TWU’s Institute for Indigenous Issues and Perspectives (IIIP) is hosting a new speaker series called Resurgence! It is a series that celebrates local Indigenous nations, communities, and people by recognizing and respecting their history and memory, knowledge and culture, and ingenuity and continuity.
The first Resurgence! event is on November 15, 2022, 7:00–9:00 p.m., at the DeVries Centre Auditorium (22500 University Drive, Langley).
This inaugural lecture features guest speaker Naxaxalhts’i (Albert “Sonny” Jules McHalsie). The event is co-sponsored by TWU's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Education, School of Nursing, Gender Studies Institute, and Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Humanities.
Naxaxalhts’i is the Cultural Advisor or Sxweyxwiyam (Historian) at the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre, Stó:lō Nation, in Chilliwack, B.C. A gifted storyteller and talented Sxweyxwiyam, Naxaxalhts’i skillfully weaves together the stories of the elders with a profound understanding of Stó:lō tradition. His extensive knowledge of S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō traditional territory), has enabled him to contribute greatly to Stó:lō resurgence.
Naxaxalhts’i is a treasured resource to the Stó:lō because of his connection to elders and knowledge keepers. ...he has also proven to be an expert translator of Stó:lō ways of knowing and being to Xwelitem (settler) communities.
A respected leader, Naxaxalhts’i has directed the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre and served as a Si:yam (on Chief and Council) for his community of Shxw’ōw’hamel. Naxaxalhts’i is a treasured resource to the Stó:lō because of his connection to elders and knowledge keepers. Through his placenames tours and many publications, he has also proven to be an expert translator of Stó:lō ways of knowing and being to Xwelitem (settler) communities.
TWU’s Institute for Indigenous Issues and Perspectives (IIIP) promotes the holistic nature of research and education. It facilitates the development of collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to Indigenous research, bringing together diverse interests in a creative manner. IIIP provides an interdisciplinary forum for ideas, debates and discussion, bringing together local and international emerging and leading stakeholders and scholars from the creative arts, humanities, and social sciences with a shared focus on understanding the Indigenous issues in this region and across the globe.
In relation to the Indigenous people of British Columbia and Canada, TWU as a Christian university upholds truth, justice, and reconciliation. An institute of Indigenous issues and perspectives located at TWU offers the university and surrounding community a distinctive association to assist with community development, bridge-building, and it provides cross-cultural education between Indigenous and non-Indigenous society. IIIP is led by TWU professors Dr. Matthew Etherington, Dr. Bruce Shelvey, and University Siya:m Patti Victor (Stó:lō).
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four locations in Canada: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Banner image by Robbie Down on Unsplash.