traditional thinkers advisory council

kent ayoungman | marie big snake | vera crowshoe | alice kaquitts | alvin manitopyes

bruce starlight | roy weaselfat | calvin williams | clarence wolfleg

these are our community representative advisors. they agreed to be part of the mru/ttac for the next four years.

i believe that the knowledge and support that is possible through this committee will set us on a strong foundation for both Indigenization and decolonization efforts.

— linda manyguns, associate vice-president of Indigenization and decolonization

from what I have heard about the formation of the traditional thinkers advisory council (ttac), it is exactly the type of way that the university can be guided to do its part to decolonize, Indigenize, and make meaningful changes overall to address wrongs and inspire our communities to do the right thing going forward. i have been honoured over the last several years to learn from and work with Indigenous communities in treaty six territory while at the university of saskatchewan. as i move back to treaty seven territory in 2023, I feel a new beginning for myself that parallels the new beginning of this advisory council being formed to guide the development of an Indigenous strategy for mru. launching that strategy by starting with an advisory council that amplifies Indigenous ways of doing and ways of knowing, and with Indigenous voices at the centre seems to me to be the recipe for launching the strategy in a "good way."

i want to thank those involved for making this happen. i look forward to meeting you all soon and sitting with you to learn from your wise counsel. i am optimistic that mru, through its academic programs, community engagement, and scholarship will make meaningful contributions within and outside the university.

— chad london, provost and vice-president, academic

community representative advisors

kent ayoungman — siksika nation

a traditionalist in the blackfoot culture, appointed by the siksika chief to be part of the committee to represent the siksika voice. a former council member of many years, kent also holds many ceremonial transfers and is highly respected in the cultural world throughout all of southern alberta.

marie big snake — old sun community college, siksika nation

a representative for old sun, marie has been involved in the discussions with the mou between mru and old sun. she is the acting director of old sun and advocates for siksika education and strong student success.

vera crowshoe — peigan nation

vera is part of one of the most well know ceremonial families in the peigan nation. joe and josephine crowshoe were pipe holders who held ceremonies throughout vera's life. she has been involved in the educational system and introduced Indigenous pedagogy to the k–12 education system at fort macleod.

alice kaquitt — stoney nation

a traditionalist in the stoney culture, a strong supporter of mru initiative over many years, she is a teacher and cultural advisor on many subjects.

alvin manitopyes — city of calgary (urban people)

alvin is plains cree/saulteaux and is well-known politically, culturally and socially. he is highly sought for his knowledge by many city of calgary community events and internationally. he is a highly respected ceremonialist and Indigenous leader.

bruce starlight — tsuu t'ina

bruce is one of the few language speakers at tsuu t'ina and has been involved with many people at mru over the years working on projects and supporting mru on many fronts. he is a strong traditional leader from his community that is highly respected.

roy weaselfat — red crow community college, kainai nation

roy is president of red crow college and has been involved in education for much of his life. he is keenly interested in partnering and developing a strong relationship between mru and rc college. he also holds strong traditional knowledge and is well respected by ceremonialists and all blackfoot confederacy community members.

calvin williams — kainai nation

a traditionalist for the kainai nation and is also an advisor to red crow college. cal has been involved with community support for kainai and blackfoot confederacy initiatives most of his life. he knows ceremony and is a leader in the ceremonial world who is highly respected.

clarence wolfleg — siksika nation

this place is held for clarence wolfleg, a siksika member who has been part of the mru community for many years. his council is highly respected, and we will always honour his participation and contributions to mru's Indigenization and decolonization efforts.