Policies & Guidelines

Brandon University is committed to respectful engagement with all Indigenous people and communities. To ensure a respectful relationship, Indigenous Initiatives has undertaken extensive consultation to develop policies & guidelines for respectful engagement. They will be posted here as we develop them.

Existing Policies & Guidelines

Respectful engagement with knowledge-keepers and elders

The following guidelines offer faculty, staff, students, and others insight into important considerations for respectfully engaging and working with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers or Elders, while recognizing the distinct histories, experiences, belief systems, and cultural practices of Indigenous peoples and communities.

Kairos Blanket Exercise – Checklist

The Kairos Blanket Exercise (KBE) is a 90-minute experiential activity that aims to foster understanding of the shared history and nation to nation relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Guidelines for Indoor or Outdoor Indigenous Ceremonies

Under the Province of Manitoba’s The Non-Smokers Health Protection and Vapour Products Act smudging and the use of tobacco in pipe ceremonies indoor are permitted. Brandon University has recognized that smudging and pipe ceremonies are a part of many Indigenous Peoples’ traditional ways of life and are therefore permitted on campus.

Land Acknowledgement Protocol

To provide guidance on delivering a land acknowledgement with respect to Indigenous peoples’ traditional territories. A land acknowledgement is a formal statement performed at the beginning of a gathering to share awareness on land history, traditional territories, and Indigenous people, and to express gratitude for the land in which we occupy.