If you have any questions about Indigenous Student Services, our resources or programs, please contact us at indigstuserv@douglascollege.ca.
Indigenous Student Services staff members
Devon Davis
Indigenous Student Support Navigator
Ph: 236-428-4726
Email: davisd4@douglascollege.ca
New Westminster Campus
Dave Seaweed
Indigenous Coordinator
Ph: 604 527 5565
Email: seaweedd@douglascollege.ca
New Westminster Campus
Tanya Joostema
Indigenous Coordinator
Ph: 604 777 6188
Email: joostemat@douglascollege.ca
Coquitlam Campus
Elder in Residence Program
Sandra Greene
Sandra Greene comes to us from the Haida First Nation and is proud to say that she has been on her personal healing journey since 1988.
Auntie Sandra has over 25 years of experience in the administration/management arena and has successfully organized and facilitated events, from community to national forums. She also has diverse experience as a proactive participant in health issues, women’s issues and Indigenous concerns. Auntie Sandra has been responsible for policy-making, project management, public relations and workshop facilitation in various capacities.
Auntie Sandra strongly believes in community and is proud to serve on several boards. She enjoys spending her free time weaving baskets and making jewelry, painting and reading. She is also a member of the Urban Haida dance group K’uuts’llxuu T’aaxwii, which means “Far South Song Birds.”
Sandra Greene attends many of Douglas College’s events and ceremonies; feel free to approach Auntie Sandra if you wish to chat. Alternatively, to make a private appointment, contact Dave Seaweed.
Elder June
Elder June is a Nehiyaw iskwew (Cree Woman) and a proud member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation from Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan. Her Cree name is Muskwa Iskwew and she is rooted in the Red Nation. Elder June attended UBC and did her undergraduate studies in Political Science which taught her to read and write but also to think for herself.
She has worked for several organizations at various levels of responsibility and has found her true passion which is working with people. She was the elected National representative for the Aboriginal Friendship Centres of British Columbia for four years and assisted in negotiating a $800 Million budget for Friendship Centres throughout Canada. An experience she cherishes.
For the last 20 years she was the owner of a successful real estate company in Bangkok, Thailand and she truly loved the challenge. She is an avid traveller and has been blessed to have visited 26 countries where she cherished the rich and diverse cultures of many nations. While she has travelled the world she always longed for home. She feels home now.
Indigenous Student Resource Rooms
New Westminster Campus, room S4830
This centre sits on the traditional territory of the qiqéyt (Qayqayt) First Nation. The qiqéyt is one of the smallest First Nations in Canada and the only one without a land base.
The qiqéyt reserve used to exist on the banks of the Fraser River, around New Westminster. The qiqéyt people historically spoke the Halq'eméylem (Upriver dialect), of Halkomelem (also Hul’q’umi’num’/Henqeminem), a Coast Salish language.
Here are some resources for more information about the qiqéyt:
A Tribe of One – a National Film Board film documentary (available in our Library)
"We Are the Qayqayt” – Chief Rhonda Larrabee’s Story
Coquitlam Campus, room B3131
This centre sits on the traditional territory of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) First Nation. The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm are a Sto:lo people with reserves in the Coquitlam River watershed. They traditionally speak the Downriver dialect of Halkomelem (also Hul’q’umi’num’/Henqeminem). The name “kʷikʷəƛ̓əm”means “red fish up the river.”