The University of Lethbridge’s annual Indigenous Awareness Week, Mar. 6-10, embraces the spirit of reconciliation by offering a host of activities designed to facilitate conversations and understanding.
“What Indigenous Awareness Week does is bring people together and build relationships,” says Dr. Leroy Little Bear, vice-provost Iniskim Indigenous Relations. “The more we talk to each other, the better we know each other, the easier it is to work together. In my words, it's all about relationships. If we have good relationships, it's much easier to work together and to cooperate.”
The week begins with a Pipe Offering Ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Mar. 6, followed by the official opening ceremony at 11 a.m. in the University Hall Atrium and a special Blackfoot Naming Ceremony for four esteemed members of the ULethbridge community.
Each day of the week offers several events, including the ULethbridge Art Gallery opening a special display of artworks by Indigenous artists from its collection on Tuesday, the signing of the Buffalo Treaty on Wednesday, 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.
A full list of events is available by visiting go.uleth.ca/iaw.
** Media are invited to a special media availability in advance of the opening ceremony, Monday, Mar. 6, from 10:30 to 10:55 a.m., at the Iikaisskini Gathering Centre (University Hall Atrium).
-- 30 --
Contact:
Trevor Kenney, News & Information Manager
403-329-2710
403-360-7639 (cell)
@ULethbridge
Our University’s Blackfoot name is Iniskim, meaning Sacred Buffalo Stone. The University is located in traditional Blackfoot Confederacy territory. We honour the Blackfoot people and their traditional ways of knowing in caring for this land, as well as all Indigenous Peoples who have helped shape and continue to strengthen our University community.
