A new home for Indigenous legal resurgence
The new Indigenous Law wing at UVic is open. It is a place to share Indigenous legal traditions and is home to the Faculty of Law’s JD/JID program – the first law program in the world to combine the study of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous laws.
Day of celebration: October 8
The 樱花影视 and UVic Law are celebrating our new Coast Salish-inspired law wing in the Murray and Anne Fraser building on Wednesday, October 8.
This day reflects the collaboration, dedication, and inspiration of the Coast Salish community including hereditary and elected leadership, Elders, members from Xʷsepsəm (Esquimalt Nation), Songhees Nation, W̱SÁNEĆ and Elders working with UVic’s Office of Indigenous and Academic Community Engagement.
UVic Law thanks: the Law Foundation of British Columbia, the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia for its funding in support of the new wing.
Open House
2 pm | Building tours & public art projects
2 pm - 4:15 pm | Concurrent Indigenous Law panel discussions
2:00 - 3:00 pm | Panel Session 1
- Large Gathering Space: Reflections on Designing Coast Salish Inspired Building with Sarah Morales, Ruth Young and members of the design and architecture teams.
- Sky Classroom: Learning from the Land with Brian Thom, Jeffery Hewitt and Deborah Curran.
- Large Gathering Space: Revitalizing Indigenous Law in Community with Val Napoleon, Jess Asch, Tara Williamson and Hadley Friedland.
- Sky Classroom: Reflections on the joint degree program in Canadian Common Law (JD) and Indigenous Legal Orders (JID) with Darcy Lindberg, Janna Promislow and former JD/JID students.
7:30 pm | Fireside Chat: Art & Law in Reconciliation with Jeremy Dutcher and Maggie Wente at Farquhar Auditorium
Join us in conversation with Polaris Music Prize winner Jeremy Dutcher! Moderated by renowned Indigenous lawyer Maggie Wente, this fireside chat will highlight the intersections of law, language, music, and cultural resurgence. It will consider how both art and Indigenous legal traditions can serve as tools for resistance and transformation.
Jeremy Dutcher is a classically trained tenor, Two-Spirit song carrier, polymuse, activist, ethnomusicologist and member of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) in Eastern Canada. Dedicated to language revitalization, Jeremy’s debut album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa unearthed century-old archival recordings of his ancestors, turning them into collaborative compositions on the grand piano. Sung entirely in Wolastoqey, his endangered mother tongue, it would go on to win the 2018 Polaris Music Prize and lead to collaborations with such iconic artists as Yo-Yo Ma and Leslie Feist. His sophomore album Motewolonuwok ᒣᑌᐧᐁᓓᓄᐧᐁᒃ was awarded the 2024 Polaris Music Prize, making Jeremy the first ever two-time winner.
Maggie Wente is a partner with the law firm Olthuis Kleer Townshend (OKT) in Toronto. She is a member of Serpent River First Nation born and raised in Toronto and is of Anishinaabe and settler descent. Maggie advises First Nations and regional Indigenous groups on a broad range of subjects as a litigator and a solicitor. Maggie has a particular focus on advocating and assisting First Nations in exercising jurisdiction over child welfare.
Thank you to Olthuis Kleer Townshend for their support of this event.
The 2,440-square metre addition to the Murray and Anne Fraser Building offers a much-needed, culturally appropriate space for learning and teaching Indigenous Laws. Purpose-built to welcome, gather, learn and share Indigenous legal knowledge, the new wing creates flow between old and new spaces, indoors and out.
Learn more about Indigenous Laws
is a research institute focused on revitalizing Indigenous law and governance and is now located in the new Indigenous Law wing! The ILRU works toward a future where Indigenous laws are actively used, studied and taught like other major legal traditions.
Learn more:
Territory acknowledgement
We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Xʷsepsəm/Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.