Information Resources for Settlers
Indigenous peoples have existed here since time immemorial.
For many of us, our ancestors settled these territories and occupied them alongside the Indigenous nations who have called this place home for millennia. Our ability to form communities on these lands is due in part to the goodwill of Indigenous peoples who were here first. However, the presence of Canada and the invitation of settlers disrupted many of their traditional practices and uprooted their sovereignty.
Settler colonialism was used to deny the agency of Indigenous nations, and its presence introduced to their communities the terrible concepts of homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and more. Many in the queer and trans community face racism and prejudice, as well as unique socio-economic challenges against them for their Indigenous, racialized, and 2S/LGBTQIA+ identities.
For non-Indigenous folks (settlers), it’s important to recognize the vibrant cultures and histories of the many Indigenous peoples who continue to live here. Their histories, both rich and troubled, are important to remember to build and maintain relationships with Indigenous communities within their traditional territories.
Below is an evolving collection of various information resources and different forms of media for settlers to learn more about Indigenous peoples here in Alberta and across Canada.
While incomplete and imperfect, we at QTHC hope it can serve as a useful starting point for settlers in our community to educate themselves on Indigenous peoples, their cultures, histories, successes, and challenges.
Please note that the links in each topic may contain many distressing subjects that may not be suitable for everyone. If you have further questions or would like to read more about Indigenous peoples, contact us at connect@ourhealthyeg.ca. You can also visit the Edmonton 2 Spirit Society’s website for more information about Two Spirit folks.
If you are a residential school system survivor or the family member of one and are experiencing crisis, please call the Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line. This line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their Residential school experience: 1-800-721-0066
The following list of resources was compiled by Chelsea Vowel for her University of Alberta course “NS 111: Contemporary Issues in Indigenous Studies”:
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Audio/Video Resources
First Stories - Two Spirited — A short documentary by Sharon A. Desjarlais about one 2S person’s struggle against prejudice in the Indigenous community.
Indigiqueer - All My Relations Podcast — A podcast episode featuring Joshua Whitehead and Billy-Ray Belcourt discussing their creative works, their identities, how colonialism has disrupted their relationships, and more.
All My Relations Podcast — A podcast series hosted by Matika Wilbur and Desi Small-Rodriguez exploring different topics and issues faced by Indigenous people today.
ôtênaw — A short documentary featuring Dwayne Donald discussing Nêhiyawak philosophies and the multilayered histories of Indigenous peoples in amiskwacîwâskahikan.
nêhiyawak - nipiy — A 2020 short film featuring Nehiyaw language and philosophy instructor Reuben Quinn sharing the importance of the North Saskatchewan River.
Métis Identity — A video discussion featuring Métis elders and community members on the nature of Métis identity.
The Black-Indigenous/Afro-Indigenous Experience — A video discussion featuring Afro-Indigenous/Black Indigenous community members on the relationships between Black and Indigenous cultural identities, notions of community recognition, artistic practice and activism.
Text Resources
Two-Spirit Resources — A list of resources from the Edmonton 2 Spirit Society for learning more about 2S identity.
Life on the rez for 4 2SLGBT Indigenous people — A 2021 CBC story about 2S/indigiqueer folks, their experiences and struggles, as they live in their First Nation communities.
(Indigenous) Governance is Gay — A written 2018 piece by Emily Riddle discussing the nature of governance and 2S, queer Indigenous identities.
Hair and the ties that bind — A written 2021 CBC piece by Tasha Spillett reflecting on on Afro-Indigenous identity, motherhood and the power of hair
Black on the Prairies — A CBC feature by Omayra Issa and Ify Chiwetelu exploring the history of Black folks on the prairies through the themes of Migration, Putting in Work, Black and Indigenous Relations, Politics and Resistance, and Black to the Future.
What does it mean to be Black and Native in 2020? — A written 2020 piece by Dalton Walker exploring the complex history and issues faced by Afro-Indigenous people in contemporary society.
Writing Myself into Existence: An Essay on the Erasure of Black Indigenous Identity in Canadian Education — A written 2021 piece by Etanda Arden exploring the struggles faced by Black Indigenous people to find their place in history and community.
Black & Indigenous Relations Part I: A Threat to the Foundations of Settler Colonialism — Part one of a written series by Zainab Amadahy discussing the nature of Black and Indigenous relationships within a settler colonial society.
I'm Inuk, but I'm Black: Comprehending my identity as an Inuk Jamaican woman — An essay by Miali-Elise Coley-Sudlovenick exploring the nature of her multi-layered Black and Indigenous identities.
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Audio/Video Resources
nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up — A 2019 documentary by Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard detailing the case of Colten Boushie, a young Cree man who was shot and killed by white farmer Gerald Stanley.
Incident at Restigouche — A 1984 documentary and historical account of the 1981 Quebec Provincial Police (QPP) raid on Restigouche Reserve, Que.
Two Worlds Colliding — A 2004 documentary by Tasha Hubbard detailing the horrific freezing deaths in Saskatoon, Sask.
Angry Inuk — A 2016 documentary by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril detailing a campaign to challenge anti-Indigenous perspectives on seal hunting.
George Erasmus: Nothing to celebrate — A 1989 audio recording of a speech by former AFN chief George Erasmus, wondering why Indigenous people should celebrate Canada’s 125th birthday.
Text Resources
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action — A report detailing 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a response to the legacy of the residential school system.
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice — A report detailing 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Land Back means protecting Black and Indigenous trans women — A 2020 written piece by Jaye Simpson discussing the need for protection in the wake of violence faced by Black and Indigenous trans women.
Canada's prisons are the 'new residential schools' — A 2016 Maclean’s article by Nancy Johnson exploring how Canada’s justice system is set up against Indigenous people.
The Justice System and Aboriginal People — A 1999 report of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba detailing the relationship between Indigenous people and the province’s justice system.
Justice denied — A 2021 investigative report by Donna Carreiro investigating the injustice of an Indigenous teenager’s murder, unsolved for 30 years.
A Condensed History of Canada’s Colonial Cops: How the RCMP has secured the imperialist power of the north — An edited 2020 article by M. Gouldhawke examining the origins, historical presence, and continued role of the RCMP and policing in Canada.
Making love under Indian Acts — A 2018 written piece by Tenille K. Campbell, a Dene/Métis storyteller and photographer from English River First Nation, discussing the nature of Indigenous relationships and the dynamics of Indian Status.
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Audio/Video Resources
Territorial Acknowledgements: Going Beyond the Script — A 13-minute video by the University of Alberta’s Centre for Teaching and Learning exploring the steps to improving the meaning and expression of land acknowledgments.
Wahkohtowin: Cree Natural Law — A YouTube video featuring discussions by four Cree elders: George Brertton, Fred Campiou, Isaac Chamakese and William Dreaver, who give insight into the differences between Canadian law and Cree Natural Law and why Natural Law is needed in contemporary society. Wahkohtowin means "everything is related."
Text Resources
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) — A non-binding declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly identifying individual and collective rights of Indigenous peoples.
How To Be a Better Treaty Person — A 10-minute read by Amei-Lee Laboucan exploring the history of treaties, their purpose, and how folks can be better treaty people.
Indigenizing and Decolonizing Teaching and Learning — Information about Indigenization, Decolonization and Anti-Racism from the University of Alberta’s Centre for Teaching and Learning.
Treaty Elders of Saskatchewan: Our Dream Is That Our Peoples Will One Day Be Clearly Recognized as Nations — A book by Harold Cardinal and Walter Hildebrandt about the perspectives of treaties and treaty rights from Treaty Elders in Saskatchewan.
How to Come Correct — A written piece by the Sogorea Te' Land Trust featuring advice for how to engage and maintain relationships with Indigenous peoples.
Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples — Written reports from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) on government policy with respect to the original historical nations of this country.
Decolonization is not a metaphor — An academic paper by Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang framing and contextualizing decolonization in an Indigenous context.
What is Land Back? A Settler FAQ — A web article by David Gray-Donald featuring various questions and answers on the concept of Land Back.
Four case studies of Land Back in action — An examination by Riley Yesno and Xicotencatl Maher Lopez on how Land Back can be achieved in settler-colonial societies.
Other Resources
Indigenous Canada — A free, 12-lesson digital course by the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, hosted by Coursera, exploring the complex and diverse perspectives, histories, cultures, and worldviews of Indigenous people in Canada.
Whose Land — An evolving and ever-changing interactive map and collection of resources identifying Indigenous Nations, territories, communities, and treaty boundaries across Canada.
Native Land — An imperfect and evolving digital resource mapping Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages.
Indigenous Awareness — A digital course for purchase by Naheyawin to help folks learn more about the culture, history, and contemporary roles of Indigenous people in Canada.
Timeline of Canadian Colonialism and Indigenous Resistance — A historical timeline exploring acts of Indigenous resistance in the face of colonial expansion.
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Audio/Video Resources
Residential Schools Podcast Series — A podcast series investigating the experiences of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students in Canada’s residential school system, by Historica Canada.
Uncovered: Truths About Indian Residential Schools — A four-part video series exploring Canada’s residential school system by the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology and the Kule Institute for Advanced Study.
Text Resources
Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports — Reports related to the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigating the impacts and legacy of Canada’s residential school system, including the 94 Calls to Action.
The School in Sakitawak — An article exploring the experiences of Métis students at a residential school in Île-à-la-Crosse, Sask., by Samantha Nock.
Métis History and Experience and Residential Schools in Canada — A 2006 report prepared for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation detailing the experiences of Métis students in residential schools.
Dennis Saddleman performs Monster — A three-minute poem by Dennis Saddleman about the residential school he was forced to attend as a child.
Phyllis Webstad reflects on inspiring Orange Shirt Day and starting a movement — A writing and audio piece by CBC Radio featuring Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc woman from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation, whose story inspired the movement behind Orange Shirt Day.
How residential school trauma of previous generations continues to tear through Indigenous families — A CBC piece written by Mary Cuttler exploring the effects trauma related to residential schools can have on generations afterwards.
Residential School History — A written resource by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation outlining the history and timeline of Canada’s residential school system.
Other Resources
Did you live near a residential school? — An interactive map by CBC to help you find if you are near a former residential school.
Learning about Indian Day Schools — A web page hosted by McGill University’s Indigenous Initiatives discussing the legacy of day schools in Canada.
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Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls — The executive summary of the final report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, including the 231 Calls for Justice.
MMIWGSLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan: Final Report — A report from the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Sub-Working Group from the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people.
NWAC Action Plan: Our Calls, Our Action — A report from the Native Women’s Association of Canada detailing an action plan to end violence against Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
NWAC Knowledge Centre — A hub of resources from the NWAC to promote the social, economic, and cultural well-being of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
A Comprehensive Report on MMIW: The Curiously Different Tales of Violence against Indigenous Women On Both Sides of Turtle Island — An investigative report by Lisa J. Ellwood about the issue of MMIWG2S people and the lacklustre response to it.
this river — A 2016 short documentary on Indigenous perspectives while searching for a missing loved one.
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Audio/Video Resources
Birth of a Family — A documentary by Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard about siblings reuniting after being separated by the Sixties Scoop.
Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation Community Resources — A repository of digital education resources, including documentaries, films, articles, podcasts, websites, and reports, on the impact and legacy of the Sixties Scoop.
The Millennium Scoop: Indigenous youth say care system repeats horrors of the past — A CBC Radio piece discussing the current involvement of Indigenous children in the child welfare system, known as the Millennium Scoop.
Text Resources
Birth alerts follow you ‘for the rest of your life’ says Indigenous mom who had newborn taken — An APTN investigative news report by Brielle Morgan about the impact and trauma caused by child apprehension.
Saskatchewan's Adopt Indian Métis program — A CBC Radio collection of photos showing ads from the late 1960s and early 1970s from Saskatchewan's Adopt Indian Métis (AIM) program.
Kiskisik Awasisak: Remember the Children - Understanding the Overrepresentation of First Nations Children in the Child Welfare System — A report from the Assembly of First Nations detailing the systemic reasons behind and effects of First Nations involvement in the child welfare system.
Nistawatsiman - Exploring First Nations Parenting: A Literature Review and Expert Consultation with Blackfoot Elders — A 2016 comprehensive analysis and overview of Aboriginal parenting, focused on how parents are considered and assessed by CPS.
A “Cruel Kindness”: Laying the Foundations of Federal Child Welfare Policy in the 1920s and 1930s. — A 2021 report by John S. Milloy and Amber D.V.A. Johnson examines how the effects of the IRS system laid the foundation for Indigenous involvement in the child welfare system.
