Knowledge Keeper George Muswaggon leads a closing prayer at a welcoming ceremony for occupational therapy students.
Occupational therapy students welcomed in ceremony highlighting community and connectedness
The occupational therapy (OT) program at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences welcomed its largest incoming class on Aug. 26 in Frederic Gaspard Theatre on Bannatyne campus.
Sixty first-year students were in attendance, along with 55 second-year students and members of the faculty and staff.
The central theme of the welcome event was around Wahkowotin, an Indigenous knowledge base about the interconnectedness of people, communities and nature, which ties into the program’s integration of Indigenous ways of being and knowing into the curriculum.
Margaret Hart, Indigenous scholar (Ininiw) in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, opened the event with a water ceremony, which she said grounded the group in respect, humility and care.
“Water reminds us of our responsibilities to one another and to future generations,” she said.
Hart has been leading the integration of Indigenous ways into the program. At the heart of the program are four Indigenous knowledges: Wahkotowin, focused on collaborative relationships; Mino-Wicihtowin, focused on working in good ways; Minoayawin, focused on “wholistic” health and well-being; and Mino-Pimatisiwin, focused on “the good life.”
The knowledges will be the basis of a new curriculum that will be fully in place by 2027. The curriculum is in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, which will prepare culturally safe practitioners to address health inequities among Indigenous peoples.
Earlier this year, the program updated its program guide as a first step toward the new curriculum. Department head Leanne Leclair said the framework “guides everything we do” in the OT program.
First-year occupational therapy student Maia Penner shakes hands with second-year students in an impromptu welcoming activity.
“As future occupational therapists, you will be encouraged to engage with community knowledge keepers, honour Indigenous healing practices and co-create therapeutic interventions that respect cultural traditions,” Leclair told students at the welcome event.
“By embracing these values and frameworks, you will be prepared to contribute to more equitable and just systems that support the health and well-being of all individuals and communities.”
Other speakers included OT class president Scott Siller, Manitoba board representative for the Canadian Association of occupational therapists Brenda Semenko and Dr. Jacquie Ripat, occupational therapy professor and associate dean (research) at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences.
Ripat told the students they will encounter many people during their careers who face systemic, physical and attitudinal barriers, and that they must work to identify and dismantle those barriers.
“OT is not only a health profession — it’s a human rights profession. Participation in meaningful occupation is a human right,” she said.
Knowledge Keeper George Muswaggon from Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, led a closing prayer and, in an impromptu moment, had all second-year OTs line up at the front of the theatre to greet and shake hands with the first-year students while he drummed and sang.
“This created a beautiful cacophony of sound of voices, laughter and song, and was a beautiful way to connect the students,” said Dr. Cara Brown, associate professor in the program.
First-year student Teah Goossen said that part of the ceremony was “unscripted in the best way” and connected everyone in the room.
“In that moment, I felt the strength of the community – a community where respect, diverse knowledges and collaboration are deeply valued,” she said.
Dexter Andres, also a first-year student, said he was honoured to take part in the ceremony.
“It was my first time attending a water ceremony. I felt connected to my new community, especially as we drank our water together. It was the first step in our journey towards becoming occupational therapists.”