Learn about traditional Indigenous women’s voices today at noon

If this past year taught us anything, it is the value of staying resilient in the face of significant challenges that require time for reflection, compassion and adjustment.

The 2021 Elders Teaching Series, launched today by the University of Calgary’s ii’ taa’poh’to’p Indigenous Strategy, infuses the spirit of Indigenous voices and perspectives, offering knowledge and oral teachings to connect audiences to the spirit of sharing and exploring new ways of knowing. The Office of the Vice-Provost (Indigenous Engagement) invites the campus community to participate in a series of online webinars featuring Traditional Knowledge Keepers, scholars and community leaders as they offer insights on resilience and healing from an Indigenous perspective.   

• Photo above: Freshly gathered sage. Sage is an important component of ceremony and Indigenous protocol. Photo courtesy Shawna Cunningham, Indigenous Engagement 

The Elders Teaching Series focuses on traditional knowledge, lived experiences and approaches to healing. It discusses cultural well-being, intergenerational trauma, and Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, connecting and being. The series provides a public platform for sharing traditional knowledge as part of UCalgary’s path forward toward transformative reconciliation and building good relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada.   

The first event, titled Indigenous Women’s Voices, features stories of traditional Indigenous women’s roles and how women can walk forward with power and pride. Moderated by Dr. Jennifer Leeson, PhD, the event features panellists Una Wesley, a Stoney Nakoda Elder; Tsuut’ina Elder Diane Meguinis; and Saulteaux Spiritual Healer and Cree Elder Vinnia Van Overdyk.  

The event goes online today from 12 to 1:30 p.m.

Register for Elders Teaching Series: Women’s Voices, Jan 21, 2021 

Upcoming webinars hosted by the Office of Indigenous Engagement

Women's Voices is the first of several scheduled events as part of the Elders Teaching and Indigenous Knowledge Public Lecture series. Please join us for these upcoming online sessions hosted by ii’ taa’poh’to’p, the University of Calgary’s Indigenous Strategy.  

Elder’s Speaker Series 

Topic: Indigenous Ways of Healing   

Date: Feb 11, 2021 (time to be announced)

Moderator: Dr. Adam Murry, PhD (Faculty of Arts)  

Featured speakers: Elders Reg (Hon. LLD'01) and Rose Crowshoe – Piikani Nation, and Virgil Stephens – Stoney Nakoda Nation 

To be discussed: Teachings of restoration and resiliency, as well as additional traditional knowledge. 

Indigenous Knowledge Public Lecture Series 

Date: Mar. 18 (time to be announced) 

Host: Dr. Michael Hart, PhD, vice-provost (Indigenous engagement)

Featured speaker: Dr. Paulette Regan, PhD, director of research for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and author of Unsettling the Settler Within.

Topic: The role of allies in transformative reconciliation in Canada.