Humber Polytechnic community members say Indigenous visibility, language revitalization, and marketplace participation are key parts of cultural engagement and reconciliation on campus.
Aaron Sykes, a curriculum and pedagogy specialist with Indigenous Education and Engagement at Humber and a member of the Kanien’kehá:ka originally from the Quinte, Ont., area and a member of the Wolf Clan, said representation needs to be a part of all of Humber’s offerings.
“We need to incorporate indigenous ways of knowing and being across all departments and faculties at Humber, not just the liberal arts and sciences,” he said.
Sykes said Indigenous languages play a critical role in reconciliation.
“Our whole epistemologies, world views, and points of view and our stories are really in our language. Language, Language, Language, always helps to revitalize,” he said.
“It’s really, really important to have role models for young Indigenous people, to see Indigenous people in positions of authority and power, like associate deans and deans and faculty,” Sykes said.
At the Indigenous marketplace on Nov. 4, the Humber Library had a pop-up with books written by Indigenous authors with stories about all the various Indigenous cultures.
Stephanie Clark, a library staff member, said most people don't even know that the library has Indigenous authors.
Clark said the books were chosen through Humber’s library guides to highlight indigenous perspectives and storytelling.
“Anyone who comes to the Indigenous pop-up can check out any of these books,” she said.
The event also featured a handful of local artists and vendors.
Kay Chan, also known by their handle MakeSomething.K, was one of those vendors selling a myriad of art.
“As a maker of things, I need to make sure it is moving in a way that is being seen by others. This is a great way to be on the ground – physical space of being seen versus just another data cell on the internet,” they said.
Chan said markets usually bring in sales, but school-based events vary.
“Sometimes school-based markets can be a hit or a miss," they said. "Student income is a bit more focused on living versus cute little things, but if you've got a couple of bucks to spare for a cute little thing that makes you smile or just a little touch of culture, why not?”
The Indigenous Education and Engagement team hosts events such as the marketplace and the upcoming Indigenous knowledge gathering on Nov. 12 to 14 at both Lakeshore and North campuses.
Sykes said that this kind of student and community involvement contributes to a broader goal of reconciliation.
“Any amount of reconciliation is a good amount of reconciliation, imagining ourselves now in the present or in the future is a resistance to colonialism, asserting our present here and now in the future,” he said.
