News Stories
VIU Elders receive King Charles III Coronation Medals
November 28, 2024
Geraldine Manson (C-tasi:a) and Thiyuas - Florence James were honoured earlier this month. One current Vancouver Island University (VIU) Elder-in-Residence as well as a retired Elder-in-Residence were given the King Charles III Coronation Medal earlier this month for their role as culture keepers. NDP MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith Lisa Marie Barron and retired MLA for Nanaimo – North Cowichan Doug... Read more
Indigenous speaker shares an urgent call to action for all Canadians
November 14, 2024
Acclaimed journalist and author Brandi Morin will deliver the keynote address at VIU’s Indigenous Speakers Series event on November 20. As a Survivor of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis, award-winning journalist and author Brandi Morin uses her personal experiences to tell the stories of those who did not survive. For more than a decade, Morin has dedicated her career to... Read more
VIU Professor’s new book explores identity and reconnection through reclamation
October 9, 2024
Dr. Georgina Martin is hosting a book launch on October 22, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre at the Nanaimo campus. Dr. Georgina Martin’s new book Drumming Our Way Home: Intergenerational Learning, Teaching, and Indigenous Ways of Knowing draws inspiration from her Secwépemc culture and the teachings of her grandparents. It is an autobiographical journey that blends Indigenous... Read more
Writing from the heart – my reflections on how to action reconciliation
September 29, 2024
“How many languages do you speak?” Invariably when I ask this to a room full of VIU graduate students there are always a couple who can speak more than five. I follow this with, “Well, you are about to start learning another - Hul’q’umi’num'.” We begin with saying some gentle words and phrases, Huy ch q’a (Thank you), Uy’ skweyul (Good Day), ‘Uy’ kwunus ‘i lumnamu (It is good to see you). For a... Read more
Unveiling incredible Pentlatch fish trap panel exhibit at VIU’s Deep Bay Marine Field Station
July 9, 2024
A significant Pentlatch cultural Belonging unearthed by K’ómoks First Nation and archaeological collaborators is on public display for the next six months at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Deep Bay Marine Field Station. At 550 years old, the fish trap panel is an incredible and enduring example of Pentlatch cultural ingenuity. It is the largest and most complete of its kind on the... Read more
Indigenous Guardians protecting coastal lands and waters
April 15, 2024
The partnership between Nanwakolas Council and Vancouver Island University has resulted in 16 more Indigenous Guardians graduating with formal stewardship technician qualifications. *story reprinted with permission from the Nanwakolas Council website On April 12, after a gruelling six months of intensive classroom and field studies, 16 students of the Nanwakolas Council and Vancouver Island... Read more
VIU Fulbright scholar advocates for decolonizing sexual education for healthy communities
March 25, 2024
Dr. Sara Vogel joins VIU as the 2024 Fulbright Canada Visiting Research Chair in Indigenous Studies. Dr. Sara Vogel believes sex education is vital for a healthy society but said people don’t have venues to talk about it or learn how to develop healthy sexual habits. Vogel is Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) 2024 Fulbright Canada Visiting Research Chair in Indigenous Studies. During her... Read more
Dr. Laura Cranmer reawakens Indigenous languages through powerful play
February 8, 2024
The VIU Honorary Research Associate’s play urges reflection on Canada’s collective history and colonial impacts. Warning: Scenes from the Nanaimo Indian Hospital: Reawakening Hul’q’umin’um’, Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwak’wala Languages contains scenes, imagery and language that can be intense and activating. Attendees are encouraged to do what is best for their mental health, including leaving the... Read more
Indigenous speaker elevates the voices of the “Reconciliation Generation”
November 15, 2023
Riley Yesno will deliver the keynote address at VIU’s Indigenous Speakers Series event on November 22. Riley Yesno is part of a generation of Indigenous youth who have grown up with the term reconciliation occupying an ever-increasing share of Canada’s national dialogue. The queer Anishinaabe scholar, writer and commentator from Eabametoong First Nation has spent a great deal of time thinking... Read more
VIU News & Experts: October 6, 2023
October 6, 2023
Grocery store prices, land stewardship and more 🌏 VIU is excited to introduce DiscoverFest, a new, free community event that includes live music, an artisan market, science demos, expert talks, campus tours, activities for kids and teens, food trucks, a beer garden and much more. DiscoverFest is for: Anyone interested in getting out and learning more about VIU Students exploring post-secondary... Read more