U of G is proud to commemorate National Indigenous History Month in June and celebrate the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples who are a part of our community and beyond.
On June 21 we will also recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day, which coincides with the Summer Solstice and holds great significance for many Indigenous cultures.
U of G continues to make progress on the commitments outlined in the Indigenous Initiatives Strategy, Bi-Naagwad | It Comes Into View. Read on to learn more about work being done at U of G to advance Indigenization, Reconciliation and Decolonization and how you can get involved in Indigenous History Month at U of G.
Gryph Reads Indigenous History Month Display
Celebrate Indigenous History Month by exploring the McLaughlin Library’s Gryph Reads Indigenous History Month display. This month, explore powerful stories, memoirs, and histories that reflect Indigenous voices, experiences, and communities. From fiction to lived experience, these books explore identity, resilience, memory, and the strength of storytelling. You can explore the Gryph Reads Collection online or in-person on the library’s first floor.
Looking to learn more? Check out Exploring Indigenous Narratives and Worldviews.
Indigenizing Signage for Ontario Native Tree Loop in the Arboretum
The U of G Arboretum is incorporating Indigenous art, Anishinaabemowin (the language of the Anishinaabeg) and Kanien’keha (the language of the Mohawk) into a redesign of the signs on the Native Trees of Ontario Loop so that traditional stories and knowledge about native trees can be shared year-round. Kaitlin Gallant, a Mi’kmaw artist and former U of G employee who designed the Indigenous Initiatives Strategy and current U of G Orange Shirt Day design, was commissioned to redesign the signs.
The project was funded by RTO4 Regional Tourism Partnership Funding for Indigenous Storytelling in public spaces and private donors and was initiated by Spencer Martens; former Arboretum student engagement coordinator and now OAC liaison manager. The creation of the updated signs has been a meaningful and collaborative process among various campus collaborators and community members to gather words and stories about tree kin in the Ontario Native Tree Loop.
Collaborators have included Cara Loft, educational developer for Indigenous knowledges and pedagogies; Shauna Kechego-Nichols, professor of Indigenous studies in the school of languages and literatures and the Anishinaabemowin teachers and learners that support them; Elder Theodore Flammand, species at risk coordinator of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and research partner with the WISE and Young Labs at U of G; as well as staff, students, faculty and community that supported through knowledge sharing, organization and more.
The trees along the trail loop represent all species in the province that can be grown in the Arboretum, and each example comes from a known, wild Ontario provenance. Updating these signs with Indigenous languages and art is a continuation of the ongoing Indigenization work at the Arboretum in support of Bi-Naagwad. The signage will be completed this summer.
Creation of Indigenous Student Recruitment Officer position
The Office of Registrarial Services recently created a new role of Indigenous Student Recruitment Officer that will join the Student Recruitment Department to strengthen how the University engages with and supports prospective Indigenous students, communities and partners throughout the recruitment journey. The job posting will remain open until June 5.
The creation of this role responds to a recommendation from the University’s Indigenous Initiatives Strategy, Bi-Naagwad | It Comes Into View, to prioritize dedicated Indigenous student recruitment support. By having this dedicated role, the University plans to reduce barriers in recruitment and admissions processes and create pathways that acknowledge the importance of trust, representation, and community connection in the student experience. As a result, the University will have greater capacity for a culturally responsive and community-informed approach to recruitment and outreach, while strengthening and sustaining relationships with Indigenous communities.
The All Our Relations community welcomes all First Nations, Inuit and Métis staff and faculty to connect and gather to expand relations, for mutual support and to explore opportunities for networking, professional development, collaboration, advocacy and events on topics relevant to them. To get in touch or if you have an idea to share, email us at indigenous@uoguelph.ca.
Decolonization, Indigenization and Reconciliation Community of Practice
The DIR CoP welcomes faculty, staff, sessional instructors, and graduate teaching assistants. The CoP provides resources and guidance, and most importantly, space and time for participants to discuss their ideas, uncertainties, questions and best practices around bringing DIR into their teaching and learning environments.
Cara Loft, the educational developer for Indigenous Knowledges and Pedagogies, will guide the conversation and will provide DIR resources to help enhance participants’ teaching/learning practice. The participants will collectively decide on areas topics of focus in an emergent learning outcomes model. This is meant to be responsive to the collective needs and learning of the CoP.
Overall, the DIR CoP will continue to build off the meaningful DIR work that is already happening at U of G. It will also provide space for learners at all different levels to engage in ideas, concepts and activities around DIR. Interested in joining? Sign up on the OTL website.
In the community
Held at the Art Gallery of Guelph, this exhibition features sculptural installations built from van Heuvelen’s (Inuk) earlier investigations into hunting and fishing practices by shifting focus to the chores and communal spaces that take shape around the harvesting and preparing of food. Drawing on the seasonal practice of setting up camp in warmer months, van Heuvelen participates in the celebration that takes place when Northern communities gather to hunt and fish together.
This exhibition, within the Guelph Museum and at sites around the city, invites us to re-story Guelph through the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee ways of knowing. The stories help connect us to the lands, waters, and communities who have always been, and always will be here.
The exhibition will be on display until February 2027.
More stories will continue to be highlighted throughout the month through U of G news and social media channels.
Acknowledging Our Relations
We offer our respect and gratitude to Indigenous peoples and the lands and waters that sustain us. The University of Guelph’s campuses are located on the lands of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum and the traditional lands and territory of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee and Huron Wendat. These lands are now inhabited by a rich diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. We recognize that our educational and research activities also occur on Indigenous lands across Canada and globally. Through this land acknowledgment, we uphold our commitments to seeking truth and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and affirm our responsibility to realize these commitments through our ongoing actions.