Inaugural Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence

Award-winning Tłı̨chǫ Dene author Richard Van Camp will return to the University of Victoria as Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence for 2024/25.

Van Camp, who is a recipient of the Order of the Northwest Territories, will be welcomed to the territory in a ceremony at First Peoples House at a later date.

My hope for our time together is that you get on out there and reclaim your family stories, recipes, songs, harvesting techniques, traditions, ceremonies, names and anything you need to make your path way more fun and brighter ahead—not only just for you, but for your family, for your community and for future generations.

—Richard Van Camp, 2024/25 UVic Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence

The Distinguished Alumni Award recipient will offer two online courses called Recovering Family Medicine through Story, offered in parallel through the Department of English to current UVic students and the wider community through Continuing Studies. During his term as the Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence, the Eisner-nominated author will also offer one-on-one writing workshops to students from the UVic and En’owkin Centre communities, as well as an on-campus graduate seminar in summer 2025.

The new Storyteller-in-Residence program at UVic presents an exciting opportunity to integrate Indigenous ways of knowing, particularly storytelling, into the learning environment. Storytelling has been a vital practice for sharing our oral history, traditional knowledge and culture across generations. This initiative is a significant step towards decolonizing education, offering Indigenous students and community members a unique chance to experience post-secondary education in a way that honours and respects our traditions.

—Qwul’sih’yah’maht Robina Thomas, Vice-President, Indigenous 

The Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence program aligns with UVic’s commitment to ʔetal nəwəl | ÁTOL,NEUEL | Respecting the rights of one another and being in right relationship with all things, which focuses on UVic’s relationships with one another, with the lands and waters and with all living beings, by welcoming students and community members to share space together and explore the healing power of stories.

A backgrounder is also available.

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