National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2022

Indigenizing Curriculum in response to the TRC Calls to Action

INDG-Online is supported by Aboriginal Strategic Initiatives (ASI), as per the SFU ARC report. Through this project, Indigenous Studies (INDG) courses were developed, updated, and digitized for accessible online delivery and learning, making it possible for students to remotely complete an INDG Research Certificate and/or Minor.

Listening and unlearning from the heart

"What does it mean to bring reconciliation into the classroom?" Reconciliation begins and continues with you and your relationships: your relationship to the land you live upon, to the Indigenous peoples who have stewarded the land since time immemorial, to your family, friends, peers—to your community. It begins from the heart of who you are in combination with what you do. In reconciliation, you are at once listening, learning, and unlearning. And it is a process that can be (and should be) uncomfortable or difficult. Importantly, for reconciliation to be meaningful, it requires action.

What do Unceded Lands really mean? New course at SFU – Treaties in Canada – teaches colonial legislation, Indigenous leadership, and more

As a meaningful contribution to education for reconciliation, SFU’s Department of Indigenous Studies introduced a new course this year titled, INDG 305: Treaties in Canada authored by Madeleine Reddon. This microcredit course invites students to study the background and process of treaty negotiations alongside Indigenous oral histories, knowledge, and resistance to treaty infringements and other legislation.

Convocation Spotlight: Vanessa Gottfriedson

“Dahoojai suyoozi Vanessa Gottfriedson, dakelh nesdli ulkatcho huya. Hello, my name is Vanessa Gottfriedson, I am Carrier, and I come from Ulkatcho.”  Vanessa Gottfriedson’s journey towards earning her bachelor of arts degree in Indigenous Studies from SFU started in 2005. Now a mother of four, Vanessa completed her degree over the course of 17 years while raising her growing family in Kamloops.

Indigenous Studies alumnus Ashley Kyne advocates for lasting change in the community

iTaukei alumnus, Ashley Kyne, graduated with a bachelor of arts in Criminology (Hons) and Indigenous Studies. Learning about the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples has not only allowed Ashley to bond with her family and a community on campus, it has also empowered her to become a strong advocate for others.

Haida fashion designer Dorothy Grant brings empowerment and pride to her signature designs, and to SFU's Bill Reid Centre this fall

Dr. Dorothy Grant, OC, was the first Haida fashion designer in Canada. A member of the Raven Clan of Kaigani Haida, Grant learned to sew and weave traditional Haida garments and ceremonial regalia from her maternal grandmother. This fall, FASS welcomed Grant as the Inaugural Bill Reid Centre Fellow.

Deanna Reder discusses Indigenous publishing at the Greg Younging Conversation

Publishing @ SFU hosted their second annual the Greg Younging Conversation. The event uses a TED-talk inspired format to lift Indigenous voices as a tribute to the celebrated editor, author, and scholar, who passed away in 2019. The event featured Cree-Métis scholar Dr. Deanna Reder, Chair of the Department of Indigenous Studies at SFU.

RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL RESEARCH PROJECT REUNITES CHILDREN WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES

SFU Indigenous Studies Professor, Eldon Yellowhorn, is the principal investigator of a residential school research project. The project seeks to identify and acknowledge children buried at the site, and connect them back with family and communities.

Income Support for B.C.’s Indigenous population inadequate: Report

A new report analyzing the gaps and barriers in income supports for B.C.’s Indigenous peoples will help to inform provincial and federal governments to address poverty among the province’s Indigenous population. SFU economics professor Anke Kessler produced the report in partnership with the First Nation Leadership Council and Indigenous communities from across B.C. Co-author Jacqueline Quinless of University of Victoria’s Centre for Indigenous Research and Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE) provided research support for the project’s community-based component.

Blackfoot and Cree Revitalization Project team receives Computing Science Diversity Award

The Blackfoot and Cree Revitalization Project team, led by SFU Indigenous Studies professor Dr. Eldon Yellowhorn, has won the inaugural Computing Science (CS) Diversity Award for developing online tools to teach and preserve endangered Indigenous languages. The team built the interactive online resources, or "chatbots," using artificial intelligence capable of learning and mimicking language patterns.

Research: Canadian Taxpayers Federation Is Anti-Indigenous. Why Do Media Quote Them?

Assistant Professor of Sociology Kyle Willmott’s work on anti-Indigenous political advocacy featured in The Tyee. Willmott is Mohawk from the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation (Tyendinaga). His article examines the anti-Indigenous political ideas promoted by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, based on research he recently published in the Canadian Review of Sociology. The full article can be found here.