On Sept. 3, the community gathered to celebrate the official raising of the Treaty 6 and Métis flags on North Campus, which now fly in the flag plaza outside of University Commons.
Tamara shares her speech from the Sept. 3 event.
It’s an honour to stand here today as a proud Red River Métis woman, and as the voice of students past, present, and future at this historic moment in our university’s life.
This past July, the University entered its 119th year. And yet, it is only today, in its 119th year, that we make this truth visible by raising the Treaty 6 and Métis flags for the very first time.
These flags are not just symbols. They declare that most of the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ stands on Treaty 6 territory and on the homeland of the Métis. They remind us that Indigenous Peoples have always been part of this place, we are part of this place, and we will always be part of this place.
As a former elementary school teacher, I think of the kids I taught. One day, they’ll see these flags waving, and they’ll know they belong here, too.
For Indigenous students, staff, faculty, and our communities, these flags affirm something simple but powerful: you matter here.
Your voices matter.
Your knowledges matter.
Your communities matter.
For many of us, myself included, the path has never been simple. I am the first in my family to attend university because those who came before me were not afforded the same opportunities. Like so many trailblazers, we must push through it all. What carried me then, and what holds me still, are the communities I have built and been welcomed into: the circles of Indigenous Peoples who lift one another, and the partners who walk beside us.
The truth is, I am still figuring it out as I go, whether teaching in a fly-in community in northern ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ, overseas in Aotearoa New Zealand, or moving again for graduate school. Each step has been unfamiliar, but never alone.
Now I stand here as the inaugural Vice President of Indigenous Relations in the Graduate Students' Association. It has not been easy, but we take up space. We show up. We do the work. And we do it knowing we are paving the way for those who will come after us.
Seeing the Treaty 6 and Métis flags raised on North Campus for the very first time is something I will cherish for the rest of my life. It is a recognition of my people’s history, and a responsibility to help shape our shared future.
That is what these flags represent: an invitation to all people, including international students, settlers, professors, and staff, to learn the histories of this land, to build relationships grounded in reciprocity and respect, and to imagine a future where reconciliation is not a checkbox, but a practice woven into daily life on campus.
I would like to acknowledge those whose persistence and vision have brought us to this point. We walk in their footsteps, and we carry their work forward.
The work we do is often difficult. But joy is also a form of resistance, and celebration is an integral part of the work. May this flag raising be a moment where we can allow ourselves to take it all in.
These flags are not only for us, they are for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. May they grow up on this campus, never having to question whether they belong here, because the truth will already be flying high above them.
This is truth made visible.
This is reconciliACTION in motion.
And friends, this is just the beginning.
Hiy Hiy. Maarsi. Thank you.
YouºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ
