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A new Tipi and teaching lodge at the University of Toronto Mississauga can be found nestled in a quiet spot among the trees just off Principal’s Road.

The two structures were recently raised by students, staff, faculty and librarians as part of the UTM Indigenous Centre’s student orientation event. Creating spaces that are reflective of Indigenous community is one of the many ways the Office of Indigenous Initiatives at U of T Mississauga is working to mobilize reconciliation on campus.

The Tipi, which is expected to remain on site for two years, will be used for ceremonies, programming, events and classes, while the larger lodge will be used as a teaching space.

U of T Mississauga photographer Nick Iwanyshyn was on hand to capture how the project came together.

Volunteers raise the wooden structure of the Tipi, placing one wooden beam in place after another to form a spiral. 

Volunteers prepare to add the Tipi cover to the structure. 

Doug Lu, web content strategist with U of T Mississauga's Office of Communications, helps stake the Tipi cover in place. 

The Tipi will be used for ceremonies, programming, events and classes. 

Smyrna Wright, community engagement co-ordinator with the Centre for Student Engagement, helps her fellow volunteers build the lodge structure. 

Volunteers tie the wooden poles of the teaching lodge together. 

Jessica Tabak, special projects officer with U of T Mississauga's Office of Indigenous Initiatives, helps attach the outer canvas to the walls of the teaching lodge. 

The lodge, which is larger than the Tipi, will be used as a teaching space. It is equipped with a wood stove to provide heat during the winter months.