Sil Sit Down: Adrianne Xavier
Professor Adrianne Xavier on her research, Indigenous food security and increasing dialogue and awareness at McMaster
PHOTO C/O McMaster University
Novera Shenin Features Reporter s an outspoken advocate for the voices A of Indigenous people in her Six Nations community and on campus, Adrianne Xavier
is serving as the acting director of the Indigenous studies and anthropology department. A part of McMaster University since 2019, Xavier recently defended her dissertation on Indigenous food security and food sovereignty at Six Nations, her home community. Xavier served as the recipient of the Indigenous In-Community Scholar Fellowship in 2020 and this year received the Petro-Canada McMaster University Young Innovators award for her work on community building and her efforts to mentor students to engage with the research process. According to Xavier, community building has two components: building community with a research project and building community within any given group. She is a firm believer that community and health research go far beyond the formalities of methodology and the true spirit of research. Especially within Indigenous communities, lies in building a positive relationship with its inhabitants and leaders. “I’m allowing the students to design what would theoretically be the pieces of a research project and what actions you must take to do real and whole Indigenous research. I want my students to know that there must be clear communication and understanding between them as researchers and the community they
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are engaging with,” explained Xavier. Students under Xavier are working together to build relationships with each other and with fellow researchers regarding how to engage in the community of Indigenous spaces and Indigenous services. Xavier intends for this process to be a safe space for student researchers to learn how to ask questions — such as how to interact productively with Indigenous communities — and how to find sustainable solutions within the community itself. Xavier emphasizes relationship building to her student researchers, given that as outsiders, many researchers are unable to assess the needs of Indigenous communities and in turn produce research and subsequent solutions
Students under Xavier are working together to build relationships with each other and with fellow researchers regarding how to engage in the community of Indigenous spaces and Indigenous services. that are not reflective of the community’s circumstances. “As an individual, I know that the history of research with Indigenous communities has been very impersonal and the direction of
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, November 4, 2021
research is often driven by researchers’ desires and interests’ and not the communities who should always be the central focus,” said Xavier. Xavier’s research area of focus is Indigenous food security, food sovereignty and food as it relates to land repatriation. She promotes an understanding of food security and food sovereignty as the appropriate cultural access to healthy and sufficient food. Xavier is careful
“As an individual, I know that the history of research with Indigenous communities has been very impersonal and the direction of research is often driven by researchers’ desires and interests’ and not the communities who should always be the central focus.” Adrianne Xavier
Acting Director of Indigenous Studies Program and Anthropology Faculty
