York University unveiled a newly renovated and renamed space for Indigenous students, faculty and staff on National Aboriginal Day, a place one Indigenous scholar hopes will “further understanding and reconciliation.”
The historic Hart House cabin located on the school’s Keele campus has been renamed Skennen'kó:wa Gamig – meaning House of Great Peace. It will be a dedicated ceremonial and gathering space for the university’s Indigenous community.
“This house provides a safe and supportive space for that learning, but it also allows for a space where Indigenous peoples can lead the conversation,” Ruth Koleszar-Green, a Mohawk scholar and chair of the Indigenous council at the university said.
The new name is a combination of the Mohawk term for “The Great Peace,” Skennen'kó:wa, and the Anishinaabe word for “house,” Gamig. It was chosen by the university’s traditional knowledge keeper Amy Desjarlias.
Koleszar-Green says “it reminds her she has a responsibility to foster peace in the world.”
“The house will be a place where that peace can take root through the understanding and the rebuilding of relationships,” she said.
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended in its 94 calls to action that post-secondary institutions incorporate “Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods” into programs and provide opportunities of Indigenous students to connect with their cultures.
Skennen'kó:wa Gamig is part of York University’s efforts to begin the long road to reconciliation on campus, alongside its ongoing development and implementation of its “Indigenous strategy.”
The cabin is located on the traditional territory of several Indigenous nations, including Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Anishinaabe Nation, the Huron-Wendat, the Metis Nations and Mississaugas New Credit First Nation.
