ACKNOWLEDGING AND RESPECTING INDIGENOUS ELDERS, KNOWLEDGE HOLDERS, AND LEADERS IN EDUCATION

WINU Honorary Doctorate Awards

The WINU Honorary Doctorates are recognitions of honour and to celebrate outstanding individuals who have made exceptional and meritorious contributions to Indigenous community/ies; and to national and/or international levels in the advancement of higher education for Indigenous peoples, communities, and nations. Those nominated to these prestigious credentials are considered worthy for their many years (30 years or more) of service, to the protection, preservation, and progression of Indigenous education at the local, national and/or international community level.

In the spirit of Hope and a Vision for a Better Future to come, the WINU Executive Committee, in conjunction with the WINHEC Executive Co-Chairs, invite nominations for the WINU Honorary Doctorates. And in furtherance of the principles and intent of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the WINU Executive Committee call upon WINU and WINHEC Member Countries and their Indigenous education support networks to nominate eligible individuals for the WINU Honorary Doctorates that are described here. This also includes the awarding of Posthumous Honorary Doctorates for outstanding and significant achievements to individuals who have worked tirelessly and contributed significantly to Indigenous Rights and Indigenous knowledges in any of the WINHEC member countries or other Indigenous nations.

There are four (4) categories of WINU Honorary Doctorates

Honorary Doctorate to Indigenous Elders/Knowledge Holders

Honorary Doctorate to Indigenous Elders/Knowledge Holders who are members of WINHEC and/or WINU affiliated institutions, communities, and countries, who are known and respected by their Indigenous communities to be deep reservoirs of ancestral knowledge and wisdom, and who build bridges for our Indigenous youth and communities, firmly grounded in cultural ways and teachings, while navigating safely through contemporary life and challenges.

Honorary Doctorate to Indigenous Educators or Indigenous-serving Educators

Honorary Doctorate to Indigenous Educators or Indigenous-serving Educators who have served distinguished academic careers exemplary in scholarship, research, and/or teaching beneficial to and inspiration for higher educational aspiration, achievement and attainment for Indigenous peoples and communities at the local, national and/or international level.

Posthumous Honorary Doctorate to Indigenous Educators or Indigenous-serving Educators

Posthumous Honorary Doctorate to Indigenous Educators or Indigenous-serving Educators who have served distinguished academic careers exemplary in scholarship, research, and/or teaching beneficial to and inspiration for higher educational aspiration, achievement and attainment for Indigenous peoples and communities at the local, national and/or international level.

Posthumous Honorary Doctorate to Indigenous Elders/Knowledge Holders

Posthumous Honorary Doctorate to Indigenous Elders/Knowledge Holders who have contributed significantly to Indigenous Rights and Indigenous Knowledges in any of the WINHEC member countries, who are known and respected by their Indigenous communities to be deep reservoirs of ancestral knowledge and wisdom, and who built bridges for our Indigenous youth and communities, firmly grounded in cultural ways and teachings, while navigating safely through life and challenges.