World-renowned Indigenous architect Douglas Cardinal has been honoured with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s prestigious Kamookak Medal in recognition of his remarkable career. 

John Hovland, the Society’s executive vice-president, welcomed Cardinal as a medallist and Honorary Fellow at an intimate gathering in the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Reading Room at 50 Sussex on December 11. “We know you have many honours,” Hovland said, “but we really want your extraordinary body of work to be understood through the lens of nature and geography.”

Cardinal, 91, a member of the Siksika Nation, is known for designing some of the most distinctive cultural institutions in North America, including the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., First Nations University of Canada in Regina, and the Wabano Centre in Ottawa, amongst many others.

“I’ve always considered myself to be part of nature,” Cardinal said, explaining that his signature curvilinear designs are inspired by the shapes and processes of the natural world. “When I start a design, I live in ceremony, connected to the land. When I sketch, I like to feel the energy of the landscape.”

Cardinal described the process of designing the Canadian Museum of History as “intuitive:” “I could feel the geography of the Ottawa River, and the water and wind became the shape of the building.”

The Kamookak Medal, named for the late historian and educator Louie Kamookak, is given to any person or organization that has advanced the Society’s mission to make Canada better known to Canadians and to the world. Other 2025 recipients include Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark, Wolastoqey performer, composer and activist Jeremy Dutcher, and Arctic historian Kenn Harper.