Indigenous Graduation Celebration Fall 2025
On Saturday, November 29th, the First Nations House of Learning hosted a graduation celebration to honour Indigenous graduates from the Fall Class of 2025. The event, held at the First Nations Longhouse, saw 27 participating Indigenous students called into Sty-Wet-Tan Great Hall through the ceremonial door. As each entered, they were ceremoniously transformed from student […]
Coast Salish Two-Spirit Mosaic
The Coast Salish Two-Spirit Mosaic challenges patterns of silence and affirms the First Nations Longhouse, X̱wi7x̱wa Library, and šxʷta:təχʷəm as places of welcoming, reflection, and respect. The Coast Salish Two-Spirit Mosaic is almost hidden in plain sight. Positioned at the end of q̓ʷeχt (Agricultural Road), where it meets sme:ntásəm (West Mall), the mosaic, measuring 7 […]
‘Reconciling’ book launch with Elder Larry Grant & Scott Steedman
Join Musqueam Elder Larry Grant and Scott Steedman for a conversation upon the release of their book, Reconciling: A Lifelong Struggle to Belong. The book tells the story of Elder Grant’s life—a personal and historical story of identity, place, and belonging from a Musqueam-Chinese Elder caught between cultures. Signed copies of the book will be available […]
Indigenous exchange student dives head-first into UBC life—and finds connection
Expect ‘a safe and welcoming community across Indigenous spaces,’ says the undergrad from Sydney, Australia Some university students spend a semester abroad and keep to themselves. It can be intimidating, stressful and, at times, lonely. They might gravitate towards other international students and keep securely within their comfort zones or just stay in their room […]
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 open letter concerning public denial statements
To the University of British Columbia community, A collective of approximately 30 Indigenous faculty and staff from UBC Vancouver recently gathered to discuss public statements that question or deny Indigenous rights, title, and the historical record of Indian Residential School abuses and deaths. We stand together as Indigenous peoples to express deep concern about these […]
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. […]