Revitalizing Indigenous Strength and Education (RISE) events took place over the month of January with Indigenous sexuality as its theme. The campaign has been held yearly since 2007 and aims to celebrate Indigenous strength and culture.
Fredrick Stoneypoint, a first-year student in the Aboriginal Enriched Support Program (AESP), said initiatives like RISE help foster friendships and bring awareness to the Indigenous community at Carleton.
“I believe that I can speak for many other marginalized communities at Carleton in saying these awareness events need to happen throughout the year; not just for a month,” Stoneypoint said.
RISE is organized by the Mawandoseg Centre, one of two Indigenous centres at Carleton, along with Ojigkwanong.
Ojigkwanong, part of Carleton’s Centre for Aboriginal Culture and Education (CACE), states on their website that it is “open to the campus community to learn about and practice First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures, traditions and worldview.”
“The centre serves as a home away from home for many Indigenous students,” Naomi Sarazin, the Aboriginal culture liaison officer at Carleton, said. “They come here to study, connect with other students, and participate in cultural events.”
Indigenous students at Carleton
There are over 800 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students at Carleton, according to Sarazin.
Sarazin said Carleton recruits Indigenous students yearly with Soar like a Raven, a recruitment initiative that tours through Ontario and Quebec to speak to Indigenous students about pursuing post-secondary education.
The campaign is run by the CACE, which aims to provide a smooth university transition for Indigenous students by connecting with them right away. One way they do this is by inviting new students to Ojigkwanong upon registration.
Another way Carleton tries to accommodate Indigenous students is by offering them additional bursaries, while they remain eligible to receive regular entrance bursaries. Carleton’s website displays the comprehensive list of Indigenous bursaries along with potential external bursary and scholarship options.
“I think there are so many resources available that the transition [to university] is smooth for the most part,” Ethan Itwaru, an Indigenous first-year communications and media studies student, said.
“Ojigkwanong is very welcoming and while focused on being a centre for Indigenous students, it’s open to all who wish to join and be a part of that community,” he said.
“Many of us relocated to Carleton from homes and families miles away and that sense of community is invaluable as a support system,” Stoneypoint said of the centre.
Itwaru said the events held by Ojigkwanong are great for sharing Indigenous culture with the rest of the community.
“Some people haven’t experienced a beading circle before and might want to see what it’s like,” he said. “These events show how others live and stay rooted in their culture while including those that want to participate.”
Rodney Nelson, an Aboriginal Enriched Support Program co-ordinator, said Indigenous students face many challenges at post-secondary school, such as being separated from their communities’ support.
“I call it the ‘community backpack’ that all Indigenous people carry. They have tremendous responsibilities to their families, community and culture. That is a lot of extra pressure,” Nelson said.
According to him, suicides in Indigenous communities have an adverse effect on students.
“Every year, we have students that have a friend or family member that is lost to them,” he said.
Carleton’s “Road to Reconciliation”
Carleton is built on unceded Algonquin territory. The land is recognized during the beginning of Board of Governors and Carleton University Students’ Association council meetings, along with various other events on campus.
Hayden King, an Indigenous public policy and administration professor, said the land acknowledgement is helpful.
“[It’s helpful] to remind them of the relationship they have to the land and Indigenous peoples whose land they occupy,” King said.
Carleton’s Aboriginal Co-ordinated Strategy states students and faculty working through the concept of Aditawazi nisoditadiwin, or “being between two worlds with an understanding of both,” is a fundamental value of the university.
“We’ve tripled our Indigenous faculty, increased knowledge in classrooms, brought in an Indigenous health counsellor. Many things are happening,” Nelson said.
“Never before have I seen Carleton so together on Indigenous issues. From the president down to the students, everyone is working on making a difference. It’s showing but we still have a ways to go,” Nelson said.
Carleton’s Indigenous public policy states Carleton envisions an expansion of Indigenous programming and improved relationships with Indigenous communities by 2018.
Indigenous culture in Carleton academics
Indigenous studies and policy courses and programs are offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at Carleton, and more are in the works, according to Carleton’s website.
“I think universities need to work on supporting students above all else. That means, in part, promoting Indigenous and language curriculum and bringing Indigenous content into all disciplines,” King said.
“I think there’s much to discuss on the format and delivery of these courses to get it right but it’s a start. These courses should not be just about Indigenous history but the history of settlers and colonialism in Canada,” King added.
Carleton has been working to improve Indigenous relations at the university, though there is progress to be made in terms of reaching the goals mentioned in the university’s policy, according to John Kelly, co-director of Carleton’s Centre for Indigenous Research, Culture, Language and Education.
“There’s always something to improve, it’s still a challenge for Indigenous students to make it through university but we have really good support systems at Carleton,” Kelly said.
– Photo by Trevor Swann
