This April will see the University of Victoria break ground on a project that is over ten years in the making.
The First People's House (FPH) will be a state-of-the-art building geared towards providing a cultural and academic hub for indigenous students. The $7 million facility will be located in the centre of the campus, directly behind the University Centre building.
“The First People’s House is the heart of the campus, both physically and in other ways,” said UVic’s Associate Vice President Academic and Provost Dr. James Anglin, who has been involved with the FPH for the past year and a half. “Personally speaking, it’s the most exciting initiative I’ve been involved with.”
The House will be the future home of the Native Student Union’s (NSU) office and will contain a lecture hall, a computer lab, other offices, kitchen facilities and a celebration room. The celebration room will be the home of the twice-annual “shared celebration” thrown by the NSU. In past years, the NSU has had some issues finding a venue that was appropriate for these gatherings.
“The key is being able to bring family,” said Ami Brousseau, an administrator with the NSU. “Many students are away from rural communities for the first time and that’s very rough on them.”
There is also a belief that the House will help aboriginal students excel academically. The FPH will represent a place of gathering and community for students that may feel like outsiders.
“In my experience, aboriginal students tend to flourish when there is a place for them to come together,” said Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi, director of UVic’s Office of Indigenous Affairs. “But even more so when they have the support of the community.”
That support was put into action last year when UVic president Dr. David Turpin and the board committed to building the House, an initiative that was first suggested in 1996. Since 1996 there has been extensive consultation between the university and the indigenous community, both on and off campus, which resulted in the First Peoples House going to tender. December 2007 saw the first tangible signs of construction with the removal of a number of non-indigenous pine trees from the House’s future home.
The House was designed by aboriginal architect Alfred Waugh and is inspired by traditional Coast and Strait Salish structures. It is also expected to meet LEEDS (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, a distinction given to buildings that use the most modern environmental construction practices. The area between the FPH and the University Centre will be landscaped with native trees and vegetation.
When finished, the hope of all involved is that the First Peoples House will help to break down social barriers between indigenous and non-indigenous members of the community - be they student, faculty, or administration.
“We want everyone to feel welcome,” said Hunt-Jinnouchi. “Or it won’t serve its purpose of bridging cultures and bringing people together.”
The official ground-breaking is scheduled for April 9, 2008 and there will be festivities to mark the occasion.
Originally published in Volume 1, Issue 3 of the Fountain, April 2008