UBC's First Nations Longhouse celebrates 30 years of supporting Indigenous students

At the age of 29, Dave Robinson never expected to find himself walking down the University of British Columbia's (UBC) cobbled steps on the path to becoming a teacher. 

Now, nearly 10 years later, Robinson credits the faculty and staff at the UBC First Nations Longhouse for going above and beyond to support his academic and cultural development. 

"I went back to school to better myself, and that's what happened … at the UBC Longhouse. [It was] the home away from home," said Robinson, who is an Indigenous enhancement teacher with the Vancouver School Board and a UBC PhD candidate in experimental medicine. 

Robinson and other members of the UBC community are coming together to honour the 30th anniversary of the Longhouse's construction and to commemorate the staff who continue to support Indigenous folks on campus. 

"It was just such a beautiful time for me to all of a sudden be in a postsecondary school and attending a longhouse … and be surrounded by culture but also surrounded by [Indigenous] academics," said Robinson. 

The First Nations Longhouse opened in 1993 as the first university facility of its kind dedicated to Indigenous students in North America, according to a statement from UBC.

'Culture is medicine'

Robinson, who is Anishinaabe Algonquin from Timiskaming First Nation in Quebec, came to UBC in 2013 as an undergraduate student in the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP). 

He says the resources at the UBC Longhouse provided students with a unique opportunity to access Indigenous academics and Musqueam elders and also to have a space solely for themselves. 

"When you're able to have the longhouse, that's a place where you can go and experience Indigenous ways of knowing and … see Indigenous academics experiencing Western science, math and education and excelling at it," he said. 

Robinson says one of his fondest memories was the weekly Indigenous lunches led by Musqueam elder Larry Grant. 

"You could go up and talk to him, tell him about your experiences, ask him questions and actually get cultural knowledge," said Robinson, adding it was opportunities like this that allowed him to learn more about the cultural art of carving. 

Over the years, Robinson says he's been able to continue fostering his interest in carving. 

Recently, he merged his Western and cultural interests to create a 100-foot red cedar sculpture with UBC's civil engineering project and Tony Yang, the head of the program — something he credits to the opportunities and connections brought about by the longhouse. 

"Culture is medicine and … that's what the UBC Longhouse is for me and other students."

Built for and by Indigenous people 

In a statement, UBC shared how Verna Kirkness, a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba, pushed for the development of a community space for Indigenous students in the 1980s. 

Kirkness, along with a committee of elders, faculty, students and architect Larry McFarland, came up with a design for the 21,500-foot longhouse in the style of a Musqueam shed. 

The longhouse features a library inspired by a Salish winter dwelling and a great hall with house posts and roof beams carved by First Nations artists from various parts of B.C. 

"The building was entirely decided by us — the Indigenous people," Kirkness said.

"That's unknown in other universities. Every part of this building was built with honour to the Great Spirit."

As a teacher, Robinson has initiated trips to the longhouse to help share its history and Indigenous knowledge with the younger generation. 

He says while those classes might not have many Indigenous youth in them, it's an opportunity to show those students that there is a place dedicated to them on university campuses. 

"To have a space within a Western institution where [Indigenous people] can gather, experience Western knowledge and share Indigenous teachings is significant, and it's a big step."