University of Regina incorporates a stole signifying Indigenous identity for this year’s fall graduation

Cadmus Delorme is ready to greet University of Regina graduates on Thursday as they cross the stage and embark on their futures. 

This joyous occasion will mark his inauguration as the university’s 10th chancellor.

A new item was presented to commemorate this moment, for him as well as the grads. 

Delorme will wear a beaded chancellor stole, which carries a special meaning.  

The concept was inspired by the beaded stole worn by the late Murray Sinclair, and draws on precedents set by other universities. 

The ceremonial sash known as a chancellor’s stole is an ornate piece that goes along with the chancellor’s robe. It’s worn by a university’s chancellor or president and serves to indicate their official status.

“When I became the chancellor, I wanted to bring Cadmus, I wanted to bring the First Nation man, the Cree/Saulteaux man, myself and my background,” Delorme said. 

“When I sat with the University of Regina staff in a planning team, we all started to plan it together. Everybody was in favour.”

As chancellor, his role is to represent not only the University of Regina but also all 90,000 current students, all alumni and future students, he said.

“But I’m also sitting there as Cadmus, a First Nation person.”

He hopes to make it normal in this setting to proudly represent your identity, he said. 

When deciding who would customize the stole, he felt it was only right to reach out to his close friend Thomas Benjoe, who is CEO of Flowing River Capital. Delorme said he considers him a brother. 

Benjoe said he learned to bead at nine years old, and was always told to tell a story within the beadwork. So when his good friend entrusted him to create a chancellor stole for him, he didn’t take the responsibility lightly.  

“The way I thought of it was, you know, it’s not every day your brother gets a chance to be chancellor,” Benjoe said. “So you have to step up, put things aside and focus on getting something done that’s meaningful.”

Carefully weaving significant sentimental meaning into the stole, he added parts of Delorme’s journey and life, Benjoe said.  

“When we look at the florals … there’s many different styles of florals. When we think about the florals that are along the back side that are holding him up, they’re Cadmus’s grandmothers.”

The flowers on the left side are rich with symbolism: on his shoulder area they represent his parents; over his heart they signify his wife and two children. Other floral elements represent the friends he considers to be like family.

The flowers positioned on Delorme’s right side symbolize his academic path, representing the dedication and effort he invested to achieve his position.

Benjoe said the gold buttons represent the stars. 

“In our culture, we know that stars represent our people. That’s where we go to, and that’s where we come from … ” he said.

“So that represents our ancestors that are watching over us, but also the ones that are not here yet. It’s to acknowledge the importance of connectedness and also watching over his time as chancellor and watching over our young people that are entering the education space.”

Former Cowessess First Nation chief Cadmus Delorme is the new chancellor for the U of R

Delorme said he’s more than satisfied with the piece. He highlighted his friend’s effort and the dedication shown in creating a beautiful piece that captures the important aspects of his life.

“It surpassed what I thought it would look like when I saw the final product,” Delorme said. “To place my wife and my children over my heart, it just fits right.”

He said it was more than he imagined it would be.

“The stole is just validation of the relationship Tom and I have personally,” he said. “We’re brothers, not by blood, but in life. We’re business partners. I could hug his wife and he doesn’t get jealous. That’s just how close we are. His kids call me uncle. My kids call him uncle.”

The stole will be with the university, and a part of him, for the rest of his life, he said. 

“To know that my brother did this just shows how talented our people are … how you help one another and cherish one another’s moments, and this is a moment I’ll never forget.” 

Benjoe said he hopes more universities and colleges follow this path. 

“I can’t wait for the lights to hit this thing on stage,” he said. “I’m just so excited for that. Hopefully encouraging more young people to be those dreamers and to think about themselves sitting in that seat at some point, and make that one of their aspirations. So it’s, yeah, it’s going to be a good day.”