Our journey to reconciliation continues with The Story of ii’ taa’poh’to’p

Last Friday, ii’ taa’poh’to’p, UCalgary’s Indigenous Strategy, celebrated two years of Indigenization and decolonization on campus with an event featuring a traditional ceremony and two keynote speakers. At the event, Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement, Dr. Michael Hart, proudly announced a new online course, presented by Human Resources and ii’ taa’poh’to’p, to help the UCalgary community connect with the strategy.

“Our standing call to action for the campus community is to participate in learning opportunities to increase their knowledge about Indigenous peoples’ culture and history, through courses and professional development,” he says. “In order for our strategy to succeed, students, faculty and staff must all set goals to increase their intercultural capacity.”

The course, entitled The Story of ii’ taa’poh’to’p, gives an interactive overview of the historical and cultural context for reconciliation at UCalgary, led by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action to repair relationships as we look to the future. Narrators Dr. Reg Crowshoe, UCalgary’s Traditional Knowledge Keeper in Residence, and Pamela Beebe, Indigenous cultural education and protocol specialist, discuss the development and structure of the Indigenous Strategy, the cultural gifts associated with the strategy, and the importance of territorial acknowledgements. Participants will also explore the seven cultural symbols that guide the 27 recommendations of the strategy, which are reflective of Indigenous pictographs and petroglyphs from sacred archeological sites in southern Alberta.

“This course is a vital step towards genuine truth and reconciliation here at UCalgary,” says Rae Ann Aldridge, acting associate vice-president, Human Resources. “Everyone on our campus has a responsibility to seek education and understanding of the complex histories of Indigenous and settler relations in the Treaty 7 region, and I hope this to be the first of many courses that UCalgary will offer on Indigenous relations and reconciliation.”

The Story of ii’ taa’poh’to’p is available now through Enterprise Learning, via the my.ucalgary.ca portal (requires UCID login).