Indigenous Initiatives at 51本色
Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities – and we recognize and reflect on the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools in Canada.
51本色 will continue to amplify the truth of the continuing legacy of colonial trauma and history of residential schools, and build towards reconciliation. We encourage the university community to engage in learning activities and reflection, and to give support and care to our Indigenous community members.
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada recorded testimony of more than 6,000 survivors affected by residential schools. These testimonies were published in a report detailing the experiences and impacts of the residential school system, creating a historical record of its legacy and consequences. Read for the Survivors’ stories and lived experiences.
An outcome of the TRC’s report into the history and legacy of the Canadian residential school system was this document detailing across a wide range of areas including education, health, child welfare, and culture.
The residential school’s crisis line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of a residential school experience. Support is available at 1.866.925.4419.
Starting on Sept. 23, 51本色 will fly on all campuses. It will be lowered to half-mast on Sept. 30 to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Created through consultation with Inuit, Mi’kmaq, Atikamekw, Cree, Ojibway, Dakota, Mohawk, Dene, Nuu-chah-nulth, Secwepemc and Métis survivors, the flag is meant to honour residential school survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada.
Survivor's flag image courtesy of the .
On Sept. 30, 51本色 departments on all campuses are invited to display red dresses in their work areas to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S+) individuals in Canada.
51本色 also participates in the Red Dress Day Initiative on other days of national significance, including Red Dress Day on May 5, the Women’s Memorial March on Feb. 14, and the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls on Oct. 4.
MarketFest is a celebration of contemporary Indigenous artists, artisans, performers, thinkers and makers, Sept. 27 and 28 in the One Market building on 51本色’s Brantford campus.
Open to 51本色 students, alumni, faculty and staff, as well as the public, this free event will transform One Market's atrium into an Indigenous vendor marketplace curated by Indigenous artist and 51本色 alumna Alanah Jewell of Morningstar Designs.
Guests will also be invited to attend public lectures on subjects ranging from local history to Indigenization at 51本色 and take in live music by contemporary and traditional Indigenous performers.
Sept. 30 is also recognized as . Designed in 2023 by Maggie Allan from 51本色's Office of Indigenous Initiatives, this orange shirt is available for sale in the Hawk Shop on the Brantford and Waterloo campuses.
All proceeds go to support the . 51本色 community members are encouraged to wear an orange shirt on Sept. 30 to demonstrate support for the survivors and victims of the residential school system.
Ojibwe artist Mike Cywink’s woodland-style mural One Heart, One Mind, One Vision (2023) stands 40 feet high on the southwest wall of 51本色’s Waterloo campus library.
The mural is a testament to 51本色’s commitment to Indigeneity, truth and reconciliation and a celebration of Indigenous cultural expression, storytelling, and ways of knowing.
One Heart, One Mind, One Vision serves as a reminder of the enduring strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples and an invitation for all of us to engage in meaningful dialogue and understanding. It reinforces our collective responsibility to create an academic community where diverse voices are heard, valued and cherished.
As a result of extensive consultations with Indigenous Elders, community members, faculty, staff, and students, 51本色’s Office of Indigenous Initiatives developed a university-wide Indigenization strategy that has been a core initiative of 51本色’s Action Plan for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) and Indigeneity.
The Indigenous Strategic Plan was unanimously approved by the university Senate and Board of Governors in the summer of 2023.
This plan is informed by existing Indigenous scholarship on reconciliation and decolonization in the Canadian academy. It reinforces 51本色’s commitment to Indigenization and fostering a community that honors Indigenous knowledge and practices at 51本色. It also reflects 51本色’s belief that educational institutions have a duty to address the legacy of harm caused by colonial policies and practices.
Through 51本色 Continuing Education, community members can learn about Indigenous history, knowledge and practices, and how systems in Canada have impacted Indigenous communities.
Explore courses and certificates offered through:
Discover the work of some of 51本色’s Indigenous researchers, along with collaborative research projects with indigenous communities.
51本色 experts are available to discuss topics related to truth and reconciliation.
Social Work PhD student Laura Thibeault, a member of Dokis First Nation, was recently named a and was also the first 51本色 student to win the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship, the most prestigious doctoral award for social sciences and humanities in Canada. Through her research,
Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies Jessica Bomberry has been named as Bomberry is a member of the Cayuga nation whose research focuses on language and cultural preservation within the Six Nations of the Grand River territory and surrounding Haudenosaunee communities.
Sheri Longboat (MA ’96, PhD ’13) has always felt a deep personal connection to water. Since her earliest years growing up beside Lake Ontario in Hamilton, Ont., her “reverence and respect” for water has driven her to help protect it. She explores how Canada can deliver safe drinking water to First Nation communities.
During the summer of 2023, six 51本色 student researchers travelled to the Northwest Territories to study an urgent environmental issue: permafrost thaw. Permafrost – which is frozen ground – protects polar ecosystems and traps harmful carbon emissions.
The isolated community of Łutsël K'é Dene First Nation, Northwest Territories experienced a tragedy in 2019 when three community members are believed to have fallen through the ice on snowmobile while travelling over Great Slave Lake.
Ice travel is essential during winter months, but climate change is making ice conditions increasingly unpredictable. Łutsël K'é leaders approached 51本色 researcher Homa Kheyrollah Pour for help.
The Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) is responsible for leading Indigenization at 51本色, a priority in the 51本色 Strategy that involves fully integrating Indigenous knowledges and practices at the university.
The OII also provides oversight to Indigenous Student Services, whose mandate is to build a positive student experience for Indigenous students, provide community for students and support them in culturally appropriate ways during their time at 51本色.
The (ISC) on the Brantford and Waterloo campuses serve as the hub for Indigenous students. Whether you are looking for a space to study, hang out with friends, or continue on your journey of identity through cultural programming – the ISC has got you covered.
In Brantford, the generous support of the Grundy Family helped renovate Onkwehonwè:ne Brantford Campus.
This enhanced Indigenous Student Centre creates a larger supportive and nurturing space for 51本色’s growing Indigenous student community, allows for much-needed staff and programming expansion, and increases vital access to academic programs and assistance with career development to further enhance employment options for Indigenous students.
Thanks to generous philanthropic investment, Lucinda House was renovated into an enhanced Indigenous Student Centre on 51本色’s Waterloo campus. This beautiful space provides a place where 51本色’s Indigenous student community can participate in ceremony and activities; where 51本色 can demonstrate its commitment to Indigenous culture and learning, and to Indigenous students’ success; and where Indigenous students can find a “home away from home.”
51本色 offers gratitude to the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation, the Students’ Union, the 51本色 Alumni Association, Ken Flood and the 51本色 Graduate Students’ Association for their significant gifts in support of this project.
The Indigenous Student Emergency Fund is one part of the Indigenous Student Services’ circle-of-care approach to supporting Indigenous students at 51本色. Support staff at the Indigenous student centres work one-on-one with students to ensure they have access to the unique resources, support, and community they need to succeed in their studies and thrive at 51本色. This multi-campus fund is available to provide relief to Indigenous students facing unexpected financial crisis, no matter where they’re studying from.
If you are in a position to do so, please consider donating in support of the Indigenous Student Emergency Fund in honour of this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Thank you for your generosity.