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]

An edited volume. It comprises selections from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation’s Truth and Reconciliation Series: Vol. 1 From Truth to Reconciliation; Vol 2. Response, Responsibility, and Renewal; and Vol 3. Cultivating Canada.

In this article, the author, establishes a knowledge set for Indigenous social work practice based on Indigenous wholistic theory. An overall framework using the circle is proposed and introduced followed by a more detailed and elaborated illustration using the four directions. The article identifies the need to articulate Indigenous wholistic theory and does so by employing a wholistic framework of the four directional circle. It then systematically moves around each direction, beginning in the east where a discussion of Spirit and Vision occurs. In the south a discussion of relationships, community and heart emerge. The western direction brings forth a discussion of the spirit of the ancestors and importance of Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous knowledge production. The northern direction articulates ideas surrounding healing and movements and actions that guide practice. Finally, the article begins with a discussion on all four directions together with a final examination of the center fire where all elements interconnect and intersect. Lastly, the article proclaims the existence of Indigenous wholistic theory as a necessary knowledge set for practice. [From Author]

The mediation of Indigenous identity in Canada cannot be disentangled from the ways that non-Indigenous Canadians attempt to mediate their own settler identities. For significant numbers of non-Indigenous Canadians, this mediation occurs through uncritical and problematic mobilizations of what is often perceived to be Métis identity—an identity which, for many with little connection to Indigenous histories or politics, simply signifies the mixing of cultures, Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Indeed, countless Canadians who otherwise would not identify themselves as Indigenous, will inevitably cite a distant First Nations or Métis relative, claiming they themselves are Métis, part-Métis, or possess Métis heritage. Hardly a month goes by that notions of “Métis-ness” do not appear to be up for debate, or, more often, especially in the east, uncritically championed as part of Canada’s own national identity. If my claims here appear merely anecdotal, the recent controversies over the supposed Indigenous identity of author Joseph Boyden, along with the deluge of non-Indigenous op-eds in support of his lucrative and ambiguous claim to various Indigenous communities—at times Mi’kmaq, Anishnaabe, and of course Métis—is indicative of just how much investment settler Canadians put into propping up and leaning into unsubstantiated claims to Indigenous identity, while deriding legitimate assertions of Indigenous rights. [From Author]

The following guidelines address issues of concern in the documentation, representation and utilization of traditional cultural knowledge as they relate to the role of various participants, including Elders, authors, curriculum developers, classroom teachers, publishers and researchers. Special attention is given to the educational implications for the integration of indigenous knowledge and practices in schools throughout Alaska. The guidance offered in the following pages is intended to encourage the incorporation of traditional knowledge and teaching practices in schools by minimizing the potential for misuse and misunderstanding in the process. It is hoped that these guidelines will facilitate the coming together of the many cultural traditions that coexist in Alaska in constructive, respectful and mutually beneficial ways. [From Author]

Presented by Dialog, in collaboration with The School of Community and Public Affairs, The First Peoples Studies Program, and The Department of Political Science, Concordia University. [From Website]

This paper examines issues concerning First Nations peoples and the child welfare system, and their implications for social work today. It explores the Sixties Scoop to illustrate the devastating impact such policies and practices had on Aboriginal children, families and communities. Cultural genocide is part of this legacy. To deliver more culturally appropriate services, awareness about and acknowledgement of these mistakes can assist social workers to incorporate a social justice perspective into their practice with Aboriginal clients. As well, implications for social work education regarding professional training, curriculum content and course delivery by Aboriginal faculty members are highlighted. [From Author]

As a kid, I spent my formative years growing up in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. In addition to the numerous visits to family living north of the city, we used to attend “Back to Batoche,” an annual Métis celebration held adjacent to the historic battleground between Métis troops and Canada’s army during the 1885 Battle of Batoche (and now a national historic site). For those who don’t know, the Batoche Days festival represents both a commemorative and a “living” site of Métis politics and national identity. What I remember most about the Batoche Days of my childhood, however, is not its more overt political symbolism but, rather, a t-shirt my mom bought me one year. It featured a fairly iconic picture of Gabriel Dumont on a horse, captioned underneath with the phrase “I’m Métis, what’s your excuse?” What I remember thinking at the time was that the phrase meant “I’m Métis, this is why I – why we –act this way: what’s your excuse?” To be honest, I wasn’t sure what “acting this way” entailed, exactly, although I suppose I have since roughly equated it with part of the original sentiments behind the title of Murray Dobbin’s excellent account of Métis political activity during the twentieth century, “The One and a Half Men.” According to Dobbin, the term was coined by a priest in Red River during the nineteenth-century heyday of the Métis nation, to describe to a newcomer the Métis he saw as “one-and-a-half men: half white, half Indian and half devil.” [From Author]

A Venn diagram with accompanying description developed by Lorna Andrews based on her interpretation of the concepts from the open access BCCampus textbook: Pulling Together: a guide for Curriculum Developers. [From Author]

The University of the Fraser Valley has presented its first-ever Indigenization and Reconciliation Award to Teaching and Learning Specialist Lorna Andrews. Lorna speaks about her work to educate faculty and staff on Indigenous issues in the efforts towards reconciliation in Canada. [From Website]

The Indigenization Committee of the FECHD worked with colleagues from the College of Arts, the FPS, and the Teaching and Learning Office to create this video and we are excited to share it with faculty, staff, and students at UFV. We were hearing a number of concerning stories from Indigenous faculty and students regarding microaggressions they were experiencing in classrooms, meetings, and in the hallways at UFV. These micoagressions are contributing to a lack of cultural safety on our campuses. We wanted to create a video to encourage conversation, share resources, and provide an entry point into considering how to make UFV a more culturally safe environment for everyone.

This video looks specifically at territorial acknowledgements and introductions with guidance from UFV Elders. It includes examples and discussions from interdisciplinary perspectives. It is not a ‘how-to guide,’ nor does it represent the official expectations of UFV. Instead, it provides some guidance around important things to consider when starting to Indigenize and decolonize our work and spaces at UFV. [From Website]

In 2017, the Native Indian Teacher Education Program (NITEP) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, continues its 43rd year of offering an Indigenous-based teacher education program (kindergarten to grade 12) that includes partnerships with Indigenous communities /organizations and other post-secondary institutes throughout British Columbia, Canada. NITEP is a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree program option for people of Indigenous ancestry, within the UBC Faculty of Education. This program has a rich history of Indigenous leadership that has shaped NITEP’s purpose, philosophy, and structure. Four values have also guided NITEP’s development and program revision over a 40-plus-year time period: (1) a sense of community/family within the student body and faculty/staff, (2) community-based relationships, (3) the importance of Indigenous knowledge systems for teacher preparation, and (4) good quality teacher preparation. [From Author]

Recently I attended an evening talk by Richard Wagamese, an accomplished Canadian Aboriginal author. He read from some of his books, and talked of his journey as a writer. He provided helpful advice for aspiring authors in the audience. Like Thomas King, he also emphasized the power of story. What we experienced that evening, and the reason why Richard Wagamese’s writing is so compelling, is the connection of story – our stories – to what it means to be human. Richard Wagamese is a great author because he finds ways to connect his stories to our humanity. As we continually search for our own meaning and purpose, these stories allow us to communicate with others who are also searching. In that communication we develop understandings of our shared humanity, and realize that our differences enrich that shared journey. This article tells a more academic story of a research program funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), under their Community University Research Alliance (CURA) initiative. Our program, entitled "Community-Based, Aboriginal Curriculum Initiatives", received funding from 2005 to 2012. There are interrelated stories, but the focus is
on the importance of story for indigenizing the curriculum and making a difference in schools for all children and youth as they learn about First Peoples. Addressing how the hegemonic story of Aboriginal peoples has been created in North America is important in providing the initial framework for this story of our research. [From Author]

The VALUE rubrics were developed by teams of faculty experts representing colleges and universities across the United States through a process that examined many existing campus rubrics and related documents for each learning outcome and incorporated additional feedback from faculty. The rubrics articulate fundamental criteria for each learning outcome, with performance descriptors demonstrating progressively more sophisticated levels of attainment. The rubrics are intended for institutional-level use in evaluating and discussing student learning, not for grading. The core expectations articulated in all 16 of the VALUE rubrics can and should be translated into the language of individual campuses, disciplines, and even courses. The utility of the VALUE rubrics is to position learning at all undergraduate levels within a basic framework of expectations such that evidence of learning can by shared nationally through a common dialog and understanding of student success. [From Author]

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released the "94 Calls to Action," which asked educational and memory institutions to address their relationship with the Indigenous Peoples in what is now known as Canada.1 One of many steps toward repairing past injustice and moving toward reconciliation was the creation of a course at the University of Alberta's School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS). The course, LIS 598: Indigenous Library and Information Studies in a Canadian Context, was the first three-credit graduate course in Canada about Indigenous librarianship taught from Indigenous perspectives by Indigenous instructors. This essay highlights the growth and development of this course since its pilot in fall 2018, providing insights into Indigenous pedagogies and more broadly into the developing field of Indigenous library and information studies. [From Author]

As Aboriginal peoples gain more access to schools of social work, the academy needs to respond to their educational needs. This involves incorporating Aboriginal world views into social work education. This paper focuses on one definition of world views according to Aboriginal epistemology. It also critiques both the role of social work in the lives of Aboriginal peoples and the goals of social work education. It raises key components that need to be addressed in the academy and provides ways in which this can be achieved. In addition, the paper stresses the importance of this content being taught to all social work students. [From Author]

This article explores social work with Indigenous Peoples in Canada, beginning with the history of colonization and the role this profession played, as well as outlining promising approaches to helping based on Indigenous worldviews and the challenges of putting these into practice. [From Author]

The treaty negotiations process provides a framework for the three parties: Canada, BC and First Nations – to work towards the common goal of reconciliation, and building a new relationship, through constitutionally entrenched government-to-government-to-government understandings.

Some of the major components integral to modern treaty making in British Columbia are:
aboriginal rights; self-government; land and resources;
financial issues; fishing; forestry. [From Website]

Stó:lō members face uphill battle to preserve sacred sites. [From Author]

Peter Mansbridge sits down with Cindy Blackstock about her work advocating for the equal treatment and funding for aboriginal and First Nations children. [From Website]

This multidisciplinary research project brought together experts in First Nations child welfare, community development, economics, management information systems, law, social work and management to inform the development of three funding formula options to support policy and practice in First Nations child and family service agencies in Canada. This unique research approach involved specialized research projects on the incidence and social work response to reports of child maltreatment respecting First Nations children, prevention services, jurisdictional issues, extraordinary circumstances, management information services and small agencies. These research projects were complimented by the results of twelve case studies of First Nations child and family service agencies in Canada. Findings indicate that First Nations children are over represented at every level of the child welfare decision making continuum including
reports to child welfare, case substantiation rates, and admissions to child welfare care. In fact an analysis of child in care data by cultural group indicated that one in ten Status Indian children in three sample provinces were in care as of May 2005. Research results indicate that First Nations child and family service agencies are inadequately funded in almost every area of operation ranging from capital costs, prevention programs, standards and evaluation, staff salaries and child in care programs. The disproportionate need for services amongst First Nations children and families coupled with the under-funding of the First Nations child and family service agencies that serve them has resulted in an untenable situation. Recommendations for policy change and future research are discussed. [From Author]

The health and wellness of Indigenous peoples continue to be impacted by the harmful colonization practices enforced by the Government of Canada. While the long-term health impacts of the Indian Residential School (IRS) system are documented, empirical evidence elucidating the relationship between the IRSs and the risk of offspring experiencing other collective childhood traumas, such as the Sixties Scoop (1950-1990) and the inequities within the child welfare system (CWS), is needed. Through an online study, we explored the links between familial (parents/grandparents) IRS attendance and subsequent involvement in the CWS in a non-representative sample of Indigenous adults in Canada born during the Sixties Scoop era. The final sample comprised 433 adults who self-identified as Status First Nation (52.2%), non-Status First Nation (23.6%), and Métis (24.2%). The study found that adults with a parent who attended IRS were more likely to have spent time in foster care or in a group home during the Sixties Scoop era. They were also more likely to have grown up in a household in which someone used alcohol or other drugs, had a mental illness or a previous suicide attempt, had spent time in prison, had lower mean levels of general household stability, and tended to have lower household economic stability. Moreover, the relationship between parental IRS attendance and foster care was explained, in part (i.e., mediated) by a higher childhood household adversity score. These findings highlight that the intergenerational cycles of household risk introduced by the IRS system contribute to the cycles of childhood adversity and increased risk of spending time within the CWS in Canada. This is the first study among Indigenous adults from across Canada to demonstrate quantitatively that being affected by the CWS during the Sixties Scoop era is linked to intergenerational cycles of risk associated with the IRS system. [From Author]

This study builds on many valuable contributions already made to the understanding of family violence
and abuse in Aboriginal communities over the past fifteen years, especially in terms of mapping the
complex web of factors that create and sustain this critical issue at the level of individuals, extended
families, community systems and the socio-environmental context within which they exist. Closely
aligned to this intent is the study’s articulation of a comprehensive framework for intervention that
addresses root causes and identifies a set of strategies for significantly reducing the horrendous levels of domestic violence and abuse now on-going in many communities. [From Author]

Prompted by Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), there has been widespread response throughout Canadian educational institutions to facilitate reconciliation through education. In the context of Ontario, some Faculties of Education have responded to the calls with requiring Aboriginal education for teacher candidates, to ensure all graduating teachers have knowledge of Aboriginal histories, cultures, and worldviews. Nevertheless, there is a difference between teaching about reconciliation and teaching through reconciliation. This embodiment of reconciliation as a curricular and pedagogical praxis – a praxis of reconciliation – lies at the heart of this research in initial teacher education. This study draws upon case study methodology in an Aboriginal teacher education course in Ontario and a Treaty of Waitangi teacher education workshop in New Zealand, through an investigation of the question: In what ways do Settler teacher education programs facilitate and engage a praxis of reconciliation? The findings of this thesis propose a reconceptualization of reconciliation in teacher education by identifying the ways in which reconciliation is manifested in teacher education (a possibility of reconciliation), and the ways in which reconciliation is hindered (a challenge to reconciliation). In addition to identifying the possibilities and challenges, this research study also deconstructs the safe space metaphor in favour of ethical space and ethical relationality in initial teacher education. [From Author]

We accept and act on our broad responsibility to promote an education for decolonization. We do this in the interest of the Aboriginal children we teach. [From Website]

The purpose of this literature review and analysis is to determine how existing research on the structural drivers of First Nations child poverty can be effectively translated into pragmatic, community-based solution. [From Author]

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]

Employing metasynthesis as a method, this study examined 52 empirical articles on culturally relevant and responsive science education in K‐12 settings to determine the nature and scope of complementarity between culturally responsive and inquiry‐based science practices (i.e., science and engineering practices identified in the National Research Council's Framework for K‐12 Science Education). The findings from this study indicate several areas of complementarity. Most often, the inquiry‐based practices Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions, and Developing and Using Models were used to advance culturally responsive instruction and assessment. The use and development of models, in particular, allowed students to explore scientific concepts through families’ funds of knowledge and explain content from Western science and Indigenous Knowledge perspectives. Moreover, students frequently Analyzed and Interpreted Data when interrogating science content in sociopolitical consciousness‐raising experiences, such as identifying pollution and asthma incidences in an urban area according to neighborhood location. Specific inquiry‐based practices were underutilized when advancing culturally responsive science instruction, though. For example, Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking and Engaging in Argument from Evidence were infrequently encountered. However, culturally responsive engineering‐related practices were most often connected with these, and thus, represent potential areas for future complementarity, particularly as the United States embraces the Next Generation Science Standards. In considering innovative directions for advancing equitable science education, several possibilities are discussed in light of the findings of this study. [From Author]

Therapeutic arts and crafts, as healing modalities, exist within specific historic and contemporary contexts. In this article we examine the positioning of productive and social citizenship for incarcerated Aboriginal men in federal prisons in British Columbia (BC) who participate in a prison employment and hobby program, wherein they build and create art-full objects that are subsequently donated to Aboriginal communities. This program provides insight into the ways that therapeutic arts and crafts have transformational impacts within a context where citizenship rights are often considered conditional, and wherein incarcerated Aboriginal peoples’ lack of personal rights and freedoms is impacted by colonial forces that shape constructions of citizenship and productivity. Our aim is to contribute to the collective dialogue in this issue to shift the focus of arts programming from personal psychosocial well-being to how collective creativity within the prison context can foster social and cultural wellbeing and restoration for Aboriginal peoples in BC and beyond. We consider the transformational impacts made possible through therapeutic arts and crafts and the alternative possibilities of a more inclusive social citizenship to describe collective social identities for healing. Using Work 2 Give as an exemplar, we describe how forms of Aboriginal collective social citizenship, forged within a neocolonial era, can make space for the healing potential of therapeutic arts and craft in prison contexts. Drawing on Aboriginal understandings of health, healing, and community, Work 2 Give provides a window into how social citizenship can be considered through its interconnectivity with spirituality, giving to others, meaningful work, therapeutic art and holistic wellbeing within the wider context of colonialism and resurgence. [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]

Indigenous peoples have been reclaiming jurisdiction over their child welfare services and Western society has been increasingly acknowledging that Indigenous peoples are in the best position to provide these services. While the number of Indigenous social workers has historically been low, especially when compared to the population they serve, their numbers seem to be on the rise. In spite of that reality, most social service organizations continue to operate from a Western perspective, with little attention paid to the ways in which they must change in order to provide space for the Indigenous social workers they employ. This study explores the experiences of nine First Nations and Métis social workers in British Columbia (BC). The researcher, a Métis scholar and former child welfare social worker, conducted data collection and analysis through a Métissage framework, using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed nine themes, including the need for (1) Knowledgeable leadership that supports autonomy; (2) Flexibility in practice; (3) Policy that fits both Indigenous and Western paradigms; (4) Relationships with other supportive social workers; (5) Support to navigate overlap between the personal and the professional; (6) Set standards/experienced co-workers; (7) Equitable workplace resources; (8) Respect regarding Indigenous identity, and; (9) Supports to maintain wellness. Recommendations suggest how this information can be used by organizations to better support the Indigenous social workers they employ. [From Author]

Tangible and intangible forms of indigenous knowledges and cultural expressions are often found in libraries, archives or museums. Often the 'legal' copyright is not held by the indigenous people's group from which the knowledge or cultural expression originates. Indigenous peoples regard unauthorized use of their cultural expressions as theft and believe that the true expression of that knowledge can only be sustained, transformed, and remain dynamic in its proper cultural context. Readers will begin to understand how to respect and preserve these ways of knowing while appreciating the cultural memory institutions' attempts to transfer the knowledges to the next generation. [From Publisher]

This paper contributes to building respectful relationships between Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) peoples and Canada's cultural memory institutions, such as libraries, archives and museums, and applies to knowledge repositories that hold tangible and intangible traditional knowledge. The central goal of the paper is to advance understandings to allow cultural memory institutions to respect, affirm, and recognize Indigenous ownership of their traditional and living Indigenous knowledges and to respect the protocols for their use. This paper honours the spirit of reconciliation through the joint authorship of people from Indigenous, immigrant, and Canadian heritages. The authors outline the traditional and living importance of Indigenous knowledges; describe the legal framework in Canada, both as it establishes a system of enforceable copyright and as it recognizes Indigenous rights, self-determination, and the constitutional protections accorded to Indigenous peoples; and recommend an approach for cultural memory institutions to adopt and recognize Indigenous ownership of their knowledges, languages, cultures, and histories by developing protocols with each unique Indigenous nation. [From Author]

I came to this project as a settler scholar of Canadian and social justice comics, interested in learning from and about Indigenous comics and graphic novels. As I started to add more Indigenous comics to my Canadian comics undergraduate courses at the University of Winnipeg, I realized that students, teachers, researchers, and comics fans needed a clearer sense of the shape and scope of this field. This annotated bibliography is the result of my desire to learn more about the diversity and depth of Indigenous work in this area. The following introduction reflects what I have learned from the process of compiling these resources and from collaborating with the other members of the project team. Ultimately, this annotated bibliography can only ever offer a selection of works, rather than an exhaustive survey; however, I hope it will open up the field of Indigenous comics and graphic novels to more students, researchers, and comics fans. [From Author]

There are almost 200 First Nations communities in B.C. Schools across the province have welcomed their culture, history and traditions to create valuable learning opportunities for all students. [From Website]

Scholarship on Aboriginal governance in Canada has tended to focus on individual communities and formal political processes to the exclusion of informal regional social networks. The author’s own earlier research was itself compromised by a myopia that failed to adequately situate the Stó:lõ Coast Salish community of Shxw’õwhámél within its broader regional context. This article revisits the Shxw’õwhámél community’s experiment in decolonizing its governance system a decade after the community replaced the Indian Act election and governance processes with a system modelled after its historical system of extended family government. Drawing on current interviews to identify both the strengths and shortcomings of the newly rejuvenated system, the author provides historical analysis of early colonial efforts to manipulate the pre-contact governing system to reveal the extent to which Canadian colonialism has not only worked to atomize familial networks, but also to undermine democracy in the process. The author concludes that indigenous political authority continues to be compromised by the colonial experience and points out that the legacy of 150 years of assimilationist policies has sometimes made it difficult for Aboriginal people themselves to separate the effects of colonialism from its causes as they struggle to re-assert self-governance. [From Author]

Canadians are increasingly aware of the tragic story of Indian residential schools; and the contemporary tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls shows the ongoing vulnerability of Indigenous youth. But the story of Stó:lō First Nation "boys who were stolen away by… vicious white men" during the 1858 gold rush along British Columbia's Fraser River has been lost. These boys were kidnapped by American miners and taken to California. The vast majority "were never heard from" again, although at least two miraculously found their way home forty years later; and one ten-year-old boy lies buried in an unmarked grave in his kidnapper’s family plot in Sacramento’s pioneer cemetery. Families were devastated. One Stó:lō father "searched the woods for days… [and then] died of grief." [From Website]

In this article, the Metis authors document some of the historical, colonizing influences on Indigenous children and their families. The massive state-supported transfer of Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian homes can be attributed both to culturally-deprived child welfare practice and the ongoing colonial move to assimilate Indigenous Canadians. The authors discuss attachment theory and how it has been used, along with other western psychological theories, to facilitate child removal; they also make suggestions about how ideas of attachment and connection may influence practice positively. Responding appropriately to the current high rates of Indigenous child removal, rates currently three times higher than during the peak of residential schools, may mean attending to issues of ongoing child connection to the natural family, to the nation, and to non-European cultural traditions. This approach to helping and strengthening children is based on promoting a sense of belonging and continuity in their lives. [From Author]

The story of the Métis and residential schools is not new; it is, though, a story that has been underemphasized for a long time in the realms of both residential school and Métis history. Throughout the twentieth century, the collective lives of the Métis have often been disconnected from other dominant community structures in Canada. The policies that were created for the Métis and residential schools acutely reflected how administrators felt about where they thought the Métis’ station in society should be. The Métis, in the eyes of the administration, were either to be considered Indians or assimilated as non-Aboriginal Canadians. Any future the Métis had as a nation was not given consideration by the dominant EuroCanadian society at that time. [From Author]

This article examines the question of how universities can be encouraged to address the mental health concerns of GLBT-SQ people and communities from a perspective of solidarity. In so doing, the authors take a case study approach, using Project Interaction: The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Two-Spirit Initiative of McGill University's School of Social Work, to critically reflect upon the challenges arising from the development of an alternative organization within academia. The purpose of this reflection is to highlight how normal operations at work on university campuses, and within health and allied health curriculum, can be disrupted with the goal of providing momentum for the creation of affirmative space, the advancement of educational initiatives, and the building of opportunities for social change. [From Author]

A collection of short videos by Rachel Chong covering topics like citations of Elders, source evaluation, respectful research and more.

The Métis are an Indigenous people that originated in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century on the northern plains of what is now southern Manitoba. Centred historically in and around Red River (now Winnipeg) and intimately tied to the buffalo-hunting economy, the Métis became a powerful force by the middle of the nineteenth century, pushing back against the Hudson’s Bay Company’s claims to economic monopoly and later leading two armed resistances against the Canadian state. Despite this powerful historic presence and the fact that the 1982 Constitution Act enumerated the Métis, along with First Nations and Inuit, as one of three Aboriginal peoples in Canada, the term has, in recent years, largely fallen into racialized disrepute. [From Author]

Learning About Walking in Beauty: Placing Aboriginal Perspectives in Canadian Classrooms comes from the Coalition for the Advancement of Aboriginal Studies (CAAS) with funding support from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF). Walking in Beauty is a term that speaks of conducting oneself in harmony with all of the living world, and is respectfully borrowed from the Navajo People.

In 2000-2001, the CAAS conducted a national Student Awareness Survey, measuring awareness, attitudes and knowledge of facts about Aboriginal Peoples' histories, cultures, worldviews and current concerns. Five hundred and nineteen young adults (460 Canadian, 35 Aboriginal and 24 Newcomer students in first year university and college courses across Canada) responded to this 12-page survey. The survey questionnaire was developed and administered by Aboriginal and Canadian educators, scholars, traditional Elders and advocates within the 300-member CAAS network.

The Learning About Walking in Beauty report includes the findings from this survey, together with pedagogical, social and historical analyses. The report offers a pedagogical framework and proposals for learning about "walking in beauty" together. [From Website]

The Committee on Indigenous Matters exists to and work with Indigenous (First Nations, Metis and Inuit) people in address issues related to libraries, archives and cultural memory institutions; to promote initiatives in all types of libraries by advancing and implementing meaningful reconciliation as addressed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report and in the Calls to Action (English) (French) to implement the recommendations of the CFLA-FCAB Truth and Reconciliation Committee report; to monitor ongoing progress in those areas; and to promote collaboration in these issues across Canadian libraries, archives, and cultural memory institutions. [From Website]

Presented by the SFU Woodward's Cultural Unit and the Vancity Office of Community Engagement

Glen Coulthard is an assistant professor in the First Nations Studies Program and the Department of Political Science at UBC. Coulthard has written and published numerous articles and chapters in the areas of contemporary political theory, indigenous thought and politics, and radical social and political thought (marxism, anarchism, post-colonialism). His most recent work on Frantz Fanon and the politics of recognition won the Contemporary Political Theory Annual Award for Best Article of the Year in 2007. He is Yellowknife's Dene First Nations. [From YouTube]

Digitized access to five centuries of government publications, maps, books and journals marking the history of Canada.

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) identified that education plays a central role in developing reconciliatory relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. However, the current historical thinking approach to history and social studies education imposes a settler grammar over the study of the past in ways that lessen the space available to develop the respect, openness for truth, and relationality needed to develop these ongoing relationships of reconciliation. By deconstructing one piece of work by a leading thinker in historical thinking, Peter Seixas, this article demonstrates the structural limitations of responding to the TRC using the Benchmarks of Historical Thinking. [From Author]

The primary focus of this annotated bibliography is comics by self-identified Indigenous creators and publishers working in Canada and the United States, although where possible we have included Indigenous comics from outside North America. We have attempted to include as many titles as possible until March 2019, but this will always be an incomplete list and we regret any omissions or oversights. We regard this annotated bibliography as a preliminary work and hope it can serve as the basis for more in-depth work in the expanding field of Indigenous comics and graphic novels. [From Author]

This paper explores the complexities of teachers’ understanding of their relationship with Aboriginal people. Drawing on her current work with teachers, the author offers a method for initiating a critical pedagogy of remembrance that allows teachers to attend to and learn from the biography of their relationship with Aboriginal people. The author argues that teachers position themselves as “perfect stranger” to Aboriginal people and explores forms of “ethical learning” which use the act of remembrance to raise awareness of the ways in which the identities of both Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal people in Canada have been shaped by the colonial encounter. The construction of this ethical awareness among teachers is a promising way to transform relationships between Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal people in Canada. [From Author]

The need for Native Americans (NA) in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences research workforce has never been so pronounced. The American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population reflects high rates of chronic disease that continue to rise rapidly. The multifaceted dis-parities in access to education and educational achievement contribute to and complicate the resolution of health disparities (Nesbitt & Palomarez, 2016). Research suggests that the health and health care of underrepresented minorities are improved when providers of similar ethnic and racial backgrounds provide the care (Brown, DeCorse-Johnson, Irving-Ray, & Wu, 2005; Smedley & Mittman, 2011). This chapter provides perspectives relat-ed to drawing AI/AN students into these fields through cultural grounding, gathering and experiencing scientific knowledge, and making meaning for the students and their tribal communities. [From Author]

In this article, I present critical insights gained from attentiveness to the significance of the fort as a mythic symbol deeply embedded within the Canadian national narrative that reinforces the troubling colonial divides that continue to characterize Aboriginal-Canadian relations. I argue that forts have taught, and continue to teach, that Aboriginal peoples and Canadians live in separate realities. One way to rethink these relations, overcome these teachings, and decolonize educational approaches is to consider a curriculum sensibility called Indigenous Métissage. Indigenous Métissage is a place-based approach to curriculum informed by an ecological and relational understanding of the world. I provide a textual example of Indigenous Métissage that tells the complex story of a rock known to the Cree as papamihaw asiniy. [From Author]

To consider more fully the contextual complexities of living ethically as curriculum scholars, we wish to attend to the various discursive regimes that effectively delimit and circumscribe research projects initiated in partnership with Indigenous peoples and their communities. The habitual disregard of Indigenous peoples stems from the colonial frontier experience. The overriding assumption at work in these colonial frontier logics is that Indigenous peoples and Canadians inhabit separate realities. The inherent intention is to deny relationality. Within the research community there is an increased awareness of the importance of including Indigenous people in the development of research programs related to their communities. We were invited by an Indigenous community to work with the community and school leadership to develop a research program related to student performance in mathematics. Through our work, we have come to wonder about the authority of researchers, the authority of mathematics, and the authority of culture. We have come to understand how easy it is to replicate colonial logics as authoritative and have encountered conflicts when resisting these stances. In this paper, we offer some reflections and insights regarding how, and in what ways, we attempted to disrupt colonial logics. Through our listening to the teachings of children and teachers, we have come to conceptualize cultural relationality as an ethic guiding our participation in a research project with an Indigenous community. [From Author]

“The Stranger” is the first full chapter and song of The Secret Path. Adapted from Gord Downie’s album and Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel, The Secret Path chronicles the heartbreaking story of Chanie Wenjack’s residential school experience and subsequent death as he escapes and attempts to walk 600 km home to his family. [From YouTube]

The purpose of this paper was to review literature on Blending Indigenous Healing Approaches and Mainstream Traditional Approaches, specifically for intergenerational trauma. Indigenous people have endured many forms of assimilation that continues to impact their health, safety and well-being. It appears mainstream healing approaches are ineffective on its own, a plausible solution would be to blend Indigenous healing approaches into appropriate mainstream healing methods. [From Author]

The Ethnos Project is a research initiative that explores the intersection of Indigeneity and information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as:

open source databases for Indigenous Knowledge management

information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) initiatives

new and emerging technologies for intangible cultural heritage

social media used by Indigenous communities for social change

mobile technologies used for language preservation [From Website]

This document was prepared in this spirit by the Indigenization sub-committee of the Faculty of Professional studies between March 2016 and October 2017. The idea underlying the document is to support faculty to infuse Indigenous perspectives and awareness in all courses, not just in courses specified as Indigenous. The process was designed as a collaborate action curriculum research project, inviting all faculty members to contribute successful strategies, approaches, and methods they’ve used to infuse Indigenous awareness in their teaching. An initial draft was prepared by the committee and then distributed to all faculty members for discussion at their respective Schools and Departments. Any suggested feedback or strategies were incorporated or included, often verbatim. [From Author]

This resource guide offers ideas for engaging students in critical learning to better understand the situation of First Nations children and young people and to address the inequalities they experience in education, child welfare, and access to government service through three interrelated campaigns nested in principles of reconciliation and in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC): Shannen’s Dream, Jordan’s Principle and I am a witness. [From Website]

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]

Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors. [From Author]

Follow the links below to our publications, which are available as free downloads.  Limited numbers of hardcopies may also be available for order, using our ordering form. Learning First Peoples Series Math First Peoples Teacher Resource Guide (Elementary & Secondary)… [From Website]

With the increased inclusion of First Peoples’ content in the changing BC curriculum, there is a need to incorporate unappropriated First Peoples’ perspectives across the curriculum. The First Nations Education Steering Committee and the First Nations Schools Association, in collaboration with teachers and partners, have developed the following Learning First Peoples series of teacher resources to support English Language Arts, Science Social Studies and Mathematics courses.

The resources reflect the First Peoples Principles of Learning as well as the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including the call to “integrate Indigenous Knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms” and “build student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy and mutual respect.” [From Website]

The guide is intended to help BC educators introduce resources that reflect First Peoples knowledge and perspectives into classrooms in respective ways. The inclusion of authentic First Peoples content into classrooms supports all students in developing an understanding of the significant place of First Peoples within the historical and contemporary fabric of this province and provides culturally relevant materials for Indigenous learners in British Columbia. [From Website]

A curriculum guide on residential schools, for grade 10 social studies.

The First Nations Health Council is a provincial-level political and advocacy organization that represents — and is accountable to — First Nations in BC. [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]

It is an honour to be asked to write the introduction to the following listing of materials pertaining to Native Residential Schools in Canada available at the National Library of Canada. This bibliography accompanies the exhibition Where are the Children? Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools produced by the National Archives of Canada, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and the Aboriginal Healing Charitable Association in collaboration with the National Library of Canada, numerous church and other archives presented at the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa from June 18, 2002 to February 3, 2003. [From Website]

Basically, the Community Story Framework is a tool for helping communities to explore what is really happening and what is needed to make life better for everyone. The Community Story Framework has proven to be a very powerful tool for getting community members involved in thinking about and taking action on their own for the improvement of the quality of life for all. [From Author]

On behalf of the Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI)’s Board of Governors, Staff and Students welcome to The Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture. GDI - in partnership with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, the Department of Canadian Heritage's Canadian Culture Online Program, the Canada Council for the Arts, SaskCulture, the Government of Canada and the University of Saskatchewan - is proud to provide you with this systematic look at Métis history and culture. This project is the culmination of years of research gathering and resource production and is based on the Institute's resolute desire to ensure that the Métis have their own stories told in a medium, which is user-friendly, free, and accessible to all those interested in Métis history and culture. [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]

Urban spaces are an increasingly common indigenous reality, and while urban spaces often involve great social and geographic distances from traditional communities, many urban populations have built vibrant communities in cities. This thesis will examine the creation of Métis cultural spaces in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as a community building strategy. It is situated in thirteen in-depth interviews with Métis community builders conducted in Winnipeg over the Summer of 2008. The Winnipeg Metis community is rhizomatic in makeup, situated not in geographic locations, but in the networks of instantaneous and spontaneous social interaction of community members and institutions—elders, political organizations and governance structures. Rhizomatic space is a form of social organization, which emerges out of everyday social life, and because it is only observable during the brief instances of human interaction, it is nearly invisible to outsiders and thus difficult to colonize. It is also a primary means by which Métis people are reclaiming space in their traditional homeland on the Red River. This paper theorizes an alternative tactic to resistance through a decentered form of political organization, grounded in the community and its organic institutions. It proposes that the everyday creation of social and spaces in urban centres is an effective way to build urban indigenous communities with minimal interference or involvement of the State, and that this develops more or less organically without the need for bureaucratic oversight. The paper concludes that the everyday creation of rhizomatic space is a highly effective means of community building and resistance. [From Author]

Indigenous–settler relations in Canada have a long and complex history, running the gamut from visions of treaty-based coexistence to fantasies of Indigenous disappearance to imaginings of uncomplicated cultural and political unification via intermarriage. Among the earliest European colonists, Samuel de Champlain famously told his Indigenous allies in May 1633, “Our young men will marry your daughters, and we shall become one people.” But the degree to which this vision of cultural unification typified colonial settlement is often overstated. While postcontact Indigenous peoples later came into being, such as the Métis Nation on the northern prairies or the NunatuKavut in Labrador, they exist not as societies unified with settlers through extensive intermarriage but as Indigenous peoples who have borne the brunt of colonial displacement, marginalization, and expropriation. Even without substantial evidence of the political and cultural unification of white settler populations and Indigenous peoples envisioned by Champlain, the “evocation of métissage” holds particular cultural currency among French-speaking and French-descendant populations in North America. Many of these French-speaking people, however, now imagine this cultural unification as establishing their place as founding settler-people, descended both culturally and politically from the Indigenous nations of the past. Such a move poses an easy solution to the cultural displacement that is a long-standing insecurity of white settler national consciousness and reimagines settler-colonial projects as Indigenous ones. In response, this article examines recent moves to Indigeneity among French-descendant peoples, notably French-Quebecois in Quebec and Acadians in Nova Scotia, and argues that current claims to métissage are deeply rooted in settler-colonial notions of race and Indigeneity. In examining the evocation of métissage, this article identifies its ubiquity in a variety of documentary forms. In combatting such representations, it first argues that French policy in New France was primarily an attempt at Frenchification. In other words, French colonists sought to assimilate Indigenous peoples rather than produce a culturally hybrid society with a deeply Indigenous way of life. With insufficient evidence of a historical métissage at the origins of Quebec and Acadia, the article then analyzes organizational arguments about the Métisness of French-speaking populations in what is now Eastern Canada. [From Author]

Following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, Canadian universities and colleges have felt pressured to indigenize their institutions. What “indigenization” has looked like, however, has varied significantly. Based on the input from an anonymous online survey of 25 Indigenous academics and their allies, we assert that indigenization is a three-part spectrum. On one end is Indigenous inclusion, in the middle reconciliation indigenization, and on the other end decolonial indigenization. We conclude that despite using reconciliatory language, post-secondary institutions in Canada focus predominantly on Indigenous inclusion. We offer two suggestions of policy and praxis—treaty-based decolonial indigenization and resurgence-based decolonial indigenization—to demonstrate a way toward more just Canadian academy. [From Author]

The impact of trauma on learning in post-secondary institutions is largely ignored. However, recent studies on how Aboriginal people experience mental health issues are bringing attention to Aboriginal students' experiences of intergenerational trauma (IGT). IGT occurs when the maladaptive effects of an original trauma experience, such as historic trauma inclusive of Indian Residential Schools (IRS), results in unhealthy effects on the first generation being passed down to the next generation or multiple generations. Given the lengthy history of collective historic trauma experienced by Aboriginal people, it is reasonable to expect that Aboriginal students' learning is affected by IGT. As post-secondary educators, we engaged a limited study to further our knowledge of the impact of IGT on Aboriginal students. We were puzzled by Aboriginal students' attrition within university programs--students we believed who were more than capable of success. We chose to explore this issue from the perspective of trauma-informed education principles (Mordoch & Gaywish, 2011). Building on past work, this qualitative study explores how IGT affects the educational journeys of Aboriginal students. A conceptual framework based on an Anishinabe teaching of Four Lodges (directional)--Talking, Planning, Teaching, and Healing--guided our research. The researchers formulated questions for each Lodge to frame our research on how IGT is understood by students enrolled in select programs for mature Indigenous students. We asked about the effects of IGT in the classroom and the resultant problems students face in their educational journey. Sixteen Indigenous students, 10 instructors, and nine administrators employed in Aboriginal focus or access programs for at least three years participated in semi-structured interview conversations. Findings reflect their perceptions of the interplay between IGT and educational experiences and potential strategies to redress resultant issues. [From Author]

This article is part of a larger study that explored how an Indigenous early intervention programme in British Columbia (BC), Canada, known as the ‘Aboriginal Infant Development Program’ (AIDP), influenced family and children's health and well-being and was responsive to child health inequities. Postcolonial feminist and Indigenous feminist perspectives provided a critical analytical lens to this qualitative inquiry. The study was undertaken with AIDPs based in diverse community organisations located in off-reserve urban municipalities throughout the province of BC. From September 2013 to March 2014, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with: Indigenous primary caregivers (n = 10), Indigenous Elders (n = 4), AIDP workers (n = 18) and administrative leaders (n = 3). The purpose of this article is to examine and analyse the findings that focus on how AIDP workers supported family and children's health and well-being by transforming their routine policies and practices in ways that fostered caregivers' active engagement in their programmes. Findings centre on three main themes: (i) overcoming mistrust; (ii) ‘being willing to move a step forward’ and (iii) resisting what's taken-for-granted. These inter-related themes are examined and discussed in relation to the concept of cultural safety. The findings have international relevancy for social and healthcare community-based programmes that are questioning how to engage with parents who may be hard to reach as a result of multi-faceted social and structural factors. [From Author]

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) continues to renew the nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown, government-to-government relationship between Canada and First Nations, Inuit and Métis; modernize Government of Canada structures to enable Indigenous peoples to build capacity and support their vision of self-determination and lead the Government of Canada's work in the North. [From Website]

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) works collaboratively with partners to improve access to high quality services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Our vision is to support and empower Indigenous peoples to independently deliver services and address the socio-economic conditions in their communities. [From Website]

Find information about health care services and non-insured health benefits (NIHB), careers, how to fight drug and substance use, environmental health, food safety and how to have a healthy pregnancy. [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]

Overview of Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health initiative. Includes background, main objectives and list of relevant centres; including names, descriptions and contact information. [From Website]

In this paper we attempt to counter misconceptions about the silencing of Indigenous voices in mainstream social work. We contend that Indigenous voices are present in several emerging bodies of mainstream social work literature, such as the literature on spirituality and ecosocial work, but most social workers do not hear them because they are more inclined to turn to the crosscultural or anti-oppressive practice literature, predominantly in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively, when seeking answers for issues relating to diversity in social work. Few look to the Indigenous social work literature. Thus the central question this article addresses is ‘what might we learn about diversity and culture from the Indigenous social work literature that might inform mainstream culturally relevant social work practice?’ [From Author]

Riding on the success of Indigenous Social Work Around the World, this book provides case studies to further scholarship on decolonization, a major analytical and activist paradigm among many of the world's Indigenous Peoples, including educators, tribal leaders, activists, scholars, politicians, and citizens at the grassroots level. Decolonization seeks to weaken the effects of colonialism and create opportunities to promote traditional practices in contemporary settings. Establishing language and cultural programs; honouring land claims, teaching Indigenous history, science, and ways of knowing; self-esteem programs, celebrating ceremonies, restoring traditional parenting approaches, tribal rites of passage, traditional foods, and helping and healing using tribal approaches are central to decolonization. These insights are brought to the arena of international social work still dominated by western-based approaches. Decolonization draws attention to the effects of globalization and the universalization of education, methods of practice, and international 'development' that fail to embrace and recognize local knowledges and methods. In this volume, Indigenous and non-Indigenous social work scholars examine local cultures, beliefs, values, and practices as central to decolonization. Supported by a growing interest in spirituality and ecological awareness in international social work, they interrogate trends, issues, and debates in Indigenous social work theory, practice methods, and education models including a section on Indigenous research approaches. The diversity of perspectives, decolonizing methodologies, and the shared struggle to provide effective professional social work interventions is reflected in the international nature of the subject matter and in the mix of contributors who write from their contexts in different countries and cultures, including Australia, Canada, Cuba, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and the USA. [From Publisher]

How can mainstream Western social work learn from and in turn help advance indigenous practice? This volume brings together prominent international scholars involved in both Western and indigenous social work across the globe - including James Midgley, Linda Briskman, Alean Al-Krenawi and John R. Graham - to discuss some of the most significant global trends and issues relating to indigenous and cross-cultural social work. The contributors identify ways in which indigenization is shaping professional social work practice and education, and examine how social work can better address diversity in international exchanges and cross-cultural issues within and between countries. Key theoretical, methodological and service issues and challenges in the indigenization of social work are reviewed, including the way in which adaptation can lead to more effective practices within indigenous communities and emerging economies, and how adaptation can provide greater insight into cross-cultural understanding and practice. [From Publisher]

As a way to consider the possibility of decolonizing discourses of diaspora, the central question posed in this paper asks not only where do people of the diaspora come from, but where have they come to? In North America, nations have been superimposed on Indigenous lands and peoples through colonization and domination. Taking this relation seriously in the context of discourses of race, Indigeneity and diaspora within university classrooms interrupts business as usual and promises a richer analysis of one particular similarity amongst diasporic, as well as settler, groups in North America with possible implications beyond this context. In short, the author asks each reader to respond to the question, “Whose traditional land are you on?” as a step in the long process of decolonizing our countries and our lives. While part of the focus for this paper is on theorizing diaspora, there are obvious implications for all people living in a colonized country. Drawing primarily on three pedagogical strategies and events arising from them, the author takes up some of the possibilities for theory-building that they suggest. Reflections on courses taught, student feedback and texts from Toni Morrison’s "Playing in the Dark" to James Clifford’s “Indigenous Articulations” ground the discussion. [From Author]

In this article, I explore the question, “What is the relationship between appropriation of Indigenous thought and what might be called ‘deep learning’ based in years of education in Indigenous contexts.” Beginning with an examination of meanings ascribed to cultural appropriation, I bring texts from Gee on secondary discourses, Foucault on the production of discourse, and Wertsch on the deep structures underpinning discourse into conversation with critical fieldwork experiences extracted from years of research and teaching. Ultimately hopeful, I conclude the article with direction from Indigenous scholars on appropriate cultural protocol in the use of Indigenous knowledges by non‐Aboriginal people in educational contexts. [From Author]

This article explores the application of two-eyed seeing in the first year of a three-year study about the effectiveness of cultural interventions in First Nations alcohol and drug treatment in Canada. Two-eyed seeing is recognized by Canada’s major health research funder as a starting point for bringing together the strengths of Indigenous and Western ways of knowing. With the aim of developing a culture-based measurement tool, our team carried out an Indigenous-centred research process with our interpretation of two-eyed seeing as a guiding principle. This enabled us to engage in a decolonizing project that prioritized Indigenous methodologies and ways of knowing and knowledge alongside those of Western science. By concentrating on Indigenous governance in the research process, our project supported efforts at Indigenous cultural renewal. Two illustrations are offered, our team’s reconceptualization of Western derived understandings of data collection through Indigenous storytelling and our research grant timeframe with Indigenous knowledge gardening. This article contributes to the Indigenous research and policy literature which is lacking documentation about how Indigenous communities and research teams are benefitting from two-eyed seeing. [From Author]

This article presents the initial development of one Indigenous research paradigm. The article begins with an overview of worldviews and Indigenous knowledge before addressing how these perspectives have been blinded by Eurocentric thought and practices. These sections set the background for the focus of the article, namely the development of an Indigenous research paradigm. This paradigm is based upon the framework shared by Wilson (2001), who suggested that a research paradigm consists of an ontology, epistemology, methodology, and axiology. By presenting Indigenous perspectives on each of the framework components, an Indigenous research paradigm that was used for research with Indigenous Elders and Indigenous social workers who are based within Indigenous worldviews and ways of being is presented. [From Author]

In 2013, the International Indigenous Voices in Social Work Conference was held in Winnipeg, Canada, with Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants from all over the world. This book is a collaboration of works stemming from this conference, and reflects the conference's theme of Indigenous Knowledges: resurgence, implementation and collaboration. As Indigenous scholars and practitioners and non-Indigenous allies, the contributors here see the importance of Indigenous Knowledges for social work and related professions. Furthermore, they recognize that the colonial structures that are in place. [From Publisher]

Understanding Indigenous protocol in land acknowledgements, cultural events, or inviting an Indigenous Elder as a guest is fundamental for respect. [From Website]

You need to submit your email to download the ebook.

The Indian Act is a Canadian federal law that governs in matters pertaining to Indian status, bands, and Indian reserves. Throughout history it has been highly invasive and paternalistic, as it authorizes the Canadian federal government to regulate and administer in the affairs and day-to-day lives of registered Indians and reserve communities. This authority has ranged from overarching political control, such as imposing governing structures on Aboriginal communities in the form of band councils, to control over the rights of Indians to practice their culture and traditions. The Indian Act has also enabled the government to determine the land base of these groups in the form of reserves, and even to define who qualifies as Indian in the form of Indian status. [From Website]

Indigenous storytelling is connected to our homelands and is crucial to the cultural and political resurgence of Indigenous nations. According to Maori scholar Linda Smith, “the talk’ about the colonial past is embedded in our political discourses, our humour, poetry, music,
storytelling, and other common sense ways of passing on both a narrative of history and an attitude about history” . For example, when conveying community narratives of history to future generations, Nuu-chah-nulth peoples have relied on haa-huu-pah as teaching stories or sacred living histories that solidify ancestral and contemporary connections to place. As Nuu-chah-nulth Elder Cha-chin-sun-up states, haa-huu-pah are “What we do when we get up every day to make the world good.” [From Author]

Indigenous knowledge and wisdom continue to guide food and land practices, which may be key to lowering high rates of diabetes and obesity among Indigenous communities. The purpose of this paper is to describe how Indigenous, ancestral, and wise practices around food and land can best be reclaimed, revitalized, and reinvented through the use of an online digital platform. Key informant interviews and focus groups were conducted in order to identify digital data needs for food and land practices. Participants included Indigenous key informants, ranging from elders to farmers. Key questions included: (1) How could an online platform be deemed suitable for Indigenous communities to catalogue food wisdom? (2) What types of information would be useful to classify? (3) What other related needs exist? Researchers analyzed field notes, identified themes, and used a consensual qualitative research approach. Three themes were found, including a need for the appropriate use of Indigenous knowledges and sharing such online, a need for community control of Indigenous knowledges, and a need and desire to share wise practices with others online. An online Food Wisdom Repository that contributes to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples through cultural continuity appears appropriate if it follows the outlined needs. [From Author]

Healing the legacy of the residential schools. Between 1831 and 1996, residential schools operated in Canada through arrangements between the Government of Canada and the church. One common objective defined this period — the assimilation of Aboriginal children.[From Website]

Museums as colonial institutions are filled with the tensions and contradictions of competing discourses. This makes them complex sites of public pedagogy and informal adult education and learning. But they are also becoming important spaces of counter-narrative, self-representation, and resistance as Indigenous artists and curators intervene, and thus key spaces for settler education and truth telling about colonialism. My study inquires into the pedagogies of Cree artist Kent Monkman’s touring exhibition Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience through the lens of my own unsettling as I engage autoethnographically with the exhibition. I highlight the unsettling pedagogical potentials of Monkman’s exhibition and contend that, as a site of experiential learning that challenges Euro-Western epistemologies and pedagogies with more holistic, relational, storied approaches, the exhibition offers much to unsettle and inform public pedagogy and adult education theory, practice, and research within and beyond museums. [From Author]

As told by Chief Joe Capilano and recorded in "Legends of Vancouver: The Siwash Rock" This text is copied from canadianpoetry.ca. Click on view record in Zotero in order to download attachment.

Achievement gaps between underrepresented minority (URM) students and their white peers in college science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classrooms are persistent across many white-majority institutions of higher education. Attempts to reduce this phenomenon of underperformance through increasing classroom structure via active learning have been partially successful. In this study, we address the hypothesis that the achievement gap between white and URM students in an undergraduate biology course has a psychological and emotional component arising from stereotype threat. Specifically, we introduced a values affirmation exercise that counters stereotype threat by reinforcing a student’s feelings of integrity and self-worth in three iterations of an intensive active-learning college biology course. On average, this exercise reduced the achievement gap between URM and white students who entered the course with the same incoming grade point average. This result suggests that achievement gaps resulting from the underperformance of URM students could be mitigated by providing students with a learning environment that removes psychological and emotional impediments of performance through short psychosocial interventions. [From Author]

Indigenous peoples throughout the world have sustained their unique world views and associated knowledge systems for millennia. Many core values, beliefs, and practices associated with those world views have an adaptive integrity that is as valid today as in the past. However, traditional educational processes to transmit indigenous beliefs and practices have frequently conflicted with Western formal schooling and its world view. This paper examines the relationship between Native ways of knowing and those associated with Western science and formalized schooling in order to provide a basis for an education system that respects the philosophical and pedagogical foundations of both cultural traditions. Although examples are drawn from the Alaska Native context, they illustrate issues that emerge anywhere that efforts are underway to reconnect education to a sense of place. Elements of indigenous and Western world views are contrasted. Vignettes and examples depict the obstacles to communication between state agency personnel and local elders discussing wildlife and ecology issues; a cross-cultural immersion program for non-Native educators, held at a remote camp with Native elders as instructors; areas of common ground across world views; and indigenous implications for a pedagogy of place. Educational applications of four indigenous views are discussed: long-term perspective, interconnectedness of all things, adaptation to change, and commitment to the commons. [From Author]