91ÑÇÉ« Professor Emeritus David T. McNab, a Métis historian, educator and scholar whose work helped advance the study of Indigenous histories, land rights and treaty relationships in Canada, has died.
Over more than two decades at 91ÑÇÉ«, McNab built a reputation as a leading researcher of Indigenous history and Aboriginal land and treaty rights. As a faculty member at the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, he taught Indigenous and Canadian studies and helped strengthen understanding of Indigenous perspectives through both teaching and research.
McNab’s scholarship focused on Indigenous history and literature, Indigenous thought, land and treaty rights, Canadian studies and Ontario history. His work frequently bridged academic inquiry and community knowledge, reflecting long-standing partnerships with First Nations communities and organizations.
Throughout his career, he served as a claims advisor for Nin.Da.Waab.Jig., the Walpole Island Heritage Centre of Bkejwanong First Nation, while also advising a range of First Nations and Indigenous organizations in Ontario and Newfoundland on land rights, treaty and governance matters. His advisory work included collaborations with the Mohawks of Akwesasne, the Algonquins of Golden Lake, the Teme-Augama Anishnabai and several other Indigenous communities.
In addition to publishing more than 80 scholarly articles, McNab authored and edited numerous books that contributed to the fields of Indigenous history and ethnohistory. Notable publications included Earth, Water, Air and Fire: Studies in Canadian Ethnohistory; Circles of Time: Aboriginal Land Rights and Resistance in Ontario; Blockades and Resistance: Studies in Actions of Peace and the Temagami Blockades of 1988-89; Walking a Tightrope: Aboriginal People and their Representations; and The Long Journey of Canada’s Forgotten People: Métis Identities and Family Histories.
His academic journey began with an honours degree in history from Waterloo Lutheran University, followed by a master’s degree in history from McMaster University and a PhD in Indigneous imperial policy from the University of Lancaster.
At 91ÑÇÉ«, McNab contributed extensively to university governance and academic development. He served as co-chair of the Aboriginal Council and was a member of the Aboriginal Caucus. He also participated in numerous Faculty and departmental committees, including the Academic Petitions and Appeals Committee, curriculum committees and initiatives supporting the development of Indigenous studies and public history programs.
His leadership extended to organizing scholarly gatherings that brought together researchers and communities. Among them were the 2007 Algonquian Conference at 91ÑÇÉ« and an international environmental history workshop developed through a partnership between 91ÑÇÉ« and Bkejwanong First Nation.
Beyond 91ÑÇÉ«, McNab was active in historical and cultural organizations, including the Champlain Society, the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto and the Friends of the Archives of Ontario. Through these roles, he supported public history initiatives and the preservation and documentation of Indigenous and Canadian histories.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2017, for his bodies of work that "promote First Nations’ and Métis’ stories in Canada’s narratives."
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Ute Lischke, his sons and grandson and will be missed by his brothers, sisters, relatives, friends and colleagues. on how to celebrate his life and legacy.