Friends for life
We were a large cohort of First Nations, Métis, Inuit students, so we had support with each other both formally through the First Nations Student Association but also informally through study groups or doing fun type of activities.
We were all connected, all three years of the Indigenous students. [The person who was in what is now the Associate Director role] was really great at bringing in elders, bringing cultural teachings. We had an elder that came in for drum making. That brought us together, to each make our own drum out of hide, while also talking with each other, talking with the elder. It was a real excellent event that got you out of your mind from studying case law. And it was really a cultural event that really made you proud, because you could go home with this drum. And we gained teachings of the first drum you’re supposed to give away to someone important to you, or something of that nature. So that was excellent.
Well, I’d say that because we were such a large cohort coming in, although we don’t speak every day, those are truly my friends for life [from] what we went through together. And I think they could be highlighted even better on the website. There really is a strong crew there that are doing amazing high-level legal work. So I think there’s bragging rights there. And that’s not just because they’re my buddies. I’m just proud of the group and where they’ve gone with their work. You just have to respect so many people that have gone through those doors. I think it’s important. That’s part of the history, is we have leaders everywhere that have gone through those doors, you know?
I was prepared to quit
[One of the professors] at the time was quite open to us doing any kind of essay that related to First Nations, Métis, Inuit issues. That was second year.
I think [another professor] also offered—it was something new they were doing the year we were there, called [the] “Perspectives” class, and we did that in a month in the first-year, first term. She organized that on Indigenous laws, looking at elders’ perspective of treaties and looking at the differences between Western thinking and Indigenous thinking. It was really deeper than just looking at Canadian law and how it’s related to Indigenous people. This was looking more at Indigenous laws, values, thinking, worldviews, etc. So it was good. I’m not sure what became of that class.
[Another professor taught me in] three classes—“First Nations and Administration of Justice,” “Aboriginal and Treaty Rights,” and “Penal Policy,” which really was in a way First Nations–focused because of the high numbers of people in Corrections.
So I was lucky, really lucky. And I think [another professor] taught—in third year there was something called “Indigenous Peoples in Comparative and International Law.” That also was an excellent seminar-type class.
So really, every year was packed with [Indigenous content]—aside from first year where I felt it was extremely difficult. I barely made it through first year. I was prepared to quit after first year. There was no Indigenous anything and nothing about peace or justice or things I cared about. And one of our group did quit, and some others wanted to. I hope that has been repaired since that time, finding solutions of more Indigenous material in first year within every course.
I know [one faculty member]—I think that was in second year possibly—wrote a report, a big evaluation. He did an excellent evaluation and really looked at how UBC is doing pretty darn good at the time with trying to infuse Indigenous into every course. It was at the beginning of that process. So I’m not sure where that report is, but it’s super important I think, what [he] wrote at that time about UBC, who was a leader really and was trying to so-called—not everybody loves that word, but so-called Indigenize all the courses.
But I think it’s important to know that a few Indigenous students were truly ready [to quit]. I had to go home saying, “Should I quit or not?”—you know, talk to elders, talk to family. It really had no meaning for me, no importance, nothing of value. Like contracts, torts, property—I barely passed them. And I was a good student before that. Although law school’s hard for everybody, it just felt meaningless, to tell you the truth.
In first year, most of my professors were older white males. I felt it was difficult to connect and learn from them. And that’s just historical patriarchy. Not the personalities, because my contract prof—he’s passed away now—he was really a great person and a great professor. But the rest of them, because of the history of white privilege and patriarchy, colonialism, it truly made it difficult to learn. If professors who do have that privilege are willing to learn—that’s the biggest point. Willing to learn and add to their curriculum.
I came to UBC particularly because there were so many Indigenous-focused courses. I believe at the time, to my knowledge, UBC had the most Indigenous-focused courses. That is why I chose UBC, not only because it had its own program for students but I could really focus on what I wanted to focus on and go deeper into that.
At that time, there was not too much information about Métis law. It really was still a newer sub-discipline of Aboriginal law. Nowadays it’s come a long ways with different Supreme Court decisions. But I sensed at the time, being Métis, that there really wasn’t enough of a Métis focus, considering we are one important Aboriginal group across Canada. And that could be because of the political dynamics in British Columbia. It’s more First Nations–focused, less focused on Métis and Inuit in British Columbia. So I was aware that I was in a place that was more First Nations–focused and less focused on Métis and Inuit. But I felt at times, just like there’s many books written about the Métis as the forgotten peoples, that we were continuing to be the forgotten peoples and that our claims weren’t as important. And there were political issues at play—you know, First Nations land rights versus Métis rights, sometimes those were on the same pieces of land. So there [are] deeper issues.
On the ground
I think [another] thing that was super important was what was called then the First Nations Legal Clinic, now called I believe the Indigenous Legal Clinic. I did that in my third year for one term, and it was [a good learning experience], because I’m more of a practical person. So being on the ground, being on the Downtown Eastside was a learning experience, to learn what are the social issues, economic issues, what is the history of colonialism that’s affecting our clients. For example, a few years before the Gladue decision had just come out. So we were implementing these things on the ground, thinking of restorative solutions, using the services at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre, I think it was called “Transformative Justice” at the time. So that was really revolutionary at that time. […] The supervisor at the time, she also was super-excellent at guiding us along as we’re in the field for the first time.
A safe place
I remember [the person in the Associate Director role] painted her office really kind of warm colours, and it looked kind of like “Southwest,” reds and other deep colours, and had a really nice couch in there. I think she even had a background in counselling or social work, so for us it really was a bit of a safe room, [a] safe place on campus where we could just go chill out. We could smudge. We could just chat with her [not just about what’s] bothering us but writing a memo, which she could also help with, [and] just surviving really through it, through that process. That was really great when she came on board, because there was a bit of a gap before that. For some reason, they hadn’t been able to hire someone. I think it could have been second year and we were all just relieved that her office existed.
You didn’t get the true marks
I guess other challenges were—well, I’m not sure if I want to get into all that.
I guess sometimes I didn’t feel First Nations / Métis students were respected by the other students. There was some thinking as if we got in on some kind of “feel sorry for you,” kind of like “You didn’t get the true marks.” Like in the United States, like it’s a program like that. The wording—I’m sure you can think of the wording. But I think that, not all of us, most of us had excellent marks and did really great on the LSAT. So there was assumptions possibly made by our fellow students, and that would come out in different—not overt racism but kind of covertly, as if we weren’t up to standard, up to speed. So that continues on.
Is it us? Is it the building?
Prior to the new building that’s there now, we were in the former building. Whatever is called “brutal architecture,” it’s this. You’re probably familiar with it. The big ugly grey cement structure built in the ’60s and ’70s, or maybe more in the ’70s. That building had a strange energy, and there was quite a few of us that sensed it. But maybe we thought, “Is it because of the cement? Is it because it needs to be aired out? What’s the reason?” But because we were an Indigenous student body, we started to think, “Well, we’re on Musqueam lands. Maybe we should consult with the Musqueam peoples.”
So a group of us took tobacco and other items to some Musqueam elders down the road there and asked them what we should do about this strange energy that we didn’t feel right about in the building or around the building. We always felt kind of sad in the building. “Is it us? Is it the building? We don’t know.” So the elders consulted us that we need to have a burning ceremony, which some of us weren’t as familiar with, but we wanted to honour the territory we were on and what we should do to do it in a right way. So those elders helped us to have a ceremony over by the the Longhouse. We had it in the kind of yard area. We had a ceremony, and all of us brought feast food. And then the elders helped us. And the reason was it’s kind of like a cleansing of the building. That’s what needed to happen, and there’s different ancestors or ancestral spirits around that want that to happen because maybe—who knows?—maybe nobody asked the Musqueam when they built all these buildings. I’m sure probably they didn’t. So it’s sort of like trying to repair some kind of spiritual energy so that things go better. I’m not sure if I even fully understood it, but we were trying to repair something and make a better feeling for all the students while we were in that building.
So that’s what we went with. We just listened to the elders from Musqueam. I think that was the main point. We came in together from all different nations, we tried to listen to the elders from Musqueam about how to make things right. So it was a good teaching, on-the-ground—“How to honour the nation where your law school sits, and how to get their advice on a lot of matters”—you know?