New associate director of Indigenous initiatives aims to make SFU safer, more welcoming for all students

By Jackie Amsden

As the first associate director, Indigenous initiatives, in Simon Fraser University’s Teaching and Learning Centre, Dorothy Christian is fulfilling a promise she made to herself a long time ago.

Christian is a member of the Secwepemc and Sylix nations in B.C.’s Interior. She holds an MA in communications from SFU, a PhD in educational studies from UBC and has extensive experience as a producer, director and writer in film and television.

Following several violent conflicts in the 1990s between Indigenous peoples, law enforcement agencies and the government, Christian came to a strong resolve.

“During the 1990 Oka Crisis, the elders and spiritual people asked me to help out with the frontline communications of a peace run that my two nations initiated,” says Christian.

“I witnessed a lot of hatred toward Indigenous peoples that summer. Seeing this country mobilize its military against the Mohawk and other Indigenous peoples was very difficult. I close my eyes and I can still hear the choppers overhead, terrorizing the people throughout the night. I remember driving back from Ottawa to Toronto on the 401 and just bursting into tears. I wanted to leave Canada. But where would I go? This is my home.

“Five years later, at the Gustafsen Lake standoff in my home territories, I saw snipers poised, army tanks rolling in … those experiences made me realize that the only path I could pursue is to find ways and means toward a peaceful co-existence on these lands. That is what drew me to start building relationships between Indigenous and settler communities, which is part of what I see as a mutual responsibility of this role as associate director, Indigenous initiatives and the university community.”

Today, Christian, says she is excited about her newly created role at SFU because it is an opportunity to realize a vision of working toward creating an inclusive and safe environment for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, staff and faculty at the university.

And luckily, she notes she is no longer alone in bringing some understandings of Indigenous knowledge and what that means to engaging with the larger world.

“As an alumna, it’s quite exciting to see the physical changes that have happened at SFU since I left in 2010, such as the First Nation Studies area, the Indigenous Student Centre and the Office for Aboriginal Peoples,” Christian says.

To her, it means moving beyond the conceptual understandings of decolonization and Indigenization toward active engagement of Indigenous methodologies and knowledge systems. 

This includes Indigenous diplomacy (cultural protocols) with the diverse Indigenous staff, faculty and students at SFU.  She says, “the spiritual people talk about Indigenous people working with one heart and one mind.” This is central to her personal philosophy.

“SFU is taking the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) calls to action seriously, and there are people throughout the university striving to meet some authentic reconciliation goals. It feels good to be a part of a team of innovators and change-makers who already have some exciting projects on the go.”

Christian expects to work closely with the Office for Aboriginal Peoples and others to implement the SFU Aboriginal Reconciliation Council’s calls to action, particularly those related to moving beyond the concepts of decolonization and Indigenization into actions of change that the students can experience in the classrooms and curriculum while supporting instructors who wish to integrate Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy into their classrooms,  

“I think the biggest challenge that I face in this work is that decolonization and Indigenization are uncomfortable for everyone. And, I have to be mindful that some people have not even started to engage in the process and others are way ahead of the curve. However, ultimately, this is an opportunity for us to look deeper into ourselves and create a community that is welcoming for everyone who shares these lands—students, staff and faculty. And who wouldn’t want that?”