Santee Smith


Santee Smith is a Kahnyen’kehàka multidisciplinary artist, dancer and choreographer from Six Nations of the Grand River. In 2019, she was appointed Chancellor of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Biography

Early life and education

Smith grew up on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. She is a member of the Mohawk Nation.
When Smith was three years old, she was hit by a vehicle, resulting in injuries that placed her in a body cast. That same year, she broke her other leg in a cycling accident. Smith began dancing as a form of physical therapy. At age 11, she was accepted into Canada's National Ballet School, where she trained for six years.
Smith attended McMaster University, earning degrees in physical education and psychology. She also earned a master's degree in dance from York University in Toronto.

Artistic career

Smith founded and serves as the artistic director of, a Six Nations company based in Toronto. In 2013, she won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Choreography for Susuriwka - willow bridge. Along with her co-dancers, she won a 2019 Dora Award for Outstanding Performance of An Ensemble for Blood Tides.
Smith was the choreographer for a 2017 Canadian Opera Company production of Louis Riel, an opera based on the story of the Métis leader Louis Riel. The same year, she designed the opening ceremony act for the North American Indigenous Games, held in Toronto.
With Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Smith created The Mush Hole: Truth, Acknowledgement, Resilience, a performance piece about the Mohawk Institute, a residential school for First Nations children that operated in Brantford, Ontario. In 2019, the show premiered at Young People's Theatre in Toronto, before embarking on a North American tour.

Chancellorship

In 2019, Smith was named the new Chancellor of McMaster University, succeeding Suzanne Labarge as the honourary head of the university. She is the first Indigenous person to hold this position. Smith was installed into this role on November 21, 2019.