{"id":109942,"date":"2026-05-29T14:16:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=109942"},"modified":"2026-05-29T16:56:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T20:56:51","slug":"champion-of-indigenous-history-to-be-honoured-at-spring-convocation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2026\/05\/champion-of-indigenous-history-to-be-honoured-at-spring-convocation\/","title":{"rendered":"Champion of Indigenous history to be honoured at Spring Convocation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tim Johnson has dedicated his life to sharing Indigenous history and culture with people across North America and inspiring them to learn more.<\/span><\/p>\n

During Brock University\u2019s Spring Convocation next month, the President of the Niagara Academy for Indigenous Relations hopes to spark that same inspiration in the graduating class.<\/p>\n

Johnson will deliver the Convocation address on Thursday, June 11 at the 10 a.m. ceremony, where he will also be presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University recognizing his accomplishments and contributions.<\/p>\n

Throughout his expansive career of more than 45 years, Johnson has served in several roles and advised on many initiatives that amplify the importance of recognizing Indigenous history.<\/p>\n

During his time as Associate Director for Museum Programs at the Smithsonian Institution\u2019s National Museum of the American Indian, he launched and oversaw critically acclaimed exhibitions, programs and publications that shed light on the Indigenous experience \u2014 raising awareness of Indigenous contributions to many facets of society, from history and the arts to science, sport and contemporary music.<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s passion for education begins with pride in his own Indigenous ancestry. Learning he\u2019d be recognized by Brock prompted him to again reflect on his heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis honour bestowed upon me by Brock University is deeply appreciated and represents a profound full-circle moment in my family history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His seventh great-grandfather, Joseph Brant, was a Mohawk leader who advocated for Indigenous allies of the Crown following the American Revolution, and Brant\u2019s son, John Brant, fought at the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812. A statue honouring John Brant<\/a>\u00a0overlooks Brock\u2019s Indigenous Healing Garden.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a representative of the Crown, Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock was widely respected by Six Nations leadership and remains recognized for his valour, leadership and sacrifice along the front lines of one of the defining conflicts in the formation of Canada,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cTo receive this honour from an institution that bears his name is both humbling and deeply meaningful to me and my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to his work in the U.S., Johnson has had a notable impact in Canada, including the Niagara region.<\/p>\n

He served as Project Director of the recently opened Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School exhibit and visitor experience for the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford and as Lead Indigenous Curator of Sho\u2019ar\u00edshon Park, the Neutral Nation Legacy Site in Lincoln.<\/p>\n

Now, as President of the Niagara Academy for Indigenous Relations, Johnson serves as Indigenous Advisor on museums, heritage and legacy for the prestigious global cultural planning firm Lord Cultural Resources.<\/p>\n

Johnson also offered his expertise in the development of the Great Niagara Escarpment Indigenous Cultural Map, Greenbelt Indigenous Botanical Survey and the Framework for Essential Understandings About Indigenous Peoples of the Niagara Region. He co-edited Landscape of Nations: Beyond the Mist<\/em>, a book covering 13,000 years of Niagara\u2019s Indigenous history; executive produced the award-winning documentary RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World<\/em>; and led the curation of several Indigenous memorials, parks and public artworks in the Niagara region.<\/p>\n

He has been recognized for his work with the Dreamcatcher Foundation Award for Art and Culture in 2016, the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2024 and the Mayor\u2019s Medal from the Town of Lincoln in 2026.<\/p>\n

Brock\u2019s 119th Convocation will include seven ceremonies held from Tuesday, June 9 to Friday, June 12 in the Ian Beddis Gymnasium of Brock\u2019s Walker Sports Complex. Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day, except for Friday, June 12, when only a morning ceremony is scheduled.<\/p>\n

All ceremonies will be livestreamed online at brocku.ca\/livestream<\/a><\/p>\n

For more information and a full schedule of Brock\u2019s Spring Convocation, visit brocku.ca\/convocation<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tim Johnson has dedicated his life to sharing Indigenous history and culture with people across North America and inspiring them to learn more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109945,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7484,3319,4052,4767,1],"tags":[4157,11666,1759,15157,7373],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109942"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109942"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109946,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109942\/revisions\/109946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}