Resources for Educators and Institutions

Last updated on March 21, 2022

In this section there are a variety of resources that may be helpful in creating a learning environment that is respectful, receptive, and welcoming for Indigenous learners.

BC Campus offers a variety of information, including: Embracing ways of knowing, and Indigenization Project, as well as:

Pulling Together: A Guide for Indigenization of Post-Secondary Institutions  

This is a set of professional learning guides that are a result of a collaboration between BCcampus, the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, and a Steering Committee of Indigenous education leaders. The content in these guides is authored by teams of Indigenous and ally writers from across B.C. These guides are a foundation for institutions to adapt and modify to their unique partnerships and relationships with Indigenous Peoples and communities. 

Indigenous Leading Practices in Post-Secondary Education

These examples were collected by the Ministry and the B.C. Aboriginal Post-Secondary Coordinators in public post-secondary institutions, with input from the Indigenous Leadership of Post-Secondary Education institutions in B.C., Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education and Training Partners, First Nations Education Steering Committee and Indigenous Adult and Higher Learning Association.

Thompson Rivers University Educators Handbook

Assists faculty in gaining a better understanding of the unique social, political and cultural context from which Aboriginal students come.

CAUT Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples & Traditional Territory

This document offers the Canadian Association of University Teachers recommended territorial acknowledgement for institutions, organized by province. Note, that while most campuses are included, this is a living document and the list will gradually become more complete.

BCGEU guide to First Nations acknowledgement, protocol & terminology

This BC-specific guide also includes information on offering a traditional welcome and First Nations Elder protocols.

First Nations Elder Protocols

Suggestions on how to extend an invitation to an Elder, appropriate honoraria, travel arrangements etc. 

Indigenous Peoples Language Guide

The Indigenous Peoples Language Guide, which was created in partnership with the First Nations House of Learning at UBC, provides information on how to navigate the terminology and meanings associated with Indigenous peoples in order to produce the best — and most respectful — communication results.

Indigenous Foundations

This site was developed by the First Nations Studies Program at the University of British Columbia. It contains information on key topics relating to the histories, politics, and cultures of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. This website was developed to support students in their studies, and to provide instructors, researchers and the broader public with a place to begin exploring topics that relate to Aboriginal peoples, cultures, and histories.