The University of Sudbury community gathered early Monday morning for an hour-long ceremony led by Atikamiksheng Anishnawkbek elder Mary Elliott that included smudging, singing and drumming and eating traditional foods.
Also including a ground-breaking, the ceremony was held outside on the federated university's grounds on the Laurentian University campus, on the site where a sacred fire arbour will soon be built.
The structure will resemble an open-sided gazebo with seating and room in the centre for a fire pit.
The roughly $140,000 cost will be taken from the University of Sudbury's reserves, said Sophie Bouffard, the university's president.
“It's important because our institution is bilingual and tricultural, and so that's part of our mandate and our identity as an institution,” she said.
“Our Indigenous studies department is a core programming in our university. We've had Indigenous studies since the '70s. It was important to add this to what we have here at the university.”
The sacred fire arbour will be used as outdoor classroom space as well as a place where ceremonies can be conducted, said Indigenous studies assistant professor Brock Pitawanikwat.
“It's been a project we've been working towards for several years now,” he said. “The idea is to allow students the opportunity to participate in a ceremonial space.
“One of the challenges often with regular classrooms is due to the fire code and other issues, where something as simple as a smudge — which is the burning of sacred medicines as an offering — wouldn't be allowed.”
