Indigenous

L’offis Wiichihihwahk: UM’s Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous) introduces its new Michif name

It means “the office that helps.”

Three women smile together outdoors on the University of Manitoba campus during a community event.
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes
From left: Christine Cyr, Associate Vice-President (Indigenous) – Students, Community and Cultural Integration; Vanessa Lillie, Director of Cultural Integration (Indigenous); and Angie Bruce, Vice-President (Indigenous).
From left: Christine Cyr, Associate Vice-President (Indigenous) – Students, Community and Cultural Integration; Vanessa Lillie, Director of Cultural Integration (Indigenous); and Angie Bruce, Vice-President (Indigenous).
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes
By

Sue Wang

The Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous) at the University of Manitoba has a new name: L’offis Wiichihihwahk.

First shared publicly at the Honouring the Indigenous Campus Community (HICC) celebration in June, the name is being formally introduced across the university this fall.

The Michif name was  gifted to the office by UM Elder Charlotte Nolin.

Nolin sat with members of the office and listened as they spoke about their work, the roles they play and how they hope to support the university community. Following cultural protocol, the office offered her tobacco and asked her to pray and reflect on what she had heard.

From that process, an idea began to emerge: people are the medicine.

“For me, the work that you do is medicine,” Nolin said. That medicine, she explained, can be found in people’s words and actions and in the ways they care for one another, work together and build relationships.

With the support of Michif language keeper Verna DeMontigny, the process continued as they searched for words that  fully carry those ideas.

In the end, L’offis Wiichihihwahk was gifted to the office. The name means “the office that helps.”

A name and a sense of direction

For Vice-President (Indigenous) Dr. Angie Bruce, the process did more than give the office a name. It also brought its purpose into clearer focus.

“Charlotte helped us find our name, and that name helped us better understand our purpose and why we exist,” Bruce said.

For Bruce, L’offis Wiichihihwahk speaks not only to the support the office provides, but to how that work is carried out — through relationships, caring for one another, shared responsibility and walking alongside people.

Those values are woven throughout the office’s work: supporting Indigenous students, faculty, staff, researchers, families and communities, building respectful relationships with Nations and communities, creating opportunities, removing barriers and advancing systemic change across the university.

L’offis Wiichihihwahk reminds us that our work is not only about the support we provide, but how we do that work — through relationships, shared responsibility and caring for one another.

Angie Bruce, UM’s Vice President (Indigenous)

Making Indigenous languages part of everyday campus life

L’offis Wiichihihwahk is also part of a growing presence of Indigenous languages in everyday life at UM.

“Using Indigenous names makes Indigenous languages, histories and cultures a visible part of everyday life on our campuses,” said Vanessa Lillie, Director of Indigenous Cultural Integration. “They help Indigenous students, staff, faculty and guests feel seen and welcomed, while encouraging everyone to learn more about the place we share.”

From Migizii Agamik – Bald Eagle Lodge to Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, and now L’offis Wiichihihwahk, Indigenous languages are increasingly being seen, spoken and heard in UM buildings, programs and spaces.

I hope Indigenous names help create a campus where Indigenous perspectives are recognized, respected and celebrated,” Lillie said. “Over time, they can strengthen a sense of belonging and remind us that Reconciliation is something we practice every day through our actions, relationships and the spaces we create together.

Vanessa Lillie, Director of Cultural Integration (Indigenous)

“We have always belonged here”

For Red River Métis student Noah Crossman, seeing a Michif name become the name of a major university office carries particular meaning.

Crossman’s family has deep ties to the historic Red River Settlement and St. François Xavier. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Science and is entering the final year of his psychology honours degree.

One of this year’s HICC award recipients, Crossman first heard L’offis Wiichihihwahk at the June celebration.

For Crossman, language is especially important. As a psychology student, he has learned how cultural connection — with language playing a crucial role — can influence health and well-being. He hopes seeing and hearing more Indigenous languages at the university will encourage Indigenous students to show up as themselves, use their voices and take part in creating meaningful change.

If there is one thing he hopes other students take from L’offis Wiichihihwahk, his answer is clear:

Indigenous people and Indigenous Knowledges have always belonged in academic spaces, and they always will.

Noah Crossman, Red River Métis student at UM with family roots in St. François Xavier

That brings the story back to another teaching Nolin shared while gifting the name.

As we gain knowledge, we also carry a responsibility to pass it on to those who come after us. Nolin described that responsibility simply:

“Leave footprints for others to choose to follow.”

Now, as L’offis Wiichihihwahk becomes part of everyday life at UM, the name carries forward that same spirit: helping one another, caring for one another and moving forward together.

RESOURCES
Learn more about L’offis Wiichihihwahk

Watch the video to hear the story behind L’offis Wiichihihwahk and learn more about the meaning of the new name.

If you are a UM faculty or staff member, you can also visit the L’offis Wiichihihwahk toolkit on the UM intranet for pronunciation guidance, key messages and other resources.

Elder Charlotte Nolin.

Boilerplate: reconciliation

At UM, we are working together to advance reconciliation for transformative change, which is among the commitments you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.