Knowledge and Wisdom Centre now open in Edmonton

The Indigenous Knowledge & Wisdom Centre was opened on Oct. 26 at 11710 Kingsway Ave in Edmonton.

IKWC works to provide an environment where Indigenous cultures are kept vibrant and strong for the Treaty 6, 7 and 8 territories. The centre provides access to stories, research, language resources, teachings from Elders, and curriculum and far more that will contribute to and understanding of the Indigenous worldview, truth about Indigenous peoples and their history, the legacy of settler/Indigenous relations since contact, reconciliation and healing.

Indigenous peoples have demonstrated a lot of resilience over the obstacles and the barriers faced throughout history, said Chief Stanley Grier of the Piikani Nation in southern Alberta at the centre’s opening reception.

The facility allows Indigenous peoples to take ownership and protect their cultural, spiritual, and educational treasure trove. The centre will help retain the Indigenous intellectual ownership of the repository of information it has gathered, said Grier.

It was a historic day for Treaties 6, 7 and 8 after much work has gone into the IKWC project since 2017.

The centre’s purpose is to “ignite the fire of our ancestors’ ways of knowing” while honouring the diversity of Indigenous cultures, the inherent and treaty rights of Indigenous peoples, celebrating and sustaining Indigenous environments, languages, cultures and identities, and developing the legacy of knowledge and teachings for life-long learning.

The centre provides an environment to learn and share information in one centralized location and will offer education support services to band-operated schools.

It will also operate a virtual library with access to a wide range of specialized resources, including Elders’ teachings and storytelling.

For more information, go to the website at http://www.ikwc.org/