A professor at the University of Saskatchewan is drawing controversy for comments he made about a Native pipe ceremony on campus.

Kevin Flynn did not attend the ceremony, which was held September 3 to launch the Indigenous Voices program. But he claims women were excluded from fully participating.

"It’s time to move beyond superstition and fully embrace the modern world in which we all live, one in which men and women of all races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations must have equal voices," Flynn wrote in the September 13 issue of On Campus News.

The commentary drew criticism from Omeasoo Butt, a Native graduate student. She said the professor doesn't understand the ceremony he didn't attend.

"Aboriginal spirituality is not written down, it is open to interpretation," Butt told CBC News.

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Aboriginal pipe ceremony commentary causes controversy (CBC 9/17)