about this project

"On Buffaloes & Bison" is a community service learning (CSL) project by Sam Yee (me) for Dr. Colin Montpetit's Genetics class (BIO2133) at the University of Ottawa.

 

Under the supervision of Dr. Brenda Macdougall, director of the Institute of Indigenous Research & Studies, I investigate the intersection between genetics and genealogy as it relates to Indigenous identity. In particular, I examine the factors that shape Métis identity as a socio-cultural identity as opposed to merely a genetic or racial identity.

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In the Métis Family and Community Research Lab located in William Commanda Hall on the uOttawa main campus, I study the genealogical connections of the family of Gabriel Dumont, an important political figure in the history of Métis people and Métis resistance in Canada. Through this work, I investigate gaps in genealogical knowledge and attempt to fill those gaps with a variety of sources, including online databases and biographies, Red Sun: Gabriel Dumont The Folk Hero by Charles Duncan Thompson, and Gail Morin's Métis Families archive. Inevitably, this has lead me to ask questions such as: what makes a credible source? What are different scientific and anthropological ways of documenting lineage? What are the benefits and/or disadvantages of incorporating genealogical concepts into genetics education and vice versa?

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In addition, close readings of Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science by Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate scholar Kim TallBear guide my research into how genetic science influences Indigenous peoples' identity and sovereignty. Some of my questions on this topic include: what are some concerns with DNA tests and their use in defining identity? Do DNA tests impact Indigenous peoples' right to self-determination? How have "race science" and genetics been used to discriminate against colonized and other marginalized peoples?

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The list of questions does not end there, and I do not expect to find all of the answers within the 30 hours required for the CSL placement. However, I do hope that I will build my understanding on what constitutes identity as it relates to Indigenous peoples,  and make small but important steps towards decolonizing ideas and concepts in genetic science.