Indigenous Awareness Week is being celebrated at the U of L Mar. 11-15, embracing the spirit of reconciliation by offering a host of activities designed to facilitate conversations and understanding.
“What Indigenous Awareness Week does is bring people together and build relationships,” says Dr. Leroy Little Bear, vice-provost Iniskim Indigenous Relations. “The more we talk to each other, the better we know each other, the easier it is to work together.”
The week begins with an Opening Ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday in the Science Commons Atrium, followed by a mini-pow-wow and dance demonstration at 12:30 p.m., as well as a special Blackfoot Naming Ceremony for the Faculty of Fine Arts.
Each day of the week offers several events, including an Indigenous Artisans Market and the launch of “We are Iniskim” merchandise on Tuesday and Wednesday, a West Coast fashion show, a dance and singing demonstration on Tuesday afternoon, a decolonizing Wikipedia “edit-a-thon” and a smudge box workshop with Elder Shirlee Crow Shoe on Wednesday, a film screening and discussion of “Iniskim – Return of the Buffalo” on Thursday and a Métis meet-up Friday.
A list of events is available at go.uleth.ca/iaw.