‘Indigenizing the academy through relationships’ was this year’s theme at the 13th annual Indigenous Graduate Student Symposium (IGSS).

Held as a public event on March 7th at SFU Harbour Centre, the day featured cultural activities and scholarly presentations. Guests gathered to explore concepts and questions, and to deliberate ways in which the academy could be made more responsive to indigenous communities and learners.

“This wasn’t just an academic event; culture was very much a part of it,” says William Lindsay, director of the office for Aboriginal peoples at SFU.

There was also drumming, singing and a traditional cleansing ceremony early in the morning.

A new partnership

From left: Amber Shilling, Dr. Jo-ann Archibald and Cheryl Inkster | Photo courtesy of Amber Shilling

The symposium this year was unlike previous years. Though it is organized and hosted annually by UBC faculty and graduate students at the First Nations Longhouse, this year marked the first official partnership with UBC and SFU.

“We are doing it as a four-year project, and will evaluate thereafter if it’s something we will continue in the future,” says Lindsay.

He believes the collaboration this year was a success.

“UBC and SFU are the leading research institutions in the province, and we have similar numbers of aboriginal students attending our institutions which are quite high,” he says.

Recent years showcase growing numbers of Aboriginal students and faculty members at both institutions actively involved in learning, research, teaching and administration much of it with an Aboriginal focus and substantial community engagement.

“Both our institutions are going through processes of indigenization quite successfully, and this symposium is just another example of that,” explains Lindsay.

The aim is to provide indigenous graduate students with a greater opportunity to thrive in academics.

According to Lindsay, the process of indigenizing the academy has different meanings for different people.

“In my world, it means creating a welcoming environment at the university for indigenous peoples and their ways of knowing,” says Lindsay.

His personal vision is to someday organize an even larger, province-wide conference, with the involvement of several post-secondary institutions.

Presentations and prep

Courtesy of the Office for Aboriginal Peoples, SFU

Planning and preparation on event day was the responsibility of Cheryl Inkster and Amber Shilling, both co-chairs and co-emcees. This was their first time as part of the IGSS organizing committee.

“We read the research of presenters, sent out invitations to the ones who were selected, and contacted respondents for the keynote sessions,” says Shilling, a first year PhD student in the educational studies department at UBC.

Inkster, a master’s student in counseling psychology at SFU, found the theme of building relationships important, especially as people heard from older and newer generations.

“I hear a lot of seasoned professors, but to hear young scholars speak about their research is very inspiring,” she adds.

Inkster hopes she will be able to present her own research in the future, and was proud to be a part of this year’s event.

As for the conference itself, presentations were well rounded and multidisciplinary. Research was presented on a range of topics, including politics and land relations, protocols, ways of healing, nurturing the spirit and living harmoniously with nature, according to Lindsay.

For more information, please visit: www.sfu.ca/aboriginalpeoples.html