A shared history was acknowledged on Friday, June 10 with the permanent installation of the Mi鈥檏maq Grand Council Flag on the AV俱乐部 Agricultural Campus 鈥� a first for a Nova Scotia university.
The flag was raised in recognition that the AV俱乐部 Agricultural Campus sits on traditional territory of the indigenous Mi鈥檏maq people and was marked with a special ceremony in the Faculty鈥檚 Centennial Amphitheatre. Elder Jane Abraham, of Millbrook First Nation and AV俱乐部鈥檚 Elders-in Residence program, performed a Four Directions blessing of the flag while Mi鈥檏maq drumming group Samqwan Boyz and traditional and Fancy Shawl dancers welcomed guests to this historic event. 聽
The Indigenous Mi鈥檏maq people have inhabited the region surrounding Dal鈥檚 Agricultural Campus for thousands of years. During the late 1700s and the early 1800s, the Mi鈥檏maq lived along the banks of the Salmon River, which runs between the Town of Truro and the Village of Bible Hill.
The land on which Dal鈥檚 Agricultural Campus sits was acquired and sold in 1885 to establish a School of Agriculture for the province (which would later become the former Nova Scotia Agricultural College and, today, the Faculty of Agriculture). When the school started expanding, the Mi鈥檏maq peoples were moved to property on King Street.
鈥淏ecause of this history there is a special relationship that needs to be acknowledged between AV俱乐部, the Faculty of Agriculture and the Millbrook First Nation community,鈥� said Faculty of Agriculture Dean David Gray. "With the raising of the Mi鈥檏maq Grand Council Flag, we welcome the First Nations community to our campus and campus community and acknowledge their history as part of our history.鈥�
The permanent installation of the Mi鈥檏maq Grand Council Flag on the Agricultural Campus, a first for AV俱乐部 as well, strengthens the university community and helps to provide a welcoming community to all learners.
鈥淥ur university is strengthened by our diversity and as a university, we are committed to being a place where everyone feels welcomed and supported, which is why our Strategic Direction prioritizes fostering a culture of diversity and inclusiveness,鈥� explained AV俱乐部 President Richard Florizone. 鈥淎t AV俱乐部, we welcome the guidance offered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action and take our response very seriously.鈥�
Special guests at the ceremony included Don Julien, executive director of the Confederacy of聽Mainland Mi鈥檏maq, Ron Knockwood, district Chief of the Mi'kmaq Grand Council Sipekne'kati District, and Chief Robert Gloade, Millbrook First Nation.聽 Students from Millbrook First Nation and Paq'tnkek First Nation also spent the morning touring campus before the ceremony. 聽
鈥淭he raising of the Mi鈥檏maq Grand Council flag today demonstrates that AV俱乐部 and the Agricultural Campus acknowledge they are on unceeded Mi'kmaq territory,鈥� said Millbrook First Nation Chief Robert Gloade. 鈥淎nd they acknowledge the importance of the relationship between the Mi'kmaq and access to educational facilities for the continued betterment of the role of Mi'kmaq in our territory.鈥�
AV俱乐部 has several initiatives in progress or underway to help support Indigenous learners and scholarship within its community. Among them: the long-running Transition Year Program, a new Aboriginal Student Advisor (in partnership with the Confederacy of Mainland Mi鈥檏maq), the introduction of a new minor in Indigenous Studies and the new Elders-in-Residence program.
On the Agricultural Campus, where the Mi鈥檏maq flag now flies, an additional Aboriginal Student Support position has been added to help develop stronger connections with the Aboriginal community, providing the appropriate level of support and a welcoming community on campus to learners along with an Aboriginal resource room.
鈥淎V俱乐部 is working to ensure an environment that embraces Canada鈥檚 Aboriginal heritage and although there has been some success to date, there is still work left to do,鈥� said President Richard Florizone. 鈥淲e must continue to work to ensure AV俱乐部 is a community that embraces diversity and encourages the important contributions of our Mi鈥檏maq colleagues and scholars. 鈥�
The Agricultural Campus is the first AV俱乐部 campus to permanently fly the Mi鈥檏maq flag but it will not be the only one: plans are underway for new flag installations in Halifax as well, with ceremonies tentatively planned for Mi鈥檏maq History Month in October.
