UW’s Main Path, the main pedestrian route on-campus connecting South Campus Hall to the newly built Indigenous Outdoor Gathering Space, is being renamed.

As part of the Indigenous wayfinding report that was published this past fall by the Office of Indigenous Relations, renaming the Main Path is an excellent opportunity to promote awareness of Indigenous ties to the land. The 2024 report specifically stated: “When Indigenous communities engage in the renaming of places, they are ultimately reclaiming spaces from which they have been disconnected by colonial practices.”

So, what will UW’s Main Path be renamed to? After much collaboration with the Indigenous community, the Office of Indigenous Relations has suggested the path be renamed to be Two Row Path. John Lewis, the project lead on the Indigenous wayfinding initiative, stated that “multiple engagement sessions were held with members of the Indigenous campus community over the course of 2024.”

Two Row Path is reflective of the Haldimand Tract and the Haudenosaunee relationship with the land. The name also integrates the “respectful and peaceful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous.” Renaming of the Main Path also offers the opportunity to provide campus-wide education about the tract and Indigenous Peoples. Lewis stated that additional learning materials “will be provided to the campus community (through campus maps, the OIR website, etc.) that will explain the meaning of the Two Row Wampum and the significance of the Haldimand Tract to the Haudenosaunee People.” Although these materials are yet to be drafted, Lewis assures that once the renaming project has reached completion, the educational resources will be shared with the wider campus community.

Alongside the assistance of UW’s Plant Operations team, over 90 references of Main Path exist on exterior campus wayfinding. As a result, new vinyl lettering will replace the current signage for the Two Row Path renaming. All digital maps, references, and resources online will also be updated to reflect the new path name.

Jean Becker, the associate vice-president of Indigenous Relations, believes that the renaming offers a chance to recognize the importance of connecting to the land and its history, which are both valued by the Indigenous community. She continued, “We believe that renaming Main Path to the Two Row Path will help all of us better understand and connect to the place where we work, and study and it is an opportunity to educate our community about the deep Indigenous presence in this territory.”

The work to update physical signage and online sources is commencing this spring (May) and is estimated to take approximately eight weeks, ending in July. The work is endorsed by the presidents and vice-presidents. Lewis believes that the name change is “a reflection of the university’s commitment to reconciliation and a tangible representation of Waterloo’s territorial acknowledgement.” He goes on to describe how territorial acknowledgement offers an occasional way to “reflect on the fact that the university is situated on the Haldimand tract during meetings and through university communications.” Through the name change, Lewis believes this to be “an act of reclamation for Indigenous peoples and a daily acknowledgement of the university’s presence on Indigenous lands.” Any inquiries regarding the path renaming can be directed to indigenousrelations@uwaterloo.ca.