Inii Awattoo
Buffalo on the Move

Foundational poles:
Our strategic priorities

In a Blackfoot lodge, four foundational poles are used to create the structure. These poles are not interchangeable; each one has a distinct purpose, placement and direction. Together, they uphold the lodge, allowing the fire at its centre to burn brightly.

In the Inii Awattoo framework, the four foundational poles represent four categories that house the six strategic priorities, honouring the original teachings of the lodge while identifying the areas of focus for Mount Royal in our strategic planning across the University:

While the lodge poles represent the strength of our commitment to indigenization and decolonization, the lodge fire symbolizes the vitality of the framework; it is perceived as alive and interconnected to its environment. The activities, initiatives, collaborations and practices undertaken at Mount Royal represent the fuel needed to bring the framework to life and sustain it for years to come.

Upholding Ethical Space

At Mount Royal University, we recognize the deep harms caused by colonization, including the genocide of Indigenous peoples and the legacy of trauma inflicted by residential and public education systems, including universities. Since our first Indigenous Strategic Plan was developed in 2016, the University has been on a journey toward Indigenization¹ and decolonization², and is committed to addressing this legacy of harm in both word and action.

Our journey is a long-term, relational commitment grounded in accountability, humility and transformation³. It is shaped by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which inform our responsibility to advance reconciliation in ways that are honest, reciprocal and grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing.

Inii Awattoo is a strategic framework that builds on Mount Royal’s commitment, as articulated in Vision 2030: Opening Minds and Changing Lives , to create ethical space⁴; that integrates Indigenous knowledge so that Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members can learn from one another in a respectful environment.

Ethical space is recognized at Mount Royal as both a principle and a process that invites trust, dialogue and the rethinking of relationships between peoples, histories and knowledge systems. By working to create ethical space, we aim to address the assimilationist impacts of colonization and open pathways for more meaningful and shared understanding across the Mount Royal community.

Transformation is at the heart of our journey. It calls for a fundamental shift in how relationships, knowledge and institutional practices are understood and enacted across the University. Transformation includes decolonization, the revitalization of Indigenous languages, cultures and systems of knowledge, and a deepened embrace of relationality. Together, these efforts unsettle dominant Western knowledge systems⁵ and affirm Indigenous knowledge systems⁶ as dynamic, living sources of insight essential to creating and sustaining ethical space as a fundamental element of the Mount Royal community.

In practice, Inii Awattoo provides a guide for planning, decision-making and accountability to create meaningful change across all areas of Mount Royal. While it does not prescribe specific actions, it establishes a shared direction that divisions, departments, teams and individuals can engage with as they develop their own actions and initiatives to advance indigenization and decolonization.

Inii Awattoo is both an invitation and a responsibility for all members of the Mount Royal community — it is a call to engage thoughtfully, to listen deeply and to act with courage and care.

The Blackfoot lodge as a living model for strategic planning

Gifted to Mount Royal University by Elder Miiksika’am, the Blackfoot lodge is a living model that guides strategic planning work across the University to advance indigenization and decolonization. It is grounded in teachings about the lodge’s structure, spirit and relationship with the universe.

Holistically, the lodge model reminds us of the need for strong foundations, shared responsibilities, care for what sustains us and alignment with the world around us — all of which are essential to long-term institutional transformation.

The door: An invitation to all

The door of the lodge faces east to welcome the sun and to protect it from the prevailing west winds. It is between the poles so that one can enter the space for conversation and ceremony. The door flap is detachable so that the threshold can remain open. In this way, it signals an invitation for all members of the Mount Royal community to enter and be seated at the fire.

The foundational poles: Setting strategic priorities

The foundational poles provide the essential structure of the lodge. They must be strong and interdependent to uphold our vision. Each pole is carefully placed, symbolizing the deliberate effort needed to establish a solid foundation for long- term success. The foundational poles represent the strategic priorities, which are the key areas of focus for Mount Royal in our journey to advance indigenization and decolonization.

The canvas: Living institutional values

The canvas of the lodge serves as a protective covering, safeguarding those within. It represents the overarching values that shield and sustain our work and guide our decisions. The canvas must be properly stretched and secured to provide protection. In the same way, our institutional values of transformation, belonging, boldness, inquisitiveness and authenticity must be upheld to ensure integrity in our work.

The loops and stakes: Nurturing relationships, security and community support

The loops are the connectors that grasp the stakes at ground level, while the stakes anchor the lodge to the earth, providing stability and security. The loops and stakes represent individuals who connect us in partnerships and in networks with our community. Without strong and engaged community members, including Elders, students, faculty, staff and partners, our lodge would not remain standing. And, without strong relationships based on consensus, common ground, trust, respect and reciprocity, our lodge risks falling apart. Nurturing these relationships is fundamental to sustaining long-term and meaningful change.

The pins: Leading as partners

The pins hold the lodge’s canvas together. They provide a flexible, responsive way to ensure the lodge remains intact. Similarly, Mount Royal leadership plays a critical role in maintaining the integrity of the lodge. Leaders must actively participate in the care of the lodge rather than solely delegating responsibility to Indigenous faculty and staff. Just as the lodge requires skilled hands to construct and maintain it, engaged and accountable leaders must work alongside the entire community to create and sustain ethical space.

Painting the lodge: Reflecting Mount Royal’s identity

The dreams that are gifted to lodge owners are embedded in the painting of the lodge, and it is through this painting that a lodge becomes alive. When Mount Royal’s history and identity are considered, the framework can be more than just a set of strategic priorities — it becomes a living, breathing entity that connects the University’s past, present and future.

The central rope: Upholding ethical space

Inii Awattoo is grounded in ethical space. This principle serves as a unifying tether, connecting our guiding principles to a space where collaboration, mutual support and reciprocal knowledge-sharing can thrive. In the lodge, the rope represents ethical space as a guiding force that maintains alignment and connection. Just as the rope lends resiliency and adaptability to the lodge during shifting conditions, ethical space grounds our efforts in a shared sense of purpose and direction.

Flap poles: Shaping strategy

The two flap poles of the lodge are used to respond to the surrounding environment. Positioning a pole influences how air enters and how smoke leaves the lodge. These poles oversee the “breathing” of the lodge, and are a direct way of tending to the home fire. Likewise, the ongoing strategic planning work across all divisions of Mount Royal is a critical way to ensure that we, as a University, respond thoughtfully and appropriately to our surrounding environment, whether social, physical or otherwise.

The lodge fire: Transforming our community

The lodge fire represents the vitality of a strategic planning process. Activities and initiatives represent the fuel that we supply to feed the fire. If the home fire is neglected and its flames extinguish, the lodge becomes cold, lifeless and ineffective against the elements. It is the responsibility of all members to ensure our lodge fire remains strong so that our lodge thrives. Thus, activities and initiatives cannot simply be set in place and forgotten. They must be developed and enacted upon in an ongoing, responsive way that creates meaningful, effective change.

Indigenous student success
Strategic priority: Strengthen Indigenous learner success and belonging

The success of Indigenous students and a sense of belonging are enhanced through a holistic, culturally grounded and community-connected approach that ensures a culturally safe space for learning. Success for Indigenous learners includes academic achievements as well as cultural, emotional and spiritual well-being.

TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION
Strategic priority: Advance truth and reconciliation

Education on the historical and ongoing realities of colonization and its impacts on Indigenous peoples is fundamental to advancing truth and reconciliation. These lessons are drawn from Indigenous experiences and perspectives, and without these, reconciliation will not happen. Activating reconciliation includes transforming colonial structures embedded in Western approaches to research, curriculum and pedagogies to create a learning environment that moves beyond the legacy of colonization.

TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION
Strategic priority: Teaching and learning of Treaty Relationships

To educate Mount Royal communities beyond general awareness about Indigenous peoples and their historical realities, formal and informal education must include reflection on how colonial systems operate — and how they can be transformed. Indigenous-led teaching, land-based learning, experiential learning and relational frameworks are central to this effort. It is the responsibility of all within the Mount Royal community to practice self-reflexivity, recognize their positionality and actively engage with and uphold decolonizing principles.

INDIGENOUS ORAL TRADITIONS
Strategic priority: Elevate Indigenous lifeways

Indigenous knowledge systems, including pedagogies, oral traditions and languages, should not be subsumed into Western frameworks. Instead, they are parallel processes that should be recognized in ways that validate their depth, distinctiveness, original teachings and long-standing guiding teachings to guide curriculum, research and institutional life. Elevating Indigenous lifeways promotes respectful co-existence and fidelity to Indigenous worldviews.

RECIPROCITY, CONSENSUS, AND SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
Strategic priority: Build and sustain relationships, partnerships and nation-to-nation commitments

Mount Royal’s journey to indigenization and decolonization is grounded in long-term, reciprocal and accountable relationships with Indigenous communities. In relationship-building, it is critical to prioritize those in Treaty 7, including local educational rights-holders and researchers. Initiatives are co-created, and research is community-initiated and informed, mutually beneficial and grounded in shared goals.

RECIPROCITY, CONSENSUS, AND SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
Strategic priority: Initiate and establish decolonial practices, systemic change and institutional responsibility

Deep structural transformation is required to decolonize systems — not temporary initiatives. This calls for governance, policies and procedures to reflect Indigenous leadership and worldviews. Responsibility rests with all areas of the University, including senior leadership, to uphold this work with integrity and long-term commitment.