Indigenous

News Stories

A group of soldiers pose for a photo with Nanaimo Remembers written across the bottom

VIU and community partners remember local fallen armed forces members through video memorial

October 28, 2022

VIU video project acknowledges Nanaimo armed forces members' contributions to the First and Second World Wars. Private Reginald Edgar Emblem, a farmer and resident of South Wellington, served in the 72nd Battalion during the First World War. He died at age 20 of influenza and pneumonia in October 1918 and was buried at Seaford Cemetery in Sussex, United Kingdom. Private William Armstrong Syer, a... Read more


Headshot of Dr. Shanna Lorenz

Using technology to support Indigenous data sovereignty

September 28, 2022

Dr. Shanna Lorenz, VIU’s 2022 Fulbright Canada Visiting Research Chair in Indigenous Studies, is working with Indigenous communities on a data gathering app.       Dr. Shanna Lorenz’s research is supporting Indigenous data sovereignty thanks to a digital app called Our Data Indigenous, which she helped design alongside faculty and First Nations community data specialists in Canada and the United... Read more


Kelly Black looks off to the horizon with a mountain in the distance.

5 Questions with Kelly Black

September 27, 2022

Kelly Black, a Vancouver Island University Adjunct History Professor, received the Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award from the BC Historical Federation this June. The article, “Explaining Settlers to Ourselves: Rethinking interpretive narratives at heritage sites” was published in the spring 2021 edition of British Columbia History magazine. Black has more than a decade of experience in... Read more


Group photo around the new sign at VIU’s campus in the qathet region

Tla’amin Nation gifts ʔayʔaǰuθəm name to local VIU campus

September 20, 2022

VIU’s campus in the qathet region will now be called tiwšɛmawtxw. The Tla’amin Nation Executive Council has gifted Vancouver Island University (VIU) the name tiwšɛmawtxw (teew-shem- awt-xw), which means House of Learning, for its campus located in ɬaʔamɩn ʔəms gijɛ (Tla’amin Territory).   The gift is in the spirit of decolonization and reconciliation. Following a renaming ceremony on September... Read more


Three people standing in front of a VIU residence building

VIU hosts summer camps for Indigenous students

June 29, 2022

The camps are organized by the ‘su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins Indigenous mentorship program. A pair of free summer camps that aim to make the transition to university easier for Indigenous youth are returning to in-person delivery at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Nanaimo campus this summer. The Thuy’she’num Tu Smun’eem: Building a Foundation for our Youth summer camps take place July 18-22... Read more


Three students backlit by the sun

Paper Excellence and Vancouver Island University create Indigenous Success Fund

June 21, 2022

Paper Excellence has partnered with Vancouver Island University (VIU) to create the Paper Excellence Indigenous Success Fund. The new scholarship fund is offering financial support to Indigenous students enrolled in trades programs at VIU. Paper Excellence has contributed $60,000 to the fund, which will be distributed over three years. “On behalf of Paper Excellence, we are very excited to be... Read more


Portrait photo of Keanu Ienco

Alum of the Month: Keanu Ienco

April 30, 2022

Ever since he picked up a guitar at age eight, music has been a passion for Keanu Ienco, who graduated from VIU in 2019 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies. Earlier this year, Ienco, who is Métis and part Havasupai Native American, released his debut album, Celestial Desire, which he describes as an instrumental rock record. He shares more about his inspiration for the album and how VIU... Read more


Three people standing in front of Royal Roads University

New Program Prepares Next Generation of Climate Solution Global Leaders

April 21, 2022

A new partnership between three prominent island educational institutions marks Earth Day by investing in future climate action leaders to find solutions for the complex challenge of climate change.  Two recently signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between pre-university school Pearson College UWC, Vancouver Island University (VIU) and Royal Roads University (RRU) formalized the collective... Read more


The Future of Reconciliation in Canada A VIU Conversation

VIU Hosts a Conversation on the Future of Reconciliation in Canada

April 13, 2022

What: The Future of Reconciliation in Canada: A VIU Conversation When: Wednesday, April 20, 2022, 10-11:30 am  Where: Online (Zoom webinar)   Reconciliation is a complex concept with a variety of definitions, meaning different things to different people, but one thing many agree upon is that for reconciliation to become a reality, significant structural and societal changes are needed.... Read more


Nine people gathered around conceptual drawing of Shq’apthut (A Gathering Place)

Provincial Government Funds Expansion of Shq’apthut, VIU’s Indigenous Gathering Place

April 8, 2022

Investment will enhance on-campus learning experience for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students Indigenous students at Vancouver Island University (VIU) will soon have access to more space as Shq’apthut (A Gathering Place) is expanded at the Nanaimo campus. The building is a home away from home for Indigenous students where cultural, academic, recreational and social activities are promoted and... Read more