Dr. Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles established the Geographic Indigenous Futures Collaboratory in 2021. The Collaboratory—often affectionately called the GIF Lab (pronounced jif)—is a research group and community that works alongside Indigenous peoples to explore Indigenous geographic thought, with a particular focus on futurisms, resurgence, and Indigenous relationships to place and space.
We work alongside Indigenous communities in diverse geographic contexts on projects that support community-identified goals. These projects span a wide range of areas, including Indigenous responses to climate change, ecological resurgence, decolonization and Indigenization in gaming, Indigenous art-based research and resurgence, and gender-based violence prevention in Indigenous communities.
At the heart of GIF’s mission is a commitment to returning control of geographic research to communities themselves. For far too long, research involving Indigenous peoples has been extractive, with little benefit—or even access to data—returned once projects end.
We are committed to doing things differently. Our work is grounded in respect for community autonomy and self-determination. We only engage in projects where we are explicitly invited, and we take no action on behalf of a community without their clear and informed consent.
A successful Collaboratory project is one in which community priorities are met, or where the research is fully transferred to the community to continue on their own terms—supporting their capacity to shape their own futures.
Interested in working with us or learning more about the GIF Lab? Explore opportunities to join, collaborate, or connect with our work.
Lab Values
Governing the Collaboratory are our lab values, a set of principles developed by Lab members to guide how we work with communities, and how we work with one another.
These values include:
Working Together
We work with many Indigenous communities, and we do not view communities—or their members—as research subjects. They are collaborators and partners in our work. Communities are central to every project; without them, our work would not be possible. Entering into research relationships carries responsibilities, and we hold ourselves accountable to the communities we work with.
We also understand the Collaboratory itself as a community. We actively strive to maintain an accessible, respectful, and supportive environment for all members.
Learning Together / Flexibility
We recognize that learning is ongoing, both as scholars and as people. While we bring research experience to our work, we understand that projects in Indigenous communities are often shaped by changing needs, priorities, and contexts. We approach this uncertainty with flexibility and courage, and with the humility to recognize that communities are the most knowledgeable partners in any project.
Supporting One Another
Although we are an academic research lab, we value and incorporate non-academic skills, knowledge, and perspectives. We are committed to using all available resources—research capacity, institutional access, time, and labour—to support Indigenous peoples and initiatives, whether through formal research or direct contributions to Indigenous causes.
Mutual Exchange
Our work is grounded in reciprocal relationships. Communities contribute their time, knowledge, labour, and energy to our projects. In return, we offer our own time, labour, research support, institutional resources, and assistance in creating opportunities that benefit communities. Acknowledging the institutional privilege we carry as university-trained researchers, we work intentionally to ensure that the greatest benefits of our work flow to community partners.
Relationships:
Indigenous geographies centre relationships—between people, land, water, air, more-than-human relatives, and the interconnected systems that sustain life. These relationships are foundational to our understanding of place.
Relationships between people are equally important. We strive to foster respectful, constructive relationships within the Collaboratory and with the communities we work alongside. Because these connections may last a lifetime, we treat them with care, responsibility, and long-term commitment.
Land and Place:
Geography is rooted in the study of space and place. As an Indigenous geographies–based research group, we recognize the central importance of land and territory to Indigenous communities. We acknowledge our responsibilities as uninvited guests on the lands where we live, work, and conduct research.
This commitment extends beyond land acknowledgements. We actively work to uphold and make visible Indigenous relationships to land and territory in all aspects of our collective work.
Being Open:
Academic research has often been opaque and exclusionary for Indigenous communities, particularly around consent, funding structures, data ownership, and data sovereignty. We reject these practices. Transparency and open communication are core to our work.
We do not withhold information from communities. We are committed to answering questions, clarifying processes, and explaining all aspects of a project at any stage, for any community member, at any time.
Geographic Indigenous Futures Collaboratory 