Trent expands indigenous studies

Trent University approved 11 new recommendations on National Aboriginal Day, including the naming of the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies and a new requirement that all students take at least 0.5 credits’ worth of classes with indigenous content.

Trent is the third university in Canada to institute mandatory indigenous course content.

Other recommendations include an lecture-talk series that will bring indigenous leaders to the university.

The new school is named for Chanie Wenjack, an Anishinaabe boy who died trying to escape a northern Ontario residential school in 1966. The university’s Wenjack Theatre was named for him in 1973.

“This is the latest effort in Trent’s well-known 48-year record of Indigenous reconciliation,” stated David Newhouse, director of the Chanie Wenjack school and chair of Indigenous Studies at Trent, in a release. “We will continue to honour the life of Chanie Wenjack and recognize the impact that residential schools had on indigenous peoples through the work that we plan to undertake at Trent.”

Other initiatives announced Wednesday:

Launch of new Indigenous Research Centre;

Redesign of Native Studies Reading Room into Centre for Indigenous Learning in the newly renovated Bata Library in fall 2018;

Creation of Indigenous Knowledges& Pedagogies Working Group;

Establishment of a permanent sub-committee of Undergraduate Studies Committee (USC) to recommend and periodically review courses on the Approved Indigenous Course list;

Review of Research Office portfolio and operations with aim of developing and/or adjusting current policies to raise awareness of, and respect for, indigenous people.

“National Aboriginal Day is a good day to celebrate these initiatives, but we are striving to make indigenous reconciliation part of our everyday work and consciousness.” stated Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor of Trent University.

In 1969, Trent became the first university in Canada, and only the second in North America, to establish an academic department dedicated to the study of indigenous peoples and indigenous knowledges. This led to the hiring of indigenous support staff, the creation of indigenous spaces and the recruiting of indigenous students. That history is outlined at trentu. ca/indigenous.