Biskaabiiyaang is an Indigenous-led metaverse delivering Anishinaabe language and First Nation cultural competency programs.

Biskaabiiyaang provides an opportunity to take a journey of healing and reconciliation together, by experiencing culturally based healing practices, language reclamation, and virtual teachings from Elders. This project is as a place where anyone, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, can discover and learn Anishinaabe teachings, culture, stories, and language.

The Biskaabiiyaang metaverse safeguards, revitalizes, and respects Indigenous Knowledge. Through systems of digital empowerment, First Nation community members and Elders contribute their expertise to create a living, growing archive of Indigenous cultural heritage. This is a space where Indigenous community members can engage with culture-based healing practices and language reclamation.

What does Biskaabiiyaang mean?
Biskaabiiyaang describes the experience of having been on a long journey, then reaching the point of returning home. It is an Anishinaabe word for cultural resurgence, for resisting colonial violence, and for reclaiming our ways of being Anishinaabe through contemporary practices.

Who is involved?
This is an Indigenous-led project, created by Dr. Maya Chacaby (Anishinaabe, member of Opwaaganisiniing / Red Rock Indian Band, Beaver Clan, from Kaministiquia (Thunder Bay)) and developed by Nokiiwin Tribal Council, York University, and UniVirtual. Other members of the Biskaabiiyaang team along with biographies can be found here.

The project is built through balanced reciprocity where communities (including Elders and Youth) share Indigenous Knowledge and stories, lived experience, and language. Biskaabiiyaang prioritizes an inclusive approach by creating space for Indigenous women, Two-Spirited people, and those who identify as Disabled across several Indigenous communities.

The project runs in tandem with the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Language (2022-2032).