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Nations post-secondary coordinators ;
• delivery of the workplace equity programs facilitated by an Indigenous employee in Human Resources who actively engages with the local Indigenous community to more effectively attract , and retain Indigenous employees ;
• employment of Aboriginal student recruiters ;
• development of a new process to access emergency funds for Indigenous students ;
• provision of internal research funds that prioritize projects that will inform greater levels of Indigenization at the University ;
• prayers from Elders at convocation ;
• feasts and round dances for students and Elders , hosted by the Aboriginal Advisory Circle ;
• maintenance of pre-existing , long-term relationships under the federated agreements with First Nations University of Canada and with the Gabriel Dumont Institute through the SUNTEP program ;
• graduate program studies about the roles that Elders may play as knowledge experts on graduate committees , and adapting some procedures to facilitate Indigenous graduate students to present their scholarship in ways that reflect the communication norms of their communities of origin ;
• Faculty of Education teams pursuing research specific to how we are Indigenizing and decolonizing our teaching ;
• Indigenous faculty working with First Nations communities to research some of the community identified needs ;
• Faculty of Education community-based programs / partnerships , like the Northern Teacher Education Program ;
• Faculty of Nursing providing academic advising and advocacy support for Indigenous nursing students through an Aboriginal Support Coordinator who invites faculty members to introduce their learners to the histories and contemporary priorities of Indigenous peoples and communities in all academic areas . At the same time , the Anti-oppressive Teaching group has challenged faculty to consider how we decolonize our curricular and instructional approaches ;
• expansion and adaption of curriculum by faculty members to both Indigenize and decolonize our academic offerings . This includes and is not limited to courses aimed at introducing learners to Indigenous ways of knowing , histories and contemporary concerns for sovereignty and self-determination , and Indigenous languages . Faculty are inviting Elders and other knowledge keepers to present in their courses ; and some courses are designed to be land-based and experiential ;
• and through opening 90 additional daycare spots and over 600 beds for students in the new residence building . While not directly related to First Nations and Métis students , these supports aim to remove barriers for more of these learners .
This list is not meant to be exhaustive , but it offers some examples of the organizational changes that our university has undertaken . The AAC has identified additional goals including organizing professional development sessions
[
Indigenization Aboriginal and is non-Aboriginal a shared responsibility peoples :
] transforming our institution . with a focus on Indigenous scholarship , implementing a community engagement process , and expansion of opportunities for faculty and sessional staff to gain support as they plan for both a decolonized and Indigenized curriculum . In our view , there is much work yet ahead .
This work is relational . It will be guided by the types of respectful relationships that we create and maintain with one another as we enter into this collective work . Donald ( 2009 ) states , “ I am convinced that decolonization in the Canadian context can only occur when Aboriginal peoples and Canadians face each other across historic divides , deconstruct their shared past and engage critically with the realization that their present and future is similarly tied together ” ( p . 5 ). 7
In our view , Indigenization is a shared responsibility : Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples transforming our institution … mâmawohkamâtowin : We are working together .
7 Donald , D . ( 2009 , Spring ). Forts , curriculum , and Indigenous métissage : Imagining decolonization of Aboriginal-Canadian relations in educational contexts . First Nations Perspectives : The Journal of the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre , 2 ( 1 ), 1-24 . Available online at : http :// www . mfnerc . org / images