(Un)Mapping the Territory Residency Celebration

A program of:
(Un)Mapping the Territory: An Indigenous Artist/Research Residency

Friday, December 12, 2025
4pm–6pm
Hart House Music Room
7 Hart House Cir

Join Hart House and the Art Museum at the University of Toronto in celebration of the work of The Akni:ho’gwa:s Artist Collective. (Courtney Skye and Jeff Doctor) as they wrap up the inaugural (Un)Mapping the Territory Residency. The Collective will present new work, and reflect on a year of research, activation, and community gathering informed by the theme of (un)mapping the campus. Snacks and refreshments will be served, and all are welcome!

This celebration marks the end of months of inspired community engagement and knowledge sharing brought to the University of Toronto community by Courtney Skye and Jeff Doctor who comprise of the Akni:ho’gwa:s Artist Collective, along with contributions from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council, scholars, artists, and activists.

Highlights of the many activities that took place over the last year include the historic Dwaihwaohe:s Tgaǫ́do’geh gathering meaning “We are all researching Toronto together.” This 2-day gathering took place in March 2025 at Hart House, and provided hundreds of students and community members with a rare opportunity to learn about and view Wampum belts held by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council, along with engaging workshops, panels, and keynote presentations focused on Treaty-making and ongoing responsibilities, governance, digital sovereignty, and climate futures.

Supportive community solidarity building continued into Fall 2025 with a Teach-In: Historical Roots of Contemporary Assaults on Indigenous Sovereignty. This event provided first-hand experiences and insights on anti-colonial action through a Haudenosaunee lens, education around continued displacement and infringement on First Nations rights caused by provincial and federal legislation, information on legal rights when engaging in protests, and how art is integrated into Indigenous rights advocacy.

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About the Artists

The Akni:ho’gwa:s Artist Collective comprises shared works between Haudenosaunee citizens Courtney Skye and Jeff Doctor. Their shared practice encompasses policymaking, research, and activism, actively focusing on data sovereignty, land tenure, governance, and relationship building across Haudenosaunee Territory. 

Their past collaborative work has included multiple curated exhibitions, multiple forms of interventions on mapping, and developing programming that emphasizes critical historical research. They explore digital, archival, artistic, academic and political spaces to advance the rights and sovereignty of the Haudenosaunee. 

Jeff and Courtney emphasize community accountability in all their activities and draw from within their community to center Haudenosaunee artists, traditional knowledge keepers, leaders, language speakers and academics. Their practice actively seeks to enact Haudenosaunee ethics held within our shared histories, ceremonies, laws and governance.