University of Lethbridge celebrates Indigenous Awareness Week with Blackfoot naming, Buffalo Treaty signing

The University of Lethbridge kicked off Indigenous Awareness Week on Monday, March 6, 2023.

The University of Lethbridge kicked off Indigenous Awareness Week with the Blackfoot naming of four esteemed members of the university community.

Organizers say the goal of the week is to embrace the spirit of reconciliation by hosting activities designed to spark conversations and understanding.

"It's an opportunity to showcase our culture and the vibrant and beautiful components of our culture with, not only other Indigenous students, but pretty well everyone at the university," said Nathan Crow, the Indigenous student representative with the University of Lethbridge Students’ Union.

Crow has also been a key participant in the creation of the All My Relations Indigenous Students Association club on campus.

"It’s an Indigenous student club that was just recently ratified last month," Crow said.

"It's a continuation of the Indigenous Students Association that was formerly known as the Native American Student Association, which was actually ratified and created way back when Dr. Leroy Little Bear was a student."

"The group is to bring about students with common interests and also so that they have comradery when they're on campus," Dr. Leroy Little Bear added.

The U of L is hosting a variety of events throughout the week showcasing Indigenous culture and history.

Along with the activities, four members of the university were given Blackfoot names for the work they do on campus.

"My Blackfoot name, which means 'arrived a long time ago,' is Akaisamo'too. It means that you have an opportunity to be responsible to the community that you work in and serve, and for me, I don't take that for granted," said Martha Mathurin-Moe, vice-provost of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Along with Mathurin-Moe, Mike Whipple, executive director of the president and provost offices, Dr. Kerry Godfrey, Dean of Dhillon School of Business, and Dr. Erasmus Okine, provost and vice-president of academic, received Blackfoot names.

With a goal to bring people together and build relationships, the university will sign the Buffalo Treaty -the first post-secondary institution to sign the treaty - which helps restore the land.

"The tribes in the surrounding areas, and it's expanding, decided to sign a treaty amongst themselves for cultural restoration, ecological purposes," Little Bear said.

The signing of the treaty will take place on Wednesday.

The U of L will open a special display of artworks by Indigenous artists at the Art Gallery on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Dhillon School of Business faculty member Don McIntyre’s presentation on reconciling truth in a post-truth era on Thursday and a Blackfoot painting tutorial on Friday.

The full list of activities can be found on the U of L's website.