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In the Spirit of a Threatened Coloniser

-Following the incident of a racially discriminate act of violence through the placement of a Halloween pumpkin by the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, which mock's Indigenous culture and being, perpetuates violence, and the deliberate display of white supremacy through the placement of a poster stating "It's okay to be white" in the Faculty of Native studies only a day after; Native Studies Course Requirement is releasing our collective response.

To claim there is an ongoing collective effort on behalf of the University of Alberta to address the multitude of previous and ongoing attacks against the Faculty of Native studies and in return the entirety of the Indigenous community on campus, should be considered the University of Alberta’s official understatement of the year.

It is not just now, it is not a simple “act of foolishness on behalf of one or multiple ignorant people,” this has happened several times, multiple attacks, every single year that I have been here. Every year Indigenous students at the U of A are requested and expected to endure the backlash from some sort of heinous hate crime, at this point it is only a manner of bracing for impact.

This is an act of violence and arrogance. These ideas that Indigenous people can be treated like this stems from colonialism. These ideologies are not challenged enough by non-Indigenous people within the academy, which results in non-Indigenous people perpetuating this colonial violence that we face here on campus. What is alarming about this is that we are in a university.”These hateful actions leave Indigenous students feeling unsafe, unwelcome, and reluctant to soak in the self-proclaimed acts of ‘reconciliation’ that are so heavily advertised by the University of Alberta.

This semester features the display of a racist pumpkin, in previous years we have seen the Aboriginal Student Council space be vandalized, attempted arson of the Red River Cart, and the “tp”ing of the faculty tipi (we can not forget that this vanndilism on the Faculty tipi took place only days after a memorial display honouring the Missing amd Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was taken down).

"The complacency the University of Alberta has had with the history of vandalism to Indigenous spaces is insulting. The University speaks so highly of reconciliation, but clearly does nothing to put reconciliation into action. If the University of Alberta felt so strongly about our spaces being vandalized, and our students being attacked… these attacks would not happen every single year. UofA talks a good game of reconciliation, but the on the ground action, or more common the presence of non-action, shows otherwise. It is not enough to just offer us space and see if we can survive, these spaces need to be protected, honoured, and recognised to the fullest extent.

In an awkward attempt to condemn perpetrators for these illicit acts, an evident failure to hold these perpetrators responsible speaks otherwise, shattering the glass building where colonised fragility in the institution hides. These actions reiterate the colonised stains which displace Indigenous voices, honour, livelihoods, spaces, places, and beings.

Aboriginal students are left dealing with these issues of racial profiling and straight up hate crimes while administration sticks to releasing press statements about how inclusive and safe the UofA is, and how they acknowledge that we are on Treaty 6 Territory. It's about time that the UofA starts to walk the walk instead of just talking the talk. Change and action is needed to address these delusional ideologies that believe that privilege and oppression are not breathing between institution walls, because they become real in these actions, as real as the pumpkin found outside of Pembina Hall.

We are in a place where intellect is held highly. If this is what is happening in a place where learning is imperative, what sort of ignorance will we see take place beyond these walls? Universities should be doing everything they can to stop this ignorance at the source. This is another reason why mandatory Indigenous content should be a priority for the University of Alberta. We need to combat this ignorance so it does not continue.

Ultimately, we will not peacefully withdraw into the backdrop of campus, surprise! Our communities collective effort has been established with mutual respect and the willingness to share and communicate with all perspectives and with anyone who shares in a respectable manner. We continue to seek the information needed from our student experiences in this University space and build to the path of those who were here before us. We continue to reach out to faculties, staff, University student groups, classmates, student services, and members outside the Universities direct community to create inclusivity and foundations for understanding what it means to walk on Treaty 6, Indigenous, Métis territory. We are allies. Acknowledgements to reconciling with a community is a start, but teaching and learning and growing on a level field brings growth for generations to come

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