University Indigenous centres offer a welcoming place for First Nations and Métis people to express their cultural identity and build community.
Tori McMillan, the director of the Iniskim Centre at Mount Royal University (MRU), has been a part of the MRU community for 30 years, both as a student and an employee.
McMillan says that the first Indigenous centre in Canada was established in 1969 at Trent University, when students had organized the cultural centre to help them feel like their whole selves within the institution.
Video: Calgary Journal reporter Emma Alger reports on MRU’s Iniskim Centre
The idea of Indigenous centres then spread across Canada, with MRU’s Iniskim Centre opening in 2006.
According to McMillan, about 1,000 students at MRU identify as Indigenous, making the centre crucial for students who wish to bring back the knowledge they learn at Iniskim to their communities.
McMillan said that the late Murray Sinclair, who headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, mentioned that the accurate measure of reconciling nations is Indigenous student success.
McMillan said Mount Royal is meeting that definition because Indigenous students are achieving on par with other learners.
“They’ve had experiences that have validated them, and they feel stronger in who they are as a result. I think that’s another way to look at success, and our students are accessing that here as well… they want more than the piece of paper, they want to feel whole,” said McMillan.
Indigenous centres are also significant at other universities, such as Alberta University of the Arts, where the Lodgepole Centre is located.
Kansas Sky Hoppe, whose name means The One With The Eyes, is a student volunteer at the Lodgepole Centre from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Big Trout Lake) First Nation.
For Hoppe, Indigenous centres are hubs for non-judgmental learning of different ways of life. Indigenous histories, art forms, cultural teachings, languages and ceremonies have been systematically hidden.
“Indigenous centres within schools organize ways for us to stay in or get in touch with our cultures and allow us to share with anyone who’s interested in the many different ways Indigenous peoples exist,” said Hoppe.
Both centres provide plenty of events and experiences, such as annual PowWows, Jingle Dress Dances, as well as Ceremonies like the Web of Life and many more.
“We want to bring a wellness perspective, to talk about reconciliation as a form of social wellness that brings Canadians together for a social purpose. And our learners at Mount Royal, are very open to that work because we are promoting students that are global citizens. They are engaged learners, they’re critical thinkers, and they’re open to new people and experiences,” said McMillan.