Indigenous Graduation Celebration
It's time to celebrate!
The Indigenous Graduation Celebration is an annual event in which Writing Symbols Lodge invites Indigenous graduates from the 春水堂视频 of Calgary to celebrate their聽achievements alongside their family, friends, Elders and community. This event is held in addition to the convocation ceremonies that all UCalgary graduates can attend upon completing their degrees.聽
Indigenous graduates are honoured at the celebration with a gifting ceremony to commemorate this exciting achievement. The event also includes M茅tis fiddlers and performers.
The 2024 Indigenous Graduation Celebration was held on June 7.
Activities for the public
After the graduation celebration for students and their guests, members of the public are invited to stop by and participate in a Round Dance! All are welcome to attend and join. A give away will be offered to guests.
Honouring Indigenous graduates
An important element of the Indigenous Graduation Celebration is the gifting ceremony, which is presided over by multiple Elders. It's a special way of honouring UCalgary's Indigenous students who have completed their studies and received their degrees. Traditional gifts for the ceremony include blankets and hand-beaded medallions, with the addition of sashes for M茅tis graduates and eagle feathers for PhD graduates. These gifts are blessed by the Elders before being presented to the graduates.
During the ceremony, graduates are individually called to stand before their peers, loved ones and community, and are presented with ceremonial gifts by the Elders in attendance. As this is a ceremonial honouring, graduates must be present in order to receive the traditional gifts.
To participate, graduates must have been approved to graduate from a UCalgary program from in the most recent November or February convocation ceremonies, or the current year鈥檚 June convocation.
Ramsey Kunkel Photography
FAQs
Arrival:聽Please arrive 15 minutes early to get settled.
笔补谤办颈苍驳:听Free parking will be available to all attendees in Lots 12 and 13. Volunteers will be at each lot entrance to provide parking codes.
颁丑别肠办-颈苍:听The event is located at Green Space 18 (behind the聽). Students and guests must head to the UCalgary registration team first to check-in and get organized for the ceremony.
Dress protocol:聽Participants are invited (but not expected) to wear traditional dress including ribbon skirts and shirts. Regalia is also welcome (keep in mind that you will be blanketed during the ceremony). All participants are asked to wear clothing that covers the shoulders and goes below the knees. These protocols are a guide for participants 鈥 additional questions can be emailed to聽writingsymbolslodge@ucalgary.ca.
笔丑辞迟辞驳谤补辫丑测:听Please note that a photographer will be present at the event. The UCalgary tipi will be set up, and props will also be available to students for photos with their guests!
The M茅tis sash is a traditional piece of clothing, created through a process called "finger weaving." We are grateful to offer our M茅tis graduates the opportunity to receive a sash presented by M茅tis Elders and聽M茅tis聽Nation of Alberta Representatives.
For more history of the M茅tis Sash or to learn about the six colours of the sash and their symbolic meanings, please visit .
Student awards
Indigenous students who have graduated in the previous fall/winter or expect to graduate this spring are eligible to apply for the聽Dr. Olive Dickason Award 补苍诲听迟丑别聽Royal Eagle Award, funded by the Writing Symbols Lodge and various donors.聽
These awards are an opportunity for you to tell us about the great things you've accomplished. Whether it was overcoming a major obstacle or standing up to be a leader in your community, we want to聽honour and celebrate聽with you!聽
Applications are currently closed. Check back for further details.
The Dr. Olive Dickason Award recognizes and honours the accomplishment of an Indigenous graduand who exercised resilience in overcoming adverse life events to achieve success and graduate from the 春水堂视频 of Calgary. This tribute includes a financial award of $1,000 provided by Brent and Hugh Alexander.
The Royal Eagle Award is sponsored and presented by Writing Symbols Lodge to a graduating Indigenous undergraduate student at the 春水堂视频 of Calgary. This tribute includes a financial award of $1,000 and recognizes academic excellence and community-based volunteerism or student leadership.