Assembly of First Nations – It’s Our Time Education Toolkit
A tool to bring together First Nations and non-First Nations people and foster a spirit of cooperation, understanding, and action.

“Being An Ally” from Pulling Together: A Guide For Curriculum Developers
A guide to being an ally and teaching students how to be allies through curriculum design.

Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes), CBC Arts
In this mesmerizing stop-motion short film from acclaimed director Amanda Strong, an Indigenous youth joins forces with a 10,000-year-old Sasquatch to revive ceremonial sap harvesting in suburban Ontario.

Build Together: Indigenous Peoples of the Building Trades – Indigenous Allyship by Canada’s Building Trades Unions
Learning about being an ally in the workplace.

Canadian Reconciliation Barometer
Understanding, Tracking, and Promoting Reconciliation in Canada. The Canadian Reconciliation Barometer is a set of questions that Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada complete through a large online survey.

Dear Qallunaat (White People) by Sandra Inutiq, CBC News
‘Recognize and admit your power and privilege and the fact you are benefiting from racist systems.’

Future History
Future History follows two passionate, and polar opposite, Anishinaabe (Ojibway) hosts as they venture into their community to gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous Knowledge.

How microaggressions are like mosquito bites
For people that still don’t think microaggressions are a problem: just imagine that instead of being a stupid comment, a microaggression is a mosquito bite.

How To Be An Ally To Indigenous People  by the Indigenous Perspectives Society
A blog about the importance of everyone in Canada becoming an Indigenous ally.

Indigenous Allyship: An Overview by the Office of Aboriginal Initiatives, Wilfred Laurier University
A resource for non-Indigenous people seeking to become allies to Indigenous people. To help allies understand the struggle for decolonization and nationhood and what effective allyship to Indigenous Peoples means.

Indigenous Allyship Toolkit by Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Indigenous Health Network
A guide to honouring culture, authentic collaboration, and addressing discrimination.

Indigenous Ally Toolkit by Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy NETWORK
Learn what it means to be an ally and disrupt oppressive spaces by educating others on the realities and histories of marginalized people.

Indigenous Canada – MOOC provided by the University of Alberta
Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.

Indigenous Watchdog
Indigenous Watchdog, a federally registered non-profit, is committed to keeping the reconciliation dialogue open, honest and focused on what is happening across the country. By curating details from multiple sources – government stakeholders as well as local and national media, research reports, studies, white papers, statistics, budgets – Indigenous Watchdog will deliver relevant, current information to raise awareness on Indigenous issues through an Indigenous lens.

In Solidarity by Living Hyphen
In the words of the Anti-Oppression Network, being an ally is “not an identity”—it is a lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalized individuals and/or groups of people. The hope is to make this a living resource.

THE PATH TO RECONCILIATION ACT
FURTHER RECOGNIZING that the Government of Canada also has a significant role in advancing reconciliation; AND AFFIRMING that the Government of Manitoba is committed to reconciliation and will be guided by the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the principles set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Resources on Allyship and Solidarity, Unisto’ot’en Heal the people, Heal the Land.
Understanding the ally bill of responsibilities and allyship and solidarity guidelines.

Seeding Reconciliation on Uneven Ground: The 4Rs Approach to Cross Cultural Dialogue
We are intentional in our use of language in this document to refer to the Original Peoples of this part of Turtle Island (what is now known as Canada). The term “Indigenous” is meant to respect the diversity of Indigenous nations, whether or not they are recognized by the Canadian state. We choose not to use the term “Aboriginal,” although we recognize its legal significance in identifying the First Nations (“Indian”), Inuit and Métis as “the Aboriginal peoples of Canada” in Canada’s Constitution.

Treaty 7 Indigenous Alley Toolkit

Appropriate Use of Indigenous Content by Asma-na-hi Antoine, Rachel Mason, Roberta Mason, Sophia Palahicky, and Carmen Rodriguez de France
When selecting resources for your curriculum, it is important to incorporate authentic Indigenous resources. But what does it mean to be authentic? And how can such resources be incorporated in a respectful way?

Appropriation by Susan Dion, Ph.D. Associate Professor Indigenous Education and Research, York University
PHD Professor Susan Dion speaks about what appropriation means.

Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation by EFTO
A resource and tool for educators to help kick start their journeys in understanding cultural appreciation and appropriation, and how to use this tool to continue learning and best support their instructional practices.

Educators Guide using Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World to talk about Appropriation
In this lesson, students will engage in a structured academic controversy to address the question, “should appropriation of Native American cultural practices be regulated by law?”

“Truth and Reconciliation in YOUR Classroom” by Dr. Kate Freeman, Shawn McDonald, and Dr. Lindsay Morcom
This informative article talks about what not to do in your classroom and offers some links to resources.

First Nations | Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada

Inuit | Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada

Métis | Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada

Family Structures – Inuit

Inuit methods of raising children differ considerably from those in Southern Canada. To the outside observer, Inuit children enjoy a substantial amount of freedom, as indicated by the fact that when not in school, children stay up much later than southern children, are often fed when they are hungry and not according to a set meal schedule, and are disciplined in a different manner by their parents. To the uninformed observer, Inuit parents may appear indifferent or overly lax with their children, though this misconception is largely due to cultural differences.

28 Organizations Promoting Indigenous Food Sovereignty – Food Tank
In honor of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9, Food Tank is highlighting 28 organizations from around the world protecting and cultivating Indigenous food systems. Through what many of the following organizations call “rematration”, they strive to return Indigenous lands, seeds, foods, and histories to Indigenous Peoples and protect them for future generations.

BC Case Study Indigenous Sovereignty
This case study is one of those opportunities. Here, we examine issues related to indigenous food sovereignty– including the colonialization and transformation of traditional regional food systems, land rights and access, and pathways to decolonizing research and relationships.

Cooking Classes Pei Pei Cheiow
Learn about Indigenous cooking, food ways and politics, while expanding your culinary skills with your team, students, group of friends, or family.

Collective Kitchen
Community members from Maniwaki, Que., are tuning into online cooking classes to keep up their spirits, stay connected with each other and learn new recipes.

Chuck and the First Peoples Kitchen
Eager to learn more about culinary traditions used all over Turtle Island, Chef Chuck Hughes is welcomed into various Indigenous Communities in hopes of expanding his cooking horizons. Chuck is introduced to supply techniques, is taught traditional recipes, and becomes a privileged witness to precious knowledge shared by Indigenous peoples on their land.

Farm to Cafe BC
Local food to school initiatives are being adopted with a lot of enthusiasm from coast to coast to coast because of their potential to improve student nutrition and food literacy while contributing to vibrant, sustainable regional food systems, climate change mitigation, and Indigenous food systems.

Forage with Shawn Alder
Follow Anishinaabe chef Shawn Adler into nature as he forages for unique wild foods that grow all around us. From wild ginger to burdock root, Shawn explores — and cooks with — hidden delights that can be found across Canada in each season of the year.

Food Waste to Food Cycle Indigenous Voices
Throughout her undergraduate career Atlanta was involved in assisting Toronto Public Health’s Food Policy teams ‘Public Health of Canada’ report. Interviewing vulnerable populations in the Greater Toronto Area and their accessibility to healthy and affordable food.

Mi’kmaq Lobster Dispute and Indigenous Food Sovereignty
During the 2020 Mi’kmaq Lobster Dispute in Nova Scotia Canada, we saw an altercation between angry non-Indigenous fisherman and the self-regulated Indigenous fisherman of Nova Scotia. This dispute over sharing the local resources started centuries ago when Europeans first told the local Indigenous peoples that they had to restrain their hunting and fishing. In 1999, the Mi’kmaq won the right to self-regulate fishing (Slaughter, 2021) , which frustrated the local non-Indigenous fishermen who were subject to Canadian overfishing restrictions.

Ojibiikaan
Ojibiikaan was founded in 2018 to address gaps in Toronto related to Indigenous food sovereignty, such as food and nutrition education, sustainable food systems and practices, and traditional ecological knowledge.

Paying for Nutrition: A Report on Food Costing in the North
This report on Food Costing in the North by Food Secure Canada, outlines the extensive barriers Northern communities and families face while trying to access healthy and affordable food in the North.

Revitalizing Our Sustenance program – Six Nations food sovereignty program
Revitalizing Our Sustenance Project (ROSP) is an Indigenous youth led program to help provide Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth opportunities to learn about the importance of sustainable agriculture practices while feeding our community! We strive to revitalize our relationships to food, community, and the land.

Indigenous Foundations
An information resource on key topics relating to the histories, politics, and cultures of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. This website was developed to support students in their studies, and to provide educators, researchers and the broader public with a place to begin exploring topics that relate to Indigenous peoples, cultures, and histories. Some topics touched on are Indigenous identity and proper use of terminology, land rights in relation to Indigenous identity, and Government Policy with knowledge on the Residential School System, Indian Act, 60’s Scoop and much more.

Indigenous Peoples Language Guide
This language guide from the University of British Columbia touches on why terminology matters and how we can use the right terminology when speaking or referring to Indigenous Peoples.

Pulling Together
A glossary of terms relating to Indigenous identity, history and land rights.

Regina Public Schools Métis/First Nations Peoples Guide
A package to help Regina Public Schools staff and personnel gain a better understanding of First Nations and Metis protocols and traditions that are practiced in Treaty 4 Territory in Saskatchewan.

The Word Indigenous: Explained by CBC Kids News
Why do we use the term Indigenous? CBC Kids explains.

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph
Based on a viral article, 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act is an essential guide to understanding the legal document and its repercussions on generations of Indigenous Peoples.

Teaching Guide: The Indian Act by CBC Radio
This teaching guide explores the federal law that overhauled settler-Indigenous relations. It provides lesson plans, slideshows and activity sheets to assist educators in teaching about the Indian Act and the negative effects it has had on Indigenous people in Canada.

The Indian Act: The Canadian Encyclopedia
An overview of the Indian Act and its history in Canada. Also available in French.

Residential Schools in Canada, Education Guide by Historica Canada
An extremely eye-opening overview of Residential Schools with a timeline of events leading up to their creation and some interactive activities such as watching a video about Chanie Wenjack to inspire discussion on his journey and the evil he ran away from when he escaped Residential School.

An overview of the residential school system in Canada and a timeline.

Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training by Bear Standing Tall
Bear Standing Tall & Associates is an Indigenous-owned company providing consultation and corporate training services.

Indigenous Cultural Competency Training by Native Canadian Centre of Toronto
Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT) offers a wide range of programs and services based on Indigenous cultural traditions and teachings. This training will provide attendees with an overview of Indigenous culture and how the historical and current experiences shape misinformed views of Indigenous people.

Bighetty & Bighetty, CBC
Four brothers — and their Cree-speaking puppets — show the silly, joyful side of Indigenous life.

First Voices
We are an online space for Indigenous communities to share and promote language, oral culture and linguistic history. Language teams work with elders to curate and upload audio recordings, dictionaries, songs and stories. This content is shared with community members or the broader public.

Indigenous Languages: Learning and Teaching Resources
A series of resources to help teach and learn Indigenous Languages, provided by the Government of Canada.

Inuktitut Preschool-5 and Special Education: Language Activities available for download
Inuktitut word cards for youth, to help guide them in learning the Inuktitut language.

Inuktut Tusaalanga
Detailed lesson plans with grammar, dialogue and glossaries to help you learn Inuktut.

Learning Blackfoot
A website featuring a list of resources to help you learn the Blackfoot language or improve your skills.

Learning Michif
It’s been 130 years since the Métis people said goodbye to leader Louis Riel. And every year on the anniversary of his death, November 16, 1885, (as well as a Monday in February, since different provinces celebrate on different days) the Métis take the time to remember a hero, a visionary and one of the fathers of Manitoba.

Native/Indigenous Languages Resource List Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
Resource list from the University of Toronto categorized by language.

Neechee App
An intermediate level Anishinaabe language tool to help you converse and learn Ojibwe.

Ojibwe Lessons
Giishpin naandawendman Anishinaabemoyan, mawadishiwen oma, bwaachiwen maampii wenji nisidotamang ebangishimog dibishkoo ningaabii’anong miinawaa debwetamaang apii Anishinaabemoyang awashime gikendamang ezhi-minobimaadiziyang Anishinaabeakiing noopiming, awaasakwaa, agamiing dibaajimoyang apane gaye gaagige.

If you want to speak Anishinaabemowin, visit here, visit here, because the west where the sun sets is the same west where the stars shimmer and we believe when we all speak Anishinaabemowin we will understand better how to live in this Anishinaabe land, in the woods, beyond the woods, beside the lakes telling stories forever and always.

Première Nation Wolastoqiyik
This project was developed from a simple idea: to reconnect the members of the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk community with the language of their ancestors.

Resources for Learning Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy, or Niitsitapi, consists of the Siksika, Kainai (Blood) and Piikani people, who traditionally live in the intersections of Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Montana. Blackfoot is an Algonquian language spoken by the Niitsitapi, which they call niitsi’powahsin.

Resources for Learning Inuktitut
Inuktitut is spoken primarily by Inuit living in the North of our country, and has five main dialects. It is spoken by an average of 70% of Inuit, with variations across different regions (for example, 99% of Inuit in Nunavik have knowledge of how to speak Inuktitut, but other regions have lower fluency). Inuktitut is an official language in Nunavut, and it is also spoken in parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and the Northwest Territories. Tusaalanga does a great job of explaining the language structure, dialect differences, and syllabics.

Speaking Michif
The lessons are at a beginner level, on the theme of everyday family life.

The Algonquian Linguistic Atlas School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies Carleton University
The goal of the project is to co-create an on-line, multimedia linguistic atlas of Algonquian languages.

Wabanaki Collection, Wabanaki Learning Resources
The Wabanaki Collection connects postsecondary educators, grade school teachers, and the general public with a variety of resources that support enhanced relationships between all the peoples of Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. The goal of this collection is to provide a way for faculty members and educators to become familiar with Wabanaki worldviews, culture, history and treaty, and to enable them to incorporate Wabnaki resources and perspectives into their courses.

Waking up Ojibwe
Seven Generations Education Institute, Rainy River District School Board, and SayITFirst entered into a partnership in 2017 to develop The Ojibwe Language Strategy. The main goal of the strategy is to help put Anishinaabemowin back into the homes of the Anishinaabe people.

Indspire
Indspire is a national Indigenous registered charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada.

Miziwe Biik
Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training was created in 1991 to meet the unique training and employment needs of Aboriginal peoples. Miziwe Biik provides the Greater Toronto Area’s Aboriginal community with training initiatives and employment services.

A Guide to Land Acknowledgements
This site helps you understand and prepare your own land acknowledgment.

Canada’s #Next150 Years Will Start with a Territory Acknowledgement, Animikii Indigenous Technology
This challenge asks you to find out on whose traditional territory you live (or are from, or are visiting, etc.) and to respectfully acknowledge that territory for others to see so they can engage in that learning too.

Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples & Traditional Territory, Canadian Association of University Teachers
The goal of this guide is to encourage all academic staff association representatives and members to acknowledge the First Peoples on whose traditional territories we live and work.

Know the Land Territories Campaign, Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group (LSPIRG)
To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on, and a way of honouring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial.

“Land acknowledgements: uncovering an oral history of Tkaronto” by Local Love
The GTA has been home to Indigenous peoples for millennia. Here, Sara Roque and Selena Mills share their reflections on this land. Illustrations by Chief Lady Bird.

Land Acknowledgements – Short (with captions) – Alberta

Moccasin Identifier Project
This project has been developed by Carolyn King in partnership with Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the The Greenbelt Foundation, to promote public awareness of significant cultural historic sites and the ancestral presence of First Nations, Metis and Indigenous Communities.

Starting from the Heart – Going Beyond Land Acknowledgements by EFTO
Each of us has a relationship with the natural environment; the land, water, earth, habitat, and ecosystems. Land acknowledgements provide us an opportunity to offer recognition and respect to the original inhabitants of the regions that we live in and work in. There are many things that we can do to go beyond simply reading a land acknowledgement script. This is a place for us to start from.

“What are land acknowledgements and why do they matter?” by Local Love
Indigenous writer Selena Mills illustrates the importance of land acknowledgements—and shares perspectives about this newly popular form of reconciliation

Whose Land – A project of BOLD Realities, TakingITGlobal, and Canadian Roots Exchange
Identify Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities across Canada easily with this gorgeous map.

Bringing Métis Children’s Literature to Life—Métis Christmas Mittens
In this spirit, award-winning author and illustrator, Leah Marie Dorion takes readers back to the Métis tradition of making mittens for loved ones. Métis Christmas Mittens is a touching ode to Métis family life is accompanied by Leah’s distinctive and evocative art.

Métis History & Identity
A virtual lesson briefly touching on language, culture and traditions, Métis in Alberta, Homeland History, and Métis Governance.

Métis Nation of Alberta
Our mandate is to be a representative voice on behalf of Métis people within Alberta, provide Métis people an opportunity to participate in government policy and, most importantly, promote and facilitate the advancement of Métis people through the pursuit of self-reliance, self-determination, and self-management.

Recognizing Métis Week
Métis Week is an annual event planned by the Métis Nation of Alberta, and sees a range of interesting commemorative events take place across Alberta.

Rupertsland Institute Metis Centre of Excellence (K-12)
Rupertsland Centre for Teaching and Learning (RCTL) is continually developing new resources to engage learners of all ages with Métis education. Find links below to all our resources.

Enquête | SQ Abuse, Women Break the Silence
This story began as an investigation into the disappearance of Cindy Ruperthouse, an Indigenous woman from the Abitibi region in Quebec. She had been missing from the town of Val d’Or for over a year when we began looking into her story.

Highway of Tears Carrier, Sekani Family Services
With respect and love for the victims of the Highway of Tears, and guided by their communities, we are committed to fulfilling the 33 recommendations from the Highway of Tears Symposium Recommendations Report. We work diligently towards preventing further victimization, supporting the families of the victims, planning for emergencies and supporting the communities’ efforts towards health and vibrancy.

It Starts with Us – Honouring the Lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans and Two-Spirits
The intention of this page is a space for family members to honour the lives of their loved ones through personal stories, photos or other important aspects of someone’s life.

Lisa Jackson’s Highway of Tears VR
Working with Secret Location, Lisa directed a 4-minute 360-degree video on BC’s Highway of Tears for CBC Radio’s “The Current” in 2016.

May 5th as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls (American Resource), National Resource Center to Enhance Safety of Native Women and their Children
A congressional resolution to designate May 5th as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls has been introduced.

Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The two volume report calls for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities across the country.

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman Timeline and Report
The National Inquiry must look into and report on the systemic causes of all forms of violence against Indigenous women and girls, including sexual violence. We must examine the underlying social, economic, cultural, institutional, and historical causes that contribute to the ongoing violence and particular vulnerabilities of Indigenous women and girls in Canada.

The REDress Project
The REDress Project, focuses on the issue of missing or murdered Aboriginal women across Canada. It is an installation art project based on an aesthetic response to this critical national issue.

Missing & Murdered: The Unsolved Cases of Indigenous Women and Girls
CBC News has looked into 34 cases across Canada which involve the death or disappearance of Indigenous women, but which authorities say were not due to foul play.

Canadian Reconciliation Barometer
Understanding, Tracking, and Promoting Reconciliation in Canada. The Canadian Reconciliation Barometer is a set of questions that Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada complete through a large online survey.

Canadian Youth Reconciliation Barometer 2019
This study was conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, in partnership with Canadian Roots Exchange (CRE), a national Indigenous-led organization that has been developing innovative and impactful opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth since 2009.

In Plain Sight Indigenous Racism in BC Healthcare
On June 19, 2020, I was appointed by British Columbia’s Minister of Health, the Hon. Adrian Dix, to conduct a review of Indigenous specific racism in the provincial health care system.

Opinions About Aboriginal Issues in Canada 2016
This study was conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, in partnership with the following organizations: Canadians For A New Partnership. The mission of Canadians for a New Partnership is to establish and support a broad-based, inclusive, leadership initiative to engage Canadians in dialogue and relationship building aimed at creating a new partnership between First Peoples and other Canadians.

Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The two volume report calls for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities across the country.

Reconciliation Canada
Born from the vision of Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, Gwawaenuk Elder, Reconciliation Canada is leading the way in engaging Canadians in dialogue and transformative experiences that revitalize the relationships among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians. Our model for reconciliation engages people in open and honest conversation to understand our diverse histories and experiences.

Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
The Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) concerns government policy with respect to the original historical nations of this country. Those nations are important to Canada, and how Canada relates to them defines in large measure its sense of justice and its image in its own eyes and before the world.

Towards Reconciliation: Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Perspectives
A study conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, in partnership with the Mowat Centre, Canada West Foundation, Centre D’Analyse Politique Constitution Fédéralisme, Institute for Research on Public Policy, and St. Francis Xavier University Brian Mulroney Institute of Government.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
A shared vision held by those affected by Indian residential schools was to create a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of their experiences were honoured and kept safe for future generations. They wanted their families, communities and all of Canada to learn from these hard lessons so they would not be repeated. They wanted to share the wisdom of the Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers on how to create just and peaceful relationships amongst diverse peoples. They knew that Reconciliation is not only about the past; it is about the future that all Canadians will forge together.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
The official resolution was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on September 13, 2007.

Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies
In Decolonizing Trauma Work, Renee Linklater explores healing and wellness in Indigenous communities on Turtle Island. Drawing on a decolonizing approach, which puts the “soul wound” of colonialism at the centre, Linklater engages ten Indigenous health care practitioners in a dialogue regarding Indigenous notions of wellness and wholistic health, critiques of psychiatry and psychiatric diagnoses, and Indigenous approaches to helping people through trauma, depression and experiences of parallel and multiple realities.

Trauma Informed Practice Guide by BC Provincial Mental Health and Substance Use Planning Council
This Practice Guide and TIP Organizational Checklist is intended to support the translation of trauma-informed principles into practice.

Alberta Treaty Education
Find teaching resources, education guides, and research available for Indigenous education.

Alberta Treaty Education in the Classroom (video format)
A guide to bring Treaty education to the classroom.

An Introduction to Treaties – A Complilation of Online Resources by EFTO
A resource to assist in understanding Treaties in Canada.

British Columbia Treaty Education K-12 (videos and game)
Videos for educating youth on treaties in Canada.

Ezhi-nawending: How we are Related
“We are all Treaty people” This simple but immensely powerful phrase reminds us that treaties are not only between the First Nations and the government—they involve us all.

Learnings: We Are All Treaty People.
A reference guide to understanding the foundational aspects of the “Teaching Treaties in the Classroom” program from the Office of the Treaty commissioner.

Moccasin Identifier Project
Significant cultural historic sites and the ancestral presence of First Nations, Metis and Indigenous Communities.

New Brunswick Treaty Education Initiative (Grade 3-6 but only grade 3. Only resources for Grade 3 are available at the moment.)
A resource created so young people throughout New Brunswick can better understand the treaties that were agreed to by the Indigenous people of New Brunswick with the British Crown.

Nova Scotia Treaty Education
These programs and services highlight the contributions of the Mi’kmaq. They help explain how the Treaties were significant building blocks for Nova Scotia and Canada and how we have all benefited from them.

“Treaties and Comprehensive Land Claims in Canada” by Experiences Canada
English and French learning tool intended to engage communities to learn about treaties and land claims in Canada. Map of treaties and land claims across Canada.

Treaties and the Treaty Relationship Educational Package (available in French)
A book with writing from authors, from throughout Canada, who have shared their insights and knowledge on a wide variety of aspects of treaty history and the Treaty Relationship.

Treaty Essential Learnings: We Are All Treaty People
A reference guide to understanding the foundational aspects of the “Teaching Treaties in the Classroom” program from the Office of the Treaty commissioner.

Treaties in Canada Education Guide and Worksheets
An education guide and accompanying worksheets for treaty education.

Treaty Lesson Plans
Treaty lesson plans for classroom use.

Treaty Timeline
Saskatchewan has a Treaty history that has led us to the Treaty relationship we have today. The OTC Treaty Timeline is a great way to learn more about that history.

Two Row Wampum – Gä•sweñta’
The Haudenosaunee see the Two Row Wampum as a living treaty; a way that they have established for their people to live together in peace; that each nation will respect the ways of the other as they meet to discuss solutions to the issues that come before them.

We are all Treaty People and Gdoo-Sastamoo Kii Mi (for high school students).
Promo video for We are all Treaty People: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP-mSTLSI4U
Promo video for Gdoo-Sastamoo Kii Mi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSx0rOyoIaY

We Are All Treaty People by Maurice Switzer
Maurice Switzer is involved in a number of public education initiatives by including Indigenous perspectives as a commissioner on the Ontario Human Rights Commission, as well as his contributions on education of treaty relationships in Canada and their contemporary implications through the use of wampum belts. By utilizing the wampum belts as an educational tool, decolonized approaches are taken to develop a holistic understanding of the treaties and providing a framework for educators to facilitate treaty education in the classroom.

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
A global human rights organization dedicated to promoting, protecting and defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

Minority Rights
Campaigns worldwide with around 150 partners in over 50 countries to ensure that disadvantaged minorities and Indigenous Peoples can make their voices heard.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
Today UNDRIP is the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous Peoples of the world and it elaborates on existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of Indigenous Peoples.

Australian Dream – Educator Resource
Website for the film, Australian Dream, and links to resources that provide education on and support the cause that fueled the creation of this film.

Culture is Life
Culture is Life recognizes the complexity of the issue and the interplay of social, cultural and systemic determinants of health that heighten the risk of suicide. Drawing on growing evidence that cultural strength influences the health and well-being of First Nations peoples globally as a protective factor, Culture is Life backs Aboriginal-led solutions that deepen connection to culture and country for Aboriginal young people.

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians Commision on Aboriginal
Indigenous Strategic Framework 2018-2028. Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori peoples present their Indigenous Strategic Framework statements on their history, culture, needs and rights.

Te Ahu o te Reo Māori – Education in New Zealand
Te Ahu o te Reo Māori means the future pathway of te reo Māori – a pathway that seeks to inspire and aspire for improved te reo Māori proficiency, acquisition and use across the education sector. It also provides opportunities for te reo Māori to be normalised, and Māori identity and culture, to be shared and embraced.

Unteach Racism
Unteach Racism aims to support teachers of New Zealand, in a staged approach to identify, confront and dismantle racism in education.

We are still here – Film
Through the eyes of eight protagonists, We Are Still Here traverses 1000 years from past,present, and future to explore stories of kinship, loss, grief, and resilience. But ultimately, it shows the strength of love and hope to overcome shared traumas that Indigenous people from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific have continued to face.

Alex Shares his Wampum Belt
Alex Shares His Wampum Belt is an eight page illustrated book from Union of Ontario Indians and the importance of wampum belts and treaties for primary level students. Kelly Crawford wrote this information book about a First Nation student named Alex and his inspiration to create a wampum belt from his Lego blocks.

Amik Loves School: A Story of Wisdom by Katherena Vermette, Illustrator Irene Kuziw, Published by Portage and Main Press
Amik tells Moshoom about his wonderful school. Then his grandfather tells him about the residential school he went to, so different from Amik’s school, so Amik has an idea…

Arctic Stories by Michael Kusugak, Illustrator Vladyana Krykorka, Published by Annick Press
Ten-year-old Agatha, an Inuit girl, is the reluctant heroine in this tapestry of Arctic tales set in the 1950s. Each tale has its origins in Kusugak’s own childhood experiences.

Cheyenne Again by Eve Bunting, Illustrator Irving Toddy, Published by HMH Books for Young Readers
In the late 1880s, a Cheyenne boy named Young Bull is taken from his parents and sent to a boarding school to learn the white man’s ways. “Young Bull’s struggle to hold on to his heritage will touch children’s sense of justice and lead to some interesting discussions and perhaps further research.” —School Library Journal

Half-Bads in White Regalia, A Memoir by Cody Caetano
A family tries to learn from the mistakes of past generations in this whirlwind memoir from a wholly original new voice.

Little Butterfly Girl An Indian Residential School Story
Little Butterfly Girl: An Indian Residential School Story is a picture book produced by the Union of Ontario Indians based on an original account by Jenny Restoule-Mallozzi. This story recounts the experiences of an Ojibwe child forced to attend residential school.  The tragic account is brought full-circle when Mary begins her healing journey with encouragement from her family.

On The Trapline by David Robertson, Illustrator Julie Flett
A picture book celebrating Indigenous culture and traditions. The Governor General Award–winning team behind When We Were Alone shares a story that honors our connections to our past and our grandfathers and fathers.

Shi-shi-etko by Nicola I. Campbell, Illustrator Kim Lafave, Published by Groundwood Books, 2005
In just four days young Shi-shi-etko will have to leave her family and all that she knows to attend residential school. She spends her last days at home treasuring the beauty of her world — the dancing sunlight, the tall grass, each shiny rock, the tadpoles in the creek, her grandfather’s paddle song. Her mother, father and grandmother, each in turn, share valuable teachings that they want her to remember. And so Shi-shi-etko carefully gathers her memories for safekeeping.

Stand Like a Cedar by Nicola I. Campbell , Illustrated by Carrielynn Victor
Award-winning storyteller Nicola I. Campbell shows what it means to “stand like a cedar” on this beautiful journey of discovery through the wilderness. Learn the names of animals in the Nłeʔkepmxcín or Halq’emeylem languages as well as the teachings they have for us. Experience a celebration of sustainability and connection to the land through lyrical storytelling and Carrielynn Victor’s breathtaking art in this children’s illustrated book.

Stolen Words by Melanie Florence, Illustrator Gabrielle Grimard, Publisher Second Story Press
This sensitive and warmly illustrated picture book explores the intergenerational impact of the residential school system that separated young Indigenous children from their families. The story recognizes the pain of those whose culture and language were taken from them, how that pain is passed down, and how healing can also be shared.

The Bee by Becky Han
Becky Han is an Inuk singer-songwriter who grew up in the small and beautiful community of Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay) in Nunavut. Believing that music is a creative and educational outlet, she enjoys writing most of her work in Inuktut. The Bee is based on her award-winning song “Qaariaq”.Tindur Peturs is an animator and illustrator, born and raised in Iceland, who moved to Canada to study animation and Canadian culture. They have a love for nature, animals, and the power of storytelling.

The Elders Are Watching by David Bouchard And Roy Henry Vickers
A beautifully illustrated picture book about a boy and his grandfather who hear and listen to the spirits of the Elders.

The Water Walker Written and Illustrated by Joanne Robertson
The story of a determined Ojibwe Grandmother (Nokomis) Josephine-ba Mandamin and her great love for Nibi (water). Nokomis walks to raise awareness of our need to protect Nibi for future generations and for all life on the planet.

The Train
Written by Jodie Callaghan and Illustrated by Georgia Lesley. “I’m waiting for what we lost that day to come back to us.” Ashley meets her great-uncle by the old train tracks near their community in Nova Scotia. When she sees his sadness, he shares with her the history of those tracks.

We Are Water Protectors
Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption―a bold and lyrical picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and vibrantly illustrated by Michaela Goade.

When We Were Alone by David Alexander Robertson, Illustrator Julie Flett, Published by HighWaterPress
A young girl notices things about her grandmother that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak Cree and spend so much time with her family? As she asks questions, her grandmother shares her experiences in a residential school, when all of these things were taken away.

As Long as The Rivers Flow by Larry Loyie & Constance Brissenden, Illustrator Heather Holmlund, Published by Groundwood Books
As Long as the Rivers Flow is the story of Larry Loyie’s last summer before entering residential school. It is a time of learning and adventure. He cares for an abandoned baby owl and watches his grandmother make winter moccasins. He helps the family prepare for a hunting and gathering trip.

Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac, Published by Speak
The riveting fictional tale of Ned Begay, a sixteen-year-old Navajo boy who becomes a code talker. His grueling journey is eye-opening and inspiring. This deeply affecting novel honors all of those young men, like Ned, who dared to serve, and it honors the culture and language of the Navajo.

Dear Canada: These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens by Ruby Slipperjack, Published by Scholastic Canada
Violet Pesheens is struggling to adjust to her new life at residential school. She misses her Grandma; she has run-ins with Cree girls; at her “white” school, everyone just stares; and everything she brought has been taken from her, including her name—she is now just a number. But worst of all, she has a fear, a fear of forgetting the things she treasures most: her Anishnabe language; the names of those she knew before; and her traditional customs. A fear of forgetting who she is.

Home to Medicine Mountain by Chiori Santiago, Illustrator Judith Lowry, Published by Children’s Book Press
Two young brothers are separated from their family and sent to live in a government-run residential school in the 1930s.

I Am Not A Number by Dr. Jenny Kay Dupuis & Kathy Kacer, Illustrator Gillian Newland, Published by Second Story Press
When eight-year-old Irene is removed from her First Nations family to live in a residential school she is confused, frightened, and terribly homesick. She tries to remember who she is and where she came from, despite the efforts of the nuns who are in charge at the school and who tell her that she is not to use her own name but instead use the number they have assigned to her. When she goes home for summer holidays, Irene’s parents decide never to send her and her brothers away again. But where will they hide? And what will happen when her parents disobey the law?

Little Butterfly Girl: An Indian Residential School Story by Jenny Restoule-Mallozzi, Illustrator Donald Chrétien, Published by Union of Ontario Indians
An astounding story about an Indigenous girl taken away to residential school, and who she becomes as a woman after the experiences she endures there, as a child.

My Name is Seepeetza by Shirley Sterling, Published by Groundwood Books
At six years old, Seepeetza is taken from her happy family life on Joyaska Ranch to live as a boarder at the Kalamak Indian Residential School. Life at the school is not easy, but Seepeetza still manages to find some bright spots. Always, thoughts of home make her school life bearable.

No Time to Say Goodbye: Children’s Stories of Kuper Island Residential School by Sylvia Olsen Published by Son Nis Press
A fictional account of five children sent to boarding school, based on the recollections of a number of Tsartlip First Nations people.

Powwow Summer by Nahanni Shingoose
Part Ojibwe and part white, River lives with her white mother and stepfather on a farm in Ontario. Teased about her Indigenous heritage as a young girl, she feels like she doesn’t belong and struggles with her identity.

Reflections From Them Days: A Residential School Memoir From Nunatsiavut by Nellie Winters
When Nellie Winters was 11 years old, she was sent to attend the Nain Boarding School, a residential school 400 kilometers from her home. In this memoir, she recalls life before residential school, her experiences at the school, and what it was like to come home.

Sammy Goes to Residential School by Mary Lingman, Illustrator Susan Ross, Published by Penumbra Press
Sammy is a seven-year-old Cree boy who has to go to residential school away from his family and the reserve because his parents spend the year on the trapline until spring.

The Journey Forward, Novella on Reconciliation: When We Play Our Drums They Sing by Richard Van Camp and The Journey Forward, A Novella on reconciliation Lucy & Lola by Monique Gray Smith
The two stories that comprise this flipbook from B.C. publisher McKellar & Martin take a measured approach to teaching readers about the history of residential schools and the ongoing legacy of pain they caused, but employ very different tones in their telling.

Canada’s First Nations and Cultural Genocide by Robert Z. Cohen, Published by Rosen Publishing
This insightful resource provides a history of Canada and outlines the development of attitudes that resulted in the residential education system, as well as a glimpse into the experiences of children who were forced to attend residential schools administered by various religious organizations.

Dear Canada: These Are My Words: The Residential Diary Of Violet Peesheens By Ruby Slipperjack
Violet Pesheens is struggling to adjust to her new life at Residential School. She misses her Grandma; she has run-ins with Cree girls; at her “white” school, everyone just stares; and everything she brought has been taken from her, including her name—she is now just a number. But worst of all, she has a fear. A fear of forgetting the things she treasures most: her Anishnabe language; the names of those she knew before; and her traditional customs. A fear of forgetting who she was.

My Name is Seepeetza by Shirley Sterling, Published by Groundwood Books
At six years old, Seepeetza is taken from her happy family life on Joyaska Ranch to live as a boarder at the Kalamak Indian Residential School. Life at the school is not easy, but Seepeetza still manages to find some bright spots. Always, thoughts of home make her school life bearable.

No Time to Say Goodbye: Children’s Stories of the Kuper Island Residential School by Rita Morris, Sylvia Olsen and Ann Sam, Published by Sono Nis Press
No Time to Say Goodbye is a fictional account of five children sent to aboriginal boarding school, based on the recollections of a number of Tsartlip First Nations people.

Residential Schools, With the Words and Images of Survivors, A National History by Larry Oskiniko Loyie, Constance Brissenden, Wayne K. Spear
Residential Schools, With the Words and Images of Survivors, A National History honours the survivors, the former students, who attended residential schools.

Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David Alexander Roberston, Illustrator Scott Henderson, Published by High Water Press (Appropriate for Grades 8-12)
A school assignment to interview a residential-school survivor leads Daniel to Betsy, his friend’s grandmother, who tells him her story.

The Secret Path: Jr. High Lesson Plans from Edmonton Public Schools
These five lesson plans are meant to help teachers explore the Secret Path book and video with students in grades 7 to 9. Each lesson plan has a corresponding PowerPoint with an embedded video.

7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga by David Alexander Roberston, Illustrator Scott Henderson, Published by HighWater Press
An epic, four-part graphic novel. Illustrated in vivid colour, the story follows one Indigenous family over three centuries and seven generations 

7 Generations Series – Teacher’s Guide by Portage & Main Press
Designed to help teachers in early years classrooms use The Seven Teachings Stories series, by Katherena Vermette, this guide provides the framework and key ideas educators need to become participants in a culturally responsive classroom community and to deepen their understanding of the Seven Teachings.

As Long as the Rivers Flow by James Bartleman, Published by Random House
As Long as the Rivers Flow is the story of Larry Loyie’s last summer before entering residential school. It is a time of learning and adventure. He cares for an abandoned baby owl and watches his grandmother make winter moccasins. He helps the family prepare for a hunting and gathering trip.

Avenue of Champions
Daniel is a young Métis man searching for a way to exist in a world of lateral violence, intergenerational trauma and systemic racism. Facing obstacles of his own at every turn, he observes and learns from the lived realities of his family members, friends, teachers and lovers. He finds hope in the inherent connection of Indigenous Peoples to the land, and the permanence of culture, language and ceremony in the face of displacement.

From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle
In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle, once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar, chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is.

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, Published by Douglas & McIntyre
Author Richard Wagamese traces through his fictional characters the decline of a culture and a cultural way. For Saul, taken forcibly from the land and his family when he’s sent to residential school, salvation comes for a while through his incredible gifts as a hockey player.

Indian School Days by Basil H. Johnston, Published by University of Oklahoma Press
Indian School Days is the humourous, bitter-sweet autobiography by Ojibwe linguist and storyteller Basil Johnston who was taken from his family at age ten and placed in Jesuit boarding school in northern Ontario.

Marrow Thieves By  Cherie Dimaline
Humanity has nearly destroyed its world through global warming, but now an even greater evil lurks. The Indigenous people of North America are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost: the ability to dream. In this dark world, Frenchie and his companions struggle to survive as they make their way up north to the old lands. For now, survival means staying hidden—but what they don’t know is that one of them holds the secret to defeating the marrow thieves.

Memory Keeper by Dawn Hill
Memory Keeper is a collection of stories which offers anecdotes and stories, from the author’s life, living on the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. These stories helped her to circumnavigate constructively the residual pain and dysfunction that is the legacy of the Residential School System. As a Registered Social Worker and Community Health Worker, Dawn Cheryl Hill does not leave the reader impacted by the shock and trauma of her stories, instead she offers a workbook companion with the published collection as a healing resource for her readers.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow.

Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David Alexander Roberston, Illustrator Scott Henderson, Published by HighWater Press (Appropriate for Grades 9-12)
A school assignment to interview a residential school Survivor leads Daniel to Betsy, his friend’s grandmother, who tells him her story.

The Clay We Are Made Of: Haudenosaunee Land Tenure on the Grand River by Susan M. Hill
If one seeks to understand Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) history, one must consider the history of Haudenosaunee land. For countless generations prior to European contact, land and territory informed Haudenosaunee thought and philosophy, and was a primary determinant of Haudenosaunee identity.

The Education of Augie Merasry by Joseph Auguste Merasty
A courageous and intimate memoir, The Education of Augie Merasty is the story of a child who faced the dark heart of humanity, let loose by the cruel policies of a bigoted nation.

Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga
Over the span of eleven years, seven Indigenous high school students died in Thunder Bay, Ontario. They were hundreds of kilometres away from their families, forced to leave home because there was no adequate high school on their reserves. Five were found dead in the rivers surrounding Lake Superior, below a sacred Indigenous site. Using a sweeping narrative focusing on the lives of the students, award-winning author Tanya Talaga delves into the history of this northern city that has come to manifest Canada’s long struggle with human rights violations against Indigenous communities.

The Inconvenient Indian By Thomas King
Rich with dark and light, pain and magic, The Inconvenient Indian distills the insights gleaned from Thomas King’s critical and personal meditation on what it means to be “Indian” in North America, weaving the curiously circular tale of the relationship between non-Natives and Natives in the centuries since the two first encountered each other.

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph
Based on a viral article, 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act is the essential guide to understanding the legal document and its repercussion on generations of Indigenous Peoples.

7 Generations Series
7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga includes the four graphic novels: Stone, Scars, Ends/Begins, and The Pact.
7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga is an epic 4-part graphic novel. Illustrated in vivid colour, the story follows one Aboriginal family over three centuries and seven generations. 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga includes the four graphic novels: Stone, Scars, Ends/Begins, and The Pact.

A Girl Called Echo by Katherena Vermette
In this graphic novel series Echo Desjardins, a 13 year-old Métis girl, is struggling with her feelings of loneliness while attending a new school and living with a new family. Then an ordinary day in Mr. Bee’s history class turns extraordinary and Echo’s life will never be the same. During Mr. Bee’s lecture, Echo finds herself transported to another time and place–a bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie and back again to the present. In the following weeks, Echo slips back and forth in time. She visits a Métis camp, travels the old fur trade routes, and experiences the perilous and bygone era of the Pemmican wars.

A HISTORY OF MY BRIEF BODY By Billy-Ray Belcourt
Billy-Ray Belcourt”s debut memoir opens with a tender letter to his kokum and memories of his early life in the hamlet of Joussard, Alberta, and on the Driftpile First Nation. From there, it expands to encompass the big and broken world around him, in all its complexity and contradictions: a legacy of colonial violence and the joy that flourishes in spite of it, first loves and first loves lost, sexual exploration and intimacy, and the act of writing as a survival instinct and a way to grieve.

A Knock on the Door by TRC
A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation of Canada is edited & abridged for ease of use by the general public and secondary school students. This 296-page book consists of the TRC text of What We Have Learned: Principles of Truth and Reconciliation as well as shorter versions from TRC executive summary (Introduction, Reconciliation & Legacy chapters). This volume contains the 94 Calls to Action. It also includes a foreword by Phil Fontaine and an afterword by Aimee Craft, director of research, National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The book includes a map of residential schools in Canada, notes, and bibliography. It does not have an index.

ALL OUR RELATIONS: FINDING THE PATH FORWARD by Tanya Talaga
In this vital and incisive work, bestselling and award-winning author Tanya Talaga explores the alarming rise of youth suicide in Indigenous communities in Canada and beyond.

ALL THE WAY: MY LIFE ON ICE By Jordin Tootoo
It seemed as though nothing could stop Jordin Tootoo on the ice. The captain, a fan favourite, a star in international competition, Tootoo was always a leader. And when he was drafted by Nashville in 2001 and made the Predators out of camp in 2003, he became a leader in another way–as the first player of Inuk descent to suit up in the NHL.

An Introductory Guide To Understanding Indigenous Rights
This is the story of how a unique set of collective rights made it into Canada’s constitution. Indigenous and treaty rights are the basis of Canada itself. They are integral to its collective history, culture and laws. And the nation as we know it could not exist without them.

As Long as the Rivers Flow by James Bartleman
From the accomplished memoirist and former Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario comes a first novel of incredible heart and spirit for every Canadian. The novel follows one girl, Martha, from the Cat Lake First Nation in Northern Ontario who is “stolen” from her family at the age of six and flown far away to residential school. She doesn’t speak English but is punished for speaking her native language; most terrifying and bewildering, she is also “fed” to the school’s attendant priest with an attraction to little girls.

Avenue of Champions
Daniel is a young Métis man searching for a way to exist in a world of lateral violence, intergenerational trauma and systemic racism. Facing obstacles of his own at every turn, he observes and learns from the lived realities of his family members, friends, teachers and lovers. He finds hope in the inherent connection of Indigenous Peoples to the land, and the permanence of culture, language and ceremony in the face of displacement.

Beautiful Scars by Tom Wilson
Tom Wilson was raised in the rough-and-tumble world of Hamilton—Steeltown— in the company of World War II vets, factory workers, fall-guy wrestlers and the deeply guarded secrets kept by his parents, Bunny and George. For decades Tom carved out a life for himself in shadows. He built an international music career and became a father, he battled demons and addiction, and he waited, hoping for the lies to cease and the truth to emerge. It would. And when it did, it would sweep up the St. Lawrence River to the Mohawk reserves of Quebec, on to the heights of the Manhattan skyline.

Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun: Portraits of Everyday Life in Eight Indigenous Communities by Paul Seesequasis
This an exceptional collection of photos that includes Indigenous photographers showing a reality of integrity, strength, resourcefulness, hard work, family and play.

Braiding Histories by Susan D. Dion
This book proposes a new pedagogy for addressing Indigenous subject material, shifting the focus from an essentializing or “othering” exploration of the attributes of Indigenous peoples to a focus on historical experiences that inform our understanding of contemporary relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

BRAIDING SWEETGRASS: INDIGENOUS WISDOM, SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND THE TEACHINGS OF PLANTS by Robin Wall Kimmerer
A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Bestseller Named a Best Essay Collection of the Decade” by Literary Hub As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on “a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise” (Elizabeth Gilbert).

Broken Circle: The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools by Theodore Fontaine
Broken Circle: The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools, A Memoir is a first-person account of the residential school experience by Theodore Fontaine from the Sagkeeng First Nation. Removed from his family and home community at the age of seven, Fontaine writes about the impact of his psychological, emotional and sexual abuse, the loss of his language and culture, and, most important, the loss of his family and community during his time at residential school. He attended Fort Alexander Indian Residential School, run by the Oblates for twelve years. After leaving the school the young man was confused, angry and conflicted.

Buffalo is the New Buffalo by Chelsea Vowel
The debut collection of short stories from Métis writer Chelsea Vowel is a gut renovation of the science-fiction genre that liberates dystopian and post-apocalyptic ideas from tired tropes to explore radical possibilities for Indigenous resilience.

Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography by Andrea Warner
Folk hero. Songwriter icon. Living legend. Buffy Sainte-Marie is all of these things and more. In this, Sainte-Marie’s first and only authorized biography, music critic Andrea Warner draws from more than sixty hours of exclusive interviews to offer a powerful, intimate look at the life of the beloved artist and everything that she has accomplished in her seventy-seven years (and counting).

Canada’s First Nations and Cultural Genocide by Robert Z. Cohen, Published by Rosen Publishing
This insightful resource provides a history of Canada and outlines the development of attitudes that resulted in the residential education system, as well as a glimpse into the experiences of children who were forced to attend residential schools administered by various religious organizations.

Caste: THE ORIGINS OF OUR DISCONTENTS By Isabel Wilkerson
In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.

COTTAGERS AND INDIANS By Drew Hayden Taylor
Cottagers and Indians explores the politics and issues surrounding a real-life event still occurring in the Kawartha Lakes region of Central Ontario. An Indigenous man, Arthur Copper, has taken it upon himself to repopulate the nearby lakes with wild rice, known amongst the Anishnawbe as Manoomin, much to the disapproval of the local non-Indigenous cottagers, Maureen Poole in particular.

Dear Canada: These Are My Words: The Residential Diary Of Violet Peesheens By Ruby Slipperjack
Violet Pesheens is struggling to adjust to her new life at Residential School. She misses her Grandma; she has run-ins with Cree girls; at her “white” school, everyone just stares; and everything she brought has been taken from her, including her name—she is now just a number. But worst of all, she has a fear. A fear of forgetting the things she treasures most: her Anishnabe language; the names of those she knew before; and her traditional customs. A fear of forgetting who she was.

EMPIRE OF WILD by Cherie Dimaline
Broken-hearted Joan has been searching for her husband, Victor, for almost a year–ever since he went missing on the night they had their first serious argument.

From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle
From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up.

HEART BERRIES: A MEMOIR By Terese Marie Mailhot
Heart Berries is a powerful, poetic memoir of a woman”s coming of age on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation in British Columbia. Having survived a profoundly dysfunctional upbringing only to find herself hospitalized and facing a dual diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar II, Terese Mailhot is given a notebook and begins to write her way out of trauma.

Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline
The thrilling follow-up to the bestselling, award-winning novel The Marrow Thieves, about a dystopian world where the Indigenous people of North America are being hunted for their bone marrow and ability to dream.

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
With compassion and insight, author Richard Wagamese traces through his fictional characters the decline of a culture and a cultural way. For Saul, taken forcibly from the land and his family when he’s sent to residential school, salvation comes for a while through his incredible gifts as a hockey player. But in the harsh realities of 1960s Canada, he battles obdurate racism and the spirit-destroying effects of cultural alienation and displacement. Indian Horse unfolds against the bleak loveliness of northern Ontario, all rock, marsh, bog and cedar. Wagamese writes with a spare beauty, penetrating the heart of a remarkable Ojibway man.

Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada – an English and French educational resource created by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, published by Canadian Geographic, and funded by the Government of Canada
In this atlas, you will find outstanding reference maps of Indigenous Canada, as well as a section devoted to Truth and Reconciliation, including detailed pages on many aspects of the topic with contemporary and historical photography, maps and more.

Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel
In Indigenous Writes, Chelsea Vowel, legal scholar, teacher, and intellectual, opens an important dialogue about these (and more) concepts and the wider social beliefs associated with the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada.

Indigenous Writes by Chelsea Vowel
Are you familiar with the terms listed above? In Indigenous Writes, Chelsea Vowel, legal scholar, teacher, and intellectual, opens an important dialogue about these (and more) concepts and the wider social beliefs associated with the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada. In 31 essays, Chelsea explores the Indigenous experience from the time of contact to the present, through five categories – Terminology of Relationships; Culture and Identity; Myth-Busting; State Violence; and Land, Learning, Law, and Treaties. She answers the questions that many people have on these topics to spark further conversations at home, in the classroom, and in the larger community.

In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience by Helen Knott
Helen Knott, a highly accomplished Indigenous woman, seems to have it all. But in her memoir, she offers a different perspective. In My Own Moccasins is an unflinching account of addiction, intergenerational trauma, and the wounds brought on by sexual violence. It is also the story of sisterhood, the power of ceremony, the love of family, and the possibility of redemption. With gripping moments of withdrawal, times of spiritual awareness, and historical insights going back to the signing of Treaty 8 by her great-great grandfather, Chief Bigfoot, her journey exposes the legacy of colonialism, while reclaiming her spirit.

Memory Keeper by Dawn Hill
Memory Keeper is a collection of stories which offers anecdotes and stories, from the author’s life, living on the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. These stories helped her to circumnavigate constructively the residual pain and dysfunction that is the legacy of the Residential School System. As a Registered Social Worker and Community Health Worker, Dawn Cheryl Hill does not leave the reader impacted by the shock and trauma of her stories, instead she offers a workbook companion with the published collection as a healing resource for her readers.

MONKEY BEACH By Eden Robinson
Tragedy strikes a Native community when the Hill family’s handsome seventeen-year-old son, Jimmy, mysteriously vanishes at sea. Left behind to cope during the search-and-rescue effort is his sister, Lisamarie, a wayward teenager with a dark secret.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow.

MOTORCYCLES & SWEETGRASS by Drew Hayden Taylor
A story of magic, family, a mysterious stranger . . . and a band of marauding raccoons. Otter Lake is a sleepy Anishnawbe community where little happens. Until the day a handsome stranger pulls up astride a 1953 Indian Chief motorcycle – and turns Otter Lake completely upside down.

Mush-Hole: Memories of a Residential School by Maddie Harper
Maddie Harper explains her years attending the Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford. When she was seven years old Maddie was forced to attend the school until the age of fifteen. She writes with clarity and power as she describes her experiences.

My Name is Seepeetza by Shirley Sterling
An honest, inside look at life in an Indian residential school in the 1950s, and how one indomitable young spirit survived it.

My Privilege, My Responsibility: A Memoir, Sheila North
In September 2015, Sheila North was declared the Grand Chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), the first woman elected to the position. Known as a “bridge-builder,” North is a member of Bunibonibee Cree Nation. North’s work in advocacy journalism, communications, and economic development harnessed her passion for drawing focus to systemic racism faced by Indigenous women and girls. She is the creator of the widely used hashtag #MMIW. In her memoir, Sheila North shares the stories of the events that shaped her, and the violence that nearly stood in the way of her achieving her dreams. Through perseverance and resilience, she not only survived, she flourished.

No Time to Say Goodbye: Children’s Stories of the Kuper Island Residential School by Rita Morris, Sylvia Olsen and Ann Sam
No Time to Say Goodbye is a fictional account of five children sent to aboriginal boarding school, based on the recollections of a number of Tsartlip First Nations people. These unforgettable children are taken by government agents from Tsartlip Day School to live at Kuper Island Residential School.

ONE NATIVE LIFE by Richard Wagamese
When Garnet Raven was three years old, he was taken from his home on an Ojibway Indian reserve and placed in a series of foster homes. Having reached his mid-teens, he escapes at the first available opportunity, only to find himself cast adrift on the streets of the big city.

On Screen Protocols & Pathways: A Media Production Guide To Working With First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Communities, Cultures, Concepts & Stories (French & English)
While this resource was commissioned by imagineNATIVE to provide cultural principles, key findings from a national consultation process, and best practices for filmmakers, production companies, and funders when depicting Indigenous content on-screen, it is well worth the read for educators to better understand their own role in sharing Indigenous knowledge, stories and learning.

Peace and Good Order By Harold R. Johnson
Written by Indigenous legal scholar and former Crown Attorney Harold R. Johnson (1957 – 2022) this text examines the failure of the Canadian state to provide Indigenous peoples with justice and calls for an Indigenous led administration of justice to remedy colonial violence embedded in prior laws impacting Indigenous peoples.

Residential Schools, With the Words and Images of Survivors, A National History by Larry Oskiniko Loyie, Constance Brissenden, Wayne K. Spear
Residential Schools, with the Words and Images of Survivors, A National History Honours the survivors, the former students, who attended residential schools. Designed for ther Young Adult reader this accessible, 112 page history offers a first-person perspective of the residential school system in Canada, as it shares the memories of more than 70 survivors from across Canada as well as 125 archival and contemporary images

Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga
In 1966, twelve-year-old Chanie Wenjack froze to death on the railway tracks after running away from residential school. An inquest was called and four recommendations were made to prevent another tragedy. None of those recommendations were applied.

SPLIT TOOTH By Tanya Tagaq
Fact can be as strange as fiction. It can also be as dark, as violent, as rapturous. In the end, there may be no difference between them. A girl grows up in Nunavut in the 1970s. She knows joy, and friendship, and parents” love. She knows boredom, and listlessness, and bullying. She knows the tedium of the everyday world, and the raw, amoral power of the ice and sky, the seductive energy of the animal world. She knows the ravages of alcohol, and violence at the hands of those she should be able to trust. She sees the spirits that surround her, and the immense power that dwarfs all of us.

Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David Alexander Roberston
A school assignment to interview a residential-school survivor leads Daniel to Betsy, his friend’s grandmother, who tells him her story. Abandoned as a young child, Betsy was soon adopted into a loving family. A few short years later, at the age of 8, everything changed. Betsy was taken away to a residential school. There she was forced to endure abuse and indignity, but Betsy recalled the words her father spoke to her at Sugar Falls — words that gave her the resilience, strength, and determination to survive.

The Break by Katherena Vermette
When Stella, a young Métis mother, looks out her window one evening and spots someone in trouble on the Break — a barren field on an isolated strip of land outside her house — she calls the police to alert them to a possible crime.

In a series of shifting narratives, people who are connected, both directly and indirectly, with the victim — police, family, and friends — tell their personal stories leading up to that fateful night. Lou, a social worker, grapples with the departure of her live-in boyfriend. Cheryl, an artist, mourns the premature death of her sister Rain. Paulina, a single mother, struggles to trust her new partner. Phoenix, a homeless teenager, is released from a youth detention centre. Officer Scott, a Métis policeman, feels caught between two worlds as he patrols the city. Through their various perspectives a larger, more comprehensive story about lives of the residents in Winnipeg’s North End is exposed.

The Clay We Are Made Of: Haudenosaunee Land Tenure on the Grand River by Susan M. Hill
If one seeks to understand Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) history, one must consider the history of Haudenosaunee land. For countless generations prior to European contact, land and territory informed Haudenosaunee thought and philosophy, and was a primary determinant of Haudenosaunee identity.

The Education of Augie Merasry by Joseph Auguste Merasty
A courageous and intimate memoir, The Education of Augie Merasty is the story of a child who faced the dark heart of humanity, let loose by the cruel policies of a bigoted nation.
A retired fisherman and trapper who sometimes lived rough on the streets, Augie Merasty was one of an estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children who were taken from their families and sent to government-funded, church-run schools, where they were subjected to a policy of aggressive assimilation.

THE MARROW THIEVES by Cherie Dimaline
Humanity has nearly destroyed its world through global warming, but now an even greater evil lurks. The indigenous people of North America are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost: the ability to dream.

THE NIGHT WANDERER: A GRAPHIC NOVEL by Drew Hayden Taylor
A mesmerizing blend of Gothic thriller and modern coming-of-age novel, The Night Wanderer is unlike any other vampire story.

THE OTHER SLAVERY: THE UNCOVERED STORY OF INDIAN ENSLAVEMENT IN AMERICA by Andres Resendez
The Other Slavery is nothing short of an epic recalibration of American history, one that’s long overdue… In addition to his skills as a historian and an investigator, Resendez is a skilled storyteller with a truly remarkable subject.

THERE THERE: A NOVEL by Tommy Orange
Here is a voice we have never heard–a voice full of poetry and rage, exploding onto the page with stunning urgency and force.

THE RIGHT TO BE COLD: ONE WOMAN’S STORY OF PROTECTING HER CULTURE, THE ARCTIC AND THE WHOLE PLANET by Sheila Watt-Cloutier
The Arctic ice is receding each year, but just as irreplaceable is the culture, the wisdom that has allowed the Inuit to thrive in the Far North for so long. And it’s not just the Arctic. The whole world is changing in dangerous, unpredictable ways. Sheila Watt-Cloutier has devoted her life to protecting what is threatened and nurturing what has been wounded.

THE TAO OF RAVEN: AN ALASKA NATIVE MEMOIR by Ernestine Hayes
Using the story of Raven and the Box of Daylight (and relating it to Sun Tzu’s equally timeless Art of War) to deepen her narration and reflection, Hayes expresses an ongoing frustration and anger at the obstacles and prejudices still facing Alaska Natives in their own land, but also recounts her own story of attending and completing college in her fifties and becoming a professor and a writer.

The Trickster Trilogy by Eden Robinson
Jared is an Indigenous teen struggling to keep his dysfunctional family above water. When he starts seeing strange things – talking ravens, doppelgängers, skin monsters – his already chaotic life is turned upside down.

The Winter We Danced Voices from the Past, the Future, and the Idle No More Movement Edited by The Kino-nda-niimi Collective
This is a vivid collection of writing, poetry, lyrics, art, and images from the many diverse voices that make up the past, present, and future of the Idle No More movement. Calling for pathways into healthy, just, equitable, and sustainable communities while drawing on a wide-ranging body of narratives, journalism, editorials, and creative pieces, this collection consolidates some of the most powerful, creative, and insightful moments from The Winter We Danced and gestures towards next steps in an on-going movement for justice and Indigenous self-determination.

This Place: 150 Years Retold
A 296-page graphic novel anthology just released in April 2019 by Highwater Press. A graphic anthology with a foreword by Alicia Elliott, that showcases 11 Indigenous writers, eight illustrators, and two colour artists.
It presents Canadian history over the last 150 years from multiple viewpoints, including Métis, Inuit, Dene, Cree, Anishinaabe, and Mi’kmaq.

Truth and Indignation: Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential Schools by Ronald Niezen
Truth and Indignation offers the first close and critical assessment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission as it is unfolding. Niezen uses interviews with survivors and oblate priests and nuns, as well as testimonies, texts, and visual materials produced by the Commission to raise important questions: What makes Canada’s TRC different from others around the world? What kinds of narratives are emerging and what does that mean for reconciliation, transitional justice, and conceptions of traumatic memory? What happens to the ultimate goal of reconciliation when a large part of the testimony—that of nuns, priests, and government officials—is scarcely evident in the Commission’s proceedings?

UNRECONCILED: FAMILY, TRUTH, AND INDIGENOUS RESISTANCE BY JESSE WENTE
A prominent Indigenous voice uncovers the lies and myths that affect relations between white and Indigenous peoples and the power of narrative to emphasize truth over comfort.

Visions of the Heart by Davis Long & Olive Patricia Dickson
An inclusive and interdisciplinary exploration of current issues involving Indigenous Peoples in Canada – with a view to the future. This contributed collection by leading scholars is an indispensable resource for understanding contemporary issues involving Indigenous Peoples in Canada, such as modern treaty relationships, cultural resurgence, and critical examinations of gender and sexuality.

National Center for Truth and Reconciliation Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
A shared vision held by those affected by Indian residential schools was to create a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of their experiences were honoured and kept safe for future generations. They wanted their families, communities and all of Canada to learn from these hard lessons so they would not be repeated. They wanted to share the wisdom of the Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers on how to create just and peaceful relationships amongst diverse peoples. They knew that Reconciliation is not only about the past; it is about the future that all Canadians will forge together.

Reclaiming Power – Final Report MMIWG
The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The two volume report calls for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities across the country.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
The official resolution was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on September 13, 2007.

A Different Booklist
An independent, multicultural bookstore.

Goodminds.com
A leading source for purchasing bias-free teaching and educational resources related to Native American, First Nations, Indigenous and Aboriginal studies. GoodMinds.com stocks over 3,000 Indigenous titles from Preschool to Adult.

House of Anansi Publishers
House of Anansi Press was founded in 1967 with a mandate to publish Canadian writers. Check out their amazing collection of Indigenous Authors including Thomas King, Tanya Talaga, Katherena Vermette and more.

Portage and Main Press Publishers
With a reputation for publishing quality educational resources and Indigenous literature, Portage & Main Press remains an independently owned Canadian company.

Theytus Books
Theytus Books is a leading North American publisher of Indigenous voices. Located in Syilx territory on the Penticton Indian Reserve in British Columbia, Theytus Books is proudly First Nations-owned and operated in partnership with the En’owkin Centre.

Wordcraft Circle
Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers was founded in 1992 by Lee Francis III after attending the first Returning the Gift gathering of Native writers and storytellers in Norman, Oklahoma.

After the Last River
In the shadow of a de Beers diamond mine, the remote community of Attawapiskat lurches from crisis to crisis, as their homeland transforms into a modern frontier.

Biidaaban: The Dawn Comes (Suitable for older children)
In this mesmerizing stop-motion short film from acclaimed director Amanda Strong, an Indigenous youth joins forces with a 10,000-year-old Sasquatch to revive ceremonial sap harvesting in suburban Ontario.

(Dis)placed: Indigenous Youth and the Child Welfare System (Brittain & Navia, 2017)
This documentary features the voices of Indigenous youth as they reflect on their prior involvement with child welfare and share their multiple strategies of resistance to assimilation and state control. Teaching Guide: https://fncaringsociety.com/sites/default/files/displaced_teaching_guide_0.pdf

Everything is Connected
Everything is connected is a documentary project led jointly by the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Saskatchewan (SISS) and Iskwewuk-E-wichiwitochik. The project highlights how intergenerational trauma and the separation of Indigenous children from their families are connected to the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

ImagineNATIVE
imagineNATIVE is the world’s largest presenter of Indigenous screen content. The organization is recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for excellence and innovation in programming and as the global centre for Indigenous media arts.

Indigenous Cinema in the Classroom – National Film Board (ages 6-11)
These short films for younger learners are by Indigenous filmmakers from across Canada and include titles from the Nunavut Animation Lab and the Talespinners, Vistas and Stories from Our Land series.

In Jesus’ Name: Shattering the Silence of St. Anne’s Residential School by Susan Enberg, Director and Producer
A poignant all-Indigenous English and Cree-English collaborative documentary film (42 mins) that breaks long-held silences imposed upon Indigenous children who were interned at the notoriously violent St. Anne’s Residential School in Fort Albany First Nation, Ontario.

Joe Buffalo – Surviving the Horror of Residential Schools
In “Joe Buffalo,” directed by Amar Chebib and executive produced by Tony Hawk, an Indigenous skateboarding legend overcomes addiction and trauma stemming from his years in Canada’s Church-run school system.

Monkey Beach
Film based on Eden Robinson’s beloved novel of the same name.

National Film Board (NFB) Indigenous Film Collection
Watch hundreds of films by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit filmmakers, and find educator resources.

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up A Film By Tasha Hubbard
As Hubbard uncovers the systemic racism that marks the investigation, the trial, and the public response, she also shines a light on the powerful voices of Indigenous women that emerge from the process.

Reel Injun
Peabody and Gemini award-winning Reel Injun takes an entertaining and insightful look at the Hollywood Indian.

Rumble: the Indians Who Rocked the World
A documentary that brings to light a profound and missing chapter in the history of music: the Indigenous influence.

Rhymes for Young Ghouls
It takes place in the context of the Canadian residential school system. It is based on the history of abuse of the First Nations people by government agents, including many reported cases of the mental and physical abuse of residential school children.

The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open
Written and directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn (Never Steady, Never Still), and inspired by a transformative moment in Tailfeathers’ life, THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN weaves an intricately complex, while at the same time very simple, story of a chance encounter between two Indigenous women.

The Grizzlies, Northwood Entertainment Inc.
THE GRIZZLIES is based on the inspiring true story of the youth of Kugluktuk, Nunavut – who were transformed by the power of sport, family, tradition, and community, and in turn, transformed their town with the highest suicide rate in all of North America into a model of hope and youth-led resilience.

The O Show
The O Show spotlights the inspiring work and life of Afro-Indigenous Two-Spirited community leader & DJ, Orene Askew!

The Shine Network
The Shine Network is a digital platform designed to empower and celebrate Indigenous women in film, television and media.

Turning Tables
Joshua “Classic Roots” DePerry is an award-winning producer and DJ who is impacting the music community with his fresh sound and meaningful collaborations with diverse artists. This is a movie about Classic Roots.

Where the Spirit Lives
Where the Spirit Lives is a 1989 television film about Indigenous children in Canada being taken from their tribes to attend residential schools for assimilation into majority culture. Buffy Sainte-Marie scored the film.

A Day to Listen: Amplifying Indigenous voices and working towards reconciliation
Wednesday marks A Day to Listen, a partnership between the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) and radio stations dedicated to amplifying Indigenous voices. With more than 500 radio stations across Canada participating, stories will be shared from Indigenous leaders, artists, storytellers and residential school survivors.

Agnes Wenjack, residential school survivor and mom of Chanie Wenjack, dies at 89 by Tanya Talaga
Residential school survivor and mother of Chanie Wenjack.

APTN National News
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network national news website.

CBC News – Indigenous
CBC news curated stream of Indigenous news in Canada.

Gord Downie honoured by AFN CBC News
The Tragically Hip lead singer and advocate for First Nations people was hailed at an Assembly of First Nations gathering for his work highlighting the plight of those who were subjected to residential schools.

How familiar are Canadians with the history of Indigenous residential schools?
One year after more than 1,000 unmarked graves were discovered on the grounds of former residential schools, Canadians are barely any more familiar with the painful legacy of the institutions, new research shows.

Mandatory Grade 11 English course only teaches Indigenous books by Amy Dodge
By 2020, all literature taught in mandatory Grade 11 English course will be written by Indigenous authors.

“Truth and Reconciliation Commission final report”, CBC News: The National
The final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission says Canada must move from apology to action. Click here for the full story: http://www.cbc.ca/1.3365921

“While Nestlé extracts millions of litres from their land, residents have no drinking water”, The Guardian
In 2019 – Ninety-one percent of the homes in the Six Nations community just outside of Brantford, Ontario aren’t connected to the water treatment plant, while Nestlé extracts millions of litres of water daily. This article by The Guardian shares accounts from members of the Six Nations of the Grand River indigenous reserve and how they have been impacted by corporate exploitation of resources.

All My Relations
All My Relations is a podcast hosted by Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) and Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation) to explore our relationships— relationships to land, to our creatural relatives, and to one another. Each episode invites guests to delve into a different topic facing Native peoples today as we keep it real, play games, laugh a lot, and even cry sometimes. We invite you to join us!

Buffy
Buffy Sainte-Marie is one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of the past century. For 60 years her music has quietly reverberated throughout pop culture, and provided a touchstone for Indigenous resistance. In this five-part series, Mohawk and Tuscarora writer Falen Johnson explores how Buffy’s life and legacy is essential to understanding Indigenous resilience.

Coffee With My Ma(explicit language is used at times)
Coffee with my Ma is a podcast created by actress Kaniehtiio Horn that places the audience at the kitchen table with her and her mom, Kahn-Tineta Horn.

Kiwew
Kīwew is a five-part podcast in which Governor General award-winning author David A. Robertson dives into his family’s history and mysteries as he discovers and connects with his Cree identity.

Muddied Water
Who are the Metis? It’s complicated. This podcast explores the history of Metis people in Manitoba, beginning with Louis Riel who was hero to some and traitor to others. Host Stephanie Cram unravels the intricate history of the Metis…and follows the thread from resistance to renaissance.

Our Native Land – Tchadas Leo
Our Native Land features fun interviews and compelling discussions about Indigenous and First Nations cuisine, culture, heritage, and more from Vancouver Island and around the world.

Residential Schools – Historica Canada and hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlai
“Residential Schools” is a three-part podcast series created by Historica Canada and hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlais. It aims to commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools, and honour the stories of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Survivors, their families, and communities.

Telling our Twisted Histories
Host Kaniehtiio Horn guides us through conversations with over 70 Indigenous people from 11 communities whose lands now make up Quebec, New Brunswick and Labrador, as they share their words, humour and truths about concepts that impact us to this day.

The Secret Life of Canada
The Secret Life of Canada is a history podcast about the country you know and the stories you don’t.

This Place
Based on the acclaimed graphic novel anthology, This Place is a 10-part journey through one-hundred and fifty years of Indigenous resistance and resilience. Through dramatizations and interviews, along with your host and time-guide storyteller Rosanna Deerchild, the series reveals the heroes, battles, triumphs and traditions which live outside and beyond the national story we have been taught… to learn, to share, and to heal the future of “this place” we call Canada.

Thunder Bay
The highest homicide and hate crime rates in the country. A mayor charged with extortion. A police chief who faced trial for obstruction of justice. Nine tragic deaths of Indigenous high schoolers.

Understanding The Secret Path
Hosted by Tanya Talaga, “Understanding The Secret Path” explores Gord Downie’s journey that led to the creation of Secret Path and the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund. It also explores the upcoming Secret Path Live concert, held Oct. 19, 2019, as well as DWF’s current program.

Unreserved Hosted by Rosanna Deerchild
Unreserved is CBC Radio’s space for the Indigenous community, culture, and conversation. Host Falen Johnson introduces listeners to the storytellers, culture makers and community shakers from across the country. Bonus: the podcast features music by Indigenous artists, as well.

#126: Truth and Reconciliation
Shawna Cunningham talks about truth and reconciliation in Canada and why it’s so important to build a cultural bridge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Bighetty & Bighetty (For children)
Four brothers and their Cree-speaking puppets Marcel, Baptiste, Michel and The Chief show the silly, joyful side of Indigenous life. Available on CBC GEM (Completely free streaming service with a large selection of Indigenous film and tv)

Chuck and the First Peoples Kitchen
Members of Indigenous communities across Canada dish out their knowledge with professional chef Chuck Hughes. Sharing integral parts of their Indigenous culture and culinary heritage through the sharing of family and ancestral recipes.

First Contact
First Contact takes six Canadians, all with stereotypical opinions about Indigenous People, on a unique 28-day exploration of Indigenous Canada. It is a journey that will turn their lives upside down, challenging their perceptions and confronting their prejudices about a world they never imagined.

Future History
A documentary series about harnessing Indigenous knowledge and Indigenizing the future.

Going Native
Celebrated Anishinaabe humorist, author and DWF Artist Ambassador Drew Hayden Taylor explores everything from the weird and wacky, to the deep and profound ways of Native life. Examining stereotypes and traditions while discovering cool new ways Indigenous Peoples in North America are changing the world and re-shaping their culture in the 21st century. Each week Drew takes a wild journey of discovery from concert halls to desert ruins and from video game conventions to treacherous cliff pole-fishing expeditions.

Molly of Denali (for children)
The daily adventures of 10-year-old Alaska native Molly Mabray, her family, her dog Suki and her friends Tooey and Trini.

Reconciliation and Education | Starleigh Grass | TEDxWestVancouverED
Lessons to remember before thinking about, talking about and teaching about residential schools and reconciliation. Starleigh Grass, Tsilhqot’in, is currently the Senior Policy Analyst for the First Nations Education Steering Committee. Her duties include sitting on the Province of BC’s Curriculum Advisory Committee, Advisory Group on Provincial Assessment, and Competencies Consulting Group. As the mother of a child currently in public school, she is committed to increasing the education system’s capacity to improve outcomes for Aboriginal learners.

Reservation Dogs
From Co-Creators and Executive Producers Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs is a half-hour comedy that follows the exploits of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma who steal, rob and save in order to get to the exotic, mysterious and faraway land of California.

The Secret Path: In The Classroom | Short Docs
Gord Downie’s “The Secret Path” tells the story of Chanie Wenjack, a young boy who died trying to get home from a residential school in 1966. It’s been taught in classrooms across Canada.

Unsettled
Shot almost entirely on Nipissing First Nation, Unsettled is the first dramatic series to be funded through the CMF Aboriginal Language Program. Podemski’s open casting call resulted in over 50 Indigenous community members landing roles as principal actors, actors and background performers; out of 55 roles, 50 are Indigenous characters played by Indigenous actors.

Dying for an Education: Little Charlie
Podcast highlighting Ian Adam’s article The Lonely Death of Charlie Wenjack and Pearls quest. This was the podcast Mike Downie heard and shared the article to Gord. He wasn’t the first residential school runaway, and he wouldn’t be the last. Chanie (Charlie) Wenjack died after fleeing the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ontario, trying to make it to his home on the Marten Falls First Nation 600 kilometres away. When his story was chronicled by Ian Adams in Maclean’s magazine, ordinary Canadians got one of their first glimpses at the horrors of the residential school system. Close to 50 years after Chanie’s death, the CBC’s Jody Porter revisits his story.

Ian Adams’ legacy of revealing the truth, through journalism and then fiction
As a journalist, Adams didn’t just cover tough subjects like the Cold War and residential schools, Rick Salutin writes — he confronted them. He wanted less to explore what actually happened, than what lay behind it and could’ve happened.

Ian Adams Work

Obituary

Reporter Ian Adams told the story of Chanie Wenjack’s ‘lonely death’

Anishinabe Printing
An Indigenous firm that can meet all of your printing and promotional marketing needs.

Bangin Bannock
A duo of Indigenous women offering a convenient Bannock dry mix in eco-friendly packaging, so you can make your own Bannock at home!

Jensen Group
An Indigenous digital media company that provides exceptional graphic design, web development, writing and copy editing services, video production and training tools to a wide range of clients.

Nish Tees
An Indigenous business that specializes in unique and customized printing for t-shirts and other clothing.

Red Sky Candles
A homegrown Indigenous business that creates delicious flavours of honey, unique beeswax candles, and art themes that are inspired by nature, seasonal celebrations, and cross-cultural interests.

Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants (EBTSOYP)
Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants aims to inspire the next generation of scientists, explorers, and conservationists. During Secret Path Week, EBTSOYP will be hosting Indigenous and non-Indigenous scientists, artists, and activists for students to interact with and learn from. 

First Book Canada
First Book Canada’s mission is to transform the lives of children in need by improving access to educational opportunities by providing free books to youth. 

Hot Docs – Docs For Schools
Offering free in-school and in-cinema screenings for grade 7 to 12 teachers and their students throughout the school year.

Teach for Canada
Teach for Canada is a non-profit organization that works with northern First Nations to recruit, prepare, and support committed teachers.