Dancers Prepare for Grand Entrance
Photo by Shirley Collingridge
Dr. Winona Wheeler, Dean of FNUC, Saskatoon Campus, calls the university's building "humble." "We hustled to find ten tables that were the same size that we could put together in the middle," said Wheeler. "Then my staff went from office to office to find chairs that were the same." The roundtable "boardroom" was actually the school's largest classroom.
Yet when Their Excellencies arrived for the grand entry, they were met with pomp and ceremony. Drummed in by the Sweetgrass Drummers' Grand Entry Song, they Treaty 6 Flag Song and Victory Dance, they were dance in by students Donnie Rain, Lloyd Daniels, Lorne Gardippi, Garry Gott, and Professor Bob Boyer. Gott and Boyer carried in the FNUC Eagle Staff and the Treaty 4 Eagle Staff.
While Their Excellencies' purpose was to explore innovative approaches, initiatives and current projects that make Saskatoon a good place to live, Dr. Wheeler hoped the Governor General's visit would improve communication between Saskatchewan's postsecondary institutions and assist FNUC in securing long-term funding.
"I think it was the first time the president from the U of S has ever been to our building," she said. "That is important because we do similar things. There is overlap, there's competition, and we don't communicate." Wheeler says while communication is ongoing among some of the institutions, FNUC feels disregarded by its neighbour, the University of Saskatchewan (U of S).
"The U of S has a mandate that they want to become the centre of excellence in Aboriginal education in western Canada," said Wheeler. "We are across the river and they haven't even talked to us about their big goal. They have to hire our teachers to teach their language programs. So there is a whole lot of room and opportunity for us to talk. The Governor General did encourage us to get together," she added.
FNUC has a lot to offer - besides lending out its instructors. "People in the [academic field], just in the past five or ten years, are talking about the importance of indigenous knowledge and intellectual copyright. We've been doing that since 1976," said Wheeler.
Their Excellencies participated in a social work class, where students were seated in a circle rather than at desks, calling the experience the most enlightening part of their visit because they heard about the educational experience from students. One student who had been out of school for 28 years, spoke highly of her experience with FNUC and of the social, cultural, spiritual and emotional support provided.
While the university is geared toward Aboriginal students, said Wheeler, non-Aboriginals are welcome. One a non-Aboriginal student explained to the Governor General that she felt it was important to gain a better understanding of Aboriginal people since social work would involve working with them.
It is critical that everyone work together Wheeler said, because Aboriginal People are comparatively undereducated and underemployed which is, "Everybody's primary concern and what we are trying to do to help alleviate that and contribute to community development through postsecondary education was the primary theme," she said.
Funding presents a major challenge for all postsecondary institutions, but the First Nations University of Canada has a unique challenge because, says Wheeler, "We fall in a big jurisdictional gap" As an accredited university, FNUC should be funded by the province, yet as a First Nations institution, it ought to be funded by the federal government. "You've got the province saying Indians are a federal responsibility and you've got the Feds saying postsecondary is a provincial responsibility. We, as a result, do not get adequate core funding," said Wheeler. "We are expected to provide the same high quality university programming. We are expected to meet all of the responsibilities and obligations of a university for less than what the two provincial universities get, and we do it."
Many students don't have the academic skills required for first year classes. FNUC brings them up to par with the Student Transition and Retention (STAR) program which provides academic and non-academic support.
Besides the FNUC, Their Excellencies attended a variety of ceremonies including the swearing-in of 31 new Canadians. Her Excellency understands what it means to be a new citizen. "I came here as a refugee in 1942 from Hong Kong with my parents and one suitcase each," she recalled
Other stops included core neighbourhoods, the University of the Arctic at the University of Saskatchewan, meetings with elders, and a roundtable at the White Buffalo Youth Lodge. Their Excellencies enjoyed a traditional storytelling workshop given by singer, dancer and storyteller Joseph Naytowhow. A visit to the Muskeg Lake Urban Reserve revealed the successes and challenges of the urban reserve in Saskatoon.
Published in Saskatchewan Sage February 2004 Saskatchewan Sage