Professional Activities & Awards:

Canada Research Chair

• Awarded the distinction of being named a Canada Research Chair (Tier-II) in Indigenous History, Self-Determination, and Nationhood

2023 University Scholar, McMaster University

• Awarded the distinction of being named a University Scholar by McMaster University Senate which seeks to recognize outstanding mid-career faculty members . University Scholars are mid-career researchers who have distinguished themselves as international scholars and have demonstrated a commitment to the discovery, communication and preservation of knowledge, excellence in education and pedagogy, and to serving local and global communities.

Donald Shepherd  Humanities Book Prize

• Awarded the 2022 Donald Shepherd Humanities Book Prize at McMaster University for The Creator’s Game (2018)

American Indian Film Festival Award for Best Animated Short

• Co-directed by Allan Downey and Carlee Loft with animations done by Saki Murotani and in partnership with the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language & Cultural Center and Six Nations Polytechnic, Rotinonhsión:ni Ironworkers was selected to the 2020 American Indian Film Festival in San Fransisco and received the award for Best Animated Short.

Invited Talk
New York University
February  2020

• Invited to NYU to present “Indigenous Brooklyn: Ironworking and the Futurity of Haudenosaunee Nationhood” hosted by the Native Studies Forum

2019 Canada Prize
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
June 2019 

• Awarded the 2019 Canada Prize by the Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences for The Creator’s Game (2018)

2019 CHA Indigenous History Book Prize- Honourable Mention
Canadian Historical Association’s Aboriginal History Group
June 2019 

• Awarded the Honourable Mention for the 2019 Canadian Historical Association’s Indigenous History Book Prize

2019 Wilson Book Prize Finalist
Wilson Institute of Canadian History
June 2019 

• Finalist for the 2019 Wilson Book Prize

SSHRC (Principal Investigator)
Insight Development Grant
June 2015-June 2019

• Principal Investigator with co-applicant Susan Roy (University of Waterloo) on a SSHRC Insight Development Grant partnered with Six Nations Polytechnic and the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center.

Nominations Committee
Canadian Historical Association
May 2018-June 2019

• Elected to the Nominations Committee for the Canadian Historical Association.

Fulbright Fellowship
Columbia University
Sept-Dec 2018 

• Awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Columbia University for the project “Haudenosaunee Ironworkers: Indigenous Nationhood, Families, and History on the High Steel.”

SSHRC (Collaborator)
Dawson College, Community and College Social Innovation Fund
June 2016-May 2018 

• Served as a Collaborator for Dawson College’s SSHRC Community and College Social Innovation Fund.  The partnership is between the Kahnawake Survival School, McGill University, Concordia University, and Dawson College.

2018 Canadian Studies Book Prize
Canadian Studies Network
October 2018

• Awarded the 2018 Canadian Studies Network Book Prize for The Creator’s Game (2018). https://csn-rec.ca/news/23632-congratulations-to-allan-downey

Invited Talk
Harvard University
October 2018 

• Invited to Harvard University by the Mahindra Humanities Center and the Harvard University Native American Program to present “Indigenous Brooklyn:  The Nexus of Ironworking, Urban History, and Haudenosaunee Nationhood.”

Invited Talk
Columbia University
October 2018 

• Invited to Columbia University by the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity to present the Fulbright lecture “Indigenous Skylines: Ironworking and the Transmotion of Haudenosaunee Nationhood.”

Invited Talk
Columbia University
October 2018 

• Invited to Columbia University by the Department of Anthropology to present “The Creator’s Game: Lacrosse, Identity, and Indigenous Nationhood.”

Invited Talk
Yale University
October 2018 

• Invited by the Department of History at Yale University to present “The Creator’s Game: Lacrosse, Identity, and Indigenous Nationhood.”

Chair of the Indigenous Studies Program
McGill University
September 2015-June 2018

• Served as the Chair of the Indigenous Studies Program at McGill University and the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.

SSHRC and McGill University (Principal Investigator)
Social Sciences and Humanities Emerging Scholar Accelerator Award
December 2016-November 2017

• Awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Emerging Scholar Accelerator Award (internal SSHRC) by McGill University’s Office of Sponsored Research.

30 in 30 Alumni Award
Wilfrid Laurier University 
November 2017

• Awarded a 30 in 30 Alumni Award by Wilfrid Laurier University’s Graduate Student Association. The award recognizes 30 former alumni who best exemplify a life of leadership and purpose in advocacy, community building, personal wellness, professional development, research, and/or volunteerism.

2017 CHA Indigenous History Article Prize
Canadian Historical Association 
June 2017

• Awarded the 2017 CHA Indigenous History Article Prize for “Playing the Creator’s Game on God’s Day: The Controversy of Sunday Lacrosse Games in Haudenosaunee Communities, 1916-1924.” Journal of Canadian Studies (Fall 2015): 111-143. Article: http://bit.ly/2aArQ4q Prize Announcement: http://bit.ly/2rM8FLy

2017 Principal’s Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researcher
McGill University
June 2017

• Awarded the 2017 Principal’s Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researcher by McGill University. http://publications.mcgill.ca/reporter/2017/06/emerging-researchers-feted-during-convocation/

University Task Force Advisor-at-Large
Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Education, McGill University
August 2016-June 2017

• Served as an “Advisor-at-Large” to the McGill Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education at McGill University. The Task Force was created to  formulate a strategic plan for the university to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and to identify, explore and advance ideas, initiatives, and plans to Indigenize the university.

Invited Talk
Bridgewater State University
April 2017

• Invited to deliver the 2017 Fulbright BMP Lecture at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.  Presented “The Politics of Indigenous Nationhood: Lacrosse, Identity, and Haudenosaunee Sovereignty.”

Invited Talk
University of Toronto
March 2017

• Invited to be a featured speaker at the University of Toronto.  Presented “‘Our Country, Our Game:’ How Claiming a National Sport Became an Act of Genocide.”

Invited Talk
York University
March 2017

• Invited to be a featured speaker at York University.  “Unmasking Settler-Colonialism: Haudenosaunee Sovereignty, Nationhood, and the Politics of Lacrosse in the 20th Century.”

Invited Talk
Dalhousie University
April 2016

• Invited to be a featured speaker at Dalhousie University. Presented “Decolonizing the Academy: Responding to the TRC Calls to Action.”

Workshop Facilitator and Featured Speaker
Lakes District Secondary School, Burns Lake, British Columbia
Dec 2015

• Designed and facilitated the workshop “The Roots of Reconciliation” for the Lakes District Secondary School in Burns Lake, British Columbia (40% Indigenous student population). The purpose of the workshop was to introduce students to the meaning of reconciliation, its future in Canada, and for me to serve as an “Indigenous role model” to the Indigenous students.

Invited Talk
Yale University
Nov 2015

• Invited to be a featured speaker at Yale University by the Yale Group for the Study of Native America and Native American Studies. Presented “Performing Sovereignty: Haudenosaunee Nationhood and the Indigenous game of lacrosse in the 20th century.

John Bullen Prize- Honorable Mention
Canadian Historical Association
June 2015

• Recipient of the Honorable Mention for the Canadian Historical Association’s 2015 John Bullen Prize.  The John Bullen Prize is awarded to the outstanding PhD dissertation written for a doctoral degree on a historical topic at a Canadian university. http://bit.ly/2bgr1uE

Research Advisor
University of Ottawa,  Faculty of Health Sciences
Feb 2013-June 2015

• Served on the University of Ottawa’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee as an Indigenous Research Advisor for the Faculty of Health Sciences’ multidisciplinary SSHRC funded project examining Right to Play’s programs designed to engage with Indigenous communities through sport.

Invited Talk
McGill University and Montreal History Group
Feb 2014

• Invited to be a featured speaker in the Department of History and the Montreal History Group at McGill University. Presented Shape-Shifting Indigenous Sovereignty: Haudenosaunee Nationhood, Performative Protests, and the Indigenous Game of Lacrosse in the 20th Century.

Invited Talk
Concordia University
Jan 2014

• Invited to be a featured speaker at Concordia University as part of their First Voices Week on 29 January to present my research on the history of lacrosse in Indigenous communities.

SSHRC (Collaborator)
University of Ottawa, Faculty of Health Sciences
Nov 2014 

• Appointed to the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Health Sciences’ SSHRC Partnership Grant as a research collaborator. Titled Building Sustainable Sport Programs for Aboriginal Youth, the research project was a collaboration between Right to Play, the Faculty of Health Sciences at uOttawa, and several First Nations communities. In my role, I co-authored an article with Principal Investigator Alexandra Arellano (at peer review) and served as an Indigenous Research Advisor to the project.

Invited Talk
Lakehead University
Nov 2014

• Invited to be a guest speaker at Lakehead University, November 12-14, to present my research on the history of lacrosse in Indigenous communities. This included a public presentation held at the university, a presentation at Ogden Public School (grades 1-6), an interview on Lakehead University Radio, as well as lectures in the Department of History, Indigenous Learning Program, and Native Access Program.

International Advisory Committee
Centre for the Study of Sport and Health, Saint Mary’s University
Jan 2014-Oct 2014

• Served on the International Advisory Committee for the Centre for the Study of Sport and Health at St. Mary’s University and their 2014 Thinking Outside the Box: Lacrosse in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives Conference.

Grant Writer
Nak’azdli First Nation
July 2012- Aug 2014

• Served as the Nak’azdli First Nation’s Grant Writer and successfully obtained over $352,000 in Federal, Provincial, and independent grants for various health, justice, sport, and capacity development initiatives.

Keynote and Facilitator                   
Right to Play and Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services      
June 2014

• Invited to serve as a keynote speaker, Indigenous role model, and facilitator for the Right to Play and Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ Lacrosse for Development initiative held at the Pikangikum First Nation. The program is part of the Ministry’s initiative to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous youth in Ontario’s justice system and was held in what is considered Ontario’s most at-risk Indigenous community.  In my role I aided in introducing the community youth to lacrosse, lectured on the history and cultural aspects of the game, and introduced various leadership skills

Featured Speaker                            
Waterloo Region Museum              
Nov 2013       

• Invited to be a featured speaker at the Waterloo Region Museum’s TALKS Speaker Series. Presented “Lacrosse: Its History and Meaning for First Nations People” on November 4th, 2013.

Media Feature
CBC Radio: The Sunday Edition
Oct 2013

• Featured on CBC Radio’s The Sunday Edition discussing my dissertation “The Creator’s Game” and the history of lacrosse in Canada on October 13th, 2013.

Media Feature
CBC Radio: Day Break
June 2013

• Featured on CBC Radio’s Day Break in British Columbia discussing my dissertation “The Creator’s Game” and the history of lacrosse in Canada.

Keynote and Facilitator
Right to Play and Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services
June 2013

• Served as a keynote speaker, Indigenous role model, and facilitator for the Right to Play and Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ Youth Lacrosse for Development initiative. The one-week Lacrosse for Development program is part of the ministry’s efforts to find innovative ways to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous youth in Ontario’s justice system and took place at the youth corrections facility in Fort Frances, Ontario in June 2013.  In my role as the keynote speaker I presented my research on the history of lacrosse to the youth and the Ministry including the Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister.

Media Feature
Laurier Inspiring Lives and the Globe and Mail
May 2013

• In May 2013 my research and work with Indigenous communities was featured in the Globe and Mail and Laurier’s Inspiring Lives. This included a full page profile in the newspaper and a video interview.

Media Features
CBC Radio and Toronto Star
April-June 2013

• On several occasions my research on the history of lacrosse and my work as an Indigenous role model has been featured in the national press and on the radio. I have appeared in interviews and features in Vancouver’s Tyee (September 2013), Fort Francis Times (June 2013), Brantford Expositor (June 2013), Toronto Star (September 2012), Watatay News (September 2012).

Consultant and Contributor
 America’s First Sport Documentary
April 2013

• Featured in the lacrosse documentary America’s First Sport broadcasted nationally in the United States on PBS (2013) and ESPN (March and July 2014).

Guest Speaker
Haggersville Secondary School
Feb 2013

• Served as an “Inspirational Indigenous Youth” guest speaker at the Haggersville Aboriginal Speaker Series in Haggersville, Ontario (serving Six Nations of the Grand River).

Mi’Kmaq Youth Lacrosse Camp
Shubenacadie (Indian Brook) First Nation
Aug 2012

• Facilitator of the Mi’Kmaq Youth Lacrosse Camp using lacrosse as a tool for the re-empowerment of Mi’Kmaq communities. In my role, I introduced various lacrosse skills to Mi’Kmaq youth from the Shubenacadie (Indian Brook) First Nation and Millbrook First Nation and presented my research on the history of lacrosse at a community event.

Keynote and Facilitator
Right to Play and Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services
Sept 2012

• Served as a keynote speaker, Indigenous role model, and facilitator for the Right to Play and Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ Youth Lacrosse for Development initiative. The one-week Lacrosse for Development program was part of the ministry’s efforts to find innovative ways to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous youth in Ontario’s justice system and took place at the Justice Ronald Lester Youth Centre in Thunder Bay, Ontario September 10^th-14^th.

Indigenous Consultant
Waterloo Region Museum’s First Peoples Education Festival
Jan- Sept 2012

• Served as an Indigenous consultant for the Waterloo Region Museum and helped establish the inaugural Waterloo Region Museum First Peoples Education Festival. The festival hosted over five hundred middle school and high school students from the Waterloo District School Board and an open public day.

Sliammon Ethnohistory University Fieldschool
University of Saskatchewan and Simon Fraser
June 2012

• Participated in the Sliammon Ethnohistory Fieldschool hosted by the University of Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser University, and the Sliammon First Nation in British Columbia. A graduate ethnohistory methods course and a live-in community research project, the field school was established by Dr. Keith Carlson from the University of Saskatchewan. Projects conducted at the field school will be published in the forthcoming Sliammon Historical Atlas.

Facilitator
Wilfrid Laurier University
Jan-March 2012

• Facilitator for a weekly reading and discussion group consisting of Wilfrid Laurier University Residence Life staff and students. The group read Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden and in turn discussed relevant themes within the novel such as First Nations culture, history, and politics.

Keynote
Wilfrid Laurier University
Jan 2012

• Keynote speaker at Laurier Reads Boyden, a university wide reading and discussion group meeting in anticipation of Laurier’s incoming Writer-in-Residence Joseph Boyden.

Consultant
Waterloo Region Museum
Jan- Nov 2011

• In January of 2011, the Waterloo Region Museum in Kitchener, ON spearheaded a new exhibit on First Nations people in the Waterloo Region in which I served as an Indigenous consultant on the First Nations Advisory Group for the museum and contributed as an author for the permanent exhibit.

Keynote
Six Nations Polytechnic
Nov 2011

• Keynote speaker for the launch of a new publication Lacrosse: The Ancient Game at Six Nations Polytechnic- a centre of excellence for indigenous community based learning- in Six Nations, Ontario.

Guest Speaker
Haggersville and Rockway Secondary School                           
May-Nov 2011

• Served as an “Inspirational Indigenous Youth” guest speaker at the Haggersville Aboriginal Speaker Series in Haggersville, Ontario (serving Six Nations of the Grand River) and at Rockway Secondary School in Kitchener, Ontario.

President and Co-Founder
Wilfrid Laurier University Aboriginal Students’ Association
Sept 2010- Sept 2011

• Co-Founder and elected President of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Aboriginal Students’ Association.

Consultant and Contributor
Six Nations Roadmap Committee
Jan-Aug 2011

• Served as a consultant and a contributor for the Six Nations Roadmap Committee which created an academic roadmap and information packet to promote post-secondary education to Indigenous youth.