The land is acknowledged as our Mother, the Earth. The University of Saskatchewan is committed to honor and support the *Indigenous peoples, Indigenous cultures, Indigenous values, and Indigenous languages that belong to the land of Treaty 6 Territory and Homeland of the Métis. The University of Saskatchewan is committed to working towards mending colonized lands and protecting the land in a way that demonstrates honour, respect, and love. The University of Saskatchewan extends this commitment to the lands and Treaty territories (Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10) that constitute kisiskâciwan ([Saskatchewan], “the swift current”, Cree/Saulteaux), and all Indigenous people that call kisiskâciwan home. We are born to the land and the land claims us.

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Every grad student's journey is different, but no one is on that journey alone. A key component to student success is your ability to connect with and learn from others in your graduate student community. Our network of initiatives is aimed at supporting your kiskêyimisowin - our approach to contributing to your self-knowledge that considers the role of tradition, community and education.

Celebrating Indigenous Scholars

The College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is dedicated to supporting the Indigenous graduate student community and showcasing student achievements. Learn more about the exciting research, artistic, and scholarly work taken on by Indigenous grad students at USask. 

COUSINS Workshops & Events

Bell Crafting Workshop | April 28 | 12PM - 1:30PM 

Installation | May 5

Turn boldly and face the wind. 
Guided by the words of Elder Mary Lee "face the wind, it brings back memories"—this collaborative installation marks Red Dress Day through listening, presence, and remembrance. Decorated brass bells will be hung within the red willow bluffs surrounding the Gordon Oakes Student Centre, their voices carried by the wind as a living memorial.  

The bells are created through open community workshops, where all are welcome to gather, create, learn, and remember together. Each bell holds space for story, grief, honour, and resilience.  

On May 5th, the community will come together to hang the bells. They will remain in the willows for one month, sounding with the wind, before being respectfully taken down and stored until next year. 

You are invited to sit for a moment, listen, pay your respects, and reflect on the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People. This installation honours those voices, heard and unheard, and asks us to remain present, accountable, and connected. 

May 1 | 9AM - 3PM

Lunch and supplies provided, but students are asked to bring small sharp sewing scissors, if they have them. 

July 28 | 12PM - 4PM

Lunch and supplies provided. 

Stitching Stories

We brought the research landscape of USask's graduate students to life through a vibrant hexagon patchwork quilt. Each hexagon represents a student and their unique academic discipline.

The Stitching Stories quilt is now on display in the hall outside the CGPS office (THORV 116). 

These projects are sponsored through the oẏateki partnership.  

Cousins Monthly Newsletter

In a new and specially curated newsletter format with an option to unsubscribe this newsletter helps us share key supports and events for Indigenous graduate students from CGPS and across the university.

  • takwâkipîsim (Autumn Moon) newsletter  
  • pimihâwipîsim (Migrating Moon) newsletter  
  • ihkopîwipîsim (Frost Moon) newsletter  
  • opâwahcikanasîsipisîm (Frost Exploding Moon) newsletter  
  • kisîpisîm (Great Moon) newsletter  
  • mikisiwispisîm (Eagle Moon) newsletter  
  • Maar (March, Michif) newsletter  
  • Awvree (April, Michif) newsletter  

Scholarships

The Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor's Indigenous Scholarship is a $20,000 scholarship awarded annually based on academic excellence to one student or split between deserving candidates, who are pursuing graduate studies at USask or the University of Regina.

The Indigenous Graduate Leadership Scholarship (IGLS) is aimed towards Indigenous students who have taken an active role of leadership within their community. Master’s and PhD students are eligible to receive $20,000 (for up to 2 years) and $25,000 (for up to 4 years) respectively.

Two (2) annual entrance awards of approximately $10,000 each are awarded. Open to Indigenous graduate students entering a graduate program at USask. Open to both Master's and Doctoral students with an entrance average of 80% or more. 

  • No application is necessary. Selection will be based on academic achievement, as determined by the Awards Committee.

Ten (10) annual entrance awards of approximately $10,000 each are awarded. Open to Indigenous students entering a new program of study in a thesis-based USask program. Preference is given to PhD students.

  • No application is necessary - recommendations are made at the time of recruitment by the program.

Tri-Agency is the umbrella term used to describe the three Canadian government scholarship funding agencies:

  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Master’s and doctoral student awards are open for application every fall (T1). Students can apply for the appropriate Tri-Agency scholarship before and during their graduate program.  

  • $27,000 for 12 months | CGRS M (Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Master's Program) + recipients get a one-time $5,000 supplement.
  • $40,000 for 36 months | CGRS D (Canada Graduate  Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program)
  • Indigenous Scholars get fast-tracked to the final rounds of adjudication
  • Get more information

Watch your PAWS email and announcements for a variety of scholarship workshops that are held every fall at the beginning of T1 to help you prepare your Tri-Agency Scholarship application.

Funding Info Sessions

Have you thought about applying for the Indigenous Graduate Leadership Scholarship? 
Find out more about the application process .

        

Outreach

Through the Cousins Outreach Events, we connect with young people by blending creativity, mentorship, and meaningful dialogue to spark academic curiosity and build community. At the Indigenous Summer Institute’s graduate studies workshop, high school students explored research through hands-on collage journaling, envisioning themselves as future scholars. Earlier in the season, Indigenous graduate students shared their personal journeys with undergraduates in the SURE/ISAP Summer Scholars Program, fostering mentorship and inspiring confidence in the next generation of researchers.

Special Projects

CGPS' goal is to increase the success of Indigenous graduates by using a community-based paradigm that reflects Indigenous ways of knowing and being. In three parts, CGPS Indigenous Initiatives brings together:

  1. kiskêyimisowin [self-knowledge Cree] : cultivating the knowledge of yourself, building identity, and elevating who you are,
  2. ohpahotân [from ohpahowipîsim (flying up moon)] : growth, journey and relational teachings that guide and strengthen our lives and work, and
  3. the oẏateki [from oyate (leaving no one behind) Dakota] partnership: a collaboration of educational institutes with goals to change the lives of Indigenous youth for the better.

By integrating the three together, CGPS becomes better equipped to address, support, and attend to the needs and interests of the Indigenous graduate community.

USask College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (CGPS) and the Office of the Vice Provost, Indigenous Engagement (OVPIE) co-created an initiative entitled Indigenous Graduate Student and Professional Transition Program that aims to provide programming, events and support that creates pathways to successful completion of students' graduate programs and success beyond the academy read more

 

Meet Aurora, Indigenous Initiatives Coordinator at CGPS. A proud member of the Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation with Scottish heritage, and an award-winning multimedia artist, researcher, and musician, Aurora brings to CGPS a passion for exploring the intersections of Indigeneity and institutional spaces, dedicated to uncovering stories often overshadowed by colonial narratives.

Bookmark our calendar and never miss a scholarship deadline or a cousin's event.

Aurora.Wolfe@usask.ca
 306 966 2481