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Knowledge mobilization is a key component of the Diversity Circles initiative. It is integral to the wider discourse and dissemination of resources across many communities, sectors, and geographies. This map aims to provide users with connections to each other and, via these connections, to provide access to free, open, curated digital resources shared by others in the map, including training materials, research results, community contributions, online versions of workshops, etc.
The map is rooted in an Indigenous framework and the map’s design is a digitization of the circles of the project aesthetic.
We acknowledge that Diversity Circles is housed at BCIT which is located on unceded Indigenous land belonging to the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations.
The design was created by our friend and collaborator Aaron “Splash” Nelson-Moody, Squamish Nation artist, knowledge keeper and educator. This collaboration respects and acknowledges the tradition, history and aesthetic of the Coast Salish peoples, since the DC project was first conceived and developed on unceded Indigenous land belonging to the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations. Recognizing that we are on these lands and the meaningfulness of our being here was our first step with the DC project. As champions, allies and advocates for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion we present the design in a collaborative way as Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Recognizing the Indigenous lands and traditions where we reside, helps us move towards reconciliation.
Seeking this collaboration and guidance from Aaron Nelson-Moody was very important to the project, and was sought both to acknowledge the Indigenous aesthetic as a core part of our Diversity Circles model, and as a deliberate response to help counter the rigid systems thinking of mainstream educational institutions (including our own). The aesthetic is not a side-bar but rather a centre-piece. To quote, Our thinking body is not separated from our feeling mind. Our mind is our body, our body is our mind. And both connect to the spiritual act of knowledge acquisition. Aluli-Meyer (2008). Aaron’s art not only informs the aesthetic realization of the entire project, but also, through his vision, the Coast Salish aesthetic influences the digital user experience of our map. Rather than a dry systems view of our digital diversity map, we hope the digital experience will have a more organic and alive feeling, more reflective of the interconnectedness of life.
About the Artist
Aaron “Splash” Nelson-Moody is a member of the Squamish First Nation. He lives and works in Capilano Village on the North Shore of Vancouver. Aaron’s Squamish name (Tawx’sin Yexwulla) means “Splashing Eagle.” This nickname was given to him after a trip down BC coast from Bella Bella where his unique canoe paddling style often soaked the other paddlers. Since 1995, Splash has worked with community groups and students across many schools in both Squamish and Vancouver, as well as Japan. He specializes in Coast Salish art which uses bold, powerful design elements and silhouettes to create simple or complex artwork.
Splash is a faculty member of the Fine Arts department at Langara College where he teaches carving and other courses and where he led the Reconciliation Carving Series for the Aboriginal Studies Program. He recently completed the carving of a housepost (along with a mounted copper hand QR code IT project) at BCIT, where he has led many workshops for Indigenous Services. Other notable works include a repusse piece for the “Here and Now” exhibit at the Burke museum in Seattle and several large works for Olympic Venue sites for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, as well as four house boards for the Squamish Cultural Centre. He carved the entrance doors for Canada House pavilion for the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy. For ten years, Splash volunteered with the Uts’am: Witness arts and environment project. He has previously worked at Kahtou Native Newspaper, and Adbusters Magazine as a writer/photographer.
In Splash’s words:
“I was honoured to work on the logo for the Diversity Circles project. The red colour we call temlh; it represents the blood of the earth or the blood of the cedar tree so it’s a sacred colour for us here in Coast Salish territory. You could say it is sort of an inner strength. It’s not completely explained in Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and hard to translate into English but I think it refers to the inner strength that we all have.
If you see an old, old canoe here, there’s not too many around, but they would be painted black on the outside - the kind we take out to sea - so we say that when we go out into the world there is an external strength that we face the world with but it doesn’t really take us anywhere unless we have the inner strength as well. Sometimes they will refer to male and female aspects of ourselves and that needs to be in balance so the inner part of the canoe is painted red and represents that inner strength that gives us heart and sustains us on those long journeys. We talk about a balance between the two. In designing this I was thinking more about the feminine at BCIT; I wanted to add a bit more of the female energy - in this logo design and in the house post I was a part of with BCIT (bcit.ca/housepost).
I drew out some elements of the house post into this logo. Some people will tell you it doesn’t mean anything; that those shapes don’t mean anything, and some people will tell you long stories about those shapes. There’s one in the upper right of the design that kind of looks like an eye and they say sometimes we are like that centre circle and we deflect the energy around us like a rock in a stream and we hold fast to who we are. Some people say it is the eye of keke7nex siyam, the eye of our creator. Some people will tell you it is the ripples we make in the world that spread out and interact with other people as the ripples cross each other as if we are all pebbles being dropped into a pond. So some people will say it means absolutely nothing and some people will tell you it means everything.
We wanted to draw on the elements of the house post and reflect on the strong values that hold up the house of BCIT. It was a great honour for me to do that work for you and be a part of the great work you’re doing. O’siem”
- Aaron “Splash” Nelson-Moody
All content provided on this website is for informational and educational purposes only. Diversity Circles makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. Diversity Circles will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. Diversity Circles will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at any time and without notice.
We acknowledge that Diversity Circles is housed at BCIT which is located on unceded Indigenous land belonging to the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations.
Please view BCIT's Privacy Statement here.
The Diversity Circles Digital Knowledge Map is an online space for users to set up a profile, share information about the knowledge they seek and the knowledge they hold in relation to the identified categories on the map. Users are then able to use the map to connect to other users and the information they have shared.
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Here comes the fun part!
Let us know if there are additional Knowledges you'd like to include or any input. We'd love to hear from you.
While we make an effort for this site to be enjoyed by all, the map itself is a very visual element, since a pillar of the map design is to incorporate a Coast Salish aesthetic through the artistic expression of our collaborator Aaron Splash Nelson Moody. The Diversity Circles Digital Knowledge Map is an online space for users to set up a profile, share information about the knowledge they seek and the knowledge they hold in relation to the identified categories on the map. Users are then able to use the map to connect to other users and the information they have shared.
With this in mind, this website infrastructure has been designed to be as accessible as possible and to be compatible wherever possible with various types of adaptive technology, including screen readers. As such, users can control the size of the text and can use ‘access keys’ on the keyboard rather than the mouse to navigate through pages. Users can navigate our site by:
Colours used for The Diversity Circles Digital Knowledge Map are chosen so that all users can access information conveyed by colour differences, that is, by the use of colour where each colour has a meaning assigned to it. Also, the site does not contain anything that flashes more than three times in any one second period, or the flash is below the general flash and red flash thresholds. The map interface component can be increased in size by using Ctrl ( Command on Mac ) and + and the size of the map itself can be increased and decreased using the scroll wheel. At this time, adjusting the size of the map and viewing node information using keyboard is not available.
The site is free of frames and uses a cascading style sheet for visual layout. Also, the stylesheet uses relative font sizes and is written to display pages correctly in most commonly used browsers. In early versions of browsers and browsing devices that do not support stylesheets at all, the flow of the content has been tested to ensure it entirely retains its sense.
Content images on the site include descriptive ALT attributes where possible.
We've tried to make the interface as easy to use as possible, you can also find instructions on using the map and updating your profile here.
Neurodiversity
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