Glossary
Tireless runner. Name gifted to the university in 1981 [confirm]. Learn more about the Kwantlen First Nation.
Along with Inuit and Métis, First Nations are Indigenous Peoples that are descendants of the original residents of the place now known as Canada. There are over 200 First Nations communities in British Columbia, and more than one million First Nations individuals in Canada.
A person that migrated to Canada and benefits from colonialism. Settlers are non-Indigenous peoples that form the cultural, economic and political Canadian society. Settlers can refer to themselves as uninvited guests since they are part of the colonial structure and have not been connected to this land since time immemorial.
Place of the river grass. Learn more about the Musqueam First Nation.
The downriver dialect of Halkomelem, and the language spoken by several First Nations in the Fraser Valley. Learn More.
Ongoing form of colonization that aims to eliminate Indigenous rights through repression and genocide. This may include exploitation of natural resources, creation of reserves and residential schools, and the appropriation of Indigenous lands and their ways of living. Patrick Wolfe reminds us that settler colonialism is “a structure rather than an event” that encourages “miscegenation, the breaking-down of native title into alienable individual freeholds, native citizenship, child abduction, religious conversion, resocialization in total institutions such as missions or boarding schools, and a whole range of cognate biocultural assimilations.” Learn more.
Land of the moss. Learn more about the Katzie First Nation.
Transforming education to include Indigenous ways of understanding and return power to Indigenous Peoples. Settler instructors should be mindful of cultural appropriation.
Means ‘big river’ in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓. Some Coast Salish Peoples, such as the Katzie and Kwantlen First Nations, use stɑl̓əw̓ to refer to what is colonially known as the Fraser River.
There are several possible meanings of Semiahmoo, including “half-moon”, “water all around,” and “hole in the sky.” None are confirmed. Learn more about the Semiahmoo First Nation.
Refers to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. From the Latin, ‘Indigenous’ means “springs from the land” or “born of the land.”
The people of the river. The Stó:lō territory includes more than 20 First Nations, and is part of the Coast Salish Peoples on either side of the stɑl̓əw̓ (Fraser River). Stó:lō means ‘river’ in Halkomelem.
Land facing the sea. Learn more about the Tsawwassen First Nation.
In Canada this umbrella term refers to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit collectively. Note that across the world there are more than 5,000 distinct Indigenous Peoples.
A way to recognize and respect First Nations, Inuit, and Métis (who possess significant connections to these lands) by acknowledging the territories you are currently on, as well as the ongoing effects of colonialism, oppression, and racism towards Indigenous Peoples in Canada. More meaningful territorial acknowledgements might be personal, consider cultural safety, and/or speak to privilege and institutional oppression. Learn more.
Resting place. Learn more about the Qayqayt First Nation.
Coined by Black, feminist scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality emphasizes that all oppression is linked. Racism, classism, sexism, ableism, ageism, and other forms of discrimination overlap and intersect particularly in relation to marginalized groups and individuals.
Originating from creation stories, Turtle Island is the continent of North America as referred to by some Indigenous Peoples including Anishinaabeg, Iroquois, and other nations from Northeastern territories.
Red fish up the river. Learn more about the Kwikwetlem First Nation.
A way to express a belief system, passed down from one generation to the next, without written documentation. In addition to spoken language, songs, stories, rituals, and ceremonies, oral tradition encompasses relationships, practices, and actions connected to the spiritual, social and economic aspects of people. Simon Ortiz defines oral tradition as “the consciousness of the people.”
Holding an Indigenous worldview alongside the Western/Eurocentric ways of seeing. Etuaptmumk is a Mi’kmaw word, and encourages seeing the world through one eye/perspective inspired by Indigenous ways of understanding, while with the other eye holding the perspective from Western ways of understanding. Elder Albert explains that “The advantage of Two-Eyed Seeing is that you are always fine tuning your mind into different places at once, you are always looking for another perspective and better way of doing things.” Learn more.
The subjugation of Indigenous Peoples in Canada through cultural genocide, including severing their relationship to land and community. Through colonialism dominance in economic, social, and political realms are maintained through exploitation.
The social and political contexts that shape’s one identity, such as ability, class, gender, race, education, privilege, and experience. This identity influences and can bias your perception and interaction with others.
Gender and sexual variance in Indigenous people including gay, lesbian, queer, and trans. The “2S” in LGBTQ2S refers to Two-Spirit. Traditionally they carry out specific and sacred roles in their communities.
When customs or elements from a marginalized group are inappropriately adopted or used out of context without acknowledging the effect on the marginalized group
An advantage or right acquired through social position, wealth, gender, and other factors. For example, white privilege can afford white people with societal advantages. This does not mean white people have not struggled and that all of their accomplishments are undeserved. White privilege is a built-in advantage connected to ‘the power of normal.’ Learn more.
Means ‘pathways’ in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓. Please review the xéʔelɬ KPU Pathway to Systemic Transformation.
Being aware of cultural differences and accepting these without value judgements. Through respect and understanding cultural sensitivity helps us consider other worldviews and value diversity.
The process of building relationships, honouring treaties, learning about Indigenous history and current cultural practices, taking responsibility to respect Indigenous traditions and beliefs, and related actions that build relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada as outlined by the 94 calls to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Report.
Stolen land that has not been legally given up to the Crown or Canada. Roughly 95% of British Columbia is unceded First Nations territory, which is land that has never been bought or sold. Learn more.
Disrupting and deconstructing colonialism. Decolonization should not be taken as a metaphor. Decolonial work dismantles colonial structures and thinking, and returns Indigenous lands to Indigenous Peoples. Learn more.