First Inuit-led university arrives in Nunavut — a historic milestone

A New Era for Indigenous Education in Canada

The small community of Arviat, located in Nunavut, has been chosen to host the main campus of Inuit Nunangat University, the first Inuit-led university in Canada. This institution is expected to open its doors in 2030, marking a significant milestone in Indigenous self-determination and higher education.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), which represents Canada’s 70,000 Inuit, passed a resolution in 2017 to develop the university, highlighting a major step toward autonomy in education. The vision behind the university reflects a traditional saying among Indigenous Peoples of the Prairies: “Education is the new buffalo.” This phrase symbolizes the importance of buffalo to Indigenous communities before its near-extinction in the late 19th century and underscores the value placed on education today.

This focus on education is partly a response to colonial policies that historically denied Indigenous Peoples access to quality education. The consequences of this history are still evident today. While there is a gap in employment rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults overall, this gap disappears for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. In this context, the establishment of a university goes beyond creating an educational institution—it is a way to address past injustices and build a stronger Indigenous economy, which supports self-determination.

Not the First Indigenous University

Inuit Nunangat University will not be the first Indigenous-led university in Canada. That distinction is often attributed to the First Nations University of Canada in Saskatchewan, which began as the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College in 1976. However, the university itself does not claim this title on its website, possibly due to the long history of Indigenous-led post-secondary institutions across Canada.

These include the Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a Institute in Gitwinksihlkw, B.C., which is federated with the University of Northern British Columbia, and Kiuna College in Odanak, Que. The existence of these institutions highlights the value Indigenous Peoples place on education, a concept that may surprise those who associate Indigenous education primarily with the residential school system.

Education as a Form of Investment

Many First Nations, Métis nations, and Inuit communities fund post-secondary education for their members, often through partnerships with Indigenous Services Canada. There is a broad recognition that investing in education benefits the nation and community, and the number of Indigenous Peoples obtaining a bachelor’s degree or higher has been increasing.

One reason for the numerous Indigenous-led post-secondary institutions across Canada is the lack of proximity to educational opportunities. According to the 2021 Census, there is a clear correlation between remoteness and lower levels of post-secondary education. The share of Indigenous adults with a post-secondary qualification was significantly higher in areas closer to economic centers.

Building schools closer to home, rather than expecting Indigenous students to travel or move away from their communities, is the logic behind Inuit Nunangat University.

Designing from the Inside Out

Having institutions under Indigenous control offers several benefits. Indigenous-led post-secondary institutions can develop curriculum and programs tailored to the needs and desires of their communities. They also treat Indigenous knowledge systems as foundational rather than supplementary.

For generations, Indigenous ways of knowing were delegitimized. Western disciplines defined what counted as knowledge, and Indigenous Peoples who entered those institutions were expected to set aside their own epistemologies. Most Canadian universities are attempting to address this through changes grouped under the term “Indigenization,” but questions remain about whether such changes actually address underlying colonial structures or simply work around them.

Indigenous post-secondary institutions are, in principle, better positioned to make more fundamental changes. Nowhere is this better seen than in the six proposed faculties of Inuit Nunangat University, which reflect an Inuit take on programs and courses that differ from the standard structure of Canadian universities. This includes Inuktut language immersion.

Other Indigenous institutions have already led the way on language-based degrees. The Nicola Valley Institute of Technology and the aforementioned Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a Institute have created language-based degrees for Nłe?kepmx and Nisga'a in partnership with the University of British Columbia and University of Northern British Columbia respectively.

A Barrier Dismantled

Between 1876, when the Indian Act was first passed into law, until its 1920 amendment, status Indians lost their Indian status if they earned a degree and/or worked in certain professions. For decades after, the most significant barrier to education was the failure of the Indian Residential School system to actually educate Indigenous children. Both forms of exclusion have now been formally dismantled, though their effects persist in the gaps that remain.

More and more Indigenous Peoples are pursuing post-secondary education, and institutions designed specifically to support that pursuit are central to how those gaps close. The Inuit Nunangat University, opening in Arviat in 2030, will be part of that process.

Daniel Sims is a member of the Tsay Keh Dene First Nations. Currently, he holds an Insight Grant as well as an Explore Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to research failed economic developments and concepts of wilderness in Tsek'ehne traditional territory (the Finlay-Parsnip watershed).