Indigenous Women in Architecture in the US and Canada

Program Date: March 8, 2024
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The roundtable, Indigenous Women in Architecture, aims to increase awareness of the contributions and creative works of Indigenous women in architecture. It is pioneered as the first collaboration of two SAH affiliate groups - SAH Indigenous Architecture affiliate group and SAH Women in Architecture affiliate group, in honor of the International Women’s Day, March 8, 2024, and as part of the program: Celebrating Women’s History Month. In the past, histories of architecture ignored women’s agency and the presence of female leaders, but more recently women’s work and its impact is more broadly recognized and studied across the discipline and culture. Indigenous architects of both genders have received even less attention with the exception of a few Indigenous male architects such as Douglas Cardinal, Johnpaul Jones, Louis Weller, David Sloan, Daniel Glenn, and Patrick Reid Stewart, although there are quite a few more. Only rarely are architects or architectural historians able to name an Indigenous woman architect. One exception is the American Institute of Architects’ recognition of a female Indigenous architect with the Whitney Young Award in 2018. Although most architecture schools’ required curricula include a survey of architectural history, until recently, most of these survey courses focused on the Western canon and male architects. But now, architectural educators are re-educating themselves in search of a broader, more complete and accurate, diverse, equitable, and inclusive history to present to their classes.

Perhaps one of the first Indigenous women in North America to be trained in architecture was Rina Swentzell. She has written and spoken about deciding that it was clear to her that going into a standard architectural professional practice was not her path. Therefore, she earned an advanced degree in American Studies–no programs or degrees in American Indian or Native American Studies were offered at that time--and built a career writing about Indigenous architecture and place. Swentzell frequently pointed out that traditionally the making of architecture for many Indigenous communities was primarily the responsibility of women. In some cases, men assisted, but in fact, women were in charge. Although we mourn Swentzell’s recent passing, today an increasing number of Indigenous women practice architecture in a broad range of ways. The speakers in this roundtable will address their own paths and practices in architecture, barriers they face or have faced, and their efforts to mentor all Indigenous architects. They will also present their positions regarding Indigenous design, their values, relationship to place, sustainability, and resistance to colonialism. These presentations will stimulate audience questions and dialogue. This conversation will engage debates, broaden the field, and open horizons for further collaboration.

Moderator

Speakers