Indigenous Advisory Council

About the IAC

The Indigenous Advisory Council is a strategic body that provides advice to the senior administration of the university and others. It also advocates for initiatives to be undertaken by the university.   

The Indigenous Advisory Council meets regularly to discuss strategic approaches to issues, processes and policies that impact Indigenous People across the University. Members of the Council discuss issues from diverse Indigenous perspectives while also bringing forward specialist knowledge and recommendations from their respective units.   

Decisions and recommendations are brought forward to appropriate university bodies for consideration, approval and implementation. 

Official Land Acknowledgement

The most recent land acknowledgement approved by Senate is the following:

The Dalhousie University Senate acknowledges that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People and pays respect to the Indigenous knowledges held by the Mi’kmaq People, and to the wisdom of their Elders past and present. The Mi'kmaq People signed Peace and Friendship Treaties with the Crown, and section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 recognizes and affirms Aboriginal and Treaty rights. We are all Treaty people.

Personalizing a land acknowledgement

Indigenous Knowledges & Ways of Knowing by Dalhousie’s Centre for Learning and Teaching has an excellent section with more information about personalizing land acknowledgements and about land acknowledgements in general.

Protocols

Elders in Residence and Traditional Knowledge Keepers

The Elders in Residence and Traditional Knowledge Keepers page of Dalhousie’s Office of Equity and Inclusion has information about the Elders in Residence program (aimed at providing support to students).

Smudging at Dalhousie

Personal smudge: if you want to learn how to smudge or if you’re already a smudger, you can contact the Indigenous Student Centre (isc@dal.ca) or the Elders in residence which provide support and may be able to provide some medicines.

Meeting or large event smudge: you must make sure that the room is large enough for smudging, or that the meeting or event will be conducted outdoors. There is some information about smudging in Dal’s room booking system – please note that not all rooms allow smudging. Some rooms require that arrangements be made ahead of time with Facilities (such as disabling alarm systems and providing HVAC). Contact the IAC (iac@dal.ca) or the Elders in residence program if you need help in carrying out smudging or learning more about protocols for a meeting.

Booking the Ko’jua Room

Please note that booking requests for the Ko’jua Okuom are on hold for summer 2023 during renovations to the space.

“Requests for booking of the Ko’jua Okuom will be accepted for events that serve to highlight Indigenous knowledge, support Indigenous students, and engage Indigenous communities. It is available to all but the event must have Indigenous content.”

Resources

Financial assistance for Indigenous students

Apart from Dalhousie’s regular merit-based entrance scholarships, some are specifically for Indigenous students. Find out more on the Indigenous Student Centre’s Financial Awards page.

Equitable Admissions Policies

Many programs at Dalhousie have equitable admissions policies. You can identify several of these programs by consulting the Dalhousie University Pathway Programs booklet [PDF - 600Kb] – look for the faculty you are interested in, or try searching the PDF for the word “equitable”.

Pathway Programs

Pathway programs offer dedicated support to students transitioning to a university environment and are a unique way of entering Dalhousie University. Learn more by consulting the Dalhousie University Pathway Programs booklet [PDF - 600Kb]

Resources and Spaces around Dalhousie

• Dal AC’s Indigenous Student Support page
• Dalhousie Libraries’ Indigenous Services Librarian
• Dalhousie Libraries’ Indigenous Studies Research Guide
• Indigenous Connection page
• Indigenous Health
• Indigenous Student Centre
• Killam Library’s Ko’jua Okuom room
• Medical Sciences Program’s Cohort Initiative
• Office of Equity and Inclusion’s Elders in Residence and Traditional Knowledge Keepers page
• Office of Equity and Inclusion’s Indigenous Community Engagement page
• Office of Research Services’ Indigenous Research Resources