xéʔelɬ KPU Pathway to Systemic Transformation
Territorial Acknowledgement
m̓i ce:p kʷətxʷiləm (Welcome everyone)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Journey to Reconciliation
The xéʔelɬ Pathway to Systemic Transformation Framework is Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s response and commitment to upholding the responsibilities expressed through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, the Calls for Justice stemming from the Nation Inquiry into Missing and Murder Indigenous Woman, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The xéʔelɬ framework was developed with support from the Indigenous Advisory Committee at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. It commits KPU to an ongoing process of systemic transformation through actions detailed in six pathways:
- Reflecting upon our own biases: Examine beliefs and biases about Indigenous peoples and cultures.
- Open to the Community: Create a system that is culturally responsive and ready for all learners.
- Indigenous Voices Matter: Strengthen relationships and partnerships with Indigenous people.
- Holistic Learning and Well-being: Weave Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, being, and becoming in education.
- Weaving Indigenous Worldviews: Foster sense of belonging, personal growth, well-being, and empowerment.
- Thought Meets Action: Commit KPU to annual funding to build capacity for Indigenization across all five campuses.
-
Allison Hotti
"There is a great deal of knowledge and intelligence housed in the libraries at KPU and we are beginning to understand that a great deal more is embedded in the land, waterways, and territory that she sits on. I was a student here in the late 90s and I am privileged to teach here now. I am so happy to be witnessing the direction that KPU is taking in looking towards the pre-colonial knowledges, intelligences, and longer histories of this territory."
Allison Hotti
Rabbitskin Dene and Dunne-za Nations
Indigenous Studies Instructor -
Melinda Bige
"Structures are complex systems that were built from an imperialist framework typically excluding Indigenous peoples. Those ideals came to be embedded into our educational structures. Like gardeners we have to have a look at these structures like plants that have been placed in Indigenous soil. We need to assess where they have taken over completely and suffocated out the berries that feed us. This requires strength, humility, and knowledge that is collected through observation. Together we can work in the garden and restore diverse ecosystems that over time these new plants have overrun."
Melinda Bige
Denesuline & Nehiyaw ts´ékuı/iskwew Nation
Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts -
Samantha Jack
"I believe decolonization deserves space in many institutions, but especially in post-secondary education. The act of decolonization is aimed at unpacking the lingering and harmful effects of colonization, and in removing that we create space for Indigenizing practices, and other ways of knowing, understanding, and being. In order to thrive in an academic environment, it is important to seek new perspectives and in their understanding, we may find a deep sense of awareness and/or innovation."
Samantha Jack
Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Yale Nations
KPU Alumni -
Rachel Chong
"xéʔelɬ is a pathway to systemic transformation. It centers Indigenous voices when we are often pushed to the margins. It embraces Indigenous orality and land-based learning as a legitimate way of knowing in a text-based institution, and honours Indigenous concepts of “ownership” - stewardship and responsibility - that conflict with Western notions of property."
Rachel Chong
Métis
Indigenous Engagement and Subject Liaison Librarian
hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓
hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ is the language spoken by people of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Tsawwassen, Kwikwetlem, and Musqueam First Nations. Part of our responsibility for systemic transformation includes honouring Indigenous languages at KPU. We believe it is our role and responsibility to listen and learn Indigenous languages and follow revitalization work led by Indigenous Language Keepers. The following words or phrases are found in the xéʔelɬ document.
xéʔelɬ (Pathway)
təməxʷ (Land)
Pathway 1. Reflecting Upon Our Own Biases
nəc̓əʔmət ct (we are united/community)
Pathway 2. Open to the Community
sɬiʔaʔəqʷt (future generations)
Pathway 3. Indigenous Voices Matter
ya:y̓əstəl̕ (work together)
Pathway 4. Holistic Learning and Wellbeing
sɬənət (to weave)
Pathway 5. Weaving Indigenous Worldviews
ʔi łé ʔé (Let's Go)
Pathway 6. Thought Meets Action
snəwey̓əɬ (cultural teachings)
səy̓em̓stəxʷ (respect)
cakʷ xʷəʔəy̓ (become better)
ʔəy̓ tə ya:y̓s (good work)
Visit the Indigenous languages web page for more words and phrases.
KPU Indigenous Hub
Discover all the services, initiatives, and events available for students, staff, and faculty at KPU by visiting the Indigenous Hub.
Commitments/Activities at KPU
Indigenous Activity
Faculty of Academic & Career Preparation
Indigenous Reading Circle
In January 2020 the Faculty of Academic & Career Preparation began a series of Indigenous Reading Circles. All ACP faculty and staff are invited to...
Faculty of Arts
Open Doors, Open Minds
Thanks to support from the Ike Barber Fund, KPU will host a one-day forum titled: Open Doors, Open Minds https://www.kpu.ca/opendoors to introduce and...
Supporting the development of Indigenous Studies
Supporting comprehensive decolonization in the Faculty of Arts, enhancing enrolment and retention of Indigenous students at KPU, supporting KPU...
Breaking Barriers through the Resurgence of Indigenous Arts and Culture
In Fall 2018 Diane Purvey worked with Pamela Pittman in the KPU Foundation Office to put together a proposal for a Vancouver Foundation Arts and...
Inside-Out Prision Exchange
ARTS 3200: This 2019 KPU Inside-Out course will take place at KWÌKWÈXWELHP Healing Village, a minimum-security institution near Harrison Mills. With...
Native Court Workers and Counselling Association of BC Event
KPU hosted the Native Court Workers and Counselling Association of BC’s 45th Anniversary event. This event was open to the KPU community as well as...
Indigenous Disability Awareness Month Event
This event recognized Indigenous Disability Awareness Month in BC and identified many of the issues facing indigenous people with disabilities. This...
Landscape Art Exhibition
Fine Arts special topics course: FINA 3202 - Politics in Landscape"
“Politics in Landscape” is a third-year special topics Fine Arts course, which...
Union-based approaches to decolonization, Indigenization and reconciliation
Co-applicants on a SSHRC Partnership Grant (with Dr. Shelly Johnson, Principal Investigator).
The goal of our Indigenist-led proposal is to create a...
Walking Tour - Fern Gabriel & Kelly Yates - Kwantlen First Nation
The tour met at Lelem Cafe in Fort Langley and then Fern Gabriel and Kelly Yates walked the tour group around the area and gave a presentation that...
LGTBQ/Two Spirit themes with Tsimshian youth
I am from the Tsimshian First Nation on my father's side. I am currently in Kitsumkalum, the Tsimshian reserve near Terrace BC, working on a podcast...
Role of Philanthropy in supporting Indigenous communities
ANTH 3190: Includes Canada Revenue Agency guidelines around First Nations communities as Qualified Donees and the role of philanthropy in supporting...
Culture and Environment
Culture and Environment – specifically deals with the intersection of indigenous rights and environmentalism in B.C. and Canada - ANTH 2160
Social and Cultural Anthropology
Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology – involves First Nations history and culture - ANTH 1100
Carnegie Community Engagement Classification Canadian Pilot
As the Fellow in Experiential Education and Community Engagement, Larissa Petrillo serves as the KPU representative at Carnegie Community Engagement...
Kwantlen First Nation Partnership with Anthropology
Decade-long partnership working alongside Kwantlen First Nation. Partnership activities have included experiential learning with Anthropology and NGO...
Land Rights of the Original Nations
A public symposium at KPU Surrey Conference Center, March 20th, 2019
Featuring:
Welcome from Katzie or Kwantlen Elder (TBA).
Sharon Venne,...
Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam): Ancient and Contemporary Stories
A public symposium at the Melville Centre for Dialogue, March 18th, 2019, Richmond
Featuring:
Mr. Terry Point, Traditional Musqueam Story-teller...
Indigenization and Decolonization at KPU: Sharing and Learning
Week of Indigenization at KPU - Monday, March 18th to Friday March 22nd, 2019:
(all events were free and open to all)
SSHRC proposal led by Dr...
Powerful Medicine: Honouring Indigenous Story
“Powerful Medicine”: Honouring Indigenous Story celebrated Indigenous stories in different forms (film, text, oral story) and highlighted important...
Virago Nation – Indigenous Women’s Resistance
Brought to KPU by Dr. Jennifer Hardwick (ENGL) through a SSHRC grant.
Virago hosted a workshop as part of Indigenization and Decolonization at KPU: A...
Virago Nation – An Evening of Indigenous Burlesque
Brought to KPU by Dr. Jennifer Hardwick (ENGL) through a SSHRC grant.
Virago Nation is an Indigenous Burlesque Group that is using the art of...
Powerful Medicine: An Evening of Indigenous Stories
This evening featured five Indigenous speakers who shared their stories and their family’s stories. They shared how colonialism affected their homes...
Medicine in Our Very Bones
Virago Nation is an all-Indigenous burlesque collective that seeks to reclaim Indigenous sexuality from the toxic effects of colonization by...
Supporting the development of Indigenous Studies
Supporting comprehensive decolonization in the Faculty of Arts, enhancing enrolment and retention of Indigenous students at KPU, supporting KPU...
Supporting the development of Indigenous Studies
Supporting comprehensive decolonization in the Faculty of Arts, enhancing enrolment and retention of Indigenous students at KPU, supporting KPU...
Circles in Restorative Justice courses
Students experience a circle process every week where they are invited to share their stories and hear from each other. Also, various guests join us...
Canadian Culinary Imaginations
Dorothy Barenscott and Shelley Boyd are co-editing a forthcoming edited collection Canadian Culinary Imaginations that is under contract with McGill...
Indigenous Lunch and Learns
The Faculty of Arts has been hosting Indigenous Lunch and Learns during the Fall of 2018 and Spring of 2019 for our staff by watching “First Contact”...
Wilson School of Design
Amazon Interdisciplinary Field School
“…everyone is someone else’s other”. - Mary Gentile -
The Amazon Interdisciplinary Field School (AIFS) is a partnership between KPU and the...
Interior design vertical studio
Interior Design students are linked with the Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kwantlen First Nation. Lucie...
Decolonizing design, other ways of knowing
My students, my colleague Lindsay Norris and I worked on an interesting project in fall 2018. We started by agreeing on some basic definitions:
Defin...
Melville School of Business
Faculty Learning Community
In Spring/Summer 2019, the Melville School of Business will launch a Faculty Learning Community for Decolonization, Reconciliation, and Indigenization...
Curated site for sharing Indigenous resources
Employment Resources for Business Indigenous Students | KPU.ca - Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Essays, book suggestions, guides, podcasts, videos...
UBC MOOC: Reconciliation in Indigenous Education
At least 15 faculty members have enrolled in the UBC MOOC "Reconciliation in Indigenous Education" course.
This adds to the five other faculty and...
OER for Consumer Behaviour
Andrea Niosi supported 34 fourth-year marketing students in creating an open education resource (OER) called the Open Guide to IMC (integrated...
Melville School of Business Indigenous Student Bursary
Marsha and Andrea have set up a bursary at KPU for Indigenous students enrolled in the Melville School of Business. Marsha has generously allocated...
Using the Privilege Beads as a teaching strategy
During the Spring 2018 term, Christina engaged second year students in her Organizational Communications class with the Privilege Beads exercise...
Scholarship for Indigenous students enrolled in Business
Melissa and Deirdre developed a scholarship for Indigenous students studying in the Melville School of Business.
The first award was given in 2018.
OER for Business Communications (Indigenous focus)
Arley is a recent grant recipient at KPU that has developed an Open Educational Resource (OER) for Business Communications, receiving an award from BC...
Event planning - Indigenous Awareness Month
Amanda will be running two sections of an ENTR course in the summer of 2019 that will involve students in the organization and management of an event...
Faculty of Science
Identification, description & Indigenous uses of plants native to BC
A number of field trips focus on native and exotic plants. Students are expected to be able to identify and describe numerous plants and their...
CADD Access Program for Indigenous People (CAPIP)
Math upgrading using Math books from Eagles of Tomorrow Education Society (EOTES).
English upgrading using Indigenous fictional material. The Math...
The Learning Farm
Urban Agriculture - HORT 3270
This is a large project I have been working on for two years as part of my role as Director of Langley Sustainable...
The Wapato Garden Project
“For educators, Aboriginal or not, it is not enough to rebel against injustices unless we also rebel against our lack of imagination and caring”...
Logan Creek Integrity Project
“Every school is either a site of reproduction or a site of change—education can be liberating or it can domesticate and maintain domination”...
Back to the Urban Ecosystems Program
Thoughts about Indigenizing Urban Ecosystems and Horticulture. In conventional Western educational practices and university structures, eurocentric...
Canadian Society of Landscape Architects
Chair of 2019 National Congress.
Theme: Acknowledgement, Awareness and Engagement – Landscape Architecture and Reconciliation, May 7-9, 2019 in...
Verna J. Kirkness Foundation
Introducing Indigenous high school students to the Urban Ecosystems program.
Note – the Foundation is sponsoring a week of STEM-related experience...
Indigenization and Decolonization at KPU
A Week of Sharing and Learning Monday, March 18th – Friday March 22nd, 2018.
HORT3251 Landscape + Environment will be hosted “You are Here: Land...
Urban Ecosystems - School of Horticulture
What is “Indigenization”? The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015) called on governments, funding agencies, universities and Canadians to...
Sharing Circle - Introduction to Human Biology
I began the first class with a sharing circle, as I experienced myself from an Indigenous chief at the EECOM conference near Cranbrook in fall 2018...
Indigenous ways of being - Interdisciplinary Expressive Arts
I use Robin Wall Kimmerer’s fantastic book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, as a required...
Student visit Indigenous villages in remote Amazon Rain Forest
Amazon Field School - ARTS 3100
Students visit traditional malokas (long houses), hear a shaman speak, and interact with local Indigenous peoples as...
Sharing Indigenous Worldviews
BIOL 1110/1112/2322 (and other biology labs)
Sharing Indigenous worldviews, and have students consider the importance of Indigenous worldviews...
Office of Research
Mount Curry Band
ISFS staff met with Chief Nelson a few years ago at his request. He expressed interest in a farm school. They have significant agricultural land.
Skatin First Nation - fruit tree canopy management training
There is need for pruning, the community has a lot of fruit trees but no capacity to prune them. They have asked us to put on fruit tree canopy...
Squamish First Nation - community garden project
The community garden project seems to be doing well, interest and uptake at the community level has been high. They are interested in doing something...
Shalalth First Nation (Seton Lake) – possible food systems project
Council Member William Alexander is interested in speaking with regarding ISFS food system opportunities.
We don’t have much detail but will follow...
Okanagan Nation Alliance - Okanagan Bioregion Food Systems
We are in discussion with the Executive Director and other staff of the Okanagan Nation Alliance in regard to our Okanagan Bioregion Food System...
West Bank First Nation- Okanagan Bioregion Food Systems
Batra met with the intergovernmental affairs assistant at the Indigenous Agriculture Forum. She expressed that her nation is eager to develop their...
Carcross-Tagish First Nation and Trondëk Hwëch’in First Nation
In 2009, the ISFS worked with members of these two communities in the Yukon to ascertain community food system predilection and aspirations.
Reports...
Trondëk Hwëch’in First Nation (Dawson City, Yukon)
In 2016 ISFS staff worked with THFN to develop their community farm and farm school vision. We then developed the development, implementation, and on...
Stó:lō Nation and Possible Food Systems project
There is strong, growing evidence that local production of foods and a community-oriented food system can contribute to the health of communities...
First Nations Health Authority and Possible Food Systems Project
Kathleen Yung, the food security lead at FNHA is willing to support our partnerships with FN’s. She recognizes the need for food production in the...
Indigenous Agriculture Forum
Kent Mullinix and Caroline Chiu were invited to speak at the Annual Indigenous Agriculture Forum two sequential years, 2017 and 2018. Kent Mullinix...
Gitanmaax Band – Possible Farm School Project
ISFS was contacted by some members of the Gitanmaax Band and non-members partners in early December regarding the possibility of starting a farm...
T'Sou-ke Nation - Potential Greenhouse Project
ISFS was first approached by Andrew Moore, the First Nation Special Projects Manager in April 2017. T’Sou-ke Nation has greenhouses that were in...
Tsleil-Waututh Nation – Possible Urban Farm Project
Since July 2018, ISFS has been having ongoing conversations with Peter Vlahos, the Director of the TWN Health Department. The Nation is interested in...
T'it'q'et Nation and First Nations Food Systems (FNFS) Project
The annual gathering of the Interior region of First Nations Food Systems (FNFS) project was hosted by this community. After a big wild fire in 2012...
Tsawwassen First Nation Sustainable Agriculture Project
Farm School - Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) approached ISFS in in 2014 to discuss the potential collaboration between them and KPU. TFN knew that they...
Tsawwassen First Nation Sustainable Agriculture Project
Farm School - Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) approached ISFS in in 2014 to discuss the potential collaboration between them and KPU. TFN knew that they...
Institute for Sustainable Horticulture (ISH)
ISH is participating in the Verna J. Kirkness Foundation visit in April-May 2020 of Indigenous youth to campus. Some of them will spend their days in...
Faculty of Health
Cultural Safety Through Humility
Cultural safety is a term that was brought into the nursing literature by a Maori nurse and it has become a required competency for registered nurses...
Concept exploration and application for Culture
Building awareness, sensitivity, safety, and humility (NRSG2145 L11)
In addition to the community events and experiences scheduled for this semester...
Student placements in Haida Gwaii
NRSG 4242 - CNP2 - SEM 8's (BSN's 10-week Final Preceptorship).
We have a student placed in Haida Gwaii Hospital in Queen Charlotte Village. It is...