Indigenous Graduation Celebration Spring 2026
On Saturday, May 23rd, the First Nations House of Learning hosted its biannual graduation celebration at the First Nations Longhouse to honour participating Indigenous graduates from the Spring Class of 2026. Indigenous students were called into Sty-Wet-Tan Great Hall through its ceremonial door, whereupon each was ceremoniously transformed from student to graduate as families, friends, […]
FNHL Statement on 16th Anniversary of ‘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 to reflect Métis artist Jaime Black’s “REDress Project” in 2010, which included displaying red dresses as “an aesthetic response to this critical national issue.” FNHL […]
FNHL Presents: White water canoeing down the rivers of Indigenous Literature!?!? A Talk by Drew Hayden Taylor
On March 5, 2026, the First Nations House of Learning presented “White water canoeing down the rivers of Indigenous Literature!?!?,” an entertaining talk by acclaimed Indigenous writer and humourist Drew Hayden Taylor, who took the audience on a journey covering his wide-ranging career. Watch the following video to learn about the origins of his literary […]
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, out of 79 overall who graduated at UBCV this fall, called into Sty-Wet-Tan Great Hall through the ceremonial […]
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 […]