On Oct. 30, Dawson College students in Jonathan Egan’s Outdoor Education Activities course were fortunate to have Kanien’kehà’ka Elder and Knowledge Keeper Niioie:ren Patton of Kahnawà:ke speak to them out on the land. Surrounded by the beautiful trees and varied habitats of Île Saint-Bernard near Kahnawà:ke, students used old logs and moist ground as their…
Pat Romano (Faculty, Humanities) and Kim Simard (Faculty, Cinema | Communications) are beginning to implement the next phase of their Resist Violence project, which has been shared with administrators and educators across Canada and with faculty and professionals at Dawson’s Ped Days. The Creative Collective for Change is the name of a two-year project that…
Dawson students and employees will experience the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at Dawson College on Thursday, Sept. 30.
Click Read More for the homepage news story, which contains a link to all the programming and resources.
All events and resources about Orange Shirt Day are updated and housed here: https://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/campus-life-leadership/orange-t-shirt-day-events/ Community Artwork: :Using the design of alumnae Wakenhnhiióhstha Montour, Dawson College students will be invited to contribute to a collective community artwork honouring the survivors and victims of the residential school system. Students will be able to add their tile throughout…
In July, Michelle E. Smith (Faculty, Cinema l Communications) was named an Indigenous Vanier Scholar of McGill University.
Michelle's reaction to the news: "I was very excited, very surprised, extremely happy; when I read the acceptance letter my heart was beating so fast it felt like it was jumping out of my chest. I am really happy that the Vanier committee got behind me and my research."
That quote comes from the McGill Reporter. Click Read More to read the whole story.
(Photo credit: McGill University)
Dawson’s flags were lowered to half-mast on Monday morning to honour the 215 children who lost their lives at the Kamloops Indian Residential School and their families, and the countless others who never returned home from residential schools across Canada. The flags will remain at half-mast for 215 hours in total for each life lost.
First Peoples’ Week, the annual celebration of Indigenous peoples’ histories and cultures, returned to Dawson College after being pre-empted by the initial COVID-19 lockdown. The weeklong event took place March 29 to April 1 and featured a great selection of Indigenous knowledge keepers, representing many of the various Indigenous peoples in Quebec.
Event organizers included The First Peoples’ Centre, Campus Life and Leadership, The Decolonization and Indigenization Studies Certificate, and the Dawson Peace Centre. This year’s edition was hosted virtually. While it was different from previous years; it was no less of a success.
There were 16 activities in total, ranging from traditional knowledge sharing, painting, musical performances, and a comedy show featuring Dawson graduate Tai Leclaire, who has recently made his television-writing debut on the Peacock network sitcom Rutherford Falls.
Other highlights include a presentation from Aronhiaies Herne from Akwesasne, Mohawk Territory, on the ceremony cycle of the Haudenosaunee peoples. In addition, an Indigenous Fashion and Arts Roundtable was held featuring Anishnabe artist Cedar-Eve and Eeyou Elder Joanie Saganash. The round table was moderated by Metis-Salteaux artist Dayna Danger.
Student and faculty participation exceeded expectations, thanks in no small part to faculty who welcomed virtual presentations into their classes. The number of attendees was similar to what we would’ve expected if we were able to be in person. There was excellent student participation as well, which is what makes the programming worth the hard work.
Submitted by Tiawenti:non Canadian, Coordinator of the First Peoples’ Centre, Student Services
Lizzie Irniq and the late Mary Kiatainaq of Kangisujuaq, Nunavik share stories of life on the land, the brilliance of dog teams and their experiences learning and teaching for the First Peoples Post-secondary Storytelling Exchange.
Watch their video!
https://fppse.net/stories/myvoice/ (scroll down the page to find it)
Walking Out Ceremony is one of the many films you can find at fppse.net, the First Peoples Post-Secondary Storytelling Exchange website.
The six-minute film follows Dawson College student Alexandrea Matthews as she and her family hold a traditional Cree ceremony on the Dawson grounds. A Walking Out ceremony is a long-held Cree tradition that honours a child's first steps and their future role.
Members of the Dawson Community were present to witness this special event and celebrate a milestone with Alex's niece and her family. For Alex, whose home community is nine hours north, she was "so happy to bring something from my home to Dawson."
Click Read More to watch it.
For almost two years, Dawson’s white pine has stood near the Peace Garden just west of the main entrance at 3040 Sherbrooke Street West.
Click Read More to find out more about the significance of the white pine and to see a 14-minute video segment of Kanien’kehá:ka storyteller and Sub Chief Aronhiaies Herne's lecture at Dawson. This video is a suggested activity for Dawson's Earth Weeks.
Last Modified: November 3, 2021
