911勛圖

On September 29, 2026, guests were welcomed to s����ex��new��tx妢 (h��n��q����min����m��) / Tl���e7en廎腕﹁��txw (S廎硬x戔w繳7mesh), First Peoples' Gathering House at 911勛圖 (911勛圖) for the Uplifting Indigenous Faculty Blanketing Ceremony. The ceremony was the first held at 911勛圖 and honoured 21 Indigenous faculty who have achieved their promotions to Assistant, Associate, Full Professor and Emeritus status, as well as honouring Canada Research Chairs and one Canada Excellence Research Chair.

���Honouring and uplifting our Indigenous faculty is one way we can reciprocate their dedication and commitment, increase our visibility, and acknowledge how they are creating space and place for more Indigenous scholars to be welcomed into the academy,��� says Wenona Hall, Chair of the Department of Indigenous Studies. ���Among these honorees were several groundbreaking firsts. Between them, the honorees represented 23 different fields of study that ��� thanks to their leadership ��� now include Indigenous Peoples and our ways of knowing. The challenge in accomplishing this cannot be over-stated.���

Natahnee Winder, an Assistant Professor in Indigenous Studies, says the ceremony was an occasion to celebrate milestones, as well as encourage and inspire the next generation of Indigenous academics. ���There are so few individuals who land a tenure-track position in the academy. Everyone has a different journey or challenges that they have had to overcome,��� explains Winder. ���The ceremony lifts everyone together to stand side-by-side in the academy to acknowledge their journey as a collective for their many years of effort.���

The process of planning the ceremony was collaborative and several years in the making. "Natahnee Winder was instrumental in being persistent that this event manifest,��� says Dorothy Christian Cucw-la7, Associate Director, Indigenous Policy & Pedagogy. ���It is critical for the 911勛圖 community to see who the Indigenous scholars are and to hear about their accomplishments. They all do amazing work, and at this ceremony they were able to see each other, which is rare because everyone is so deeply involved in their own work."

Kaylena Ryan, Director of the Office for Indigenous Peoples, believes that acknowledgement and celebration are important aspects of building a community of care at 911勛圖. ���I want to acknowledge and thank my predecessor, Ron Johnson, for supporting this from the start,��� Ryan says. ���Indigenous faculty are breaking barriers and making space for future generations, and that deserves to be celebrated. I hope this is something we continue to make space for at 911勛圖, because Indigenous brilliance deserves to be celebrated consistently.���

The faculty members honoured at the Blanketing Ceremony were:

• Jask戔waan Bedard (Indigenous Languages Program): Assistant Professor
• Jonathan Boron (School of Resource & Environmental Management): Assistant Professor
• Jon Corbett (School of Interactive Arts & Technology): Assistant Professor
• Karrmen Crey (School of Communication): Associate Professor
• Dara Kelly (Beedie School of Business): Canada Research Chair, Associate Professor
• Amy Parent (Faculty of Education): Canada Research Chair
• Lyana Patrick (Faculty of Health Sciences): Associate Professor
• Deanna Reder (Department of Indigenous Studies & Department of English): Full Professor
• Nicholas Reo (Department of Indigenous Studies): Canada Excellence Research Chair
• annie ross (Department of Indigenous Studies): Full Professor
• Kicya7 Joyce Schneider (Department of Indigenous Studies): Associate Professor
• June Scudeler (Department of Indigenous Studies & Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies): Associate Professor
• Krista Stelkia (Faculty of Health Sciences): Canada Research Chair
• Zoe Todd (Department of Indigenous Studies): Canada Research Chair
• Eldon Yellowhorn (Department of Indigenous Studies): Emeritus

Several faculty members who were unable to attend the ceremony were also honoured:

• Cliff Atleo (School of Resource & Environmental Management): Associate Professor
• Raymond Boisjoly (School of Contemporary Arts): Associate Professor
• Peter Jacobs (Indigenous Languages Program): Retiree
• Michelle Pidgeon (Faculty of Education): Full Professor
• Jeff Reading (Faculty of Health Sciences): Emeritus
• Rudy Reimer (Department of Archaeology): Canada Research Chair

The ceremony was organized by members from the Department of Indigenous Studies, Indigenous Policy and Pedagogy Associate Director, the Office of Indigenous Peoples, and the Indigenous Student Centre. The Family Members (Steering Planning Committee) are:

• Syeta���xtn Chris Lewis, Indigenous Executive Lead
• Kaylena Ryan, Director of Office of Indigenous Peoples
• Gary George, Office of Indigenous Peoples��� Officer for Community Relations
• Wenona Hall, Chair of the Department of Indigenous Studies
• Dorothy Cucw-la7 Christian, Associate Director of Indigenous Policy & Pedagogy
• Daniel Iwama, Assistant Professor, Department of Indigenous Studies
• Natahnee Winder, Assistant Professor, Department of Indigenous Studies
• Ronda Landsfried, Undergraduate Advisor & Recruiter, Department of Indigenous Studies

The ceremony organizers would like to thank the following for their contributions and support: the Department of Indigenous Studies, Office of Indigenous People, Beedie School of Business, Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology, Faculty of Education, School of Public Policy, Empowering Indigenous Pathways, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Environment and Department of Archaeology.