Rebecca Jamieson is a Canadian

Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following: First nations and Native American people and culture * Tuscarora people **''Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960) * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people * ...

educator and education administrator. Since the late 1970s she has worked to improve access to education on

Six Nations of the Grand River Six Nations (or Six Nations of the Grand River, french: Réserve des Six Nations, see, Ye:i’ Níónöëdzage:h) is demographically the largest First Nations reserve in Canada. As of the end of 2017, it has a total of 27,276 members, 12,848 of w ...

, the most-populous

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

in Canada. Jamieson helped to found

Six Nations Polytechnic Six Nations Polytechnic (SNP) is a Haudenosaunee-governed Indigenous institute on Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation. SNP is an Indigenous Institute, the third pillar of post-secondary education in Ontario, as recognized by the ''Indige ...

(SNP), an

indigenous education Indigenous education specifically focuses on teaching Indigenous knowledge, models, methods, and content within formal or non-formal educational systems. The growing recognition and use of Indigenous education methods can be a response to the er ...

al institution, and has been its president and CEO since 2009. For her work in advancing indigenous education, preserving culture and fostering reconciliation, Jamieson has been recognized with two honorary doctorates and membership in the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...

and the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

Early life and education

Rebecca Jamieson was born in Michigan, in the Eel Clan of the

Tuscarora people The Tuscarora (in Tuscarora ''Skarù:ręˀ'', "hemp gatherers" or "Shirt-Wearing People") are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government of the Iroquoian family, with members today in New York, USA, and Ontario, Canada. They c ...

. When she was 2 years old, her family moved to

in Ontario, the most-populous

in Canada. During the time of the

Canadian Indian residential school system In Canada, the Indian residential school system was a network of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples. The network was funded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs and administered by Christian churches. The school sy ...

, which sought to assimilate aboriginal children, Jamieson found that her people were not represented in the school lessons. This sent a message to her that the reality she was being taught mattered more than her life at home. Jamieson felt the legacy of the residential schools, particularly

Mohawk Institute Residential School The Mohawk Institute Residential School was a Canadian Indian residential school in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. The school operated from 1831 to June 27, 1970. Enrollment at the school ranged from 90 to 200 students per year. History Operated by ...

, had caused lasting cultural divisions and that it was necessary for Six Nations to "reclaim education" as part of their recovery. Jamieson received a Native Social Counsellor Certificate from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, and an Ontario Teacher Certificate from the Ontario Teacher Education College, Hamilton. She received a BA in psychology and philosophy from

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses ...

, and Master of Education from the

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT) is Canada's only all-graduate institute of teaching, learning and research, located in Toronto, Ontario. It is located directly above the St. George subway sta ...

in 1978.

Career

Jamieson began her career as a post-secondary student counsellor with Six Nations. She then worked as a teacher, a consultant, and director of student services with the Grand River Education Office. She helped found Grand River Polytechnic Institute (now

, SNP) in 1993. It has since grown into a leading indigenous institute in Ontario. In 2009 she became SNP's president and CEO. Jamieson built partnerships between SNP and dozens of other aboriginal institutes, colleges and universities. These partnerships saw university courses taught at Six Nations, with diplomas and degrees offered through partner institutions. In 2017, SNP became the first indigenous institution to confer its own accredited degree which was also the world's first degree program for an indigenous language. When the

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state act ...

released its findings and recommendations in 2015, Jamieson and SNP already had decades of experience in line with its "calls to action". However, she cautioned against making indigenous learning compulsory, noting, "You can't indigenize something that isn't Indigenous". She has preferred to instead work through mutual understanding and respect. Jamieson has been increasingly sought-after for her expertise. She served as the executive director of the College Standards and Accreditation Council (CSAC), and on the board of governors for several universities in Ontario. In 2017, Jamieson and SNP hosted the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Indigenous Education (WIPCE) with 3,000 attendees.

Awards and honors

*2007 – Member of the

*2015 – Distinguished Fellow,

Mohawk College Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public college of applied arts and technology located in Hamilton, Ontario. Established in 1966, the college currently has five main campuses: the Fennell Campus on the Hamilton Mountain, the M ...

*2015 – Honorary Doctorate of Laws (LLD),

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

*2017 – Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Wilfrid Laurier University *2018 – Member of the

(CM)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamieson, Rebecca Living people Wilfrid Laurier University alumni University of Toronto alumni Tuscarora people Canadian academic administrators Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario Year of birth missing (living people) First Nations academics 20th-century Canadian women 21st-century Canadian women First Nations women Six Nations of the Grand River people