Wuaneita Society

The seven original members of the Wuaneita Society's predecessor, Seven Independent Spinsters.

Of the 45 students in the University's first cohort in 1908, seven were women.[2] These original seven formed a type of sorority, called Seven Independent Spinsters, or S.I.S., with the intention of supporting the women's social and academic needs.[3] In 1909, when it became clear that there would be more than seven members, the group changed its name to the Wuaneita Club, and then to the Wuaneita Society in 1910.[3]

Like the Greek culture of fraternities and sororities, the Wuaneita women looked to other cultures to develop their identity and establish a unique character.[4] While histories of the organization note that the members chose their moniker from the Cree word for kind-hearted, there is no mention of what that Cree word was; the closest Cree word to Wuaneita is wanêyihtam, which translates to indicate a lack of logical thinking.[5] The motto of the group, "payuk uche kukeyow, mena kukeyow uche payuk,” is a grammatically rough translation into Cree of "all for one, one for all."[3]

In its early days, the club organized fundraising events, debates, lectures, dances and other social events and began the tradition of initiating all new female students.[3] All female students at the University were initiated into the Society each fall and paid a 75 cent membership fee.[3]

Three women sitting in the Wuaneita Room, a wood-panelled women-only study hall, at the University of Alberta in 1935

Later, in the 1950s and 60s, the students operated Wuaneita Hall in the old Students' Union Building as a women-only space for studying and socializing.[1]

Throughout the 60s and 70s, as the university's female population grew, the club's thousands of members clashed over the group's purpose: some wanted to continue focusing on etiquette and domesticity while others were keen to address progressive issues like birth control and drug use.[6] The Club wound down in 1973.[2]

Wuaneita Society Dance, 1939

The name, culture, and traditions of the Wuaneita Society are heavily appropriated from stereotypes of Cree culture; the women often called themselves "Tribe Wuaneita".[3] The name Wuaneita is a rough equivalent to the Cree word meaning "kind-hearted".[2] Initiation ceremonies featured First Nations accoutrements like feathers and headdresses, and initiates were welcomed using a "blanket of friendship" that would be draped over each woman's shoulders by the "Big Chief," the society president.[2] The motto of the group was "payuk uche kukeyow, mena kukeyow uche payuk,” a rough translation into Cree of "all for one, one for all" that is still engraved above the outer doors of Pembina Hall on main campus.[7]

In 1950, the new Students Union Building opened on campus and contained several student lounges, including an all-woman room for the Wuaneita Society.[8] The lounge was decorated with a large mural, commissioned by the Society from arts professor Henry George Glyde to depict an "ancient Cree legend," but there is no mention of which legend.[8] The work is titled When All the World was Burned and it remains on display on campus in the Rutherford Library atrium.[9]

For much of the Wuaneita Society's existence, as they were coopting First Nations traditions and ceremonies, the Potlatch ban was in effect in Canada.[2] While the Society was using First Nations culture to build a bond among female students at the university, the Canadian government was arresting Indigenous peoples across the country for the same practises.[10]