peoples –Riley Yesno highlights the consequences on Indigenous communities & argues for a more deliberate response to ongoing colonial surveillance. yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/i-spy-c...

On March 24, we held our first Fire event of 2026, Treaties in Troubling Times: Old Frameworks for New Futures. Crystal Fraser, Sara Komarnisky, Gina Starblanket, and Hayden King discussed: how do treaties provide a framework for new futures? Learn more at yellowheadinstitute.org/yellowheadfire/

Manitoba’s Bill 48 empowers police to target individuals of perceived drug intoxication and detain them for 3 days in solitary confinement. How does the expansion of involuntary detention and forced detox, made possible through Bill 48, deepen colonial harm? yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/care-no...

Hayden King examines new “Cooperation Agreements” b/w the federal & provincial governments – finding trade-offs for efficiency & coordination, handing authority to provinces already criticized for weak environmental oversight & consultation w/ Indigenous communities. yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/

Ashley Kyne & Justin Piché challenge the “Indigenization” of prisons, arguing these efforts reproduce colonial space through carceral policies – ultimately misrepresenting Indigenous life & normalizing confinement. Art: ‘Genocide’ - Nshannacappo Full Brief: yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/the-pri...

How do treaties provide a framework for new futures and why and these frameworks especially critical today as we face uncertain times? Join us on March 24 1PM for a Yellowhead Fire with Crystal Fraser, Sara Komarnisky, Gina Starblanket, and Hayden King. Register: treaties-fire.eventbrite.ca

Anton Clark highlights the role of the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), built on decades of Indigenous advocacy, to enact these principles by supporting Indigenous creators and shaping international diplomacy and the circulation of their stories. Read the full Brief on our website, linked in bio.

Applications are now open for the Misko Aki Knowledge Exchange (MAKE) spring session! 📚🌏 MAKE is an ideal program for Indigenous, Black, and racialized community helpers involved in local, place-based initiatives. Visit yellowheadinstitute.org/make-2026/ to learn more and apply!

Across Canada and beyond, Indigenous Peoples are reclaiming and rematriating place names – not just as acts of recognition, but as assertions of law, governance, and jurisdiction. Read the full special report on our website, linked in bio

P.M. Carney’s speech in Davos received a rare standing ovation. In comments to build an alternative system, he inadvertently described the Crown-Indigenous relationship. Janna Wale & Michaela M. McGuire ask what this means for Indigenous Peoples. Full Brief: yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/reflect...

Kalaallit voices are once again pushed to the margins. Vivi Vold & Kunuk Inutiq offer context to Kalaalliit Nunaat's (Greenland's) re-emergence in the centre of global geopolitics, centering Kalaaliit perspectives on colonial trauma and solidarity. Read the full Brief, linked in bio.

Check out the Yellowhead Treaty Map's new Indigenous Treaty-Making Layer. While the inter-dimensionality of Indigenous-led treaties cannot be fully captured in any map, the new layer breaks the user away from the Treaty Map boundaries into an immersive digital experience. Linked in bio.

Announcing version 2.0 of the Yellowhead Institute Treaty Map! New features added to the map include a re-imagined Indigenous Treaty-Making Layer and an Education Guide. Visit the treaty map and download the education guide today: treatymap.yellowheadinstitute.org

Today marks ten years since the TRC issued its 94 Calls to Action. JoLee Sasakamoose and Miranda Field argue that Canadian healthcare systems have perfected “Reconciliation Theatre,” prioritizing symbolic gestures over the structural change the Calls to Action demand. Full report linked in bio.

Last week the Carney Government tabled their first budget. In this Brief, Riley Yesno reviews the commitments to Indigenous communities and highlights the gaps, limitations and general disappointment. Full Brief linked in bio.

B.C.’s LNG boom is called progress—but for Indigenous women, it signals danger. Linked to man camps and state neglect, Michaela M. McGuire asks: what’s being done to protect women? Read the full Brief, linked in bio.

In this Brief, Dakota Erutse traces the arc of these narratives and reflects on what Mark Carney's new unifying legislation obscures about Canada's relationship with the North. Read the full Brief on our website, linked in bio.

Canada frames “Cows and Plows” as one-time settlements meant to close the books on agricultural treaty promises. In this Brief, Gina Starblanket & Courtney Vance explore what happens when restitution is narrowed to cash and closure. Is this truly honoring treaty promises? Full Brief linked in bio.

In the latest Special Report, JoLee Sasakamoose & Miranda Field find little progress in Canada's healthcare systems on restoring Indigenous wellness systems, creating ethical spaces, or transforming service delivery – showing how institutions remain performative. Full Report linked in bio.

On the surface, Ontario's "Safer Municipalities Act" seeks to address public drug use. In this brief, Brianna Olson-Pitawanakwat Mskwaasin Agnew, and Kelsi Balaban argue it maintains too-familiar traditions of Indigenous displacement and colonial harm: yellowheadinstitute.org/2025/ontario...

Great little feature on the amazing research of @miskoaki.bsky.social and its growing Northern focus. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

September 30th is National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. As we approach this day, how can we avoid symbolic performances of reconciliation and equip ourselves to work toward transformative change? Check out these resources and more on our website: yellowheadinstitute.org. Linked in bio.

In this Brief, Veronica Fuentes explores the question, how can harm reduction reflect our traditions of care, mitigate harms, and sustain the life of people we love who use drugs? Read here: yellowheadinstitute.org/2025/a-love-...

We're recruiting instructors for our Public Administration and Indigenous Governance Program! For application information, please write to us at: [email protected].

Canada has renewed its focus on Arctic sovereignty. Jessica Penney argues that Arctic security cannot exist while Inuit communities face unmet basic needs. With food insecurity still alarmingly high, Arctic sovereignty must centre Inuit self-determination. Read the full Brief on our website.

We’re thrilled to announce the renewed Public Administration and Indigenous Governance (PAIG) Program, run in partnership with FNTI based at Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and the Dept. of Politics at TMU. Visit yellowheadinstitute.org/paig-program for more details and how to apply 📚

As governments pass legislation to fast track resource development, a long-delayed LNG pipeline in B.C. has been approved. Buried Burdens considers PRGT's history, identifying a number of issues. Read the full Special Report on our website: yellowheadinstitute.org/buried-burde...

In this Brief, Michaela McGuire and Rosanna Carver discuss the impacts of resource development infrastructure in the ocean and the Crown's limited interpretation of Indigenous oceanic rights and title. Read the full Brief on our website: yellowheadinstitute.org/the-yellowhe...

Janna Wale and Michaela McGuire review BC's Bill 14 and 15, finding much to be concerned about related to Indigenous rights and the health of the environment – both sacrificed for "fast-tracked" industrial development in the province. Read the full Brief on our website.

Indonesian governments have neglected the protection of Indigenous rights, resulting in the theft and destruction of Indigenous lands and food. Nikodemus Niko describes "hidden hunger" and calls the Indonesian government to implement reforms to protect Indigenous rights. Full Brief on our website

Despite First Nations protests, Ontario passed omnibus legislation creating "Special Economic Zones," gutting key environmental and consultation laws. Hayden King warns this trend sidelines Indigenous rights and may spark renewed land and legal conflict. Full Brief on our website, linked in bio.

Canada and Indigenous communities collaborated on a new Indigenous Justice Strategy framework to reduce Indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system. As mass criminalization of Indigenous people is widely recognized as a national crisis, can the IJS offer change? Linked in bio.

Land Back Online is a free online course based on the Yellowhead Red Paper, Land Back. Through narrated slides, video explainers, and recommended resources, Module 4, Recognition, examines the limited land rights offered by the Crown and industry. Access today at: learnonline.yellowheadinstitute.org

Interested in receiving Yellowhead swag? Fill out a five-minute survey to help us understand how you're using our research & resources, and be entered in a draw to win a Yellowhead gift bag! Access the survey here: forms.gle/d15WGeN1vvM9...

Economic development strategies in Inuit Nunangat typically borrow philosophies used in Southern Canada – this has never worked in the North. Patricia Johnson-Castle considers the contradictions of capitalist development, proposing Inuit values as an alternative. Read the full Brief on our website

What are the four failures of Indigenous identity verification? Amy Shawanda and Gabriel Maracle explore how academia enables ‘Red Face Research’ - from university hiring to granting agencies, publishers, and the Indigenous and academic community. Read the full report on our website.

Join us on April 15th for a Yellowhead fire the upcoming federal election. As we approach a new federal leadership, what could the future look like for Indigenous-Canada? Register: yellowheadfire.eventbrite.ca

We’re searching for an Indigenous artist to design and execute the installation of a mural at our first space! More details at yellowheadinstitute.org/work-with-us

Who belongs in Indigenous academia? Amy Shawanda and Gabriel Maracle explore this question in the newest Yellowhead Institute Special Report, Pretendians and Publications: The Problem and Solutions to Redface Research. Read the full report on our website - yellowheadinstitute.org/pretendians-...