UWaterloo announces commitment to reconciliation, Indigenization, decolonization with Ceremony

The University of Waterloo has acknowledged its commitment to reconciliation, Indigenization, and decolonization through a formal Commitment Ceremony. UWaterloo President Vivek Goel, in response to requests from the Indigenous community in Waterloo, acknowledged that Indigenous people were the original inhabitants of the land, and that UWaterloo is committed to understanding Indigenous history and taking responsibility in the reconciliation process. The Commitment Ceremony included a sunrise ceremony; a Cedar Circle; and a pipe ceremony in which Elder Myeengun Henry, the Indigenous knowledge keeper at UWaterloo’s Faculty of Health, gave Goel the name of Ogiima (leader) and gifted him an eagle feather and two wampum belts. The ceremony ended with a round dance involving hundreds of attendants and a feast. UWaterloo| UWaterloo| The Record| CBC Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.