Architecture as Weaving: How Can Architecture Contribute to the Learning of Mi'kmaq Knowledge at Dalhousie University

Abstract

This architectural thesis proposes a Mi’kmaq Learning Centre on the Dalhousie University Campus in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Indigenous-led and Indigenous minded content in the post secondary environment creates space for cultural continuity and inter-cultural dialogue. First Nations faculties and support spaces are increasingly being established in post-secondary institutions across Canada. These buildings must negotiate the continental: North American First Nations culture, as well as the regional: in the case of this thesis, the Mi’kmaq culture. While the content and mode of First Nations and Mi’kmaq modes learning is hugely beneficial to all cultures, the architectural space for its application is often overlooked. This thesis project applies many methods of research and interpretation to interweave the ideas of Mi’kmaq land and First Nations learning, creating place for this pedagogy on Dalhousie University Campus.