Victory Through Honour
Learn the story behind this pole and its connection to the UBC Thunderbird name. Outside of Brock Hall stands the Victory Through Honour pole, a significant gift connected to the Thunderbird name. On January 31, 1934, the University’s varsity sports teams became known as the UBC Thunderbirds. A high-ranking, mythical, powerful creature, the Thunderbird is […]
Raven Brings the Light
Tucked behind the Neville Scarfe Building, in a quiet garden, is an intriguing five-foot-by-five-foot mural that alludes to a fascinating story about how a clever trickster brought light to the world. The Raven Brings the Light mural, carved by Haida artist and former UBC student, Bernard Kerrigan, depicts this ancient legend associated with various Indigenous […]
All My Relations
Hidden in plain sight by the Iona Building entrance, the All My Relations pole reveals a quiet yet profound story. One of the joys of working at UBC is unexpectedly coming across delightful things that you can’t really anticipate. This happened to me earlier this year when curiously wandering into the fortress-like Iona Building that […]
sʔi:ɬqəy̓ qeqən: Musqueam Post
Standing tall at the eastern entrance to campus, the Musqueam Post, sʔi:ɬqəy̓ qeqən (double-headed serpent post), welcomes all visitors to UBC. The Musqueam and the University of British Columbia acknowledged their developing partnership on April 6th, 2016, with the dedication of a striking cedar post installed prominently on the Point Grey campus, which is located […]
ʔəlqsən: Point Grey
Uncover the meaning behind ʔəlqsən (Point Grey), a Musqueam artwork anchoring one of UBC’s main points of arrival. In 2020, ten cast bronze pieces created by Musqueam artist Brent Sparrow Jr., collectively known as ʔəlqsən (Point Grey), were installed on concrete pillars lining the walkway separating the UBC Bus Exchange from the new MacInnes Field. […]
Indigenous Graduation Celebration Spring 2025
On Saturday, May 24th, the First Nations House of Learning hosted a graduation celebration to honour Indigenous graduates from the Spring Class of 2025. The event, held at the First Nations Longhouse, saw 70 participating Indigenous students, out of 211 overall who graduated at UBCV this spring, called into Sty-Wet-Tan Great Hall through the ceremonial […]
FNHL Statement on “Red Dress Day”
Today, May 5th, is National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two Spirit People (2SLGBTQI+), also known as “Red Dress Day,” a term coined by Métis artist Jaime Black as “an aesthetic response to this critical national issue.” FNHL joins with Indigenous peoples and others everywhere to recognize this […]
First Nations House of Learning presents: Confronting Indian Residential School Denialism
On November 14, 2024, the First Nations House of Learning hosted an unique educational experience on the subject of confronting Indian residential school denialism, with panelists Dr. Sean Carleton, Associate Professor of History and Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba, Michelle Good, author of Five Little Indians, and Dr. Andrew Martindale, Professor at the […]
Truth before reconciliation
An attentive audience gathered over the dinner hour in Sty-Wet-Tan, the grand hall of UBC’s First Nations Longhouse, on Nov. 14, 2024. The event was a panel featuring noted lawyer and author Michelle Good and historian Sean Carlton. They were joined post-break by UBC’s own Andrew Martindale who spoke about the technical archaeology supporting the […]
Indigenous Graduation Celebration Fall 2024
On Saturday, November 30th, the First Nations House of Learning hosted a graduation celebration to honour Indigenous graduates from the Fall Class of 2024. The event, held at the First Nations Longhouse, saw 38 participating Indigenous students, out of 97 who graduated from UBCV this fall, called into Sty-Wet-Tan Great Hall through the ceremonial door. […]