Indigenous centre opening marks Truth and Reconciliation Week at Loyalist

By Hannah Brown
Loyalist College marked the start of Truth and Reconciliation Week (Sept. 29–Oct. 3) by officially opening the Tsi Titewaya’taró:roks Indigenous Centre at the Belleville campus.

The centre was designed to reflect the college’s commitment to providing dedicated Indigenous spaces and advance reconciliation by offering resources, cultural activities and connections for the college community, while providing dedicated support for Indigenous students.

Tsi Titewaya’taró:roks means the “Place Where We Gather As Family” in Kanyen’kéha:ka (Mohawk). The student-centred space is designed to feel like a home, creating a place for cultural celebration, learning and support that strengthens both academic success and Indigenous identity.

“In the past, Indigenous students were forced to give up their legal status under the Indian Act — along with the rights and benefits that came with it for themselves and their descendants — in order to attend an institution of higher learning,” said Jennifer Tewathahá:kwa Maracle, Loyalist’s Executive Director of Indigenous Engagement and Applied Research. “Today, we honour those who fought for the rights, recognition and spaces that make it possible for Indigenous identity to be celebrated in higher education, and we continue to build a more inclusive and equitable college community for the next seven generations.”

Truth and Reconciliation Week at Loyalist includes an opening fire and round dance at the A’nó:wara Learning Circle, along with activities such as cultural teachings, Mohawk language sessions, drumming and crafts. The week is to conclude with a closing fire and reflection, on Friday.

Tuesday, the college community was invited to observe the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation by wearing orange and holding a campus-wide moment of silence to honour survivors and the children whose lives were lost to Canada’s residential school system.

“Truth and Reconciliation Week invites us to reflect, learn, and recognize the responsibilities we each carry in advancing decolonization,” said Mark Kirkpatrick, Loyalist College President and CEO. “The new Tsi Titewaya’taró:roks Indigenous Centre provides a home and resources for the dedicated team leading this important work, and for the students and employees who are advancing reconciliation and the Calls to Action from Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission”.

Loyalist College is built upon the lands governed by the Dish with One Spoon wampum agreement. It affirms and thanks the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabeg and Huron-Wendat nations for their continued caretaking of the land.