As summer draws near, so does the opportunity for UFV students to dive into meaningful research through the BMO Collaboratorium.  Keith Carlson, Canada Research Chair and director of the Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC), has lined up several projects with community partners, and continues to look for more. The BMO Collaboratorium provides those partners with…

  In March 2024, a hard drive representing the culmination of a year’s worth of archival research returned to its rightful home. For most of the 20th century, Canada’s Indian Residential School system uprooted hundreds of young children from their community on Haida Gwaii. The forced separation of families left deep scars on the island’s…

Michelle Good is a Cree woman, an activist, lawyer, storyteller, mentor – and now a 2024 Honorary Degree recipient from the University of the Fraser Valley. Through her writing and activism, she has confronted the genocidal nature of Canada’s laws and policies regarding Indigenous people, in particular, the pervasive removal of children through the Residential…

Eddie Gardner was drawn to drumming and singing at an early age, from learning songs from Indigenous people back east where he grew up, to having Stó:lō songs come to him upon returning to his territorial and cultural roots. “Songs help connect us with our ancestors and bring harmony and joy to the work we…

The work of a UFV alumna was front and centre at last week’s Chowiyes-Xwithet/Rise Up--Wake Up gathering on the Chilliwack campus. Stó:lō artist Bonny (b.wyse) Graham (Dip GDC ‘86) created the powerful logo that was featured on the program cover and displayed on two large screens. Everyone who came to the CEP Gathering Place on…

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…

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…

Shirley Hardman remembers the shock she felt when a government clerk asked: “And what kind of Indian are you?” “How do you know I’m an Indian?” replied Shirley, whose Stó:lō name is Swelchalot. “I can tell just by looking at you,” replied the clerk. The thing is, at that point in her life, Shirley wasn’t…

Local Indigenous youth transformed cedar trees into repurposed materials while learning about their culture recently at UFV’s Gathering Place. The participants used coffee grinders to process cedar leaves into powder for medicine, and their families will receive wood from the trees for firewood. The tree gives up its life so that we can sustain ours…

Kindness and acceptance. Sometimes it seems these themes of Pink Shirt Day are lacking in our society. So when UFV Visual Arts student Chantelle Trainor-Matties designed her vision of a pink shirt for the anti-bullying effort, she looked to animals for her own inspiration. Pink Shirt Day is coming up on Wed, February 27, and…

Sitting among a village of gum-dropped, mostly European-style gingerbread houses, an austere cookie structure stands out, more distinct than its flashy candy counterparts. The tiny home is an artistic interpretation of a traditional Coast Salish dwelling, similar to abodes that were built for thousands of years along the banks of the Fraser River and its…

As the Witness Blanket exhibit at the University of the Fraser Valley draws to a close, the artist who created it will speak about his inspiration. Artist Carey Newman (Ha-yalth-kingeme) will visit UFV for the closing ceremony of the Witness Blanket exhibit, at 6 pm on Wed, Nov 8. The presentation will take place in…