An Indigenous welcome

This September, start the school year off in a good way at the Indigenous welcome to campus. Join students, staff, faculty and local Indigenous community members as we collectively celebrate a new school year.

Indigenous welcome to campus

Wednesday, Sept. 7, 12-1:30 p.m.
UVic quad (outside the McPherson library)
All are welcome

About the event

This year’s Indigenous welcome event will include:

• Welcome to the territory, prayer and an opening song – Christine & Eugene Sam from Songhees Nation
• Remarks from UVic President Kevin Hall and Vice-President Indigenous Qwul’sih’yah’maht (Robina Thomas)
• lək̓ʷəŋən, Kwakwala, Nuu-chah-nulth and Métis cultural performances

The event is an important opportunity for the UVic community to come together to acknowledge the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, and to experience and learn from the cultural knowledge, teachings and practices of local Indigenous communities.

“We’re excited to start the academic year off with a formal welcome and territory acknowledgement,” says Kundoqk, Jacquie Green, Executive Director of the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement. “It allows us to go into the year – our work and our studies – with an open mind and an open heart, being mindful of the land that we are on.”

All students, staff and faculty – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous – are welcome to attend.

We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.