Resources for Learning and Connecting with Indigenous Culture

Canada’s National Indigenous Organizations

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) – https://www.itk.ca/

Assembly of First Nations (AFN) – https://www.afn.ca/

Metis National Council (MNC) – https://www2.metisnation.ca/

Indigenous Youth Wellness
Compiled numerous articles and resources specifically for Indigenous Youth across Canada on topics such as Culture, Identity, Support and Colonization you can find here! 

Government of Canada
The Crown-Indigenous Relations and North Affairs Canada has numerous resources for children, youth and adults online. 

 

 

ART

 

 

CELEBRATE

 

 

LEARN

 

READ

  • Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
    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 lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. Learn more    
  • Seven Fall Feathers by Tanya Talaga
    Using a sweeping narrative focusing on the lives of seven Indigenous high school students who died in Thunder Bay, Ontario, award-winning investigative journalist Tanya Talaga delves into the history of this small northern city that has come to manifest Canada’s long struggle with human rights violations against Indigenous communities. Learn more   
  • 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. Learn more
    *Check out more books by Thomas King including Green Grass, Running Water and The Truth about Stories  
  • Fatty Legs: A True Story & A Stranger at home by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
    Eight-year-old Margaret Pokiak has set her sights on learning to read, even though it means leaving her village in the high Arctic. Faced with unceasing pressure, her father finally agrees to let her make the five-day journey to attend school, but he warns Margaret of the terrors of residential schools. At school Margaret soon encounters the Raven, a black-cloaked nun with a hooked nose and bony fingers that resemble claws. She immediately dislikes the strong-willed young Margaret. Intending to humiliate her, the heartless Raven gives gray stockings to all the girls — all except Margaret, who gets red ones. In an instant Margaret is the laughingstock of the entire school. In the face of such cruelty, Margaret refuses to be intimidated and bravely gets rid of the stockings. Although a sympathetic nun stands up for Margaret, in the end it is this brave young girl who gives the Raven a lesson in the power of human dignity.  Learn more
  • Life Among the Qallunaat by Mini Aodla Freeman
    The story of Mini Aodla Freeman’s experiences growing up in the Inuit communities of James Bay and her journey in the 1950s from her home to the strange land and stranger customs of the Qallunaat, those living south of the Arctic. Her extraordinary story, sometimes humorous and sometimes heartbreaking, illustrates an Inuit woman’s movement between worlds and ways of understanding. It also provides a clear-eyed record of the changes that swept through Inuit communities in the 1940s and 1950s. Learn more 
  • Saqiyuq: Stories from the Lives of Three Inuit Women by Nancy Wachowich
    A grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter take us on a remarkable journey in which the cycles of life – childhood, adolescence, marriage, birthing and child rearing – are presented against the contrasting experiences of three successive generations. Their memories and reflections give us poignant insight into the history of the people of the new territory of Nunavut. Learn more 
  • I am Woman by Lee Maracle
    Represents Lee’s personal struggle with womanhood, culture, traditional spiritual beliefs and political sovereignty, written during a time when that struggle was not over.  Learn More 
  • Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation by Monique Gray Smith
    Canada’s relationship with its Indigenous people has suffered as a result of both the residential school system and the lack of understanding of the historical and current impact of those schools. Healing and repairing that relationship requires education, awareness and increased understanding of the legacy and the impacts still being felt by Survivors and their families. Guided by acclaimed Indigenous author Monique Gray Smith, readers will learn about the lives of Survivors and listen to allies who are putting the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into action. Learn more  
  • Those Who Run in the Sky, Those Who Dwell Below by Aviaq Johnston
    A coming-of-age story that follows a young shaman named Pitu as he learns to use his powers and ultimately finds himself lost in the world of the spirits. Learn more
    *Check out Johnston’s second book, Those Who Dwell Below
  • Son of a Trickster, Trickster Drift by Eden Robinson
    A striking and precise coming-of-age novel, in which everyday teen existence meets Indigenous beliefs, crazy family dynamics and cannibalistic river otters. Learn more
    *Check out Robinson’s second book in the Trickster trilogy, Trickster Drift.
  • 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. 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. Learn more
  • From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way 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. Learn more

 

LISTEN

  • Red Man Laughing
    A podcast created, hosted & produced by Anishinaabe comedian, Ryan McMahon. https://www.redmanlaughing.com/
  • Unreserved with Rosanna Deerchild
    Weekly discussions of prominent Indigenous issues and players https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved
  •  MEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairs
    From day one, MEDIA INDIGENA’s raison d’etre has been to inspire and conspire with those sharing our passion for advancing the well-being of Indigenous peoples.
    https://mediaindigena.com/
  • Stories from the Land
    (From 2018) A series of Indigenous community sourced stories that connect Indigenous Peoples to place with the aim of reinforcing worldview, philosophies & teachings through storytelling.
    https://www.storiesfromtheland.com/

 

ADVOCATE

  • Research what is taught in your public schools
    In your neighbourhood do students learn about these topics? If not, advocate for curriculum development/correction as needed (see Call to Action # 62) with your provincial/territorial Minister and/or school board
  • Contact your Member of Parliament
    Encourage them to advocate for the establishment of a National Council for Reconciliation. Note: All parties are on the record as supporting the work on ongoing reconciliation.
  • Commemorative Monument for Residential Schools
    Advocate for, and contribute towards, establishment of a residential schools commemorative monument in each jurisdictional capital city. 

 

DONATE

  • Indspire:  Helps Indigenous students in Canada complete their post-secondary education. Indigenous students are under-represented in post-secondary education, with only 10% of Indigenous students completing university degrees.  Help support Indigenous students by encouraging and enabling them to complete their education by visiting the Indspire website. https://indspire.ca/
  • Arctic Rose Foundation: Creates culturally, emotionally, spiritually and physically safe spaces and programs to engage Northern children and youth in healthy and meaningful ways https://www.arcticrose.org/
  • Raven Trust: Indigenous Peoples’ Legal Defence Fund to Protect Their Constitutional Rights.  They also have a cool podcast!  https://raventrust.com/ 
  • First Nations Child and Family Caring Society: Provides reconciliation-based public education, research and support to promote the safety and wellbeing of First Nations children, young people, families and Nations. https://fncaringsociety.com/
  • Banff Centre for Indigenous Arts: Informed by Indigenous cultures and worldviews, we offer programs in all disciplines for emerging to established Indigenous artists. Our programs are highly transformative, situate rigour and exploration at their centre, and are inspired by ‘power of place’ here in Treaty 7 territory. https://www.banffcentre.ca/indigenous-arts
  • We Matter Campaign: Indigenous youth-led and nationally registered organization dedicated to Indigenous youth support, hope and life promotion https://wemattercampaign.org/
  • The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund:  A part of Gord Downie’s legacy and embodies his, and that of both the Downie and Wenjack families, commitment to encourage Canadians to learn and act in solidarity with Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. Its goal is to continue the conversation that began with Chanie Wenjack’s Residential School story and to aid Reconciliation through awareness, education, and action. https://www.downiewenjack.ca/
  • Future Ancestors: Indigenous and Black-owned, youth-led professional services social enterprise that advances climate justice and equity with a lens of ancestral accountability. https://www.futureancestors.ca/
  • Atlohsa Family Healing Services: A non-profit organization that provides community members with Indigenous-led programming and services that offer holistic healing, education, shelter and support. https://atlohsa.com/
  • Gidimt’en Yintah Access: In addition to physically being on the land, support from afar is needed year-round to sustain the camp and with recent events to help with covering legal expenses. There has been an overwhelming amount of support coming towards the Wet’suwet’en recently, all is very appreciated. https://www.yintahaccess.com/ 
  • NYSHN: The Native Youth Sexual Health Network (NYSHN) is an organization by and for Indigenous youth that works across issues of sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice throughout the United States and Canada. https://www.nativeyouthsexualhealth.com/
  • Google your local Indigenous friendship centre, family healing services, youth centre or health services!

 

DISCOVER MORE

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