Miyopin Cheechoo, a first-year student studying humanities, was the head female dancer at the U of T powwow organized by the Indigenous Studies Students’ Union earlier this year. Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn
Good morning.
Today is National Indigenous Peoples Day. In recognition of the contributions of Indigenous peoples in the U of T community, we are highlighting some stories about Indigenous excellence and research in this edition of the Bulletin Brief.
Health and education
Diane Hill. Photo by Tina Adamopoulos
• Diane Hill is passionate about improving Indigenous access to health care and education. The recent U of T Scarborough graduate is a member of the Oneida Nation of the Thames First Nations and says her lifelong goal is to help improve the education system in her community. Hill was a recipient of the Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award this year and will go on to pursue a Master of Arts in social justice education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at U of T.
• U of T Mississauga’s Tracey Galloway, whose work is rooted in reconciliation, encourages non-Indigenous Canadians to form face-to-face relationships with Indigenous people. She conducts health-focused research with northern Indigenous populations in Canada – a career path that started when she was an ICU nurse in London, Ont. Hear more about her work in the latest episode of the VIEW to the U podcast.
Connecting through art
Animikiik’otcii Maakaai (centre). Photo by @hellomynameisalan
• Visit U of T’s online Indigenous portal. It’s where you can find information about elders, Indigenous faculty as well as protocols for smudging ceremonies and land acknowledgments.
Oronhyatekha, which translates to “Burning Sky” or “Burning Cloud” in the Mohawk language, was the first Indigenous student from U of T to become a practising doctor and the second in Canada.
