Indigenizing education is the focus of delegates to Camosun’s S’TEṈISTOLW̱ conference

The power of education is something that Indigenous peoples in Canada have long understood. This week, more than 430 community leaders, scholars and allies in Indigenous post-secondary education from around the world will gather, in person and online, at the fourth S’TEṈISTOLW̱ Conference (pronounced steh-nees-taoh) on Camosun College’s Lansdowne campus.

Camosun is one of the largest public colleges in Canada and serves roughly 1,300 Indigenous students. A growing number of students there take part in land-based learning and engagement with Elders as part of their educational programs.

The conference—running from Aug. 21 to Aug. 23—is hosted by Eyēʔ Sqȃ’lewen: The Centre for Indigenous Education & Community Connections. Its theme is ‘Where the Waters Meet’. “The theme is a reflection of convergence—the merging of diverse streams of knowledge, wisdom, and experiences,” says Todd Ormiston, executive director for Eyēʔ Sqȃ’lewen: the Centre for Indigenous Education and Community Connections

This year, a delegation of 40 will be attending from New Zealand.

Over the course of its three days, conference speakers and attendees will be challenging colonizing the practices that enforced assimilation in the past and that continue to influence Indigenous education today.

Some sessions include Indigenous curriculum design and data sovereignty, Walking together: transforming pedagogy through Etuaptmumk/Two-eyed seeing, and Building your knowledge bundle.

Student organizer Amanda Butler said, “We have a market happening every day. We brought in local Indigenous vendors and artisans, so people that are coming from across Canada and around the world are going to get to have a taste of some of our local crafts.”

In an interview at the Songhees Wellness Centre, Ormiston told Capital Daily, “I think back to our beginning roots back in 2007. We wanted to have a forum for primarily Indigenous educators to create pathways to move Indigenous education forward in a good way and what I’ve seen over 25 of years of being in post-secondary Indigenous education we often think about the struggles we have faced, which I think is important but I think the way of moving forward is advancing our way of being and our ways of doing is something we wanted to highlight and emphasize.”

For over a decade, there has been a significant push, among Indigenous educators for the Indigenization of public higher education institutions around the world. In her 2016 article 100 Ways: Indigenizing & Decolonizing Academic Programs Shauneen Pete, now chair of Emerging Indigenous Scholars Circle at Royal Roads wrote, “the objectives of academic Indigenization include increasing the number of Indigenous students and scholars at universities, embedding Indigenous practices, ideas, and principles into our academic pursuits, increasing course curriculums and that explore Indigenous world views, experiences and perspectives and reducing barriers to access to knowledge keepers and Elders.”

These objectives are reflected in the conference name “moving forward,” given to organizers by STOLȻEȽ (John Elliott) of Tsartlip Nation and in its theme, Where the waters meet.

Lane Trotter, president of Camosun College said, “While Camosun College has taken significant steps towards greater Indigenization and the conference is aligned with a vision for Indigenous student success, we know there is much more to do.”

The Indigenization of post-secondary education is part of a long wave of Indigenous resurgence that began in BC with the formation of the Allied Tribes of BC in 1916. Those unifying efforts were led by Indigenous leaders such as Peter Kelly (Haida Nation) and Andrew Paull (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation). Kelly trained as a theologian at Coqualeetza Institute and Columbia College. Paull was trained as a lawyer, but refused to be called to the bar because it would mean giving up his Indian status.

Today, Paull wouldn’t have had to make that choice. The first cohort of Canadian and Indigenous dual law students graduated from the University of Victoria in 2022.

Universities Canada’s 13 Principles of Indigenous Education (2015) included institutional commitments developing opportunities for Indigenous students at every level, to recognizing the importance of Indigenization of curricula, and developing resources, spaces and approaches that promote dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

“We all need to walk together,” said Ormiston.

In 2024, only 16% of Indigenous people in Canada hold a university degree whereas 23% have obtained a college credential. Over half of Indigenous students begin their post-secondary academic journeys at a college so it makes sense that that groundbreaking Indigenizing work is being done in the college landscape.

Graham Hingangaroa Smith, prominent Māori educationalist and deputy chancellor of Māori at Massey University in Auckland and who attended the 2017 conference said, “Indigenous people worldwide are still struggling with having an education that benefits them, takes them forward and advances their interests so the conference is important from that point of view.”

In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, many universities in Canada are making strides to include Indigenous peoples, cultures and ways of knowing, into their curriculums and strategic plans around research and recruitment. The University of Alberta’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Indigenous Canada has been wildly successful at raising awareness of the historical injustices of colonial Canada and explores the histories and perspectives of Indigenous peoples from a critical perspective.

As a counter to the historical harm that has been done to Indigenous people through the education system there are now 40 Indigenous-controlled institutions in BC.

“We are building partnerships with them,” Ormiston said, “but I also think that we can make inroads by working with non-Indigenous institutions to create that transformation we want and so having voices at the highest level, having our people involved in the highest levels and to be able to not only identify our struggles but our aspirations, is essential. It’s a long game.”

Keynote speakers at the conference include Hayalthkin’gem Carey Newman multi-disciplinary artist, carver, filmmaker, and author, Qwul’sih’yah’maht Robina Thomas, vice president Indigenous for Etalew̓txʷ | ÁTOL ÁUTW̱ at the University of Victoria, and Kim Anderson, professor at the University of Guelph and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Relationality and Storied Practice.