Weaving Knowledge Systems Resource Materials

This invisibility of Indigenous children’s pain and hurt, and the long-term impact of under-treated pain, means we need to find alternate ways for these children to express their hurt.

We know from our early research that Western methods of pain assessment may not always be appropriate for Indigenous children. In our research, we looked for other, more culturally-safe ways for Indigenous children to express themselves. [From Website]

The ACHH Initiative’s ultimate goal is to gather and combine traditional and Western knowledge to better understand how Indigenous children’s pain is experienced, expressed, interpreted, assessed and treated. What began in one Indigenous community (Eskasoni First Nation) expanded to three maritime communities and will now be expanding to additional communities across the country and internationally in the coming years.

Early research findings suggest that a complex mix of factors have led to a cultural divide for First Nations children in pain and non-Indigenous health care providers. We want to help bridge that gap.

Western-based health care professionals use pain measurements like facial expressions and numeric scales which may not be accurate tools for diagnosis and treatment of Indigenous children’s pain. Issues of discrimination and intergenerational trauma (including residential school experiences), as well as a lack of understanding of cultural traditions by health professionals, have added to the problem. [From Website]

The approach to economic development that is emerging among the First Nations in Canada emphasizes the creation of profitable businesses competing in the global economy. These businesses are usually collectively owned, and often partnerships with non-First Nation corporations. At the same time, my research shows that a growing number of non-Aboriginal corporations are adopting business alliances with aboriginal people as a part of their strategy for long-term corporate survival. Four factors motivate this corporate behavior:
1.(a) society's changing expectations about what constitutes socially responsible corporate behavior,
2.(b) legal and regulatory requirements and restrictions,
3.(c) the growing aboriginal population, and its increasing affluence and level of education, and
4.(d) the rapidly growing pool of natural and financial resources under the control of aboriginal people.
This augurs well for First Nations' economic development in the future. It also has implications for economic development among Indigenous Peoples elsewhere. [From Author]

From 1986 to 2012, a timeline of the work of various government actions for Indigenous peoples of Canada.

In high school Brad hid his heritage from his best friends. He wasn't the only one. As an Indigenous Educator, Brad seeks to ensure First Peoples move forward with courage.

Brad Baker is a member of the Squamish Nation and is presently working as a District Principal for the North Vancouver School District. His passion is bringing the history of First Nations to the classroom to allow a better understanding of how we as a society can move forward in a collaborative manner. Brad was the recipient of the national Indspire Guiding The Journey Indigenous Educator Award in Leadership in 2014. Brad believes that conversation on the tough topics of Aboriginal Education will lead to reconciliation which will enhance the learning environment for all learners. GO FORWARD WITH COURAGE. [From YouTube]

This paper responds to the Government of Canada’s working partnership with First Nations to improve the quality of Aboriginal life and education in Canada through the Education Renewal Initiative. It reviews the literature that discusses Indigenous knowledge and how it is handed down from generation to generation, and it outlines for the National Working Group on Education and the Minister of Indian Affairs the educational framework and recommended steps required to improve and enhance First Nations educational outcomes. [From Author]

When making your territorial acknowledgement, you need to acknowledge your nearest First Neighbour. Use the interactive map to find who they are.

This study aimed to identify the differences in the beliefs and educational practices related to language acquisition of Dene and non-Aboriginal mothers. A survey of 30 Dene mothers in a Northern community was carried out using research methodology that was culturally adjusted to the Dene culture and language. The 30 non-Aboriginal mothers completed a conventional survey form. The survey evaluated the mothers’ beliefs about language acquisition and their current practices of supporting their children’s language learning. The study revealed subtle differences between the Dene and the non-Aboriginal mothers with regards to both their beliefs and practices. The Dene mothers valued spirituality and their child’s connection to traditional faith and beliefs more highly than the non-Aboriginal mothers. They also supported the use of child-directed speech to facilitate their children’s language development. They felt that Elders and grandparents had an important role to play in their children’s lives, and they favoured teaching by providing a combination of verbal and hands-on instruction. The Dene mothers reported frequent use of language facilitation strategies. By adjusting the survey in a culturally appropriate way, the participation in the research was facilitated for the Dene mothers. [From Author]

The laws and rights of First Nations and Education.

In 1903, a unique and magnificent Whaler's shrine was shipped from Friendly Cove, on the far northwest coast of Canada, to the Museum of Natural History, New York. The shrine had lain at the cultural heart of the Mowachaht, whale hunters and fishermen who had lived at Friendly Cove for thousands of years. In the 1960s and '70s, all but one family left their ancient village--they moved to Vancouver Island, to a new site under the walls of a pulp mill. They suffered extremes of pollution, violence, alcohol.... Then, in the 1990s, in defiance of the agony of their history and to overcome the grief of the present, the Mowachaht and their neighbours, the Muchalaht, revived their songs and dances, revisited their shrine and rediscovered their pride. [From Website]

"This edited collection focuses on "unsettling" Northwest Coast art studies, bringing forward voices that uphold Indigenous priorities, engage with past and ongoing effects of settler colonialism, and advocate for practices for more accountable scholarship. Featuring authors with a variety of perspectives, backgrounds, and methodologies, Unsettling Art Histories offers new insights for the field of Northwest Coast art studies. Key themes include discussions of cultural heritage protections and long-standing defenses of natural resources and territory; re-centering women and the critical role they play in transmitting cultural knowledge across generations through materials, techniques, and creations; reflecting on the decolonization work being undertaken in museums; and examining how artworks function beyond previous scholarly framings as living documents carrying information critical to today's inquiries. Re-examining previous scholarship and questioning current institutional practices by prioritizing information gathered in Native communities, the essays in this volume exemplify various methods of "unsettling" and demonstrate how new methods of research have reshaped scholarship and museum practices." [From Publisher]

The First Nations Holistic Lifelong Learning Model
represents the link between First Nations lifelong
learning and community well-being, and can be used
as a framework for measuring success in lifelong
learning. [From Author]

A variety of different language apps (iTunes and Google Play)

The sky is routinely overlooked in Northern Dene ethnology as a meaningful domain of linguistic and cultural knowledge. However, a decade of comparative ethnological research in Alaska and Canada has shown that Dene stellar knowledge is largely tied to sacred and covert knowledge systems. In this paper, we describe an Ahtna, Gwich'in, and Sahtúot'ı̨nę constellation identified as the incarnated spirit of an ancient Traveler-Transformer figure who circled the world in Distant Time. Although this Traveler is widely known in mythology, his enigmatic transformation to the sky embodies a specialized domain of knowledge rooted in the traditional beliefs and practices of medicine people. This "Traveler" constellation is not only a world custodian and archetype of an idealized medicine person, but it is also a teacher, ally, gamekeeper, and the embodiment of the world. We identify variations of this constellation throughout the Northern Dene region. [From Author]

In May1895 a provocative article relating to the Indigenous use of Western-style literacy appeared in the pages of the "Kamloops Wawa" , a small monthly newspaper in Chinook Jargon shorthand edited and published by a Catholic priest in the interior of Canada’s Pacific province. The priest, Father Jean-Marie Le Jeune, had learned of a young Salish couple who had been caught composing “sinful” letters to one another. In the priest’s eyes, this was an inappropriate use of literacy. But what bothered him even more was that the chief of the village where the young couple lived seemed to have associated their sin with literacy itself. Rather than punishing the young writers for the lustful content of their letters, as the priest would have preferred, the chief is recorded as having decided that literacy itself shared responsibility for the licentious behavior. According to Le Jeune, upon learning of the salacious letters, “the chief not only became angry with the couple, but also angry with the written word,” and gathered up all of the writings in the village, including back issues of the "Kamloops Wawa", and burned them. [From Author]

A Two-Spirit Journey is Ma-Nee Chacaby's extraordinary account of her life as an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian. From her early, often harrowing memories of life and abuse in a remote Ojibwa community riven by poverty and alcoholism, Chacaby's story is one of enduring and ultimately overcoming the social, economic, and health legacies of colonialism. As a child, Chacaby learned spiritual and cultural traditions from her Cree grandmother and trapping, hunting, and bush survival skills from her Ojibwa stepfather. She also suffered physical and sexual abuse by different adults, and in her teen years became alcoholic herself. At twenty, Chacaby moved to Thunder Bay with her children to escape an abusive marriage. Abuse, compounded by racism, continued, but Chacaby found supports to help herself and others. Over the following decades, she achieved sobriety; trained and worked as an alcoholism counsellor; raised her children and fostered many others; learned to live with visual impairment; and came out as a lesbian. In 2013, Chacaby led the first gay pride parade in Thunder Bay. Ma-Nee Chacaby has emerged from hardship grounded in faith, compassion, humour, and resilience. Her memoir provides unprecedented insights into the challenges still faced by many Indigenous people. [From Publisher]

Digital copies of monographs and journals in a variety of Indigenous languages.

Developing appropriate risk messages during challenging situations like public health outbreaks is complicated. The focus of this paper is on how First Nations and Metis people in Manitoba, Canada, responded to the public health management of pandemic H1N1, using a focus group methodology (n = 23 focus groups). Focus group conversations explored participant reactions to messaging regarding the identification of H1N1 virus risk groups, the H1N1 vaccine and how priority groups to receive the vaccine were established. To better contextualize the intentions of public health professionals, key informant interviews (n = 20) were conducted with different health decision makers (e.g., public health officials, people responsible for communications, representatives from some First Nations and Metis self-governing organizations). While risk communication practice has improved, ‘one size’ messaging campaigns do not work effectively, particularly when communicating about who is most ‘at-risk’. Public health agencies need to pay more attention to the specific socio-economic, historical and cultural contexts of First Nations and Metis citizens when planning for, communicating and managing responses associated with pandemic outbreaks to better tailor both the messages and delivery. More attention is needed to directly engage First Nations and Metis communities in the development and dissemination of risk messaging. [From Author]

The First Nations Child & Family Caring Society is a non-profit organization that works with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people of all ages and organizations to ensure First Nations children and young people have the same opportunities as others to grow up safely at home, be healthy, achieve their dreams, celebrate their languages and culture and be proud of who they are. [From Website]

The First Nations principles of OCAP establish how First Nations’ data and information will be collected, protected, used, or shared. OCAP is a tool to support strong information governance on the path to First Nations data sovereignty. [From Website]

An interactive map of BC that allows you to look up First Nation Communities according to their language. Unfortunately the links to the languages are broken.

As a collective voice for our communities, we help preserve our cherished languages, arts and cultures – today and for the future. [From Website]

FirstVoices is a suite of web-based tools and services designed to support Indigenous people engaged in language archiving, language teaching and culture revitalization [From Website]

Bridge Between Nations is a popular FBC publication that focuses on First Nations of the Fraser Basin — with an overview on history, language and culture, and key events that have shaped Aboriginal/Non-Aboriginal relations.

Updated and reprinted by FBC — thanks to financial support from Simon Fraser University — Bridge Between Nations is available here in electronic form and in bulk print quantities for classroom and other educational use. Please contact the Communications Manager to enquire. [From Website]

The past several years have seen significant progress in addressing the challenges of Aboriginal education, but it is clear that more must be done. It will take a multi-pronged approach, which includes targeted educational and social supports (within and beyond the school), to close current knowledge, resource and achievement gaps. It will also require sustained efforts to ensure that Aboriginal students learn, together with their classmates, about their shared histories and cultures. [From Publisher]

"What would it be like to live alongside one of the shapers of human events, in their youth, before they transformed history? In Fractured Land, we follow Caleb Behn, a young Dene lawyer who may become one of this generation's great leaders, if he can discover how to reconcile the fractures within himself, his community and the world around him, blending modern tools of the law with ancient wisdom. As 350.org founder, Bill McKibben, puts it, "Anyone who can throw a hatchet and sue you is a force to be reckoned with." Caleb sports a Mohawk and tattoos, hunts moose, and wears a business suit. His father is a devout environmentalist and residential school survivor. His mother is in a senior position in the oil and gas industry. His people, at the epicenter of some of the largest fracking operations on earth, are deeply divided. How does Caleb balance their need for jobs with his sacred duty to defend their territory? He has arrived at a key moment in history, sees the contradictions, and wants to reconcile them. Filmmakers Fiona Rayher and Damien Gillis have been following Caleb for four years, capturing hundreds of hours of footage of his development, through law school, sharing knowledge with other Indigenous peoples, speaking to larger and larger audiences, dealing with deep community divisions, and building a movement." [From Filmaker]

First Nations in Canada is an educational resource designed for use by young Canadians; high school educators and students; Aboriginal communities; and anyone interested in First Nations history. Its aim is to help readers understand the significant developments affecting First Nations communities from the pre-Contact era (before the arrival of Europeans) up to the present day. [From Website]

The relationship between intellectual property (IP) and the protection of Indigenous knowledge and cultural expressions is complex and challenging. The following is intended to provide an overview to stimulate and inform broader policy discussions in Canada. [From Website]

‘Indigenous peoples' is a collective name for the original peoples of North America and their descendants. Often, ‘Aboriginal peoples' is also used.

The Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal peoples: Indians (more commonly referred to as First Nations), Inuit and Métis. These are three distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.

More than 1.67 million people in Canada identify themselves as an Aboriginal person, according to the 2016 Census. Aboriginal peoples are:
--the fastest growing population in Canada – grew by 42.5% between 2006 and 2016
--the youngest population in Canada – about 44% were under the age of 25 in 2016 [From Website]

The study is based primarily on fieldwork conducted in the centre during the 1988-9 school year. At that time, over 400 adult students were enrolled in eleven programs ranging from basic literacy and upgrading to “skills training” including Native Public Administration, Family Violence Counselling, and Criminal Justice Studies. Selected words of the people interviewed figure prominently in the descriptions of everyday life in the centre. The author contextualizes people’s notions of taking control, first within the space where they work, a building specially created using cedar planks, glass, and hand-carved poles, and second in relation to the efforts by aboriginal people to control their formal education in British Columbia. The book also contains a brief history of the centre itself. [From Publisher]

This study developed out of a need to discuss Eurocentrism in Indigenous education and to provide what the Elders describe as an appropriate educational experience. The purpose of the study was, within a northern context, to discuss Indigenous education, and how educators and Elders perceived their cultural models, values, and aspirations of Indigenous resilience. This study deals with Indigenous resilience based on knowledge held by Indigenous educators and Elders with respect to the traditional teachings and values within Indigenous cultures in Northern Manitoba. We present the perspectives held by these constituents with respect to the notions of Indigenous resiliency. Two Indigenous researchers of Dene and Cree nations share their perspectives based on interviews with Indigenous Elders about traditional education in Northern Manitoba. Interview results demonstrate that a traditional, culturally appropriate model of education is significant to Indigenous resilience development. [From Author]

Provides an overview of trends in First Nations communities between 1981 and 2016. [From Website]

There are analogous challenges when it comes to the management and provision of health services and drinking water in First Nations reserves in Canada; both represent human rights and both involve complex and multijurisdictional management. The purpose of this study is to translate the tenets of Jordan’s Principle, a child-first principle regarding health service provision, within the broader context of First Nation drinking water governance in order to identify avenues for positive change. This project involved secondary analysis of data from 53 semi-structured, key informant (KI) interviews across eight First Nation communities in western Canada. Data were coded according to the three principles of: provision of culturally inclusive management, safeguarding health, and substantive equity. Failure to incorporate Traditional Knowledge, water worldviews, and holistic health as well as challenges to technical management were identified as areas currently restricting successful drinking water management. Recommendations include improved infrastructure, increased resources (both financial and non-financial), in-community capacity building, and relationship building. To redress the inequities currently experienced by First Nations when it comes to management of and access to safe drinking water, equitable governance structures developed from the ground up and embedded in genuine relationships between First Nations and Canadian federal government agencies are required. [From Author]

YouTube video from Maynard Johnny discussing his art and the history of Residential Schools.

American Indian/First Nations/Native people have been historically under-represented in the ranks of college and university graduates in Canada and the United States. From an institutional perspective, the problem has been typically defined in terms of low achievement, high attrition, poor retention, weak persistence, etc., thus placing the onus for adjustment on the student. From the perspective of the Indian student, however, the problem is often cast in more human terms, with an emphasis on the need for a higher educational system that respects them for who they are, that is relevant to their view of the world, that offers reciprocity in their relationships with others, and that helps them exercise responsibility over their own lives. This paper examines the implications of these differences in perspective and identifies ways in which initiatives within and outside of existing institutions are transforming the landscape of higher education for First Nations/American Indian people in both Canada and the United States. [From Author]

The Okanagan Nation Alliance is committed to ensuring that our captikwł, our nsyilxcən language, and our Syilx teachings continue to shape our path forward. This book was created as a resource in hopes that it will create a greater awareness of mental health issues while providing an opportunity for greater mindfulness of the importance cultural identity and community play in the well-being of First Nations [From Website]

Since time immemorial, we live by the seven traditional laws that guided our ancestors: health, happiness, generations, generosity, humbleness, forgiveness and understanding.

Through learning, family, health, our culture and traditions and looking after our lands and resources, we are tireless in our spirit to make a better world for our future generations. In working together and learning from our Elders, we are respectful, proud, independent and responsible.

Kwantlen translates to tireless runner. Following our rich legacy and traditions, we continue to work tirelessly at building a strong sense of community within our traditional territory. [From Website]

In the Dene worldview, relationships form the foundation of a distinct way of knowing. For the Tlicho Dene, indigenous peoples of Canada's Northwest Territories, as stories from the past unfold as experiences in the present, so unfolds a philosophy for the future. Walking the Land, Feeding the Fire vividly shows how--through stories and relationships with all beings--Tlicho knowledge is produced and rooted in the land.Tlicho-speaking people are part of the more widespread Athapaskan-speaking community, which spans the western sub-arctic and includes pockets in British Columbia, Alberta, California, and Arizona. Anthropologist Allice Legat undertook this work at the request of Tlicho Dene community elders, who wanted to provide younger Tlicho with narratives that originated in the past but provide a way of thinking through current critical land-use issues. Legat illustrates that, for the Tlicho Dene, being knowledgeable and being of the land are one and the same. Walking the Land, Feeding the Fire marks the beginning of a new era of understanding, drawing both connections to and unique aspects of ways of knowing among other Dene peoples, such as the Western Apache. As Keith Basso did with his studies among the Western Apache in earlier decades, Legat sets a new standard for research by presenting Dene perceptions of the environment and the personal truths of the storytellers without forcing them into scientific or public-policy frameworks. Legat approaches her work as a community partner--providing a powerful methodology that will impact the way research is conducted for decades to come--and provides unique insights and understandings available only through traditional knowledge. [From Publisher]

YouTube Video of lessLIE (Leslie Robert Sam): Coast Salish Artist walking around UVIC campus discussing his art.

The Assembly of First Nations has developed the It’s Our Time: First Nations Education Tool Kit as the basis for a comprehensive strategy to reach out to First Nations students, teachers, schools, communities, and the Canadian public in general. [From Author]

Charles R. Menzies explores the history of an ancient Tsimshian community, focusing on the people and their enduring place in the modern world. The Gitxaala Nation has called the rugged north coast of British Columbia home for millennia, proudly maintaining its territory and traditional way of life. People of the Saltwater first outlines the social and political relations that constitute Gitxaala society. Although these traditionalist relations have undergone change, they have endured through colonialism and the emergence of the industrial capitalist economy. It is of fundamental importance to this society to link its past to its present in all spheres of life, from its understanding of its hereditary leaders to the continuance of its ancient ceremonies. Menzies then turns to a discussion of an economy based on natural-resource extraction by examining fisheries and their central importance to the Gitxaalas' cultural roots. Not only do these fisheries support the Gitxaala Nation economically, they also serve as a source of distinct cultural identity. Menzies's firsthand account describes the group's place within cultural anthropology and the importance of its lifeways, traditions, and histories in nontraditional society today. [From Publisher]

The relationship between Indigenous peoples and the academics who study us is fraught with the memories of Western colonialism and its attendant history of disruption and appropriation. Perhaps if it was only a memory we could creatively reinvent the past and get on with it. But it is our present too. As I write this, a large multinational corporation is planning to run crude oil tankers through the culturally and ecologically important waters of my home community on Canada’s northwest coast. Another company wants to place a large ship loading facility over a place of cultural significance. Yet another company wants to plant several hundred gigantic wind turbines over the top of a culturally significant resource harvesting area and watershed. Government agencies continue to act as facilitators of these projects, and social science continues to be applied to justify the displacement of indigenous peoples from meaningful decision-making processes and ultimately to marginalize us further from our homes. [From Author]

Dr. Charles Menzies (Gitxaała) gives a talk about his struggles to assert Indigenous rights against the Colonial desire for "strength of claim" and "proof." Part of the SFU Library Open Conference Systems, Sorting Libraries Out: Decolonizing Classification and Indigenizing Description 2019.

For the Indigenous peoples of North America, the history of colonialism has often meant a distortion of history, even, in some cases, a loss or distorted sense of their own native practices of justice. How contemporary native communities have dealt quite differently with this dilemma is the subject of The Problem of Justice, a richly textured ethnographic study of Indigenous peoples struggling to reestablish control over justice in the face of conflicting external and internal pressures. [From Publisher]

First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations in Canada suffer from a variety of health disparities, including higher rates of infant mortality, higher rates of diabetes and other chronic diseases, greater prevalence of tuberculosis and other communicable diseases, as well as a short life expectancy compared to non-Aboriginal Canadians. Public health experts, community health workers and health care providers are trying to reduce Aboriginal health disparities through research, programs and services. As part of this effort, a group of researchers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States have proposed the development of a set of core competencies for Aboriginal public health. Together, they have established a collaboration called CIPHER: Competencies for Indigenous Public Health, Evaluation and Research. [From Author]

This project is the culmination of work done over the past two and a half years by 13 members of OSSTF/FEESO, most of whom are First Nation or Métis, or work extensively with Aboriginal students.

The lessons are designed to be implemented in a range of courses, such as civics, history, social sciences, English, geography, business, careers, physical education and science. The resource has been produced as a PDF file on CD with an accompanying video on DVD. Although the lessons are intended for use with high school curricula, the video and activity sheet may be of use to all Federation members who work with students. [From Website]

This booklet is an introduction to the linguistic study of the Indigenous languages spoken in Canada. The following topics are covered:
approaching the study of Indigenous languages from an informed and respectful perspective.
the geographical distribution of Indigenous languages in Canada. some notable structural properties of Indigenous languages.
the writing systems used for Indigenous languages. the effects of contact between Indigenous and non-Indigenous languages.
the current vitality of Indigenous languages in Canada. [From Website]

The health and wellness of Canada's Aboriginal peoples is often measured in narrow biomedical terms with little consideration given to how health is conceptualized in Aboriginal communities. This study attempts to address this gap by providing a perspective on health and wellness developed in collaboration with the Dene community of Lutsel K'e, Northwest Territories. The research was carried out in the wake of the environmental assessment of Canada's first diamond mine, located in the traditional territory of Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation. The study focussed on the questions “What is health?” and “What kinds of indicators would be useful for measuring the effects of diamond mining on the health of community?” Health was defined in the local language as “the Dene way of life.” Three core themes, 13 sub-themes and over 50 indicators of health were also identified through semi-structured interviews with individual community members. These indicators refer to many aspects of day-to-day life in Lutsel K'e, tying the concept of health, often discussed in theoretical terms, to tactile elements and processes at work at individual, household, and community levels. Interwoven in these narratives is a discourse about the importance of Dene values, knowledge, and institutions. The work is also telling of how small, remote northern communities respond to and resist the social, economic, and cultural pressures associated with natural resource development. [From Author]

In this conversation Aaron and Kieth discuss colonization, Indian Residential Schools and religious beliefs impact on Indigenous people in Canada.

Professor Carlson’s scholarship is designed and conducted in partnership with communities and aspires to answer questions that are of relevance to those communities. His interests include: Indigenous history, Indigenous historical consciousness, and the history of settler colonialism — especially in western Canada and north western USA. The approach he takes is to invert the classic scholarly gaze and to forefront the perspective of Indigenous partners. “So what intrigues me most is not the history of Indigenous people in Canadian or American history, but the history of Canadian and American society within Indigenous histories,” offers Carlson. His focus is on the history of the Coast Salish of British Columbia and Washington and has worked extensively with Hukbalahap veterans in the Philippines. [From YouTube]

The phrase “women and 2spirits” has become increasingly popular in Indigenous gender-related activism, often noted through the expansion of the hashtag for missing and murdered Indigenous people to #MMIWG2. This article uses the phrase as a jumping-off point to think about how transgender Indigenous people remain marginalized even in feminist, queer, and Indigenous activist spaces. Emphasizing the scholarship of Indigenous trans women, the article argues that rhetorical exclusion has tangible negative impacts on transgender Indigenous people. The writing and activism of such individuals offers solutions that center decolonial love and interpersonal care work as sites for transforming gender relations in Indigenous communities. [From Author]

Treaties follow a six stage process in collaboration with the British Columbia Treaty Commission. The Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation leads the province's participation in Final Agreement and Agreement-in-Principle. [From Website]

Bill 41, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, was introduced in the BC legislature last week to drumming, singing, prayers and the Lekwungen Dancers.
The day was heralded as “historic” because BC was the first jurisdiction in Canada to implement UNDRIP, and the legislation was described as signalling a new beginning for BC–First Nations relations. [From Author]

The education gap between First Nations people living on a reserve and non-Aboriginal people in Canada is disconcerting. E-learning has the potential to help close this gap because it is designed to minimize or eliminate the barriers (geographical, cultural, socio-economic, and historical) to educational success that First Nations people living on a reserve face. Based on a brief literature review and 18 interviews, The Conference Board of Canada found that optimizing the effectiveness of e-learning in improving the educational outcomes of First Nations people living on a reserve requires the: -better engagement of First Nations in the development and implementation of e-learning programs; -development and implementation of an e-learning strategy; -an increase in funding for e-learning programs and the supporting software licensing, technical infrastructure, equipment, and technicians; -extension of funding terms for e-learning programs; -assessment of community needs and educational outcomes; -building of tools and capacity; -development and implementation of a strategy to improve teacher engagement; -consideration of generational differences among students; -promotion of student commitment; -expansion and an increase in the flexibility of programs, with holistic program delivery; and -better integration of e-learning under the overall Indian and Northern Affairs Canada umbrella. [From Author]

To acquire an understanding of the pathways of health information dissemination and use by Indigenous community members, the researchers applied an Indigenous participatory action research approach in partnership with one urban Inuit, one urban Métis, and one semirural First Nations community in Ontario, Canada. A descriptive community case study was conducted in each community through the use of focus groups, key informant interviews, and document inquiry. Results were corroborated by the communities. Each of the three community consultations generated distinct and striking data about health information sources and dissemination strategies; decision-making processes; locally relevant concepts of health, local health services, and programs; community structures; and mechanisms of interface with noncommunity systems. In addition, several crosscutting themes were identified. The participatory research approach successfully engaged community partners. These findings support the hypothesis that understanding local Indigenous processes of knowledge creation, dissemination, and utilization is a necessary prerequisite to effective knowledge translation in Indigenous contexts. [From Author]

This infographic series is a partnership project between Statistics Canada and Indigenous Services Canada. The infographics are available for various geographic areas including: Canada, provinces (on-reserve), territories, First Nation/Indian band or Tribal Council areas, Inuit regions, Métis settlements and select census subdivisions.

Select a geography of interest to access the infographic for that geography. [From Website]

A large collection profiles, key indicators of various topics including education, health, language, income and more.

In many of our cultures, before the arrival of Europeans to North America, “Two-Spirit” referred to the ancient teachings. Our Elders tell us of people who were gifted among all beings because they carried two spirits: that of male and female. It is told that women engaged in tribal warfare and married other women as there were
men who married other men. These individuals were looked upon as a third gender in many cases and in almost all cultures they were honoured and revered. Two-Spirit people were often the visionaries, the healers and medicine people. They were respected as fundamental components of our ancient culture and societies. This is our guiding force as well as our source of strength. This is the ancient heart of Two-Spirit People. [From Author]

The summary report, In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care, concludes that this problem is widely acknowledged by many who work in the system, including those in leadership positions. The report makes 24 recommendations to address what is a systemic problem, deeply rooted in colonialism. [From Website]

The full report, In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care, concludes that this problem is widely acknowledged by many who work in the system, including those in leadership positions. The report makes 24 recommendations to address what is a systemic problem, deeply rooted in colonialism. [From Website]

The intent is to provide a more accurate representation of First Nations in British Columbia. Boundaries shown are language areas and not an authoritative depiction of tribal territories. The names listed are the ones First peoples prefer to call themselves. Terms and spellings do not reflect all dialects or names used by First Nations living within the illustrated regions.

In Principles of Tsawalk, hereditary chief Umeek builds upon his previous book, Tsawalk: A Nuu-chah-nulth Worldview, to elaborate an alternative framework for responding to global environmental and political crises and to indigenous peoples' poverty, dispossession, and displacement in the realms of education and politics. These problems, Umeek argues, stem from an historical and persistent failure to treat all peoples and life forms with respect and accord them constitutional recognition. By contrast, the Nuu-chah-nulth principles of recognition, consent, and continuity, embodied in songs, language, and ceremonies, hold the promise of achieving sustainable lifeways in this shared struggle for balance. [From Publisher]

Online resources for K - 7 social studies curriculum including local Sto:lo resources.

Delgamuukw. Sixties Scoop. Bill C-31. Blood quantum. Appropriation. Two-Spirit. Tsilhqot'in. Status. TRC. RCAP. FNPOA. Pass and permit. Numbered Treaties. Terra nullius. The Great Peace... 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. Indigenous Writes is one title in The Debwe Series. [From Publisher]

Marvin Williams of the Babine Nation talks about his hunts though archives to find Colonial proof for Indigenous land claims.