For Indigenous Peoples and allies
Tân’si! Nukskahtowin (Meeting Place) is a welcoming place for all peoples. It is a centre for ideas and people to come together. We started in 2001, and our main goal has always been to recognize and develop traditional Indigenous knowledge and to support, protect, and keep Indigenous knowledge, education, and oral traditions alive.
After the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we renewed our commitment to all forms of Indigeneity at AU.
Nukskahtowin icon
The icon design represents gathering and community, relating to the name Nukskahtowin (Meeting Place). The bright yellow and orange at the centre represent the sun, which symbolizes a warm welcome and community. The circles around the centre represent gathering, community and people coming together. The number of circles represents the seven sacred teachings. The colour of each of the seven circles represents the ribbons/offerings that our Elder in Residence uses in place of traditional offerings, such as sticks or flags. The entire icon symbolizes wahkohtowin, the importance of our relationship to each other and our obligations to the land and each other. We are encompassed by our four directions and the teachings that are inherent to our beings and the work that we do.
Discover how we're shaping the future. Learn more about our strategic plan for Nukskahtowin's goals and initiatives.
Indigenous news
Indigenous events
Spaces for reflection
The Linda Bull Memorial Garden and Bertha Clark-Jones O.C. Art Gallery are two important spaces at Athabasca University to reflect and remember the lives lost and Survivors of Canada’s residential school system.
The garden honours the legacy of the late Linda Bull, O.C., who was Cree and one of AU’s first Indigenous academics, while the art gallery is named after Bertha Clark-Jones, O.C., a Cree-Métis who devoted her life to advocacy, in particular for Indigenous women and children.
Memorial Garden
Little Badger and the Fire Spirit
Stories like the one below help to protect and preserve Indigenous knowledge, education, and oral traditions. They are important on our journey of kwayskahsatsowin (conciliation) and to our commitment to Indigeneity, in all its forms at Athabasca University.