Rediscovering Roots: An Indigenous Scholar’s Story of Connection and Reclamation
“I think it’s hard not to get angry – when I think of my father, Hector, who for a whole lifetime lived in a state of denial and an alienation from his family because being Native was too painful, was too dangerous – for people to fabricate an identity that is to their advantage without any of that experience…”
Dr. Richard Vedan
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About the Episode
As a Professor Emeritus at UBC’s School of Social Work, Dr. Vedan reflects on his career, from his beginnings in the Canadian military to his academic achievements and community leadership. He discusses the ongoing impact of intergenerational trauma, the importance of addressing systemic inequities, and the complexities of Indigenous identity in contemporary Canada. This episode offers a powerful narrative of community resilience, healing, and the continuous advancement of equity.
Timestamps
2:35 – Situating Oneself
4:20 – A Story of Two Beginnings: Acknowledging Roots
7:10 – A Story of Two Beginnings: Canadian Armed Forces Social Work Branch
9:37 – Epigenetics, Intergenerational Trauma, and Resilience
15:51 – Self-Identifying in Academia – “What I Learned in Class Today”
17:20 – The History of Residential Schools and their Effects on the Family Unit
22:19 – Stress, the Seven Generations of Healing, and Breaking the Circle
32:45 – Reflections and Hopes for the Future of Indigenizing Academia and Non-Indigenous Allyship
42:58 – Exploring and Accepting Self-Identity in Academic Spaces
Our Guests
Dr. Richard Vedan is a distinguished member of the Neskonlith Band of the Secwepemc First Nation. Dr. Vedan’s journey in social work is rooted in his 11-year service with the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he trained as a navigator and later served as a Social Work Officer for Air Command, retiring with the rank of Captain. Dr. Vedan graduated from UBC with an MSW in 1973—a milestone as one of only two Indigenous people in Canada to hold such a degree at that time. He later joined the UBC School of Social Work as an Associate Professor in 1994 and earned his PhD from Simon Fraser University in 2002. Dr. Vedan retired in 2014 and continues to serve as an Elder Scholar and First Nations Advisor for UBC. He is also an Elder Scholar for the Simon Fraser University Faculty of Education and a member of the Indigenous Education and Reconciliation Council.