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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Indigenous Education and Cultural Services Events and Workshops

Indigenous Education and Cultural Services hosts regular events, including ceremonies, cultural workshops, and guest speakers. In addition to these events, we also host workshops and provide class presentations that introduce attendees to the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada, such as residential schools, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and how these continue to impact Indigenous peoples today.

One-on-one support is available for students who wish to learn more about Indigenous cultures from the Indigenous Cultural Advisor, as well as student mental health counselling from an Indigenous cultural approach. 

Bannock and Books

Join us for Bannock and Books, an Indigenous book club series designed to bring hearts and minds together as we explore various topics pertaining to Indigenous culture, ways of knowing and experiences. You’ll have some time to independently read the book and then we will meet for a Sharing Circle to explore and discuss learnings. 

The Bannock and Books October book club featured author is Jesse Wente. We will be reading Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance.

The Sharing Circle will be held in-person and virtually on Monday, December 5 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the First Peoples Indigenous Centre at Durham College. We will be serving Bannock!

Register to receive your copy of the book and to attend the Sharing Circle.

For more resources to enhance your understanding, check out the curated collection of books on missing and murdered Indigenous women, children, and two-spirited individuals.


Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Held annually on September 30, all staff, faculty and students are invited to participate; everyone is invited to wear an orange shirt and a picture will be taken of attendees to commemorate the day on campus. 

Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is designed to educate people and promote awareness about the former Residential School system, and the impact this system had—and continues to have—on Indigenous peoples. 

 

Indigenous photoVisiting Elder Program

The Visiting Elder program provides the opportunity to learn from an Indigenous Elder. Elders are important members of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit communities, and are recognized for their knowledge, experience, wisdom, harmony and balance. 

 

Contact indigenous@ontariotechu.ca for more information.