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Hello! Wachiya! Ahniin! Sago! Tansi! Boozhoo! Waachiyaa! Bonjour!
The Aboriginal Student Association welcomes all Aboriginal people
to the University of Guelph. At the ASA we provide a culturally
supportive environment and promote academic excellence. We aim to
develop mutually productive relationships between the University
of Guelph and the Aboriginal community. The ASA aims to increase
awareness of issues facing Aboriginal people and provide extra-curricular
social activities, resources, and alternative learning experiences.
We welcome new members who are Native students, staff or faculty at
the University of Guelph, as well as non-Natives who are interested in
Aboriginal culture.
What's in a Name?
Aboriginal Cultures are many and varied. We include Metis, Inuit and First
Nations. Here in Canada our names for ourselves often translates to mean
The People, or Human Being. For instance Inuit means The People, Anishinabe
means The People, and Innu means Human Being. Dakota means The Friend or Ally.
First Nations are found all over Canada, and some people, mostly Dene and Innu
or Ininew, are further North. The names of some other First Nations are Ojibwe,
Ininew (Cree), Dakota, Mohawk, Lakota and so on. All of North America is
referred to by many Indigenous cultures as Turtle Island.
The Metis were originally people of French and Native ancestry. However, this word
has come to describe anyone of mixed Native and European ancestry. Metis is a
French word which means mixed.
Controversy has arisen over recent years over who has the authority to self-identify
as a Native person. Many people who contain a high quantum of Indian blood reside
off the reserve and do not have a cultural connection to their people. Many other
people who contain a lower blood quantum participate in the development of their
own cultural identity and consider themselves Native although they may have never
lived on a reserve. At the ASA we believe that to be Native is not only about blood
quantum levels, but also what is in your spirit. The right to self-identify is
acknowledged, respected and celebrated at the Aboriginal Student Association. We
encourage our members to take their own spiritual, mental, physical and emotional
path in developing their true sense of self.
Aboriginal Student Association
Room 102, Federal Building, 620 Gordon Street
University of Guelph (MAP)
Phone: 519.824.4120 EXT 58074
Fax: 519.827.0432
email: asa@uoguelph.ca
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