The small community of Arviat, Nvt., has reportedly been selected to host the main campus of Inuit Nunangat University, the first Inuit-led university in Canada. The institution is expected to open in 2030.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), which represents Canada’s 70,000 Inuit, passed a resolution to develop the university in 2017, “marking a significant step toward self-determination in higher education.”

The vision and plans for the university reflect a common saying among the Indigenous Peoples of the Prairies: “Education is the new buffalo.” It alludes to the importance of buffalo to Indigenous Peoples prior to the animal’s near-extinction in the late 19th century, and the importance placed on education today.

This emphasis on education is partly a response to colonial policies that systematically denied Indigenous Peoples access to quality education for generations.

The consequences of that history are still seen today. While there is a gap in employment rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults overall, the gap essentially disappears for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

In this context, the establishment of a university is more than the creation of educational institution. It’s a way to combat the injustices of the past and develop the Indigenous economy, which also helps fund Indigenous self-determination.

Not the first Indigenous university

Inuit Nunangat University will not be the first Indigenous-led university in Canada. That distinction is most often attributed to the First Nations University of Canada in Saskatchewan, which started as the Saskatchewan Indian Federated........

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