Grandmother Buffalo Lodge at the ILC

The Indigenous Knowledge Centre and Grandmother Buffalo Lodge officially opened on June 25th, 2024, and serves as a multi-purpose space within the Courthouse providing educational opportunities to members of the criminal justice sector, as well as the general public, on topics such as overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in areas such as the carceral system and the child welfare system; overrepresentation in rates of victimization; and gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in areas such as levels of educational attainment; income levels; addictions and mental health issues; and healthcare and disease outcomes, all of which feed into the overrepresentations stated previously.

The Centre also holds sessions on the history of Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, and the effects of intergenerational violence, as well as offering cultural teachings from Elders across Canada. A centre such as this one, located in the setting of a Courthouse, is one small way to reintroduce Indigenous beliefs and practices to those of us who were forcibly disconnected from our cultures, and is also a way to welcome non-Indigenous peoples into some of our worldviews.