Within the Queen’s University community there are limited culturally appropriate activities for Aboriginal students. Traditionally and currently it is not common practice for an Aboriginal person to go to a stranger for guidance for personal issues. It is more common to seek guidance from a family member, community member or an elder. Aboriginal women in communities across Canada were historically valued as leaders and respected in their various roles within those societies. After colonization Aboriginal peoples were forced to adopt European patriarchal values. Consequently women were no longer allowed to hold leadership positions within their communities and the roles that they did play were perceived as less valuable. In addition to this ideological shift, the spiritual connection that women previously held with each other was disconnected through various processes. The sixties scoop and residential schools were processes that had negatively affected these relationships within Aboriginal societies. The Women’s Circle strives to bridge the disconnect that occurred and utilize time spent together during traditional activities to provide a safe place for this healing to begin. The Women’s Circle will also support Queen’s University’s mandate of engaging diversity and encouraging the Non-Aboriginal community to learn more regarding Aboriginal cultures, as well as the mandate of Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre, specifically to foster the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being of the Aboriginal Students at Queen’s University.
Exploring worldviews and authorities: Library instruction in Indigenous Studies using Authority is Constructed and Contextual
