Archaeologists working with Aboriginal custodians have used drone-mounted LiDAR to identify three previously unregistered rock shelters containing Aboriginal rock art and stone artefacts in Australia’s Blue Mountains. The technology maps terrain using laser pulses, helping researchers detect potential sites beneath dense vegetation. With much of the region still unsurveyed because of its difficult terrain, the approach could help Indigenous communities and archaeologists locate, document and protect cultural heritage more efficiently.

Training doctors in rural and remote communities and embedding First Nations knowledge and leadership in medical education could be key to improving healthcare access and workforce sustainability in Australia, the United States and other underserved communities worldwide.

“Our language carries our history, our knowledge and our connection to these lands. Seeing these names reflected across Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus is an important recognition of the enduring presence of its Host Nations.”

These words from Chief Wayne Sparrow of the Musqueam Indian Band speak to the significance of the four Host Nations gifting Indigenous place names for the campus and four more culturally significant locations on Burnaby Mountain – believed to be the most extensive collaboration with Host Nations – during a naming ceremony today.

Working in partnership with the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations and Indigenous members of the university community, SFU is grateful to receive and uphold Indigenous names in the two languages spoken by the Host Nations: hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh.

“These names are gifts that carry meaning and responsibility, and we hope they encourage students, faculty, staff and visitors to learn more about the lands they are on and the Nations who have cared for them since time immemorial,” says Sparrow. “We appreciate SFU’s commitment to working in relationship with the Host Nations and to ensuring our languages and histories have a lasting and visible place on campus.”