News

Welcome to the Summer 2026 Edition of Indigenous Connections 

As the warmth of summer settles in and the days stretch longer under the bright, nurturing sun, we are reminded of the beauty of this season. This is a time for gathering, reflection, and connection. The land is alive, offering both abundance and growth, and our communities come together to share in its gifts. 
Summer brings opportunities to strengthen relationships, celebrate traditions, and uplift one another. We look forward with excitement to the upcoming 23rd Annual Pow Wow, a powerful gathering that honours our cultures, songs, dances, and stories. It is a time to welcome friends, families, and visitors, and to celebrate the strength and resilience of our people. 
 
As we enjoy these longer days filled with laughter, learning, and community, we also take time to reflect on the importance of remembrance and truth. With September 30th, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, on the horizon, we continue to carry forward the responsibility of honouring survivors, their families, and the children who never returned home. 
 
This summer, may we walk together in unity, celebrating who we are, supporting one another, and carrying our teachings forward for the generations to come. 

On Friday, May 29, 2026, Conrad Prince delivered a powerful keynote at the Cultivating Talent Mentorship Collective at the University of Waterloo (EC5 1111). As Executive Director of Indigenous Youth Roots, Prince drew on his work in youth employment and advocacy as well as his lived experience as a Sixties Scoop survivor, to offer a deeply personal and systems-focused perspective.

On May 20 and 21, 2026, the University of Waterloo’s Office of Indigenous Relations hosted a two-day gathering rooted in relationship-building, reciprocity, and community leadership. Organized through the Indigenous Futures Circle, the event brought together representatives from Deshkan Ziibiing Anishnaabeg (Chippewas of the Thames First Nation) alongside researchers committed to rethinking how research partnerships are formed and sustained.

 Indigenous students at the University of Waterloo, attended the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) Central Business Forum and it was more than a professional development opportunity, it was a moment of connection, inspiration and possibility.

The Renewal and Rebalance Edition

Spring is a time of renewal and balance, a moment when light and dark meet, rivers begin to flow again, and our plant kin awakens with new growth. As the Earth stirs from her winter slumber, we look ahead to brighter days filled with possibility, learning, and connection.
At the University of Waterloo, this season also invites reflection and intention. We reaffirm our commitment to reconciliation and to building respectful, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous Peoples and communities.  This spring also marks a time of welcoming new leadership and nurturing new relationships, grounded in care, responsibility, and a shared commitment to moving forward together.

At the University of Waterloo, Indigenization and decolonization are increasingly shaping how the institution builds and sustains partnerships. This shift is formalized in the Task Force on Principles for Institutional Partnerships (TFPIP) Final Report (2025), which establishes a values‑driven framework for ensuring institutional partnerships are ethical, accountable, and aligned with Indigenous rights and relationships. 

The Walking Together Edition

New research at the University of Waterloo is centring Haudenosaunee voices in documenting the 1988 repatriation of eleven wampum belts to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Led by Tuscarora scholar Savannah Sloat and historian Dr. Talena Atfield, the project gathers first-hand community accounts to highlight wampum as living agreements tied to law, governance, and sovereignty.

PhD student Dale Bellaire’s research explores how culturally grounded connections can support the well-being of Indigenous Elders living in urban long-term care. Guided by a Medicine Wheel framework, her work emphasizes holistic health and centres Elders as collaborators in shaping meaningful, land-informed spaces and activities. The research contributes to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and aims to strengthen identity, belonging, and cultural resurgence for Indigenous older adults.