On Indigenous People鈥檚 Day (June 21), the Dalhousie Libraries celebrated with members of the Indigenous community by opening a room they hope will inspire celebrations and programs on campus about Indigenous culture for years to come.
The Ko鈥檍ua Okuom, located in the Downie Wenjack Legacy Space on the first floor of the Killam Library, was developed to be a welcoming gathering place for Indigenous students, staff, and faculty to host and attend Indigenous ceremonies and events.
Samantha Adema, Dal's Indigenous Services Librarian and master of ceremonies for last Tuesday's celebration, recalled how excited she felt when she first heard about the initiative to develop an Indigenous community room in 2020.
鈥淚鈥檓 Mi鈥檏maw, I grew up here in the city, but I鈥檓 a member of Sipekne鈥檏atik, where my dad is from. I remember when I first came to university how out of place I felt,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I started here as a librarian, I saw my own experiences reflected back in the feedback we received from Indigenous students. Students reported that they wanted to see more representation of their culture in the library, more visibility of Indigenous resources, and more culturally relevant programming. With that in mind, I think that this room is an excellent step in breaking down some of those barriers.鈥�
鈥淚 really want this to be a space for L鈥檔u [Mi鈥檏maq] students, and the community, to feel represented and at home at pilipili漫画,鈥� she added.
Samantha Adema, Dal's Indigenous services librarian and Catherine Martin, Dal鈥檚 director of Indigenous community engagement.
Dancing place
The room鈥檚 name, Ko鈥檍ua Okuom, refers to an Indigenous dance of friendship.
鈥淭he Mohawk gave us that dance in friendship and peace, dancing together as partners,鈥� explained Elder Thomas Christmas, who performed a smudging ceremony and blessed the new name.
鈥淪ome people call the Ko鈥檍ua the two-step or the friendship dance. It鈥檚 a dance of getting together and acknowledging somebody and it鈥檚 an important aspect of our people when they celebrate. It鈥檚 fun, it gets your heart pumping, it gets people talking, and it鈥檚 beautiful,鈥� he added.
Elder Thomas Christmas.
Catherine Martin, Dal鈥檚 director of Indigenous community engagement, opened the event by singing a traditional Mi鈥檏maq welcome song while playing her drum. 鈥淭he drumbeat represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth, or the heartbeat of our mother,鈥� Martin explained. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something we鈥檝e all heard; we know that language very well because our mother taught us. We鈥檙e always told in Mi鈥檏ma鈥檏i to speak from the heart.鈥�
Decolonizing spaces, rebuilding trust
While in the past libraries, museums, and other memory institutions have often exploited and profited from Indigenous culture and knowledge and denied Indigenous people access to their spaces, efforts are now underway to decolonize these spaces and repair broken trust in the name of reconciliation.
鈥淲e want the Ko鈥檍ua Okuom to be a place for advancing Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation at pilipili漫画,鈥� says Elaine MacInnis, associate dean of library services and head of the MacRae Library. 鈥淭o that end, the Ko鈥檍ua Okuom has been designed with Indigenous colleagues to celebrate and honour Indigenous culture in an environment where all can learn more about Indigenous customs and traditions through events and collections of Indigenous books, art, and artefacts.鈥�
Dal President Deep Saini reflected in his remarks at the event on how the strength of relationships with Indigenous communities is fundamental to the university鈥檚 pilipili漫画.
鈥淒alhousie has an obligation to redress historical and ongoing systemic inequalities, further reconciliation, and build integrity in all our relationships with Canada鈥檚 First Nations,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he opening of the Ko鈥檍ua Okuom is one way we are demonstrating this commitment.鈥�
A special collection
Another highlight of last week鈥檚 opening was the introduction of an extraordinary new collection of books and other materials received by Dal Libraries from the Prosper family of Ottawa.
Jim Prosper, a survivor of the Indian Residential School in Shubenacadie, became an ardent researcher of colonialism, aboriginal treaties, rights, and sovereignty in his retirement years, meticulously curating an impressive collection of materials over twenty years. Upon Jim鈥檚 move to a senior鈥檚 residence and the subsequent downsizing of the family homestead, Jim鈥檚 son, Ron, wanted to see his father鈥檚 treasured book collection go to a university near his father鈥檚 birthplace, choosing to donate the collection to Dalhousie. (Learn more about the Prosper collection.)
Ron Prosper, who attended the event with his wife, Lorna, and his brother, Rob, spoke at the launch as well.
Ron Prosper.
鈥淢y father very much wanted to be here today, but his health prevented him from coming. It has been a two-year project for us to get my father鈥檚 books to Dal 鈥� a monumental task with nearly three quarters of a ton of books making their way here from Ottawa,鈥� explained Prosper. 鈥淢y father is an extraordinarily generous man, and a kind, amazing father, which belies his early days. He is resilient and he chose education, and turned that into a productive, wonderful life. This book collection is very much a testament to who he is.鈥�
Books from the Prosper collection, as well as other books relating to Indigenous culture and history, are available on the shelves in the Ko鈥檍ua Okuom. A few of the rare books in the Prosper collection are also featured in secure display cases donated by the Halifax Foundation that currently exhibit part of Catherine Martin鈥檚 basket collection (on loan). Framed lithographs of the Dummer and Mascarene treaties (also from the Prosper collection) are hung on the walls and plans for a large meeting table to be commissioned by an Indigenous artisan are in the works.
Learn more about the Prosper collection: In search of his roots (Dal News)
Mi鈥檏maq artefacts in secure display cases on loan from Martin.
From gathering place to study space
The university is currently seeking a donor to fund an extensive HVAC renovation so that smudging can take place in the room, a key component of having a decolonized, welcoming space.
The Libraries鈥� Indigenous Program Planning Team has beading and dance workshops, lectures, and film screenings planned for this coming academic year. Room booking information will be available soon, which will allow others at pilipili漫画 and community members to hold events with Indigenous themes in the room. When the room is not being used for events, it is a study space open to everyone.
鈥淲e hope that the Ko鈥檍ua Okuom introduces new opportunities for Indigenous communities in Mi鈥檏ma鈥檏i to engage with pilipili漫画 in a space that supports and advances Indigenous ways of knowing,鈥� says Donna Bourne-Tyson, dean of Dalhousie Libraries. 鈥淲e are grateful to Elder Thomas Christmas for naming the room, to Catherine Martin for her guidance every step of the way, and to the Prosper family for donating such a valuable collection that perfectly supports the aspirations for the space.鈥�