Dear Students, Teachers and Friends,

Welcome to a new year and a new start to the First Nation Studies Undergraduate Blog. Already a fall chill is upon us and assignments are due! We would like to extend a welcome to and a welcome back to our blog, which acts as a space for First Nation Studies students and other related fields to post their work in a safe and open space. This blog is the informal partner to the Indigenous Studies Undergraduate Journal and allows for a variety of work to be contributed. We also like to stay connected to the UBC and greater Vancouver area community through our events page. This September, there has been a surplus of events surrounding the arrival of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As many of you know, all undergraduate classes at the University of British Columbia were cancelled in order for students to participate in the opening of the TRC at the PNE. Within many of our First Nation Studies courses, the theme of “reconciliation” has been very prevalent. We encourage an ongoing dialogue around the theme of reconciliation as an on-going process.

If you are interested in submitting a piece, email us at isujblogeditors@gmail.com

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Hey guys! There have been a few updates in the past few weeks. First off, the First Nations Studies Program, have announced their new newsletter, ‘The Raven’. Thanks to the hardwork of Erica Baker, Dr. Daniel Justice, Shelley Long, and Kathy Moyou, students now have a bi-annual newsletter that features the on-goings of First Nations Studies Program students and staff. The newsletter can be accessed on the FNSP website and in the blog’s gallery, and happens to feature a section on the ISUJ Blog you’re currently reading! Check it out and get aquainted with what we’ve been up to!

Secondly, a new FNSP student directed seminar course is now being offered in the 2013 academic year. FNSP 433A: The Politics of Indigenous-Settler Reconciliation in Canada will be exploring the topic of reconciliation in relation to Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. This course is coinciding with the Vancouver National Event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that is happening September 18th-21st, and also with the City of Vancouver’s official ‘Year of Reconciliation’. For more information on this course, click here to be directed to FNSP’s course listings and register today!

Finally, an update from the Journal team is that all submissions have been collected, and they are currently reviewing materials sent in. We look forward to announcing upcoming welcoming events for the new academic year in the Fall, along with an announcement on the release of the Indigenous Studies Undergraduate Journal.

Happy Summer Days!

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As of June 14th, 2013, submissions have officially closed. We thank everyone who submitted their work, and the journal team looks forward to reading and reviewing all the great work that has come in. For those anxiously awaiting their copy of the the journal, we have high hopes to have something available come Fall 2013. Keep checking back for more details on the journal, and for upcoming work being posted on the blog!

Hope you’re all enjoying your summer!

– Matt

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Tansi!

My name is Matthew Ward, currently going into my 4th year of studies at UBC in both Political Science and First Nations Studies. As you may or may not know, I am one of the blog editors here. The team and I have been taking time to relax after bringing this blog and the coupling journal to life. Now that we’ve settled into our summer lifestyles, we’re ready to start accepting and reviewing materials to be posted on the blog! This is open to everyone (students, faculty, citizens from anywhere and everywhere!) and we will accept almost any format of submission! Feel free to share the current submissions and get inspired to share something with us!

Remember, send submissions to isujblogeditors@gmail.com in order to be considered, and check out the ‘Submit Your Work’ button above!

Ekosi maka,

Matt Ward

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When I initially heard that the First Nations Studies Student Association was planning on launching an undergrad journal and blog, my mind immediately became awash with the prospective essays that had been lurking in my subconscious, waiting for the perfect publication venue to present itself. Aboriginal self-representation in new media. Indigenous semiotics. A treatise on the relationship between Cree males and cream ales. In that moment, I must have been a true intellectual.

Shortly after the first of many journal meetings, I came to the (somewhat dismal) realization that my entry into the greater world of academic discourse would likely be delayed by the process of learning how to make an academic journal. Over the course of many weeks, we met many times, trying to figure out what it means to create and to run an Indigenous Studies undergraduate journal. We met amongst ourselves, with other undergrad journal teams, with our program Chair, gradually building protocols, ethics, and logistical coherence. At some point during this process, I made a second realization; that the journal and blog had become safe spaces in which serious Indigenous voices and topics could be heard and discussed freely. And neither of them even existed yet.

So that was pretty neat. It was a small insight into an experience and community that will only continue to improve as we learn along the way. It has been my privilege to be involved thus far; I hope to share that privilege with many others as we continue on.

Josh Kioke, FNSSA Treasurer 

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Hello and welcome to the newly created Indigenous Studies Undergraduate Blog! We are excited to present a space where work can be shared and discussed on a continuous basis within the First Nation Studies Program and the University of British Columbia. Our vision is to have an ongoing conversation through the sharing of voices and the creation of new knowledge in a contemporary space. We encourage undergraduate students in the First Nations Studies program or related fields to share your work with us and with this newly created community. We also encourage friends and allies to share their thoughts and opinions, and for everyone to gain a greater understanding on historical and contemporary First Nations topics, and events. We look forward to hearing your voices.

The Blog Editors

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