Truth & Reconciliation Theme for 40th Annual Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering at Trent University
Influential elder, Dr. Tom Porter, and Guyanese vice-president to provide keynote addresses at Rekindling the Fire: Reconciliation and the Way Forward event
To honour the historic release of the final report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada earlier this year, Trent University and the First Peoples House of Learning will bring together hundreds of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples from across the world to continue the ongoing conversation of reconciliation at Rekindling the Fire: Reconciliation and the Way Forward, the 40th annual Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering to be held Friday, February 26 to Sunday, February 28, 2016
“Universities across the country are re-envisioning what their role is in the reconciliation process. Hosting the Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering has been a piece of Trent’s contribution to this process for the past 40 years,” said Adam Hopkins, director of the First Peoples House of Learning. “It’s our hope that this gathering is a meaningful and engaging forum for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to explore their own contribution to the nation-to-nation relationship.”
Elder and member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne and champion of the revitalization of Indigenous languages and traditions, Dr. Tom Porter, will give a keynote address on Saturday, February 27 at 10:45 a.m. in Gzowski College room 114.
A second keynote will be presented by the Honourable Sydney Allicock, vice-president and minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs of Guyana. Mr. Allicock is an Indigenous elder and a crucial figure in Guyana’s Indigenous community. He promotes a vision of Indigenous rural community development, based on communal effort, wise use of natural resources, traditional knowledge, and equitable partnership with outside agencies in Guyana. His keynote will take place on Sunday, February 28 at 9:00 a.m. in Gzowski College room 114.
The Gathering will open on Friday evening with a performance at 8:00 p.m. featuring Michelle Thrush, a well-known Canadian actress who has been working in film, television, and theatre for over twenty-five years and who uses her gift as an actor to promote healing through the arts. Other speakers at this year’s Gathering will look at numerous topics tied to the theme, including reconciliation from an academic perspective, whether the Nunavut land claims agreement means reconciliation or if there is still work to be done, and moving forward with traditional medicine.
Through dialogue, experiential workshops, storytelling in the on-campus tipi, drumming and song in the Gathering Space, traditional feasts and other ceremonies, the Gathering aims to create an accessible and safe space for people to explore and contemplate what their role in the reconciliation process could be.
The annual Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering takes place at Trent University every winter and aims to bring together a wide audience, connecting communities from all over North America. The Elders Gathering was envisioned in the 1970s as an opportunity for elders and traditional teachers from coast to coast to share their wisdom and stories with youth, students and community members. Participants share Indigenous knowledge’s through a series of experiential workshops, presentations and lectures.
In addition to the Gathering, the Indigenous Studies theatre department will also be hosting “Indigenous Insights in the Arts: Creative Writing, Performance and Visual Arts,” on Friday, February 26 starting at 10:30 a.m. in the First Peoples Gathering Space, in Gzowski College.
For a full schedule of workshops and events, visit www.trentu.ca/fphl/elders
The Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering is open to all members of the community. Admission is $20 for the weekend. Students (with ID) and children are free. Food bank or monetary donations will also be accepted at the door.
About Trent University
One of Canada's top universities, Trent University was founded on the ideal of interactive learning that's personal, purposeful and transformative. Consistently recognized nationally for leadership in teaching, research and student satisfaction, Trent attracts excellent students from across the country and around the world. Here, undergraduate and graduate students connect and collaborate with faculty, staff and their peers through diverse communities that span residential colleges, classrooms, disciplines, hands-on research, co-curricular and community-based activities. Across all disciplines, Trent brings critical, integrative thinking to life every day. Today, Trent's unique approach to personal development through supportive, collaborative community engagement is in more demand than ever. Students lead the way by co-creating experiences rooted in dialogue, diverse perspectives and collaboration. In a learning environment that builds life-long passion for inclusion, leadership and social change, Trent's students, alumni, faculty and staff are engaged global citizens who are catalysts in developing sustainable solutions to complex issues. Trent's Peterborough campus boasts award-winning architecture in a breathtaking natural setting on the banks of the Otonabee River, just 90 minutes from downtown Toronto, while Trent University Durham delivers a distinct mix of programming in the east GTA.
For more information contact:
Kate Weersink, media relations & strategic communications officer, Trent University, (705) 748-1011 x6180 or kateweersink@trentu.ca; or
Shari Beaver, student success coordinator, First Peoples House of Learning, (705) 748-1011 x7949 or sharibeaver@trentu.ca