The University of Alberta has opened its new First Peoples’ House. This $16.8M, three floor building replaces a former space in the Students’ Union Building, offering Indigenous students a new location where they can gather and feel at home. Students can visit the centre to participate in ceremonies, connect with Elders, and smudge. They can also access a gym, a healing room, and study spaces. Nêhiyawêwin (Cree) is prominent throughout the centre. “Institutions weren’t created for us,” said UAlberta Assistant Dean for First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students Shana Dion. “We weren’t at the tables, and now we created our own table and created a space that’s just for our First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students. Where they can thrive. Where they can be a part of ceremony, hear the language, listen to the Elders, listen to the teachings, and gather all the information and the teachings that they never had before.”
