Indigenous historian Cody Groat credits Laurier with shaping his path as a storyteller and scholar

 

Groat's father, Bill (left), a survivor of the Sixties Scoop, passed away in 2022. The sharing of his story, with an examination of broader themes including intergenerational trauma, Indigenous masculinities and the long-term effects of colonial policies, is Groat’s latest project. 

Groat’s time as a PhD student also led to his first university teaching role, stepping in as a sessional instructor at St. Paul’s University College (now United College) at the University of Waterloo. The course on Indigenous Studies provided Groat with an opportunity for a deeply personal teaching moment. 

“My dad, Bill, was a Sixties Scoop survivor and a transport truck driver — just an average guy,” says Groat. “I asked him to come speak to my class about his experience as an Indigenous person in the child welfare system.  About three minutes into the lecture, he just started bawling his eyes out.  He’d never talked about his life before, and it was just a release.” 

The experience resonated deeply, and Groat’s father went on to guest lecture several more times, including for Brookfield’s History of Adoption classes at Laurier Brantford.  

“He never finished high school and had some literacy issues, but he loved being a ‘university instructor,’ as he called himself,” says Groat. “He wanted to tell his story so others could learn from it.” 

Groat is Mohawk and a band member of Six Nations of the Grand River.  

READ MORE:   https://www.wlu.ca/features/2025/summer/indigenous-historian-cody-groat-credits-laurier-with-shaping-his-path-as-a-storyteller-and-scholar.html