Algonquin College marks National Indigenous Peoples Day

Posted on Friday, June 21st, 2019

Tureens of sweet-potato soup, fruit platters, bowls of salad, and baskets of bread. All this, along with flowers and sunshine, was there for those who came to Ishkodewan Friday to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day.

About 80 or so people – College leaders, students, and employees – enjoyed a noon-hour picnic on the lawn of the DARE District courtyard.

The event was intended to foster Indigenous storytelling and provide an opportunity for the College community to socialize in a beautiful setting. It was one of a number of National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations in the National Capital Region on Friday.

Blankets on the grass provided seating. A row of wooden pallets served as a table. Displays of rosemary, thyme, and cacti – donated by the Horticultural Industries department – served as centrepieces. A recording of David Maracle’s spirit flutes filled the courtyard with a haunting sound. Smudging with smouldering sage was offered to those who wanted the ceremonial cleansing.

President Cheryl Jensen was on hand, along with other executive team members, including Claude Brulé, Senior Vice President, Academic, and Laura Stanbra, Vice President, Student Services. Peter Nadeau, the outgoing Chair of the Board of Governors, also attended.

Cheryl said she was pleased to see people enjoying Ishkodewan as it was intended – as a space for coming together to learn from each other.

Ron (Deganadus) McLester, Vice President, Truth, Reconciliation & Indigenization, echoed that notion in offering picnickers Indigenous stories “to bring our minds together as one.”

In a short presentation, he linked the ideals of Indigenization with ecological health. “I would suggest to you that at a time of truth and reconciliation and Indigenization, there is no better time to be thinking about how connected we are, how similar we are, how much we share,” he said. “We all share the same waters, eat the same food, and breathe the same air.

“I would suggest to you today that we are all Indigenous.”


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