Aboriginal Archive
UFV’s Callison is first Indigenous person to receive prestigious national
UFV University Librarian Camille Callison was presented with the 2024 Ron MacDonald Outstanding Service Award at a reception in Ottawa on October 3, 2024. The award recognizes an individual from a Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) member institution who has demonstrated vision, dedication, and outstanding service in building bridges and collaboration to advance knowledge infrastructure…
5 ways to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day on June 21
Indigenous People’s Day falls around the time of the summer solstice, which has been marked for centuries by many Indigenous groups as a time to come together and celebrate the beginning of a new season. It was first recognized as National Aboriginal Day by the Canadian Governor General in 1996. Every June 21, communities gather…
Dr. Jo-ann Archibald named UFV Chancellor
Dr. Jo-ann Archibald has been announced as the University of the Fraser Valley’s fourth Chancellor. Also known as Q’um Q’um Xiiem, OC, Dr. Archibald is an esteemed scholar, member of the Soowahlie First Nation, Professor Emeritus of Educational Studies at UBC, and a recipient of an Honorary Degree from UFV (2022). In 2018, she was…
Condolences and support for the Stó:lō people and all Indigenous
Trigger Warning//past trauma, death, residential school experience// The following post includes description of the fate of Indigenous children in British Columbia. This content may be disturbing and you may wish to avoid reading further if this will be upsetting. Access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour National Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line:…
Collaboratorium links student researchers with community partners
More than a dozen UFV students gained valuable experience this summer by participating in UFV's second Collaboratorium project. Run by UFV's Peace and Reconciliation Centre under the guidance of Professor Keith Carlson, the Collaboratorium is designed to provide community organizations with sophisticated research services at a fraction of the cost that would be associated with…
National Indigenous Peoples Day
éy swáyel Each year, National Indigenous Peoples Day is recognized on June 21. It is a time to reflect and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience, and diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis across Canada. Across Stó:lō Téméxw, there is much to honour. Since time immemorial, the Stó:lō people have been the stewards of the…
Honorary degree 2023: Naxaxalhts’i ‘Sonny’ McHalsie shares Stó:lō culture and
If things had turned out a little differently, Naxaxalhts’i Albert ‘Sonny’ McHalsie might have been one of B.C.’s top mechanics rather than a highly valued interpreter of Stó:lō people’s culture and traditions. And much vital knowledge about the culture and history of Indigenous Coast Salish history would have been lost. Because he chose a different…
UFV Indigenization and Reconciliation excellence 2023: Lorna Andrews helps colleagues
Lorna Andrews doesn’t have an easy job, but she has an important one. As UFV’s Teaching and Learning Specialist with a focus on Indigenization, she helps faculty and staff understand issues regarding colonial impacts on Indigenous people and the need to work towards reconciliation in Canada. For her efforts, she is being recognized as the…
UFV launches collaborative reconciliation program in partnership with Stó:lō agencies
The University of the Fraser Valley is collaborating with a group of Stó:lō agencies to offer an educational program that will help participants enhance their capacity for reconciliation building. Xwelítem Siyáya: Allyship and Reconciliation Building will be offered by the UFV Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC), in partnership with the Stó:lō Nation, the Stó:lō Tribal…
Preserving language, embedding culture — Donors support Indigenous initiatives at
For too many decades, forces of colonization actively worked to deny young Indigenous people access to their own language. And language is critical to culture. Reconciliation with Stó:lō people is a significant priority for UFV, and a diverse group of donors have played a role in funding the preservation of Halq’eméylem language, and supporting Indigenization…
New Indigenous film course aims to dispel stereotypes and uncover
At a UFV Indigenous Studies faculty meeting in early 2022, an idea and opportunity for collaboration for an inclusive new course originated organically. Dr. Mique’l Dangeli and Dr. Keziah Wallis, both relatively new faculty members at UFV, immediately bonded over their shared passion for Indigenous cinema while simultaneously appreciating each other’s unique career backgrounds: Dangeli, the…Vision & values lead to new Campus Card with Indigenous
Receiving and using an employee card is generally a standard, non-glamorous formality for new hires in any company or organization. The card’s functions are transactional, typically used to access buildings, take out library books, and perform other routine tasks. But for many, an employee card can also represent a sense of identity, belonging, and a…
Honorary degree 2022: Shirley Turcotte built on her trauma experience
In April, when UFV presented Shirley Turcotte the opportunity to be a UFV honorary degree award recipient, she accepted. But she did so somewhat reluctantly. It is not that the renowned Métis knowledge-carrier and registered clinical counsellor is not honoured. Or that she has anything against UFV. Simply put, Turcotte hates attention. “When I first…Staff Excellence 2022: Carol Dickson’s dedication to Indigenization earns honour
When Carol Dickson started working as Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost in 2012, she had no idea that the new job was going to take her on a journey of transformation. She was aware that as part of the role she would be working with Shirley Hardman, UFV’s Senior Advisor on Indigenous Affairs, but…
UFV student residence is now Lá:lem te Baker
UFV announced a reimagined name for its student residence on March 23 at a celebration held in the new Indigenous garden on the Abbotsford campus. Baker House, which opened in 2007, will now be known as Lá:lem te Baker, appending the Halq’emeylem language word for house to the Baker name. Kyle Baillie, UFV’s Executive Director…UFV’s Callison is first Indigenous person to receive prestigious national
UFV University Librarian Camille Callison was presented with the 2024 Ron MacDonald Outstanding Service Award at a reception in Ottawa on October 3, 2024. The award recognizes an individual from a Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) member institution who has demonstrated vision, dedication, and outstanding service in building bridges and collaboration to advance knowledge infrastructure…5 ways to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day on June 21
Indigenous People’s Day falls around the time of the summer solstice, which has been marked for centuries by many Indigenous groups as a time to come together and celebrate the beginning of a new season. It was first recognized as National Aboriginal Day by the Canadian Governor General in 1996. Every June 21, communities gather…Dr. Jo-ann Archibald named UFV Chancellor
Dr. Jo-ann Archibald has been announced as the University of the Fraser Valley’s fourth Chancellor. Also known as Q’um Q’um Xiiem, OC, Dr. Archibald is an esteemed scholar, member of the Soowahlie First Nation, Professor Emeritus of Educational Studies at UBC, and a recipient of an Honorary Degree from UFV (2022). In 2018, she was…Condolences and support for the Stó:lō people and all Indigenous
Trigger Warning//past trauma, death, residential school experience// The following post includes description of the fate of Indigenous children in British Columbia. This content may be disturbing and you may wish to avoid reading further if this will be upsetting. Access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour National Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line:…Collaboratorium links student researchers with community partners
More than a dozen UFV students gained valuable experience this summer by participating in UFV's second Collaboratorium project. Run by UFV's Peace and Reconciliation Centre under the guidance of Professor Keith Carlson, the Collaboratorium is designed to provide community organizations with sophisticated research services at a fraction of the cost that would be associated with…National Indigenous Peoples Day
éy swáyel Each year, National Indigenous Peoples Day is recognized on June 21. It is a time to reflect and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience, and diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis across Canada. Across Stó:lō Téméxw, there is much to honour. Since time immemorial, the Stó:lō people have been the stewards of the…Honorary degree 2023: Naxaxalhts’i ‘Sonny’ McHalsie shares Stó:lō culture and
If things had turned out a little differently, Naxaxalhts’i Albert ‘Sonny’ McHalsie might have been one of B.C.’s top mechanics rather than a highly valued interpreter of Stó:lō people’s culture and traditions. And much vital knowledge about the culture and history of Indigenous Coast Salish history would have been lost. Because he chose a different…UFV Indigenization and Reconciliation excellence 2023: Lorna Andrews helps colleagues
Lorna Andrews doesn’t have an easy job, but she has an important one. As UFV’s Teaching and Learning Specialist with a focus on Indigenization, she helps faculty and staff understand issues regarding colonial impacts on Indigenous people and the need to work towards reconciliation in Canada. For her efforts, she is being recognized as the…UFV launches collaborative reconciliation program in partnership with Stó:lō agencies
The University of the Fraser Valley is collaborating with a group of Stó:lō agencies to offer an educational program that will help participants enhance their capacity for reconciliation building. Xwelítem Siyáya: Allyship and Reconciliation Building will be offered by the UFV Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC), in partnership with the Stó:lō Nation, the Stó:lō Tribal…Preserving language, embedding culture — Donors support Indigenous initiatives at
For too many decades, forces of colonization actively worked to deny young Indigenous people access to their own language. And language is critical to culture. Reconciliation with Stó:lō people is a significant priority for UFV, and a diverse group of donors have played a role in funding the preservation of Halq’eméylem language, and supporting Indigenization…New Indigenous film course aims to dispel stereotypes and uncover
At a UFV Indigenous Studies faculty meeting in early 2022, an idea and opportunity for collaboration for an inclusive new course originated organically. Dr. Mique’l Dangeli and Dr. Keziah Wallis, both relatively new faculty members at UFV, immediately bonded over their shared passion for Indigenous cinema while simultaneously appreciating each other’s unique career backgrounds: Dangeli, the…Vision & values lead to new Campus Card with Indigenous
Receiving and using an employee card is generally a standard, non-glamorous formality for new hires in any company or organization. The card’s functions are transactional, typically used to access buildings, take out library books, and perform other routine tasks. But for many, an employee card can also represent a sense of identity, belonging, and a…
