June 12, 2024

Schools across Canada are honouring Indigenous History Month with initiatives and events. Some school are hosting special events: Indigenous art events are being held at Dalhousie University and Mount St Vincent University this month, while Trillium Lakelands District School Board kicked off the month with an annual powwow and drum social and Toronto Catholic District School Board is planning a special Indigenous Family Day Celebration. Some are sharing knowledge and information resources to inform their communities: Durham College’s library curated a collection focused on Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge, heritage, rights, and histories, while Surrey Schools has shared learning resources to guide teaching and learning on a different aspect of Indigenous history, culture, and perspectives each week. Mnjikaning Kendaawasin Elementary School’s choir opened a city council meeting with an Ojibwe rendition of O Canada to honour the month. Leaders such as University of Alberta Vice-Provost (Indigenous Programming and Research) Dr Florence Glanfield and MacEwan University President Dr Annette Trimbee have also published reflections on the work done to ensure Indigenous peoples have equitable educational opportunities.

The Government of Yukon has officially unveiled Whistle Bend Elementary School in Whitehorse. The school was unveiled with a community open house event that started with a traditional smudging ceremony led by Elder Betsy Jackson of the Ta’an Kwächän Council. The open house included a barbecue and tours so that parents, students, and neighbours could explore and familiarize themselves with the new school. The school will host up to 425 elementary school students, who will be able to learn in culturally enriched spaces and specialized education facilities. “I look forward to Whistle Bend Elementary School being a place of learning and growing where the youngest Yukoners begin together on the path of lifelong learning,” said YK Premier Ranj Pillai. The school council will work with the community to choose a new name for the school in the future. YK states that this is the first new elementary school to be built in over two decades.

CBC reports that the directors of Champlain College Saint-Lambert, Dawson College, Heritage College, John Abbott College, and Vanier College have penned an open letter to QC Premier François Legault calling for conversations with the Indigenous community around Bill 96. The directors assert that the law is “creating multiple systemic and discriminatory barriers” for the Indigenous students at their schools. The cégeps also released a video featuring Indigenous students, who spoke out against Bill 96 and the barriers it will create for them. Some students shared that these changes have led them to reconsider postsecondary studies in Quebec or at all, while others discussed how the new requirements put learning their own language and culture in jeopardy. They’re talking about preserving their language, but what about ours?” said Angela Ottereyes, who is Cree. “French is my third language. And I feel like as I’m learning more, I’m forgetting my own language.”

During this year’s graduation season, some schools’ convocation ceremonies will feature special regalia created by Indigenous students, alumni, and/or community members. At Porter Creek Secondary School in Whitehorse, some Indigenous students will cross the stage for their high school graduation wearing special regalia that they designed. The Northern Cultural Expressions Society’s regalia program gives graduates the opportunity to design and create their own graduation regalia; during the program, students learn about their culture and family histories as they learn how to use sewing machines and work with leather and beads. “[When I tried the vest on] I was like a completely different person,” said graduating student Shane Clennett, who created moccasins and a vest that features seals and huskies. “I look like a completely different person, connected to my Inuit history instead of just the city life.” The University of Toronto and Lakehead University have also introduced new convocation regalia. At U of T, the Eagle Feather Bearer will now wear a beaded stole created by artist Katie Longboat from Six Nations of the Grand River. At Lakehead, President Dr Gillian Siddall will wear special convocation regalia that consists of a robe, hat, and two sashes. The regalia was designed by Beverli Barnes, Melissa Benson of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, and Daanis Pelletier of Fort William First Nation.

The University of Manitoba has publicly apologized to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit descendant communities for inappropriately acquiring and housing Indigenous ancestral remains, burial belongings, and cultural heritage for over a century. UManitoba President Dr Michael Benarroch apologized during a rematriation and repatriation ceremony, saying that “these actions broke a basic principle of our shared humanity.” “For generations, colonial mindsets at our university have harmed and caused immense pain to First Nation, Inuit, and Métis people,” said Benarroch. “For too long, we took, held and wielded power that was not ours to begin with. We dehumanized Indigenous peoples to justify our behaviour and failed to recognize their sovereignty and dignity.” UManitoba has completed a two-year process to create a new policy on rematriation and repatriation, which was recently implemented. The repatriation committee is now contacting communities to return the remains.

The Land and Language program at Ladysmith Secondary School is providing students with a unique opportunity to engage in land-based learning, learn the Hul’qumi’num language, and hear from Elders. The Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle reports that tudents in the program can earn academic credits while learning their traditional language of Hul’qumi’num and taking part in cultural activities. “Our program is unique from the rest of the district, as the students sign up for multiple courses within the program,” said LSS Principal Stephen Epp. “Those students then help guide the school in some of the cultural activities we have here as well as teach staff and other students the culture.” The school also brings in Elders to share culture and traditions with students and staff and runs an Elders conference for Elders from around the district that staff and students are welcome to sit in on. “We discuss some of the teachings we want to share, but [the purpose is] basically to listen and learn the culture and traditions,” explained Epp.

Waterhen Lake First Nation has lost the Waweyekisik Educational Centre to a fire, reports CBC. The fire reportedly started on the industrial arts classroom roof; the Meadow Lake fire department and other crews from nearby communities were unable to control the fire because of its location. All students and staff were safely evacuated from the building, but the centre was deemed a total loss. Waterhen Lake First Nation Chief Blaine Fiddler called the loss of the school “preventable,” saying that Waterhen leadership has been lobbying “for decades” for the necessary resources to replace or upgrade the building in order to meet contemporary safety standards. Fire Chief Joe Grela estimated that the damages from the school fire will be in the millions of dollars.

College of the Rockies, North Island College, Spul’u’kwuks Elementary school, and the University College of the North have shared the new Indigenous-designed murals and sculptures on their campuses. A lecture hall on COTR’s Cranbrook campus now sports a mural designed by Darcy Roshau of the Ktunaxa Nation in collaboration with members of the COTR community. The mural consists of a series of images demonstrating the culture of the Ktunaxa people surrounded by water. NIC’s new student housing building will have a mural on its exterior called “The Knowledge Keeper” designed by K’omoks First Nation artist Pamela Mitchell. The mural features a button blanket—a traditional blanket used by the Kwakwaka’wakw and Haida—with two frogs on either side. Spul’u’kwuks celebrated the completion of a mural by Musqueam artist Debbie Sparrow at its front entrance. The mural shows yellow bubbles, sturgeon and salmon, seaweed, and other patterns to remind students about the history of the Musqueam people and the area’s ecology. UCN’s campuses in The Pas and Thompson are now host to seven stainless steel spires called “Pâkosêthimowin”—Cree for “Hopes/Dreams.” The sculptures are each engraved with one of the seven sacred teachings: truth, honesty, courage, respect, wisdom, humility and love.

Thanks to support from the Government of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies will deliver two new forestry sector training initiatives. A new Forestry Log Haul Step Program will provide students with the education and necessary hours of experience needed to become fully licensed as log haul drivers. SIIT will help graduates find employment opportunities and connect with forestry sector employers. The institute will also acquire two Simlog Simulators for its mobile job connection program, which helps northerners gain virtual worksite training and learn about safe heavy equipment operation. SK provided $505K to SIIT in support of these initiatives.

The University of Winnipeg is adding to its two-spirit archive, thanks to donations from local two-spirit activist Albert McLeod. The archive—which CBC reports is the most comprehensive of its kind in Canada—includes items such as newsletters, journals, magazines, poetry, textiles, and art. “Our vision was really to create an [archive] that helps support the two-spirit community, told the stories of two-spirit people who had been erased in Canada’s documentary heritage due to colonization and homophobia and transphobia,” said UWinnipeg Archivist and Digital Curator Brett Lougheed. The archive is continuing to grow, with a number of its collections accessible online to anyone. “Whatever the community finds to be of value, that is something that we are interested in preserving and providing access to,” said Lougheed.