Taking stock of progress

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/06/2023 (1181 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wednesday marked the summer solstice — the longest sunlit day of the year. It was also National Indigenous Peoples Day. A little after 10 a.m. that day, I was participating in a Teaching House around the Turtle Fire ceremonial fire pit at Brandon University. The weather was spectacular, the singing was amazing and the stories shared were very moving. I recalled this very spot four years ago, shortly after I arrived at BU.

The university was hosting a conference, with attendees from across Turtle Island (North America). We had raised a teepee as a way of welcoming people visiting Treaty 2 territory from distant points.

At the time, I was living alone in our new Brandon home. Kris and Madie were scheduled to join us after Madie completed high school in Treaty 7 territory (Calgary). I woke up that morning in my sparsely furnished digs (thank you BU for loaning me a mattress, a small table and a couple of chairs until our furniture arrived). My phone was buzzing with terrible news: Someone had burned down our teepee.

When I arrived on campus, the scene was devastating. Burned canvas lay in bundles. Charred poles were strewn on the ground. People stood ashen, many in tears; others were angry. It seemed like a scene from the news, when places of worship have been firebombed and members of the congregation are in shock. How could someone do this? What was the point?

Knowledge keeper Frank Tacan took charge — he re-stoked the fire and started the cleaning process. We all joined in. It was quickly decided that we would not give in to this kind of hatred. By midday, arrangements had been made to raise not just a replacement teepee, but five teepees, and prominently on the front lawn outside of Clark Hall. Conference attendees helped raise the teepees in a moving demonstration of resilience. Perhaps the most memorable moment for me was the voice of a man with a notable New York accent: “No one at home will believe I helped raise a teepee.”

Local politicians arrived to show their support. A quick call to Brandon Police Service Chief Wayne Balcan ensured extra drivebys from BPS patrolled the teepees overnight. We added our own extra security. It was a signal to me that I was fortunate to be at Brandon University, where we were part of a community of people who truly cared.

That one burned teepee spurred BU to acquire multiple new teepees. The conference sponsored construction of our first ceremonial fire pit, which we have since expanded. So here I was, four years later, sitting at the Turtle Fire location, between Clark Hall and the Knowles Douglas Building, sharing a Teachings House with a different group of individuals who continued the same commitment to love and respect as our visitors from four years ago.

After the Teachings House, I attended the opening ceremonies for National Indigenous Peoples Day at the Riverbank Discovery Centre. It was amazing to see so many elementary school classes in attendance and I was inspired by the people giving opening welcomes. Compared to four years ago, I recognize and know so many more community members than before — I feel a real part of this wonderful community.

Decolonization and reconciliation are journeys where sometimes the day-by-day progress feels slow. It can be frustrating. However, over the course of time — say a period of four years — it is sometimes possible to step back and see how far we have come.

The Indigenization of the BU campus has come a long way. You can now be reminded of the seven teachings as you walk into the library, for example. Or as you pass the Oyate Tawapi, the ceremony room in the Health Studies Complex. Our one teepee has become several. Our ceremonial fire pit has been installed, then dramatically expanded and enhanced, with traditional grasses and plants. It was designed to evoke the appearance of a turtle and has been given the name Turtle Fire. We have erected a soaring sculpture, Healing Together, that is a landmark on campus and a constant reminder of reconciliation.

And, on Wednesday, in part to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, we announced a major shift in our degree requirements. Every undergraduate will now be guaranteed to have meaningful Indigenous course content included as part of their BU degree. For now, this is a handful of courses, but the number will grow. Many faculty are working hard to find the best ways to incorporate non-settler worldviews, traditional teaching methods, or Indigenous content into their courses. There are exciting times ahead.

Summer is a fertile time for this kind of renewal. While the campus may be less bustling, we welcome essential programs like PENT, which educates Indigenous teachers over the summer while their schools are on a break. We are also welcoming the next generation of students through programs like Mini U. Staff are working hard to welcome incoming students with essential advising and preparing for Orientation — not to mention Homecoming.

Summer is also a time when many faculty turn their attention to research and writing, as well as to course revision. Some are tending to the bees at Bee U, for example. Others are in the field (sometimes a literal field) to hone their understanding of critical questions in their discipline. These are the unsung tasks that faculty tend to do every summer. For myself, I’m turning my attention to my own course outline, as well as writing a chapter for an edited book. It’s definitely not time off, even if I am able to do some of it from the comfort of the cottage, but it does mean this will be my last Brandon Sun column until the fall.

I encourage you to take some time over the summer to think about your own journeys over the past four or so years. Many of us may feel that time came unstuck for a bit there, but if you look back now at 2019, you might be surprised at how far you’ve come. Perhaps this summer is a time when we can all take stock, renew ourselves, and recommit to the things that matter most.

» David Docherty is president of Brandon University