The flags of the Musqueam Band and Okanagan Nation Alliance will fly permanently above UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, respectively.
Each campus currently marks National Indigenous Peoples Day by temporarily raising the flag of its host First Nation in place of the university’s flag. Soon, the flags will have a permanent place on UBC’s campuses.
Each campus sits on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of its host nation: Musqueam in Vancouver, and the Syilx Okanagan Nation in the Okanagan.
The flags formally signify UBC’s recognition of Indigenous peoples in whose lands the university resides, and will add to a growing visible Indigenous presence on both campuses that includes bilingual signs providing alternate street names in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and nsyilxcən Indigenous languages.
“As the UBC Point Grey campus is situated on the traditional territory of the Musqueam people, and the Okanagan campus is situated on the traditional territory of the Okanagan people,” said UBC President Santa J. Ono, “it is appropriate that the flags of the Musqueam Indian Band and Okanagan Nation Alliance fly permanently at both campuses, as a constant reminder both of our present relationship with Musqueam and the Okanagan Nation, and of our responsibilities for future actions with the Musqueam and Okanagan Nations.”
The Musqueam Band Council and Chiefs Executive Council of the Okanagan Nation Alliance have approved ongoing use of the flags.
With this approval, the ceremonies office on both campuses will now work with representatives from the respective host nation and UBC colleagues to discuss protocols around flying the flags as well as suitable locations on each campus.