At many universities in Canada, "Indigenization" can be seen as little more than land acknowledgments and an institutional diversity committee. But as Canadian institutions seek to fulfill the Universities Canada Principles on Indigenous Education, we begin to see that inclusion is not just a matter of policy; it is about place. Trent University's First Peoples House of Learning (FPHL), along with Trent’s dedicated campus spaces, is a great model for how this form of reconciliation is continuously being accomplished.
Whereas most universities are now only working to add a space for Indigenous students, such as lounges on their campuses, Trent is taking a different approach and adding to that. As described in the journal Geoforum, for many Indigenous students, the university represents a colonial institution. This can easily be seen with Trent and its main model of education being not land-based, although we still have that for a few Indigenous-based courses, along with Champlain College’s name, and more. However, Trent's Indigenous student spaces, the Nozhem theatre, and the various outdoor spaces of Trent focus a lot more on Indigenous centrality. These spaces are not just service centres, like most Indigenous spaces at other universities, but as places of Indigenous placemaking. By having FPHL deeply embedded within the structure of Gzowski College, for example, Trent makes sure that Indigenous epistemologies are actually embedded in the infrastructure of the student body’s learning journey and normalizing indoor smudging, ceremonial and social fires, tipis, herbal medicines, the Elder’s Gathering, Indigenous workshops and study spaces, and more.
The significance of Trent’s space is not limited to a classroom. According to the CCUNESCO (Canadian Commission for UNESCO; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), land-based education is important for cultural reclamation. Trent’s Traditional Space, which includes the Tipi, medicines, and the lodge, is the site where such education takes place. In contrast to an ordinary classroom, these spaces offer an opportunity to engage in more hands-on learning, where ceremony, community, and education can take place at once. Moreover, these spaces are needed for mental well-being among Indigenous students and staff, as students and staff have a safe place to practice their culture, which has long been marginalized in Western education systems, along with meeting other Indigenous peoples and finding a closer community.
However, other universities are making changes as well. The University of Waterloo has introduced outdoor spaces for gatherings, while York University and UofT have established Indigenous research centres, showing that there is an ongoing trend towards visibility. But Trent
University still sets the bar high because it has many more spaces that emphasize Indigenous sovereignty and are less constricted within the colonial institution.
According to a study published in the journal Higher Education Research & Development, the best Indigenous spaces are ones where Indigenous students can "be themselves" without feeling pressured to assimilate into a Western educational setting. Trent arguably helps provide that environment to quite a lot of people, especially from experience at workshops, and both social and ceremonial fires. The significance of Indigenous spaces at Trent in comparison to other, more colonial-functioning universities cannot quite be underestimated, although there are many places that can be improved upon. Regardless, these are the spaces which reflect FPHL and the university’s dedication to the implementation of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. With Trent having expanded on some inclusivity changes and access to its campuses, it is only assumed that with time and more changes, the future generation of Indigenous academics who decide to study here will become even more involved in the university’s structure and ability to both decolonize and Indigenize this very institution.
This blog was written by Anishnaabeg 2-Spirit student, Darien Kenny.
References
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