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:…

Eryn Braley is thankful to have chosen a career in Indigenous public health that allows her to connect with her Indigenous identity. “I am so appreciative of the Indigenous mentors and peers who have guided me in my career and personal journey. Through teachings, connection, and ceremonies, I am connecting with who I am as…

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…

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…

Lisa Doell has learned a lot by taking the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program at the University of the Fraser Valley, but she’s also done more than a little teaching. For her efforts to help her professors and fellow students understand Indigenous culture and the issues faced by Indigenous people, Doell is this year’s…

From sleeping in a bed dug from Peruvian sand to educating along the plank sidewalks of Barkerville, Mike Retasket’s long and diverse commitment to learning and sharing complex Indigenous history is unparalleled. For this and more, he will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of the Fraser Valley this June. A…

Two women with UFV connections have been nominated for 2023 YWCA Women of Distinction awards. Recognized nationally, the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards is the organization’s primary fundraising event, honouring extraordinary women leaders and businesses. Dr. Lenore Newman — nominated in Environmental Sustainability category Dr. Lenore Newman is Founder and Director of the Food and…

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…

Ana Adamik, a 15-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, has been named Director of the AVP Indigenous office. Most recently, she was the executive assistant to the UFV Office of the Vice-Provost Academic, a position she has held since 2020. As director, Adamik will be responsible for helping raise the profile of the AVP…

A film with strong ties to UFV’s South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) recently made its debut at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).  Unarchived is a documentary (directed by Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok) backed by the National Film Board of Canada that explores the histories of communities that are often overlooked and excluded by…

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…

Near the top of each on-air interview, Victoria Surtees, the host and creator of the new UFV Ekta podcast series, asks each guest the same two-part question: “What is one time you have felt powerful and one time you have felt powerless?”  For the UFV students on the other end of those questions, it has…

This is what research looks like at UFV: pairing children with the elderly as dance partners, exploring cellular agriculture and indoor farming, collecting and preserving South Asian settlers' stories, and an innovative hub that fuels out-of-the-box thinking about health and social issues. Research here is different. It is impactful. It is curious and creative. It…

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…

Just behind the Lá:lem te Baker student housing on UFV’s Abbotsford campus lies a new, neatly manicured garden. Lush green shrubs blend in with an assortment of flowers, herbs and plants. Some are in full bloom; others are just sprouting.  Although it is serene, the garden — which spans almost 100 feet  — serves a…