By: Izzy Cheung, Staff Writer
Content warning: mentions of colonialism, residential schools, and unmarked graves.
Decolonizing SFU has to be about more than just taking a day off and wearing orange. While these are small steps in raising awareness, higher education institutions — not just SFU — have to commit to doing more.
Think about the systems we have in place
“Systems,” in this case, lumps a lot of things together. The education system, social systems, institutions that we encounter in our daily lives . . . we need to think about what systems we currently have in place, who formed these systems, and with what ideologies in mind. I took a class on communication, technology, and social justice in my third year — CMNS 353 — and our professor specifically encouraged us to look beyond the systems themselves in order to determine what it was about them that was harmful. A lot of the systems we currently have in place were sculpted based on ideas that specifically excluded Indigenous peoples and forced their assimilation.
For example, the current foster care system has replaced residential schools due to underfunding, which leads to “lack of adequate, equitable services and education for children on reserve, which then funnels them into foster care.” This has resulted in high rates of children being separated from their families. Also due to underfunding, “people living on reserve are 90 times more likely to have no access to running water compared to non-Indigenous people in Canada.” The Indian Act, too, “forbade First Nations from forming political organizations,” denied their right to vote, and enacted many other restrictions that have shaped the relations and freedoms Indigenous peoples have today. These are all examples of systems that have hurt Indigenous peoples. Keeping this in mind and rethinking our current systems is a big step towards recognition and change.
Changes in curriculum
Canadian education systems place a very heavy emphasis on the western canon. I’ve sat in English classes that only covered British literature, but this doesn’t mean that British literature should be the only type of material being covered. In a similar vein, our history classes often emphasize places on the other side of the ocean, such as Britain, but neglect the history of Indigenous communities who live here, in so-called Canada. Briefly skimming through the summaries of history courses being offered by SFU this fall, I can see one 100-level course that mentions discussions of the colonization of Indigenous peoples. In contrast, there is an entire 100-level course being offered on the making of modern Europe. The emphasis on European history is especially problematic considering that schools teach so little about the histories of Indigenous peoples — people whose roots began here. In the faculties I’ve been involved with, I’ve found that specialization in Indigenous-specific topics don’t tend to pop up until the upper-divisions. Diversity in courses, specifically at a lower academic level, helps introduce people to important topics at an earlier stage in their academic careers.
The SFU Aboriginal Reconciliation Council’s report, “Walk This Path With Us,” from 2017 calls for “a required first-year course for all SFU students to provide fundamental knowledge about Aboriginal issues,” and cites universities that have already done so. It also suggests “Aboriginal breadth requirement courses” and adding “Indigenous content into existing courses and programs.”
As individuals, we develop personal biases early in life. Being exposed to Indigenous history and cultures at younger learning levels allows us to consider our own actions and behaviours, as well as how these may be harmful towards Indigenous communities.
Don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable
Many recommend taking a cold shower to start your morning off, as the cold water will shock your senses into waking up. Likewise, this short-term discomfort for long-term gain should be applied to the decolonization of our higher-education institutions. Lots of people may not be exposed to injustices until they become big in the news — and oftentimes, this is because of a lack of education and discomfort around the topic. Many people weren’t aware of the severity of Canada’s residential schools, or even their existence, until May 2021, when news broke of the 215 unmarked graves found at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops. However, consider what silence means for Indigenous folks. Having these difficult conversations, especially in fields of higher education, allows us to truly recognize the injustices and harms that Indigenous people face. Education isn’t supposed to be easy — in order to foster a better future, we need to face the past and present.
Listen to Indigenous voices, and act on them
Face it — we’ll never learn something new if we’re stuck being lectured to by the same professor. In a similar vein, professors will never be exposed to new material if they’re always teaching the same things. Students, faculty — pretty much everyone — need to remember to listen and consider the experiences of Indigenous people. We need to keep in mind that it’s important to include Indigenous knowledge in our institutions. Hiring members from Indigenous communities has to do more than just show diversity — they should be hired in high-level roles while also being mindful of systemic barriers. This means hiring practices should look beyond formal education, and acknowledge different means of knowledge keeping.
SFU currently has beautiful Indigenous art for display at both SFU Burnaby and Harbour Centre, in certain sections of the campus — and that’s great for visibility. However, in 2017, the Aboriginal Reconciliation Council asked “to increase that presence through an expanded use of art and signage.” Further, they write, “The use of public Indigenous art displays to [define] SFU campuses could serve as a reminder that the campuses are situated on an Indigenous landscape.” The First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Association called on SFU in March to “make a public statement apologizing for the harm caused to Māori Peoples by the proud display of Graham Gillmore’s art in this university,” but SFU has since stayed silent.
There is no strict, step-by-step guide for decolonizing our higher-educational institutions, but there are certainly things we can do — one of them could be consulting with the “Walk This Path With Us” report, and implementing these calls to action as soon as possible. But change must also come from within. Reflect on our histories, learn from the experiences of others, and listen with genuine intention to Indigenous voices.
To view resources and more information about decolonization, please visit the online version of this article.
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