Elizabeth Fast receives Outstanding Indigenous Scholar Award

Concordia’s Elizabeth Fast has received the Outstanding Indigenous Scholar Award from the Indigenous Inquiries Circle of the International Congress of Quality Inquiry at the University of Illinois.

“I was incredibly honored and humbled to have been nominated by this group with whom I have been actively involved for the past five years,” says the assistant professor in Applied Human Sciences, who was honoured on May 16, 2018.

Fast was informed by the awards committee of the Indigenous Inquiries Circle, a sub-group involved in the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. This year marked the first time the award was being offered to one outstanding Indigenous graduate student and one outstanding and emerging Indigenous scholar. The Indigenous graduate student was Mariel Belanger, an MFA student at UBC Okanagan.

The award itself is an eagle feather, encased in wood and glass. The feather itself was donated by Indigenous Inquiries Circle Elder Joseph Naytowhow, which he had previously received in recognition for some of his work with UBC

“For our Nations,” says Fast, “receiving an Eagle Feather is considered a great honour and is usually given to acknowledge courage, bravery and hard work.”

The award exemplifies Concordia's commitment to teaching for tomorrow, as part of its strategic directions.

Fast says Concordia played a role in helping her achieve this distinction.

“This award is not only for me, but all of my collaborators, youth and community members that play very active roles in the various projects I am involved in. Many Concordia students and colleagues are involved in this work.”

And she doesn’t plan to slow down.

“I am busy planning a land-based retreat for Indigenous youth in conjunction with a youth/community advisory committee. My research will continue to support the voices of youth and will center Indigenous research methodologies from a Métis worldview.”