On September 16, SFU News announced that the Indigenous Host Nations whose lands SFU Burnaby resides on — the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) — bestowed SFU Burnaby with Indigenous place names for five locations.
The locations’ names are in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, respectively. Burnaby Mountain is xʷtatəl̕ləm ʔə ƛ̓ səltaɬ sme:nt / Xwta7ltáw̓txw tl’a Lheḵw’lhúḵw’aytn. Other SFU locations are as follows: the First People’s Gathering House is sƛ̓exənew̓txʷ / Tl’e7enḵáw̓txw, the Indigenous Student Centre is q̓pəθətew̓txʷ / Ḵxwúsemay̓aḵin, the Indigenous Curriculum Resource Centre is xʷəlməxʷaʔɬ tatəl̕ew̓txʷ / Xwtél̓ay, and the Indigenous Garden is spən̓əm / Npen̓em̓áy.
The project was led by the four Host Nations and the SFU Indigenous Naming Family. Host Nation refers to the Indigenous Nation’s traditional territory on which another community gathers. The Naming Family included president Joy Johnson and members of various departments. The Peak reached out to Indigenous executive lead at SFU, Chris Lewis, ancestral Sḵwx̱wú7mesh name Syeta’xtn, to learn more.
The incorporation of place names “was one of the first mandates that president Joy Johnson gave me four and a half years ago,” shared Lewis. He said that the journey to receiving Indigenous place names started with the Walk This Path With Us report, which called for the installation of Indigenous signage of place names.
“SFU had to do the work to earn the right to ask the Nations for a name. We had to clearly demonstrate that we were doing the work around truth and reconciliation, Indigenization, and decolonization.”
— Chris Lewis, Indigenous executive lead at SFU, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation
Lewis shared that SFU had to “earn the right to ask the Nations for a name.” He added, “We had to clearly demonstrate that we were doing the work around truth and reconciliation, Indigenization, decolonization.” One action by the SFU Library is the Indigenous Curriculum Resource Centre, which collects Indigenous knowledge resources and materials with the goal of “Indigenizing and decolonizing curriculum at SFU.”
Beyond SFU’s reconciliation efforts, Lewis explained there was “also a process of reconciliation amongst the Nations.” He noted that the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh have their own distinct, preserved language, whereas the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm, səlilwətaɬ, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm speak downriver Hul’q’umi’num’. “The process of reconciliation amongst the three is for them to agree to a name and how it’s spelled because they all don’t use the same alphabet.”
Lewis emphasized the Host Nations “have always utilized the land” we call Burnaby Mountain for “thousands, if not thousands upon thousands of years.” Director of səlilwətaɬ Nation’s Language, Culture, and Protocol Department, Gabriel George, shared with The Peak, “Embedding our language and culture here strengthens the presence of səlilwətaɬ across our traditional territory while also sharing valuable knowledge with SFU students, staff, and visitors.” Jessica La Rochelle, traditional name Lhkwemiya, director of Indigenous Student Services, shared with The Peak, “Seeing our languages and names reflected in campus spaces can create a real sense of belonging and connection.”
In a statement to The Peak, Kaylena Ryan, director of the Office for Indigenous Peoples, expressed, “Receiving an Indigenous name is not just about putting a different name on a building or a place. These names are gifts, and gifts come with responsibilities. The Indigenous names carry language, history, relationships, and teachings from our Host Nations who have cared for these lands since time immemorial.” She highlighted, “These names ask something of us. They ask us to learn whose lands we are on, to learn the languages of the Nations who have gifted these names, and to build relationships that honour the trust behind the gift.”
The Peak asked Lewis what future place naming work across campuses may involve. He shared that, naturally, the next conversation “would be for downtown Vancouver,” and concluded that the work will happen when “the Nations and SFU are ready to re-engage.”
To learn the pronunciations, visit sfu.ca/content/sfu/main/about/truth-reconciliation/our-actions/indigenous-naming.html
To learn more about decolonizing the SFU Burnaby campus, watch Critical Understandings of Land and Water by the Centre for Educational Excellence: youtu.be/WkfLCqDPSq4?si=MZhT2walLkEcpySn
To learn more about the kind of works collected by the Indigenous Curriculum Resource Centre, visit lib.sfu.ca/help/academic-integrity/indigenous-initiatives/icrc/icrc-collections#fiction
