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CINE’s Skennen Project will be a three-season (spring, summer, fall) Indigenous outdoor gathering space located on McGill’s Macdonald campus. Following in the footsteps of universities across Canada,ĚýSkennen intends to support goals of Truth and Reconciliation by creating a safe and welcoming Indigenous gathering space on campus. This space will act as a home away from home for Indigenous staff, students and faculty that promotes knowledge sharing and inclusivity. Skennen was recommended, and will continue to be guided by CINE’s Indigenous Advisory Board.
The proposed outdoor structure will be an open-air space that offers protection from the elements. Eventually, the space will have surrounding plants and medicines native to the area and Indigenous cultures. The structure will be a multi-use facility intended for teaching, learning, ceremony and gathering.
What does Skennen mean?
Skennen embodies the concept of peace in the Kanien'keháka (Mohawk) language. Skennen holds significance historically as the foundation for uniting the five nations into a confederacy based on peace. This peace was extended to other nations who agreed with the peace vision. Our intention is that Skennen will welcome all peoples who wish to create positive relationships with Indigenous Peoples valuing peace and inclusion in the institution
Project Goals:
- Make the McGill campus a more welcoming and inclusive space for Indigenous staff, faculty, students and community members
- Encourage the inclusion of Indigenous ways of knowing and being on campus
- Provide a space for the McGill community to learn, to recognize truth, to redress past injustice, exclusion and marginalization of Indigenous Peoples
- Engage in a meaningful process of consultation, where Indigenous knowledge, values, and engagement are embodied from project initiation to completion
- Create a space that Indigenous community members see as their own
Project Process
Phase 1 - Environmental Scan & Community Engagement
Phase 2 - Design
Phase 3 - Construction
Indigenous Spaces Across Canada
Across Canada, and internationally, universities are committed to making their campuses more welcoming to Indigenous peoples, their cultures and knowledge systems. Below are examples of existing outdoor gathering spaces across Canada and testimonies of success from other university campuses.
- Camosun College -
- Queen’s University -
- Selkirk College -
- Simon Fraser University -
- University of Toronto -
- University of Waterloo -
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“Historically, Indigenous people haven’t found places like this within an institution, a place where they can feel like they belong. This building is about getting people to come together. It respects and celebrates Indigenous worldview.” - Kelly Crawford, U of T
“Spaces like this need to be in institutions that are inherently colonial. It is a safe space for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students to feel a sense of belonging and to see their culture represented.” - Emma Greenfield, Seneca College
“Providing this kind of beautiful, culturally relevant space for Indigenous learners to come together, to celebrate, to practice cultural traditions, to learn, and to make new friends is something I could have only dreamed about when I attended SFU” - Melanie Mark, SFU
If you would like more information about the first phase please contact mia.mcbryde [at] mcgill.ca (Mia McBryde)
