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• Summary Report: Indigenous Community Circle Event
• qaθɛtštəm kʷʊms taʔəw Tla'amin for "We will be together in our teachings."
• Indigenous Pathways Report

This past May, the Indigenous Students, Faculty and Staff Community Circle event was held in the Study on Burnaby Campus. A summary report has been compiled of the feedback shared by attendees on three newly formed senior Indigenous positions as well as a draft Indigenous governance structure, to set these up for success.

The purpose of these positions and structure is to allow for meaningful participation in university governance by Indigenous faculty, staff, students, Host Nations and external Indigenous constituents, further the recruitment and retention of Indigenous faculty and staff, and support Indigenous cultural safety.

Check out the key feedback themes in the summary report here:

Audio file on pronunciation of Tla'min term: qaθɛtštəm kʷʊms taʔəw

Over the last several years Cedric Chauve and Veselin Jungic from the SFU Department of Mathematics have been collaborating with the Tla’amin Nation, Callysto, and Pacific Institute for Mathematical Sciences on a joint project of making mathematical models of some of the Tla’amin traditions.

The Tla’amin name of the project is: qaθɛtštəm kʷʊms taʔəw which translates in English as “we will be together in our teachings.”

At a recent meeting, each member of the project team was gifted a Möbius strip woven by a group of members of the Tla'amin Nation.

Since the Möbius strip, as a one-sided and one-edged surface is often used as a symbol for infinity and unity, under the guidance of Elder Betty Wilson and with help from Mrs. Marina Mohar (photo) and Ms. Juliet Neun-Hornick (font design) the project logo has been created (see photo).

After creating mathematical models and learning resources based on the traditional basket weaving and the stone fish traps, the group is finalizing a mathematical model of the traditional canoes.

For more information about the project, please contact Veselin Jungic at math_catcher@sfu.ca