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Indigenous Ingenuity: Timeless Inventions (video, 1:06:30)

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Interactive map of Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages.

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Mapping

We strive to map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages across the world in a way that goes beyond colonial ways of thinking in order to better represent how Indigenous people want to see themselves.

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Native Land is a resource to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, lands, and ways of life. We welcome you to our site.

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Explore the events leading up to the Battle of Seven Oaks in the first installment of the A Girl Called Echo series.

Echo Desjardins, a 13-year-old Métis girl adjusting to a new home and school, is struggling with loneliness while separated from her mother. Then an ordinary day in Mr. Bee's history class turns extraordinary, and Echo's life will never be the same. During Mr. Bee's lecture, Echo finds herself transported to another time and place-a bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie-and back again to the present. In the following weeks, Echo slips back and forth in time. She visits a Métis camp, travels the old fur-trade routes, and experiences the perilous and bygone era of the Pemmican Wars.

Pemmican Wars is the first graphic novel in a new series, A Girl Called Echo, by Governor General Award-winning writer, and author of Highwater Press' The Seven Teaching Stories, Katherena Vermette.

Nominated, In The Margins Fiction Recommended Book List 2019

Winner, Prix Aurora-Boréal, Meilleure bande dessinée 2022

Henderson's realistic art and perfect pacing, particularly in the pages of wordless panels depicting Echo's daily routine, highlight her silent nature and hint at the source of her unspoken sadness. Solitary teens are likely to strongly identify with Echo and look forward to more of her adventures.
Booklist

In this YA graphic novel, an alienated Métis girl learns about her people's Canadian history. [. ..] A sparse, beautifully drawn story about a teen discovering her heritage.
Kirkus Reviews

Vermette expertly juxtaposes the isolation of an aboriginal teen in the current day with the emphasis on working together in traditional Métis communities. Henderson's artwork and Yaciuk's colours help to emphasize the differences between the past and present, as gorgeous prairie panoramas in vibrant hues contrast with crowded, dingy hallways and buses. [. ..] This reviewer is eagerly awaiting the second volume of the series.
Roseanne Gauthier, National Reading Campaign

The carefully constructed panels and sparse, meaningful dialogue skillfully remind us the past is never truly in the past but constantly living with us in the present. A Girl Called Echo is a series to watch. Alicia Elliott, THIS Magazine

Recognition is due Katherena Vermette's collaborators on Echo - illustrator Scott B. Henderson and color artist Donovan Yaciuk. Because Echo speaks so seldom, it's on the illustrations to convey key details about her life. And they do so with subtlety and grace!

Jean Mendoza, American Indians in Children's Literature

Strong use of comics technique, a unique examination of a fascinating time of history, and the thoughtful narration by an aboriginal teen make this a must-read and a strong classroom or library choice.
Meghann Meeusen, VOYA Magazine

...feelings of alienation, of loneliness, of not belonging, either at home or at school, are experienced by both genders and those teens - male or female - who eat their lunch alone and wander the halls without friends will understand Echo's plight. Recommended. Joanne Peters, CM Magazine

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Echo Desjardins, a 13-year-old Métis girl adjusting to a new home and school, is struggling with loneliness while separated from her mother. Then an ordinary day in Mr. Bee's history class turns extraordinary, ...

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Short article in the Indigenous Atlas of Canada on place names.

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Place Names

Lynn Peplinski is the traditional place names manager for Nunavut's Inuit Heritage Trust. Her mandate is to preserve, enrich and protect the Inuit heritage and identity embodied in Nunavut's archeological sites, ethnographic resources and traditional place names. Peplinski's primary focus is on the Place Names Program, which records Elders' place names knowledge and places this information on maps to share with communities.

Indigenous people around the world have been naming their spaces, as indeed all peoples have, since time immemorial. Everyone names their spaces, and most of the world is referring to modified or "built" spaces. Down the street, up the hill, at the park, uptown, downtown, across town, the ghetto, the four corners, the corner store - these are all informal spatial references that may be shared by residents of a given town. Inuit, who made the natural environment their home, also named their spaces. Families who lived and hunted on the Land applied names to help them remember where the currents, the caribou crossings, the seagull nesting sites and a myriad of other landmarks were located.

When families lived on the Land and shared their knowledge amongst themselves, maps were not needed.

When places are signi cant for any reason, they are named, for how else can one speak of the place in conversation with another? In many Indigenous cultures, place names are descriptive, but not necessarily unique, as is the case with western or European naming. For example, in the Sanikiluaq area, there are a dozen bays simply named "Kangiqsualuk" (large bay). While there may be one hundred bays without names, these dozen are signi cant enough to be named, perhaps due to their relative association with other geographical features along routes, but otherwise do not merit more descriptive, unique names. When these bays are spoken of, they are mentioned in context with other nearby named places, thus eliminating confusion.

The airport in Quaqtaq, Nunavik (northern Quebec).

Across Inuit Nunangat there are places called Upirngivik (spring camping), Aulattivik (peninsulas where animals were hunted), Uivvaq (where you have to go around) or simply Tasiq (lake) or Qikiqtarjuaq (big island). The names spring from local language and, for Inuktut speakers, evoke mental images of these places. Islands named Taqtu (kidney) or Ummanna (heart-shaped) or Qaiqsu (bedrock) instantly communicate shape and texture and, when passing in proximity, recognition.

When families lived on the Land and shared their knowledge among themselves, maps were not needed. Once Inuit moved into established settlements and away from their traditional hunting grounds, however, the risk of losing all their traditional knowledge became a reality. In the past, Inuit, with their intimate knowledge of the Land, would travel to obtain food in every season. Their very survival depended on their abilities to record, remember and communicate that knowledge. Today, the traditional lifestyle and sharing of inter-generational knowledge has changed. Children do not automatically travel with their parents and learn about the Land, and hunters may have only weekends in which to hunt. Many of today's settlements may be a great distance from the old camps. The impressive volume of traditional place names, which constitutes a tangible inventory of Inuit environmental knowledge, needs to find its way onto maps in order to endure into the future.

Thousands of traditional place names have been made official in recent years across Inuit Nunangat. Inuit organizations are producing maps with Inuktut place names to enable the Elders' knowledge to continue to be shared across generations.

Provinces and territories in Canada are responsible for geographical naming within their boundaries. In Nunavut, for example, about 10,000 names need to be added to Canada's corpus of official names - a process that has been ongoing since the territory was established in 1999. In many Inuit jurisdictions, preparation for land claims negotiations have gone hand in hand with place names surveys, as Inuit assert their rights over their traditional territories.

The distribution of traditional place names indicates the incredible extent of Inuit land use and occupancy across vast stretches of territory. Inuit, despite the changes they've experienced in the past decades, continue to have a strong association with the Land, and a continued reliance on subsistence hunting. The place names of their ancestors are brimming with helpful information about hazards, harbours, currents, routes, good camping areas, fishing lakes and walrus haul-outs, all of which assist travellers on their journeys.

With the passage of time, there are fewer Elders who grew up and travelled on the Land with their families who can still pass down expert knowledge. Place names research that culminates in the names being made official is essential to preserving this tangible source of traditional knowledge for tomorrow's generations.

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Indigenous people around the world have been naming their spaces, as indeed all peoples have, since time immemorial. Everyone names their spaces, and most of the world is referring to modified or "built" spaces.

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Examples of Indigenous place names associated with Parks Canada

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Nearly all of Parks Canada special natural and cultural places have been traditionally used by Indigenous peoples long before Canada became a country.

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Stories from the Land : Indigenous Place Names in Canada

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The Canadian Encyclopedia

Places Names (including the Indigenous origins of province names): https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/place-names

Largest cities in Canada with Indigenous Name (including Toronto): https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/largest-cities-in-canada-with-an-indigenous-name

30 Indigenous Place Names and their Meanings: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/30-indigenous-place-names-and-their-meanings

Indigenous Names of Streets in Canada: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-names-of-streets-in-canada

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Author of "A Girl Called Echo" series, which starts with Volume 1: Pemmican Wars

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Home About All Children's/Young Adult Novels Poetry Film All Events Announcements Press Contact katherena vermette (she/her/hers) is a Michif writer from Treaty 1 territory, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

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Research guides: The Indigenous History of Tkaronto: Biindigen Welcome

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Resources for Working in good ways:

a framework and resources for Indigenous community engagement

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University of Manitoba - Working in good ways

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The Working in Good Ways project offers practical strategies that community engaged learning practitioners can apply at different stages of their work with Indigenous communities. We hope you find these resources helpful in your own partnership contexts.

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Shop for Indigenous owned and made goods!

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Canada’s favourite Indigenous retailer aaniin retail inc. houses dozens of Indigenous brands and businesses. Selling apparel, jewelry, accessories, and more (home goods, beauty, decor) based in Toronto. Shop Indigenous fashion and accessories online or in store now.

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"Co-developed with Indigenous, provincial, and territorial partners, Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families will finally enshrine into law what Indigenous peoples across Canada have asked of governments for decades: to affirm and recognize their jurisdiction over child and family services"

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Bill C-92: An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families receives Royal Assent - Canada.ca

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Reducing the number of Indigenous children in care continues to be one of the Government of Canada’s most important priorities.

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"Where is Cleo? Taken by child welfare workers in the 1970’s and adopted in the U.S., the young Cree girl’s family believes she was raped and murdered while hitchhiking back home to Saskatchewan. CBC news investigative reporter Connie Walker joins the search to find out what really happened to Cleo. For the best in true crime from CBC, ad-free, visit apple.co/cbctruecrime."

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Where is Cleo? Taken by child welfare workers in the 1970's and adopted in the U.S., the young Cree girl's family believes she was raped and murdered while hitchhiking back home to Saskatchewan. CBC news investigative reporter Connie Walker joins the search to find out what really happened to Cleo. For the best in true crime from CBC, ad-free, visit apple.co/cbctruecrime.

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Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen

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Where is Cleo? Taken by child welfare workers in the 1970's and adopted in the U.S., the young Cree girl's family believes she was raped and murdered while hitchhiking back home to Saskatchewan. CBC news investigative reporter Connie Walker joins the search to find out what really happened to Cleo.

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Anishinaabe Star Knowledge

Article first printed in Winds of Change, v17 n3 p52-56 Sum 2002, ISSN-0888-8612.

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Anishinaabe Star Knowledge

This article was first printed in Winds of Change, v17 n3 p52-56 Sum 2002, ISSN-0888-8612.

I was never so touched by indigenous knowledge as I was during the Naming Ceremony of my 4-month-old son. A highly respected Anishinaabe Elder, Tobasanokwut Kinew, came down from Winnipeg, Canada to do the ceremony. It was a cold day in early March near Bemidji, Minnesota , with blizzard - like conditions and freezing temperatures. I had given him "Asemaa" or tobacco several weeks prior, respectfully requesting the ceremony.

The name that he gave to my son was "Gizhebaa Giizhig," which means "Revolving Sky." The name, Gizhebaa Giizhig, refers to the circular movement of the sky throughout the year. It refers to the circular movement of the sun, moon, stars and seasons. "Gizhebaa" also refers to people dancing in a circular fashion around the drum arbor at powwows. That mystical movement around a source of energy is reflected in the name of Gizhebaa Giizhig.

This ancient knowledge came from watching the stars move to different regions in the night sky throughout the year and observing the relationship between seasonal changes and stellar movement.

Tobasanokwut said, "If the naming ceremonies are performed as they should be, the teachings, history and culture of our people can be found in the names of Anishinaabe people." The sacred knowledge of the natural world is inherent in the language.

In the weeks following that ceremony, I became obsessed in seeking out the star knowledge of my ancestors, the Anishinaabe people (also referred to as Chippewa or Ojibway). For the first time in my life, I felt a connection to the star world through my son's naming ceremony.

That feeling of "connection" constitutes the difference between western science and the indigenous perspective of the natural world. For me, the star world has a totally different meaning than when I was a college student struggling with the mathematical calculations of physics and astronomy. I believe that this spiritual connection or kinship with the natural world is what defined and sustained Native American communities for thousands of years before the dawn of industrialized society.

The landscape of the Great Lakes region, weather patterns, sun and moon, revolving star patterns, bird and animal migrations are affirmations of who we are, what we believe, why we exist, and how we make sense of the world around us.

Understanding the synchronicity of these cycles, as well as the physical and metaphysical essences of creation, make up the cosmology of the Anishinaabek.

Because stars move from east to west, the Anishinaabe believe that when we die, our spirits travel to "Ningaabii'anong;" the Western sky. The Anishinaabek also believe that new life and knowledge emerge from "Waabanong ; " the eastern sky. Thus, many ceremonies and traditions reflect these cardinal directions. From the Western scientific standpoint, we know that it's not the stars that are revolving, but the earth that is actually revolving. But, this scientific fact is part of the Western scientific paradigm and not part of the Anishinaabek cosmology.

The constellations and star knowledge relate to seasonal changes, subsistence activities, ceremonies and storytelling of the Anishinaabek. Seasonal changes correlate with the movement of stellar constellations, which, in turn, are reflected in tribal stories and ceremonies.

Anishinaabek Constellations

The constellations and star knowledge relate to seasonal changes, subsistence activities, ceremonies and storytelling of the Anishinaabek. Seasonal changes correlate with the movement of stellar constellations, which, in turn, are reflected in tribal stories and ceremonies.

The Anishinaabek, keen observers of cosmological and ecological relationships, evolved traditions and ceremonies from this knowledge. All knowledge is interconnected. Knowledge was generally passed down through the "Midewiwin," a society of healers and spiritual leaders, or the "Waabanowin," the Society of the Dawn. Today, college and university level curricula integrate this knowledge at tribal colleges across the country. The sacred teachings and ceremonies of the Anishinaabek are still reserved for the "Midewiwin."

The Anishinaabe constellation, "Bugonagiizhig Hole in the Sky," is the star cluster known as Pleiades. The seven stars represent the opening between the Earth and the star world.

This "Hole in the Sky" leads to the spirit world. These seven stars also represent the seven poles used in the construction of the Jiisakaan Shaking Tent Ceremony," "Bugonagiizhig," a winter constellation that rises in the northeast sky in October and makes its way across the winter sky, sinks below the northwest horizon in late March, becoming invisible from April through August. Other Anishinaabek communities refer to Pleiades as "Madoo'asinug Sweating Stones." The even stars in this constellation represent the seven stones used in the weatlodge ceremony.

The "Madoodiswan," or "Sweatlodge," is the constellation also known as the Corona Borealis. Characterized as a group of stars in a circular pattern with the door of the lodge opening to the north/northeast, it rises in the northeast sky in March and disappears on the horizon in September. The "Sweatlodge" constellation is directly overhead during the early evenings of June, yet is not seen for six months throughout the winter.

The most well-known constellation is the Big Dipper or Ursa Major. To the Anishinaabe, the Big Dipper is part of the constellation "Ojiig'anung Fisher Star." "Ojiig'anung" lies just above the horizon from October to December. In December, it emerges in the northeast sky. Throughout the long winter, the Fisher makes its way across the night sky. The Anishinaabek knew that spring was close when "Ojiig'anung" was directly overhead in the early evenings.

Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793-1864) had recorded the story of the "Ojiig'anung (The Fisher)," but did not make the connection between the story and the rise of the constellation in early spring. The rise of "Ojiig'anung" was also an indication that it was time to prepare for "Aninaatig ozhiga'igewin tapping of the maple trees."

Carl Gawboy, an Anishinaabe artist from the Bois Forte Reservation, suggested that some of the cliff paintings found at Hegman Lake and on the shores of Lake Superior are actually star constellations. This knowledge came through his father and grandfather.

Gawboy points out several rock paintings that can be mapped out in the star world: The Fisher, Great Panther, Sweatlodge, Wintermaker and Moose. "Mishi bizhiw," or the Great Lynx, is another constellation that emerges in the late winter skies.

Because the lynx is known to be a somewhat dangerous animal, this constellation is a reminder that the north woods, especially during the transition time between winter and spring, can be dangerous. Thinning ice on the lakes and rivers, hard crust on the snow, flooding, and unpredictable snowstorms are characteristic of the Great Lakes region during this time.

The constellation, "Mishi bizhiw," consists of the two constellations of Leo and Hydra. The head of Leo makes up the long curled tail, while the head of Hydra makes up the head of the Great Lynx.

Polaris, or the North Star, is known as "Giwedin'anung Star of the North." "Giwedin'anung" was used in determining the four cardinal directions as well as navigating through the Great Lakes region at night. "Giwedin'anung" is part of the constellation known as "Maang The Loon." The Loon constellation comprises the starsof the Little Dipper. "Giwedin'anung" is located at the tip of the tail feathers of the Loon constellation.

According to the Dictionary of the Ojibway Language (1878) by Frederic Baraga, the Anishinaabek word for Milky Way is spelled "tchibekina." I had asked several Elders in the area what that word meant, but no one knew. Finally, George Goggleye, an Elder from the Leech Lake Reservation, said that Baraga had spelled it wrong. It was actually pronounced "jiibay kona" (jiibay = spirit; kona = path), which meant "Spirit Path."

The rock pictographs at Hegman Lake in Canada, which show three canoes traveling in the same direction, may indicate the "jiibay kona" or Milky Way. Carl Gawboy believes that, since there are no star patterns that exhibit three canoes, the pictographs actually represent spirits traveling the "spirit path" in celestial canoes. The Milky Way was believed to be the path that spirits followed to the spirit world after death.

Many tribal traditions and stories originated from actual observations that occurred centuries ago, but are still preserved in tribal oral traditions.

Catastrophic Events from the Star World

In his book, Red Earth, White Lies, Vine Deloria, Jr., Hunkpapa Lakota, stated that natural and catastrophic events throughout the Earth's history and within the timeframe of human memory, are contained in tribal stories and traditions. Many tribal traditions and stories originated from actual observations that occurred centuries ago, but are still preserved in tribal oral traditions.

Tobasanokwut Kinew told me the story of the wolverine and the shooting star. The Anishinaabe word for the wolverine is "Gwiingwa'aage" which means "The One Who Came from the Shooting Star."

There were four star spirits soaring through the night sky.

One of the four spirits was belligerent and illtempered. While soaring through the night sky, the contentious star spirit, in an attempt to startle and scare everyone on Earth, flew too close, lost control, and collided with the Earth.

The spirit left a huge crater in the Earth where it hit. The Anishinaabek, who were familiar with the antics of that particular star spirit, cautiously xamined the crater and continued to observe it for several years. Over time, it filled with water and became a lake. Eventually, trees and grasses began to grow on its banks.

One day, an unusual animal emerged from this lake; an animal that the Anishinaabek had never seen before. It had a vicious and ill-tempered disposition. It was said that this animal was the star spirit that hit the Earth long ago. So, the Anishinaabe called this animal "Gwiingwa'aage" ("Gwiingwa" shooting star; "aage"—originating from). Contained within the Anishinaabename for the wolverine is the occurrence, recorded in oral tradition, of a meteorite colliding with the Earth long ago. That crater still exists today in northwestern Quebec, Canada.

Another story was told by Fred Pine, an Anishinaabe Elder from Garden River First Nations, near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

In the story, "Genondahway'anungg Long-Tailed Heavenly Climbing Star" hit and scorched the Earth long ago. The Great Spirit, "Gchi'Manitou," warned the Anishinaabek ahead of time about the approaching star, and so they fled to a bog and rolled themselves up in the moss and mud to protect themselves. Only the Anishinaabek who maintained their spiritual beliefs heard the warning of "Gchi'Manitou." When the star hit, its fiery tail spread out over the entire landscape. Nothing survived the heat. The giant animals and trees were all killed off.

Only those Anishinaabek who rolled up in the moss and mud lived to tell this story. The story of "Genondahway'anung" is an account of an astronomical event that was recorded within the oral tradition of the Anishinaabek. This catastrophic event cannot be dated exactly, but may have possibly coincided with the Great Firestorm of 1871, which was caused by fragments of the tail of Biela's Comet disintegrating over Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. In 1832, Beila's Comet, on its orbiting path, just missed colliding with the Earth by one month.

Because of the close proximity with the Earth's gravitational field, Beila's Comet split into two trajectories and became two comets approximately 16,000 miles apart. The comets were observed in 1839 and 1846, but suddenly disappeared. It wasn't until October 8, 1871, that the simultaneous firestorms broke out across the upper Midwest.

The fall of 1871 was particularly dry which made vegetation vulnerable to fire. Because the Earth passed through its orbital path, scientists theorized that the fires were caused by debris from the disintegrated tail of Beila's Comet. Witnesses in Peshtigo, Wisconsin made mention of "fire coming from the heavens." The story of "Genondahway'anung" resembles the events surrounding the mysterious conflagration.

The stories of "Genondahway'anung" and "Gwiingwa'aage" also resemble the Tunguska Blast of 1908, where a meteorite crashed into the Tunguska River region of Siberia, Russia. The Tungus tribes people, an indigenous group in Siberia, and some Russian fur trappers witnessed the gigantic fireball with its long, fiery tail just before it impacted the Earth. The blast incinerated and leveled an area approximately 1,240 square miles. Trees were felled in an outward direction from the epicenter of the crater.

Afterwards, witnesses recalled "black rain" in which airborne ash and debris from the blast mixed with the rain. Shockwaves, through the Earth's crust, pulsated approximately 620 miles in all directions.

Halleyís Comet, the brightest and most spectacular of all comets, becomes visible on its orbiting path every 75 years.The Anishinaabek at Garden River First Nations have recorded accounts within their oral history of Halleyís Comet in 1834 and 1908.

Halley's Comet The Prophecy Star

Halley's Comet, the brightest and most spectacular of all comets, becomes visible on its orbiting path every 75 years. The Anishinaabek at Garden River First Nations have recorded accounts within their oral history of Halley's Comet in 1834 and 1908. There are several names among neighboring Anishinaabek communities for Halley's Comet, which include: Gitchi'Anung ( Great Star), Wazoowaad Anung (long-tailed star) or No'aachiigay Anung (prophecy star).

The story of the Prophecy Star tells that, when nature comes out of balance and people lose their spiritual path and purpose, a star spirit would return and destroy the earth. In 1994, when scientists observed the Shoemaker- Levy-9 Comet crashing into the southern hemisphere of Jupiter, it was now apparent to the scientific community that the Earth is vulnerable to collisions with comets or asteroids of apocalyptic proportions.

The story of the "No'aachiigay Anung," reminds Anishinaabek of this fateful and potential reality through tribal oral traditions.

As I learn more and more, I am realizing that indigenous knowledge not only describes natural events and phenomena, but also relates that nowledge to our everyday lives as Native Americans. Even though the scientific understanding of the stars and planets is exact and empirically measured, it has little to no relevance to those who have not engaged the discipline of astronomy.

Through my son's naming ceremony, I am connected to the celestial movement of the heavens. By knowing the constellations, the teachings and ceremonies of my ancestors are presented with each season. It is my hope that this star knowledge is revitalized in our communities, so that one glance in the night sky will reveal the cultural worldview and philosophy of the Anishinaabe people.

- Michael Wassegijig Price, Wikwemikong First Nations

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This article was first printed in Winds of Change, v17 n3 p52-56 Sum 2002, ISSN-0888-8612. I was never so touched by indigenous knowledge as I was during the Naming Ceremony of my 4-month-old son. A highly respected Anishinaabe Elder, Tobasanokwut Kinew, came down from Winnipeg, Canada to do the ceremony.

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Explore sky stories and related constellations

The links about stars provided on the bottom page provide both International Astronomical Union constellation descriptions and the associated traditional Indigenous Sky Stories.

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The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory is located under the starry skies of the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).

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Ojiig, the Fisher and Maang, the Loon, superimposed on the traditional “Western/Greek” constellations. Credit: Close up, “Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan – Ojibwe Sky Star Map”, created by A. Lee, W. Wilson, C. Gawboy, ©2012

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Stories in the stars / Pride in our hearts

Post from Will Morin, Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Sudbury and Bruce Waters, former educator at the McLaughlin Planetarium and founder of the Killarney Provincial Park Observatory.

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Today's post comes from Will Morin, Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Sudbury and Bruce Waters, former educator at the McLaughlin Planetarium and founder of the Killarney Provincial Park Observatory.
It's time we learn the astronomical traditions of the diverse Indigenous cultures in the Americas.

For those of us who visit our more remote Ontario Parks, the view of the night sky is spectacular. Away from city lights, in the heart of the woodlands, the stars beckon, calling to you with their diamond-like splendor, challenging you to both admire and to understand them.

For thousands of years, our ancestors looked up at the night sky and successfully found a way to relate our souls and spirits to those ever-present glimmers in the darkness. At the end of the day, once all the chores had been completed, communities might gather at a local place to relate the day's adventures and to pass on the lessons from one generation to the next.

Often, under a canopy of tens of thousands of stars, the ancients reflected deeply upon our eternal stories of gods, good times and bad, personal development, hope, and desire. The elders of these communities would retell origin stories or related cultural teachings and it should come as no surprise that those stories took their place amongst the patterns of stars above them, to be looked upon for all eternity.

So do we have more than one way to appreciate those star stories? The answer is, unequivocally, yes!

Cultures all over the world created their own constellations that reflected the stories that were important to them

For example, the pattern known as the Big Dipper (three stars in a handle and four in a bowl, see below) is not an official Greek constellation, but a popular asterism that is part of a larger constellation known as the Great Bear or Ursa Major and is of ancient Greek origin.

The stars of the Big Dipper itself formed the African "Drinking Gourd," the pattern of stars used by enslaved African Americans as they followed the Underground Railroad north.

There are 88 constellations that have become officially recognized around the world as a common reference. Most of these were created in ancient Babylon and incorporated into the knowledge of the ancient Greeks.

However, many cultures saw different patterns in the stars and gave them constellation names that were important to them. For example, the British saw the (Big Dipper) stars in the region of Ursa Major as the "Plough." The Germans saw it as a "Wagon," whereas Hindu people saw it as the "Septarshi," with each star being one of the Seven Sages.

The people of the Middle East saw it as a funeral procession with the four stars of the Big Dipper's bowl being the coffin, and the three stars of the handle being the pall bearers. The Chinese saw it as the seat of governmental power.

But what about the stories of those who lived in Ontario long before colonization: the Indigenous peoples?

Indigenous astronomy

To understand the star stories of the Indigenous peoples, we need to understand the geography of which we speak.

The Indigenous peoples of the woodlands of North America were and are the Anishinaabek, "people who were lowered [to Earth]." To the south of them were and are the Haudenosaunee, the "people of the long house" (often known as the Iroquois).

Both cultural groups shared many cultural elements, but were linguistically as different and diverse as the various European cultural groups. Each group had many different tribal and dialect groupings within the diverse geography around the Great Lakes and beyond in all directions.

the Anishinaabek: Ojibway, Odawa, Potawatami around the Great Lakes, Algonquian to the eastern woodlands, and Cree to the north and west of the woodland

the Haudenosaunee Confederacy: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora in many communities southeast of the Great Lakes

To understand these various tribes and their cultural diversity, we would have to experience the context in which they lived, including their geography and their relationship with the land, sky, and stars in each season.

Only from this vantage point can we understand the Indigenous culture or teachings, which is necessary before you can truly understand their stories. You can view this map to see your own region.

Star stories / Anangoonh Aadizokaanan

Like the European colonization of the land, so too was there an imposition of European star stories upon the already existing and rich stories of the Americas.

The existing Indigenous star stories were not just stories of "higher beings" and their often-amorous encounters, but were seen as part of an all-encompassing perspective of life and spirituality. Everything; the plants, animals, water, sky, and air were interwoven together in a complex web of life, understanding, and respect. The stars were a key part of that understanding narrative.

Anishinaabemowin, the language of the Anishinaabe, is a language of action and doing. That very language speaks of the science that's out there in space, how something functions and its state of being. These ideas are all necessary to provide the context of Indigenous astronomy.

To the Anishinaabe, stars are animate because they move and have a spirit. Spirituality plays a big part in the universe because of both movement and energy. The Anishinaabek creator got his/her idea of creating the clans from the stars so everything starts with the stars. Learning to understand the stars is extremely important in aiding to predict both the weather and seasonal migration and other activities important in one's life.

For example, in this part of the world, we experience the four seasons which, to many Indigenous, were marked by key events:

Fall: Moose hunt, procuring necessary food and materials to last through the Winter

Winter: storytelling and family time, reconnecting with one another

Spring: breakup of the ice, seasonal flooding, and danger

Summer: trapping and more leisure time

Significantly, the constellations of the Ojibwe sky are filled with stories that speak to and around the key themes that gain dominance during a particular season's night sky. For example, in the Fall sky there is the large constellation of a Moose which becomes the focus of the night sky at that time of the year. Similarly, the Fall was also the time of the Moose hunt, in which many a person was involved in either the hunting or the harvesting of the Moose.

During the spring, there is the danger of falling through the breaking ice and being swept away. Often, at this time of the year, one can here creaking and groaning from under the ice. Not surprisingly, the constellation that represents this time of the year AND is well placed in the night sky is the water panther/lynx whose tail would thrash through the ice endangering the lives of many.

The Indigenous constellations provide the rich perspective of an integrated understanding of life and death that serve as a constant reminder as to how one should live their life. Other constellations provided additional stories that would serve to both further an understanding of the world as well as the providing of an important moral or way to live one's life.

So what patterns of stars do the Indigenous people see near the Big Dipper?

The Haudenosaunee saw a bear within the Ursa Major region, but the bear itself was the bowl of the dipper and the "tail" was actually three hunter birds chasing the bear.

This story would seem to fit the pattern of stars better than the more well-known "Great Bear," as the bear's enormous tail (bears actually have very small tails) is eliminated altogether. It also helps to remind us of the leaves changing colour when the bear is low in the sky, or reminding us of the colouring of a robin.

To the Anishinaabek people, this pattern of stars wasn't a bear at all, but Ojiig the Fisher (pronounced, Oh-JEEG with an emphasis on the second syllable).

By being both strong and brave, Ojiig rescued the birds of summer, but at the cost of his own life (see the arrow in his tail in the picture above).

To commemorate his bravery, his image was placed amongst the stars for all to see. The stars within the region of the Little Bear was known to the Anishinaabek as Maang the Loon (pronounced, MAHng). Both Ojiig and Maang are beautiful constellations that fit the asterisms that they occupy, and are just a few of the constellations that are known to the Indigenous people.

Knowledge Keeping

According to the elders of various communities, there was a time long ago when every star had a name or connection to a constellation, each with its own stories to tell and lessons to learn. That information, and much more, has been all but lost to us in our present-day as a direct result of colonization and the disruption or outright banning of traditional knowledge sharing and practices.

Fortunately for us, there have been Knowledge Carriers and Elders who have passed down oral knowledge from generation to generation. Their star stories, as well as those found on birchbark scrolls, served as a memory tool to enable community leaders to continue the traditions and pass on the knowledge they knew.

In the last decade, amazing people and organizations such as Native Skywatchers, Wilfred Buck, the Star Guy, and Annete S. Lee, William P. Wilson and Carl Gawboy's " Ojibwe Sky Star Map " have assembled this knowledge with extensive research, filling in the some of the lost information, and creating beautiful imagery to match the beauty of the stories themselves.

Connecting to the stories of those people who lived in Ontario long before colonization, the Indigenous peoples, is an act of shifting perspective and respect. We owe it to ourselves as well as to those who were here before us to learn these stories.
Will Morin is a Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Sudbury and a former interim-leader of the First Peoples National Party of Canada. He is an active artist and cultural advocate for First Nation's rights and has worked tirelessly for over two decades to represent Indigenous peoples' interests and perspectives to non-Indigenous Canadians.
Bruce Waters has been teaching astronomy to the public since 1980. He is a former educator at the McLaughlin Planetarium, founder of the Killarney Provincial Park Observatory, and science writer. He has authored the book A Camper's Guide to the Universe and is a frequent contributor to the monthly Ontario Parks' "Eyes on the Skies" blog.
The authors wish to thank the Elders and Knowledge Carriers at the Wiikwemkoong Heritage Organization for their review and feedback on this article most notably, Brian Peltier and Madeline W emigwans.

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Stories in the stars / Pride in our hearts

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Today's post comes from Will Morin, Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Sudbury and Bruce Waters, former educator at the McLaughlin Planetarium and founder of the Killarney Provincial Park Observatory. It's time we learn the astronomical traditions of the diverse Indigenous cultures in the Americas.

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Atchakosuk, First Nations Astronomy (PDF)

Access the presentation slide deck by science facilitator Wilfred Buck that teaches about the night sky from a First Nations perspective.

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Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre Inc. - Made by First Nations, for First Nations.

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First Nations Astronomy - Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre Inc.

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In This Section First Nations Astronomy “Every culture in the Northern Hemisphere saw they same sky at night, and they all had their own constellations, mythologies and teachings.” A Short Course Atchakosuk, First Nations Astronomy (PDF) A presentation by science facilitator Wilfred Buck that teaches about the night sky from a First Nations perspective. DOWNLOAD For

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The Anishinaabe clans in the everlasting night sky

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Star Stories, part 9: Ojibwe Indigenous Star Map - An Artist's Rendition

The cosmic lodge as seen through Anishinaabe eyes: A pictorial guide to the Ojibwe names of planets, stars, and clan-related star constellations

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Ojibwe Star Map | Anishinaabe Star Stories

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The cosmic lodge seen through Indigenous Anishinaabe Eyes: a pictorial guide to the Ojibwe names of stars and clan-related constellations.

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Relearning The Star Stories Of Indigenous Peoples

How the lost constellations of Indigenous North Americans can connect culture, science, and inspire the next generation of scientists.

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Listen to a conversation on Science Friday about the historical role of science in indigenous communities and considering a broader definition of science.

"They're coming out," says Wilfred Buck. "They're starting to come out."

It's a freezing cold night on the shore of Lake Winnipeg in rural Manitoba, Canada, and we are waiting for the stars. It's early May, but I'm wearing three sweaters and huddled next to a crackling, popping campfire, listening to Buck tell us the stories behind constellations I've never heard of until tonight.

"Right below the grandmother spider is the Pleiades, the seven sisters," says Buck. "And that's called Pakone Kisik. The hole in the sky. And the hole in the sky is where we come from."

Wilfred is Cree, also known as Ininew, one of Canada's largest First Nations groups. He's telling us stories he's gathered from indigenous communities across Manitoba-like how the Star Woman saw Earth from another dimension, fell through the hole in the sky, and became the first human on this planet.

"We come from the stars," Buck says.

When most of us look at the night sky, we're used to seeing stories not of indigenous origin, but of Greek or Roman: Andromeda chained to a rock, Perseus staring down a sea monster, Hercules slaying a lion. But just as the people of early Western civilizations looked to the stars and told stories about them, so did indigenous people around the world. In North American communities, the stars hold bears, sweat lodges, thunderbirds, and more.

Some of those stories are part of how indigenous people made sense of the world around them-a form of science separate from, but with kinship to, the enterprise of observation, prediction, and questioning built around what we call the scientific method.

"We come from the stars."

But how do you connect the two? That's where Wilfred comes in. He's a part of a growing effort to reintroduce indigenous stories and traditions back to Cree and other indigenous communities. This weekend is an example of that effort. Tipis and Telescopes, the name of the gathering, is a coming-together of far-flung indigenous teachers, local youth community leaders, and, tonight, one science reporter from the United States.

It's a weekend of stories, astronomy, and ceremony-including hours every afternoon in the sweat lodge. Wilfred is relaying star knowledge and teachings, but also tales of science. The tilt of the Earth, the precession of our axis, the northern lights, and the peculiar path Mars takes through the night sky.

"Because Earth orbits the sun faster than Mars, at certain times Earth passes Mars, [and] it looks like Mars does a circle in the sky," Buck says. "Retrograde motion. So they call it 'kitom pampaniw'-circles back. Another name is 'mooswa acak'-moose spirit. Because when a moose is startled, it'll run in a big, huge circle, and then continue on its way."

Three days and 2,000 miles later, I'm in Ottawa, at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. It's one of the premier science museums in the country. In their space exhibit, you can hear more star stories-alongside a hundred-year-old telescope, and displays about radio astronomy.

David Pantalony, curator of physical sciences at the museum, is showing me around. "We have here the wall called 'One Sky, Many Astronomies,'" he says. "We have five different languages here. French, and then the Ojibway, then the Dakota/Lakota, and then the Cree languages."

On the display are Greek and Roman constellations in muted colors, with the constellations of Canada's indigenous cultures painted, bright and beautiful, on top of them: loons, fishers, thunderbirds, the hole in the sky where we come from, and Mista Muskwa, the bear that sits atop the stars we know as the Big Dipper. Buck's voice comes out of a headset, telling the story of that bear, a bully who was defeated by the seven brave birds that form the ring Westerners know as Corona Borealis.

Here's a question Pantalony gets sometimes: What is a series of star stories doing in a museum dedicated to technology and science?

"People are surprised, but then it makes sense," he says. "Of course cultures would have different stories based on this massive canopy from horizon to horizon that unfolds before our eyes every night." Just like the telescope that sits in the museum, the story about Mars circling around in the sky like a startled moose is also an instrument of astronomical observation.

In 2008, Canada began a major effort to right the wrongs of colonization. The process, which aimed to recognize the rights of indigenous groups and shape a new relationship of respect, was broadly referred to as truth and reconciliation . At the museum, this took the shape of a conscious effort to include indigenous culture and technology in the story of Canadian science-from snowshoes to star stories.

The museum was so serious about getting the details right that they brought in Buck as a co-curator, along with indigenous astronomer Annette Lee, who is both Dakota/Lakota and Ojibway.

"As much as there's this idea that science is all rational, science is immune from culture, that's simply not true. Science itself is not actually separate from culture," she says. "It came from a specific culture, and that's Western European."

Lee means that our very picture of what science is was shaped by Western European history and the biases of that culture.

But science is something anyone can do, and, Lee says, everyone has done. The process on paper is simple: closely observe the world, test what you learn, and transmit it to future generations. That indigenous cultures have done so without test tubes doesn't make them unscientific, she says-just different.

On the day I visit the museum, a group of students from nearby Gloucester High School is there too. They're all indigenous, including Jessie Kavanaugh, who is Anishinaabe, from a First Nation called Animakee Wa Zhing in northwestern Ontario. "And I'm Bear Clan," she says.

At the museum, they explore the constellations as newcomers, rotating the images of the sky to see the arrangement of stars on the day and time they were born. Animals roll in and out of the circular frame-a turtle, a spider, a thunderbird, and a marauding bear named Mista Muskwa.

But Kavanaugh tells me the stories she's reading on the walls aren't ones she ever learned growing up.

"I'm 18 and I'm learning this now and I still don't know anything about it," Kavanaugh says. "I feel like I know more about the Greek or Roman, their constellations, than I do my own."

Wilfred says this is common in indigenous communities. Adults and children alike have lost stories of the stars and other knowledge from collective memory. It's direct fallout from the ways in which colonizing Europeans killed indigenous people and weakened links to their culture. After more than 14 years of collecting star stories from indigenous elders around Manitoba, Wilfred says he's managed to gather only two dozen.

"If you have a village of a hundred people, and every person knows one word to a song that has a hundred words in it, everybody getting together can sing that song. That's the whole accumulated knowledge base of their people," Buck says. "And then one morning, you wake up, and 85 of them are gone. And you have to piece together what you remember, and what you have."

The result is generations of people who are fighting to even know their own language. And young indigenous people look up to the sky at night and see only the stories of the Greeks.

At the museum, none of the students-all 17 and 18, and thinking about the future-thought they wanted to be scientists. These are students who said they loved learning about botany, medicine, engineering. One even designed entire science curriculums for kids at summer camps.

"Astronomy was really cool, because I'm obsessed with the stars," says Kavanaugh.

Kavanaugh and her classmates are exactly the kinds of students you'd want pursuing STEM degrees. And yet Jessie says she feels like she won't fit into the way science is done.

"I don't want to do Western science," she says. "I don't want to have to write everything down all the time. I keep it in my head because it's in my blood to do that, you know?"

In 2012, the Obama administration set a goal of increasing STEM undergraduate degrees by 1 million to meet growing economic and technology needs in the next decade. But how do you recruit that many young scientists? And how do you invite everyone-like Kavanaugh and her classmates-who feels left out? Pantalony says broadening the image of science-and who does it-is a first step. He recommends giving credit to more non-Western scientists, both past and present-not to mention looking beyond the stereotypes of lab coats, test tubes, and particle accelerators.

"When you find out what science really is-observing, making, doing, asking good questions, failing..." he says. "That's what I love about science. You hear that from kids and you hear that from Nobel Prize Winners."

Jordyn Hendricks, another student at the museum, is Métis from Red River Nation. They say that recognizing the contributions of indigenous people to science and technology matters for its own sake.

"We're seen as primitive or not super smart. But we were super smart," Hendricks says. "And it's important to bring that in and recognize it."

For both Lee and Buck, bringing star stories to the mainstream halls of Canadian science museums isn't just about sharing indigenous knowledge with Western visitors, or expanding the vision of what science is. It's also about the future of indigenous communities, still recovering from the damages of colonization.

In both Canada and the U.S., indigenous youth have the highest suicide rate of any other racial or ethnic group . Indigenous communities have also been by the opioid epidemic , and young indigenous people also have high rates of homelessness .

Literally, and figuratively, Lee says, youth are leaving. There is a lack of hope.

"That's part of what the star knowledge brings," she says. "This sense of purpose, the sense of hope, this lifeline, that each person is connected. To the bigger whole, the universe, the stars. Those stars are more than just balls of gas. When we do indigenous science, those stars are our oldest relatives."

"I found a piece that was missing from my life."

Lee says this sense of connectedness is a unique part of indigenous science. In Western science, knowledge is often considered separate from the people who discover it, while indigenous cultures see knowledge as intricately connected to people.

"So it's not like we're just outside observers watching this," she says. "The key thing is we're a part of it."

Can stories about the stars bring broken communities back together? For Buck, that connection to his history was a key part of his thriving. As a teenager, his family was scattered by poverty and he was homeless on the streets of Vancouver. Then, Cree elders invited him and other youth back to Manitoba to learn about their culture.

"I found a piece that was missing from my life," he says. "I found something that made sense to me. I found something that was ours.

"It was a powerful thing."

It was a journey that led him, ultimately, to the stars.

Further Reading

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Meet the Writer

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Relearning The Star Stories Of Indigenous Peoples

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Listen to a conversation on Science Friday about the historical role of science in indigenous communities and considering a broader definition of science. "They're coming out," says Wilfred Buck. "They're starting to come out." It's a freezing cold night on the shore of Lake Winnipeg in rural Manitoba, Canada, and we are waiting for the stars.

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Star Stories (YouTube Video Playlist)

Our Universes, an inaugural exhibition of the National Museum of the American Indian, focuses on indigenous cosmologies—worldviews and philosophies related to the creation and order of the universe—and the spiritual relationship between humankind and the natural world. Organized around the solar year, the exhibition introduces visitors to indigenous peoples from across the Western Hemisphere who continue to express the wisdom of their ancestors in celebration, language, art, spirituality, and daily life. Included in the exhibition are these 9 animated traditional stories that give special meaning to the stars above.

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Star Stories - YouTubeStar Stories - YouTube

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Our Universes, an inaugural exhibition of the National Museum of the American Indian, focuses on indigenous cosmologies—worldviews and philosophies related t…

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Native Skywatchers

Indigenous Astronomy Revitalization

Designed by Annette S. Lee (2007), the Native Skywatchers initiative seeks to remember and revitalize Indigenous star and earth knowledge. The overarching goal of Native Skywatchers is to communicate the knowledge that Indigenous people traditionally practiced a sustainable way of living and sustainable engineering through a living and participatory relationship with the above and below, sky and earth.

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Welcome to Native Skywatchers!

Designed by Annette S. Lee (2007), the Native Skywatchers initiative seeks to remember and revitalize Indigenous star and earth knowledge. The overarching goal of Native Skywatchers is to communicate the knowledge that Indigenous people traditionally practiced a sustainable way of living and sustainable engineering through a living and participatory relationship with the above and below, sky and earth.

We aim to improve current inequities in education for native young people, to inspire increased cultural pride, and promote community wellness. We hope to inspire all people to have a rekindling or deepening sense of awe and personal relationship to the cosmos-terrestrial and celestial.

For sixteen years we have been leading indigenous astronomy revitilization efforts starting with our own communities, Ojibwe and D/Lakota. We invite you to join our effort in 'building community around the native star knowledge'.

Happenings...

Experience the Magic... Kapemni Dance Animation at the Bell Museum! Join us for a storytelling motion media dance performance featuring Indigenous astronomy with immersive, experiential, interactive animation projection art, and sky and Earth soundscapes. Kapemni Dance team! | Sat. May 20, 2023 LIVE SHOWS ONLY at 2 and 3 pm ct ... More info

Kapemni Dance Animation in partnership with Voyageurs National Park ... Spring Thaw ... A Unique Community and Fundraising Event... ...good food, silent auction, insightful speakers .... and a live performance by the Kapemni Dance team! Thurs. April 27, 2023 at 7 pm ct ... More info

Celebrate the Seasons with us... Wetu-Ziigwan-Spring Equinox Online Gathering - The birds are back and so is Spring! Join the Native Skywatchers team for a sharing of art-based story and unique digital content .... also updates from the We are Stardust team! Mon. March 20, 2023 at 7 pm ct ... More info | Recordings will be posted soon...

Native Skywatchers-Voyageur National Park Summer Camp - This is an incredible opportunity to camp under the stars this summer...Paddle the sacred waters, return to the land. Save the date! July 2023 More information coming soon...
Read more

Native Skywatchers-Kapemni Dance Performance - supports high school dance students at South High School to lead narrative change through movement, visuals, and audio in a multi-dimensional, experiential, live production. Upcoming Spring Performances Apr. 27 and Mar. 20, 2023 More information coming soon...
Click here to learn more

Join us for the passing of the torch from the last day of fall to the first moments of winter! Welcome Ojibwe Biboonkeonini-Wintermaker constellation and D(L)akota Mato Tipila-Bear's Lodge constellation and more! Biboon, Waniyetu, Winter Solstice Event, Wed. Dec. 21, 2022, 7 pm cst | View recordings here

Native Skywatchers in an innovative partnership with Greater Twin Cities United Way-Purpose Driven Paychecks and Community Education-Mankato Area Public Schools expands a Science-Art-Culture pathway for American Indian students centering Indigenous culture and positive identity development. Supports students through a culturally affirming learning experience, then progresses to hire them as after school leaders for middle school students. Led by Educator Elaine O. Hardwick. Summer 2022. Read more and see a highlights reel here!

Join us for the passing of the torch from the last day of summer to the first moments of fall! Welcome Mooz Ojibwe constellation and Keya D(L)akota constellation and more! Dagwaagin, Ptanyetu, Fall Equinox Event,Thurs. Sept 22, 2022 | More info

Join us for an exciting, action-packed, two-day livestream event! Indigenous Knowledge Holders, scholars, Indigenous scientists, scholars, and educators at the forefront of Indigenous STEM and Indigenous Astronomy revitalization movements will share their work and perspectives. Niibin, Bdoketu, Summer Solstice Event, June 18 & 19, 2022, 9 am to 1:30 pm cdt | More info

Join us for a Biboon, Waniyetu, Winter Solstice Event 2021... Educators share their Native Skywatchers projects as an inspiration for all! Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021 from 7- 8 pm cst = 3 - 4 pm hst. Everyone welcome...Here is the zoom webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82971369188

A Native Skywatchers Collaboration with the Comca 'ac Nation of the Sonora Desert, Mexico. Led by Andrea Medina. | More

Extraordinary collaboration between Native Skywatchers, St. Cloud State Univ., and the University of Southern Queensland. Indigenous students participate in Exoscience Research and Indigenous Astronomy Research Flyer | More Info

Monthly livestream Indigenous-led, community-based, student focused webinars from Oct. 2020 to April 2021. Funded by NASA - Next Gen STEM. Moon to Mars and STEM on Station focus. Annette S. Lee (and Native Skywatchers) recognized by NASA as a STEM INFLUENCER. More | View

Indigenous Astronomy Traveling Exhibit

One Sky, Many Worlds: Indigenous Voices in Astronomy, curated by A. Lee, W. Buck & D. Pantalony, producedbyIngenium - Canada's Museums of Science & Innovation and Nomad Exhibits, opening May 2023 | More

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Native Skywatchers Home page - Indigenous Astronomy, Art, Culture Revitalization - Officially 501c3 Non-profit

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Atchakosuk: Ininewuk Stories of the Stars (PDF)

This article written by science facilitator at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre and Indigenous star lore expert, Wilfred Buck, explores 'atchakosuk' – the spirit lights up above. Ininewuk (Cree) mythology posits that constellations and stars that are prominent in the northern skies are understood through perspectives that are unique to the Ininewuk. For First Nations students and Ininewuk students in particular, it is important that the ancestral worldviews related to science are reflected in First Nations education in as prevalent a manner as those associated with Greek and Roman mythology. It should be known that many people under the stars have their own interpretations and understandings of constellations and the stories associated with them. The subject matter contained herein is intended to provide students and educators associated with First Nations Education with an introduction to Ininewuk perspectives of astronomy. In this article, the Ininewuk language is in the Swampy Cree dialect.

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Indigneous Artist Cyndi Nash speaks about her art and her experience as a Sixties Scoop survivor

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Sixties scoop survivor helps New Brunswickers be creative

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With her own bright, colourful paintings on display, artist Cyndi Nash was also helping people make their own art during her stint as artist-in-residence at the New Brunswick Museum.

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Indigenous Ally Toolkit

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Sources: Montreal Indigenous Community Network Rights of Use: Open Source

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Limited series about an Indigenous woman looking for her birth family after being adopted into a Jewish family during the Sixties Scoop.

Places to watch include:

aptn+

Crave

Apple TV

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APTN | THE FIRST NATIONAL INDIGENOUS BROADCASTER IN THE WORLD

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Little Bird is a six-part limited series that explores universal themes of resilience in the face of trauma and loss. Removed from her home on the Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan, Bezhig Little Bird is adopted into a Montreal Jewish family

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APTN is a Indigneous broadcaster

https://www.aptn.ca/about/our-story/ and you can watch films through the aptn+ streaming service

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Stellarium is an app for your phone that uses your location to look at the sky and highlights different constellations etc. There's a feature in the app called 'sky cultures' and you can toggle between different cultures' perceptions of constellations and star names. There are limited details/constellations for Canadian First Nations, but it might be of use (tip: I like using 'night mode' when I'm using it)

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Our products

Stellarium, the award-winning open source planetarium, is now available on your mobile devices! Download now and experience the night sky with Stellarium Mobile, brought to you by the original creator of Stellarium.

With a minimalistic user interface, and feature-rich application, Stellarium has everything you need to explore the night sky like never before.

Stellarium Mobile Plus features

Award-winning astronomy app Stellarium Mobile

Your features:

All known stars: Gaia DR2 catalog of over 1.4 Billion stars

All known deep sky objects: a combined catalog of over 3 millions nebulae and galaxies

All known planets and their natural satellites, including very high multi-resolution imaging for the major ones

All known comets

Many minor solar system objects, more than ten thousand asteroids

Most visible artificial earth satellites, including the International Space Station!

A full-sky very high multi-resolution background image

For advanced users, upgrade to the Plus version and enjoy the following additional features:

Telescope control module: drive any telescope through an application compatible with the Stellarium Telescope Server protocol (see Telescope Control in Stellarium Mobile PLUS for details).

Display ocular to figure how an object would look like on your instruments

Advanced observation tools: prepare your observing sessions by predicting a celestial object observability and transit times

A calendar of upcoming astronomical events and satellite passes

3D view of planets, satellites, and many more objects.

Please note that the app works perfectly without internet connection, but with a reduced set of data (2.5 M stars, 2.9 M DSOs, 10k asteroids).

More features

Want more? Here's more features for you!

show the sky at any time and place

sensor control to identify a star in just a few seconds, just by pointing the phone at the sky!

asterisms and illustrations of the constellations for different sky cultures from around the world

realistic landscape and atmosphere with sunrise & sunset

accurate simulation of atmosphere refraction

night mode for dark adaptation

Feature comparison

Stellarium Mobile vs Stellarium Mobile Plus feature comparison:

Feature

Stellarium Mobile

Stellarium Plus

Some Stellarium Mobile Plus screeshots

Stellarium Mobile combines a realistic and accurate night sky simulation with a gigantic amount of online imaging and sky objects catalogs.

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Our products Stellarium, the award-winning open source planetarium, is now available on your mobile devices! Download now and experience the night sky with Stellarium Mobile, brought to you by the original creator of Stellarium. With a minimalistic user interface, and feature-rich application, Stellarium has everything you need to explore the night sky like never before.

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Article on the research of Raven Sinclair and the Sixities Scoop from the University of Regina (2018)

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Coming Home (Wanna Icipus Kupi)

Documentary directed by Erica Daniels on the impacts of the Sixties Scoop with a focus on the filming of Little Bird.

Places to watch:

APTN: https://www.aptnplus.ca/details?assetId=12559218

Crave: https://www.crave.ca/en/special/coming-home-54625

Apple: https://tv.apple.com/ca/movie/coming-home/umc.cmc.s625ty5k5vss5kqu3pgn6oyi

TPL: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4528024&R=4528024

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Identity lost and found: Lessons from the sixities scoop

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Article by Raven Sinclair

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Explore this interactive map depicting the stories and displacement of 60's scoop Surviviors

A short video on this project by the BBC can be seen here: https://youtu.be/UCxBRad2_3U?si=IFLaIIcH5VRdF13_

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Sixties Scoop | Interactive Survivor Stories Map

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This interactive mapping platform has been created to show and share 60s’ Scoop survivors stories from around the world. You are in control of how much information you share.

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Short Video (4 mins, 8 sec) by CBC News on the Sixties Scoop

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Separating children from parents: The Sixties Scoop in Canada

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"REDsurgence is a podcast created and hosted by Riley Yesno
Riley Yesno (she/her) is a queer Anishinaabe writer, researcher, and public speaker from Eabametoong First Nation."

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Episode 5: Indigenous Queerness with Emily Riddle

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Podcast · Riley Yesno · REDsurgence is a podcast created and hosted by Riley Yesno Riley Yesno (she/her) is a queer Anishinaabe writer, researcher, and public speaker from Eabametoong First Nation. https://rileyyesno.com/

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"A podcast where three Métis aunties
figure out how to publish, edit, and write
Indigenous stories. This podcast is by and for Indigenous peoples who have an interest in editing, publishing, and writing Indigenous stories."

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masinahikan iskwêwak – Book Women Podcast

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Books Podcast · A podcast where three Métis aunties
figure out how to publish, edit, and write
Indigenous stories. This podcast is by and for Indigenous peoples who have an interest in editing, publishing, and writin…

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Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports (2015)

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Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports (2015)

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Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Volume 1: The History Part 1, Origins to 1939

TRC Volume 1: The History Part 2, 1939 to 2000

TRC Volume 2: The Inuit and Northern Experience

TRC Volume 3: The Métis Experience

TRC Volume 4: Missing Children and Unmarked Burials

TRC Volume 5: The Legacy

TRC Volume 6: Reconciliation

TRC Calls to Action

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National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/

All Reports: https://nctr.ca/publications-and-reports/reports/

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52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous People on the Path to Healing by David A. Robertson

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52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous People on the Path to Healing by David A. Robertson

Physical book at U of T Libraries and CTSI

ebook through U of T Libraries

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Canadian Indigenous Author

https://www.michellegood.ca/biography.htm

Example book titles:

-  Truth Telling, Five Little Indians

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4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning Series

https://outdoorlearning.com/4-seasons/

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An Indigenous Learning Opportunity running from October to May annually.

Each year - or Season - builds on the next...

Beginning in the Fall, offered in partnership with over 50 non-profit organizations, this course serves to support participants in deepening their understanding of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives while strengthening connections with the local Land and supporting more respectful, reciprocal relationships.

This just a first step - a bridge in awareness and understanding to support local Indigenous learning opportunities.

Season 1

Foundations of Knowledge

October - May
We invite you to begin this learning journey here...
This year of learning supports participants in deepening their foundation of knowledge of Indigenous culture, history and perspectives.

Season 2

Learning from the Land

October - May

This year of learning aims to support you in strengthening your personal connections with, and understanding of, the local Land.

Season 3

Reciprocal Relationships

October - May

Prerequisite: We encourage you to complete Season 1 before undertaking this season (year) of learning

Just the Presentations

October - May

1-year Extension
Need more time?
September, 2024 - August, 2025

Prerequisite: We encourage you to complete Season 2 before undertaking this season (year) of learning

Prerequisite: We encourage you to complete Season 3 before undertaking this season (year) of learning

SEASON 4 REGISTRATION OPEN IN MAY 2025

If you aren't able to undertake the module-based learning that accompanies the 4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning at this time, we invite you to join us for just the presentations.

If you registered for any of these Seasons of Indigenous Learning, but just didn't have time to complete them, you can register for a 1-year extension to access your learning modules, along with the new presentations.

If you complete all 4 Seasons (years) of learning, we will offer you $100 towards accessing excellent Indigenous Learning Resources. This is in addition to the $25 that you will receive each year.

We will also invite this group together virtually each season for the foreseeable future to support ongoing connections and support towards the goals of this learning.

Partners in this initiative include:

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4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning - Outdoor Learning School & Store

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Beginning in the Fall, offered in partnership with over 50 non-profit organizations, this course serves to support participants in deepening their understanding of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives while strengthening connections with the local Land and supporting more respectful, reciprocal relationships. This just a first step - a bridge in awareness and understanding to support local Indigenous learning opportunities.

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Connecting for Climate Change Action

This free Coursera course uses a two-eyed seeing approach to explore climate change from both an Indigenous science and Western science lens.

https://geoenvironment.uwo.ca/undergraduate/courses/c4cca.html

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Connecting for Climate Change Action - Department of Geography and Environment - Western University

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Connecting for Climate Change Action is a course that uses a storytelling approach to bring Western and Indigenous Sciences together to educate, encourage discussions, and motivate action on climate change. This innovative, experiential, online learning opportunity engages and stimulates learners to action to mitigate climate change.

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Indigenous Learning Series

Workshops offered through the Office of Indigenous Initiatives at U of T:

Barriers to Reconciliation: Walking the Path of Indigenous Allyship

Speaking Our Truths: The Journey Towards Reconciliation: Part 1

Speaking Our Truths: The Journey Towards Reconciliation: Part 2

Reflecting on Indigenous Land Acknowledgements

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Training | Indigenous University of Toronto

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The Office of Indigenous Initiatives offers Indigenous training workshops to deepen the understanding of Indigenous cultures and worldviews.

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Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change (2010)

Documentary from Inuit communities sharing local knowledge on climate change.

Director: Zacharias Kunuk

Researcher and Filmaker: Dr. Ian Mauro

https://www.isuma.tv/inuit-knowledge-and-climate-change/movie

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This feature documentary takes viewers “on the land” with elders and hunters to explore the social and ecological impacts of a warming Arctic. Directed by Zacharias Kunuk and reseacher/filmmaker Dr Ian Mauro. LONG SYNOPSIS

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Native Land

Digital map of Indigenous territories and languages as well as treaties.

https://native-land.ca/

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Mapping

We strive to map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages across the world in a way that goes beyond colonial ways of thinking in order to better represent how Indigenous people want to see themselves.

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Native Land is a resource to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, lands, and ways of life. We welcome you to our site.

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Indigenous Music

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National Indigenous Peoples Day Artist Showcase

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8 Indigenous Artists Shaping the Canadian Music Scene

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This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.

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Indigenous Artists You Should Know

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ARTICLE BY The JUNO Awards Canada’s Biggest Night in Music.

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On National Indigenous Peoples Day, we celebrate and honour the incredible talent and creativity of Indigenous musicians across Canada. From traditional fiddle players to contemporary pop artists, these talented individuals are creating works that both celebrate Indigenous culture and push

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The Outside Circle

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Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection (3 volumes)

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Beans (2020)

Film directed and co-written by Mohawk (Kanien'kehá:ka) filmmaker Tracey Deer based on her experience of being a young girl during the 1990 Oka Crisis at Kanesatake. (Some scenes are difficult to watch, please take care in viewing)

Can watch for free on CBC Gem https://gem.cbc.ca/beans

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great free course made by a former UofT Professor.

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Intended for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal learners, this course will explore indigenous ways of knowing and how they can benefit all students. Topics include historical, social, and political issues in Aboriginal education; terminology; cultural, spiritual and philosophical themes in Aboriginal worldviews; and how Aboriginal worldviews can inform professional programs and practices, including but not limited to the field of education.

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Aboriginal Worldviews and Education | Coursera

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Intended for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal learners, this course will explore indigenous ways of knowing and how they can benefit all students. Topics include historical, social, and political issues in Aboriginal education; terminology; cultural, spiritual and philosophical themes in Aboriginal worldviews; and how Aboriginal worldviews can inform professional programs and practices, including but not limited to the field of education.

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The Lowdown

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The Lowdown (TV Series 2025– ) ⭐ 7.0 | Biography, Drama, History

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Reservation Dogs

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Reservation Dogs (TV Series 2021–2023) ⭐ 8.3 | Comedy, Crime

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Dark Winds

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Dark Winds (TV Series 2022– ) ⭐ 7.7 | Crime, Drama, Mystery

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North of North

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The Ojibwe People's Dictionary is an amazing resource for looking up words in English and Ojibwe/Ojibwemowin (aka Anishinaabemowin - the dominant local language to Toronto areas).

Many words and example sentences have audio recordings from multiple elders to help understand how to pronounce the words. They also break words down into parts to help understand meaning. It might also be helpful for getting a better understanding of animate vs inanimate verbs.

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Welcome to the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

The Ojibwe People's Dictionary is a searchable, talking Ojibwe-English dictionary that features the voices of Ojibwe speakers. It is also a gateway into the Ojibwe collections at the Minnesota Historical Society. Along with detailed Ojibwe language entries and voices, you will find beautiful cultural items, photographs, and excerpts from relevant historical documents. Whenever possible, we provide examples of documents in the Ojibwe language.

The Ojibwe People's Dictionary has thousands of entries and audio, with more coming online each week. It is our goal to make The Ojibwe People's Dictionary a continually expanding resource for Ojibwe language and culture.

Why we need the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

Ojibwe is the heritage language of more than 200,000 Ojibwe people who reside in the United States and Canada. Ojibwe Country primarily extends from Quebec, across Ontario and Manitoba to Saskatchewan in Canada, and from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota in the United States.

Ojibwe is not a single standardized language, but a chain of linked local varieties, grouped into nearly a dozen dialects. Each dialect (and within dialects, each local variety) differs in details of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar from the others, with differences between non-adjacent dialects often being great enough to impede understanding between their speakers.

Speakers of Ojibwe consider their language to be precise, descriptive, and visual, and feel that it is among the greatest treasures of their cultural heritage.

Ojibwe is an endangered language. Indigenous languages throughout the world are in decline, and have been since Europeans first colonized the Americas. Beginning in 1879, the United States established off-reservation federal boarding schools to re-educate Indian children and youth in the English language and American life-ways. Boarding schools, urban life, popular culture, and even participation in public school education all demanded that we speak English. The Ojibwe language has historically been repressed by policymakers and educators in the US and Canada, though there are many, complex reasons why fewer people today speak Ojibwe.

Scholars and linguists tell us that language diversity is as important to the world and our systems of knowledge as biological diversity. Ojibwe people understand that fluent speakers of the language have a wisdom that represents an accumulated knowledge of many generations. The Ojibwe language can explain why we must respect the earth and take responsibility for caring for the land, water, and its resources. It is the antidote to global climate change, environmental destruction, and unhealthy lifestyles. The Ojibwe language is where we turn for philosophy, history, science, medicines, stories, and spirituality. It is our university and the key to our cultural survival.

The purpose of the Ojibwe People's Dictionary is to support language education and encourage new speakers among the present generation.

Revitalizing Our Language

"Revitalizing our language is foremost in my mind," says Eugene Stillday of Ponemah, Minnesota, who remembers a time when everyone spoke Ojibwe in his community. Speakers of the Ojibwe language have great insight into the historical reasons for the decline of indigenous languages, because their generation experienced it first-hand. For the most part, they have sad memories of their experiences with school and teachers. Resiliently optimistic, they remember the past but look to the future. They each share a passionate commitment to the Ojibwe language and culture, to education, and the importance of passing on the language to a new generation. Listen to the Ojibwe speakers who contributed to the Ojibwe People's Dictionary, and their reasons for getting involved in the project.

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The Ojibwe People's Dictionary is a searchable, talking Ojibwe-English dictionary that features the voices of Ojibwe speakers. It is also a gateway into the Ojibwe collections at the Minnesota Historical Society. Along with detailed Ojibwe language entries and voices, you will find beautiful cultural items, photographs, and excerpts from relevant historical documents.

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Little Bird

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Little Bird (TV Mini Series 2023) ⭐ 8.1 | Drama

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Carey Newman (Hayalthkin’geme) - Indigenous artist, master carver, and more. Spoke at U of T's Orange T-Shirt Day in 2025

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Indigenous artist, master carver, filmmaker, author, mentor, and public speaker, explore Carey’s work and its impact.

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"Auntie Up! is a celebration of Indigenous women talking about the important stuff"

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Podcasts by Connie Walker, including:

Missing and Murdered: Finding Cleo

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Connie Walker is a Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative journalist and host of the acclaimed podcasts Stolen and Missing & Murdered.

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21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act - Bob Jospeh

At U of T Libraries: https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/k9bh95/alma991107281694806196

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Continue the journey started with the bestseller 21 Things®️ You May Not Know About the Indian Act and join the conversation.

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Strong Nations - Indigenous owned and operated publishing house and online bookstore; operating out of BC

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Strong Nations Publishing

2595 McCullough Rd
Nanaimo, BC, Canada, V9S 4M9

Phone:(250) 758-4287

Email:contact@strongnations.com

Our logo reflects the greater Nation we live within-Turtle Island (North America)-and the strength and core of the Pacific Northwest Coast peoples-the Cedar Tree, known as the Tree of Life. We are here to support the building of strong nations and help share Indigenous voices.

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Strong Nations - Indigenous & Native American Books, Aboriginal Kids Books, First Nations Kids Books, Inuit, Métis - Building Strong Nations Together!

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Strong Nations offers the best selection of Indigenous, Native American, Aboriginal, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis books for all ages.

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Christi Belcourt

"Christi Belcourt (apihtâwikosisâniskwêw / mânitow sâkahikanihk) is a visual artist, environmentalist, social justice advocate, and avid land-based based arts and language learner."

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U of T Research Guide: Indigenous Studies: https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/c.php?g=250519&p=1670890

Includes databases and journals

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Research advice, useful tools, and the best resources for your needs curated by librarians.

Services to help you with all facets of your research: finding materials; discovering resources; and managing your publications and research data.

Support for course readings, syllabi, publishing, and open access.

Since opening its doors in 1973, Robarts Library has stood as a beacon of enlightenment, evolving alongside the changing tides of time. Your support allows us to stay at the forefront of knowledge, propelling breakthroughs that redefine what's possible for the next 50 years and beyond.

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The University of Toronto Libraries system is the largest academic library in Canada and consists of 44 libraries located on three university campuses: St. George, Mississauga and Scarborough.

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A Grandmother Begins the Story

Michelle Porter (Métis) tells a story of 5 generations of métis women (and a buffalo). It is beautifully written - sad, soft, and hopeful, and it challenged some of my ways of thinking. When I finished reading it I recommended it to everyone who would listen.

Porter's previously published works included poetry, and you can feel the influence here (e.g., she doesn't use quotation marks to indicate dialogue). It might take some time to 'get into it', but I think it's worth it.

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Stamina for Decolonizing Higher Education

This workbook is for people who have some sense that decolonizing higher education is important, including those who have not yet begun this work and don’t know where to start, as well as those who have already begun the work and have become confused, frustrated, or disillusioned along the way.

[Image by Indigenous Artist Benicio Pitaguary]

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This workbook is for people who have some sense that decolonizing higher education is important, including those who have not yet begun this work and don't know where to start, as well as those who have already begun the work and have become confused, frustrated, or disillusioned along the way.

Decolonization does not simply involve intellectual work, although in higher education contexts this is often the dimension that is most emphasized. It also involves affective work (which entails acknowledging, analyzing, and taking responsibility for processing our often uncomfortable, embodied and emotional responses to the tensions, conflicts, and uncertainties that arise in decolonization efforts); and relational work (which entails mending broken relationships in ways that honour the integrity of this difficult process by focus on the development of deep respect, reciprocity, trust, and consent rather than prioritizing the end or outcome in transactional ways).

For this reason, this workbook does not focus on describing the many ways that colonialism and related systems, including white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, and ableism, operate in higher education. There are many important texts that do this work, including many of those listed in the "Additional Resources" at the end of this text. While having a deep understanding of colonialism and its complexities is an essential element of any decolonization effort, in our experience having an intellectual grasp of the harmful effects of colonization does not translate necessarily into a decolonial disposition or orientation. Thus, this text seeks to offer something different.

Download the workbook here.

[Image by Indigenous Artist Benicio Pitaguary]

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Stamina for Decolonizing Higher Education

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This workbook is for people who have some sense that decolonizing higher education is important, including those who have not yet begun this work and don't know where to start, as well as those who have already begun the work and have become confused, frustrated, or disillusioned along the way.

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Since 2012, Tea-N-Bannock (1294 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, ON M4L 1Y7) has been serving dishes that reflect culture both the past and present. Not only providing a platform for indigenous chefs and traditional cooks, but also a place for youth to get introduced to professionals and given space to dream! With our diverse indigenous crew and non-indigenous ownership we build a great team-based work environment rooted in shared respect and integrity. For guests looking to experience some true indigenous flavor, step through our doors and try some wild rice, bison, and of course, our traditional bannock! Reviews indicate “You won’t be disappointed.”

(416) 220-2915

teanbannock@gmail.com

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Since 2012, serving dishes that reflect culture both the past & present. Celebrating the food native to North America. Dine in.

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We are an innovative First Nations-owned social enterprise aiming to have a social impact nationally by helping to provide more resources to Indigenous families, like clean drinking water. Every pound of our coffee sold contributes to funding projects which brings resources to Indigenous communities.

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Water is a fundamental human right

No one should be without clean drinking water. Yet within Canada there are roughly 634 First Nations communities and many are living under drinking water advisories that require them to boil their tap water, or avoid drinking the water completely, because of contamination.

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No one should be without clean drinking water. Yet within Canada there are roughly 634 First Nations communities and many are living under drinking water advisories that require them to boil their tap water, or avoid drinking the water completely, because of contamination.

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Resist Clothing Company, an Indigenous-owned streetwear label; headquartered in Sagamok First Nation; with our distribution warehouse in Tkaronto (Toronto/Treaty 13 Territory). This setup keeps us connected to our roots while efficiently serving customers nationwide and abroad.

Founded in 2020 by Mitch Gegwetch; Ojibwe and a member of Sagamok First Nation. This journey began with a DIY printed t-shirt adorned with the phrase 'F*CK Colonialism' and worn at local events in Toronto Ontario. This provocative design turned heads and started conversations about resilience, culture and being unapologetically Indigenous. This highlighted a gap in the market of bold Indigenous streetwear. Resist Clothing Company was born on May 31st 2020 and the rest is history.

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Resist Clothing Co. is the premier online destination for urban Indigenous clothing & accessories in Canada (shipped worldwide). Designed by Indigenous designers, our pieces showcase Indigenous art, cultural slogans, and powerful statements, bringing Indigenous representation to the forefront of the streetwear category.

Using fashion as a megaphone is old news, but we're a bold and Indigenous remix. Spinning threads into stories and slogans into anthems, our distinct brand style has transformed our clothing line into a booming loudspeaker for the Indigenous community, and has inspired a chorus of similar brands that harmonize with our resistance rhythm.

So join in - you're just a click away from turning up the volume on your style and making a statement that echoes across generations!

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Native Clothing Brand Canada | Native Canadian Clothing Companies

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RESIST is a Native Clothing Brand based in Treaty 13 territory (Toronto, Canada). We specialize in statement apparel and art designs that reimagine pop culture through an Indigenous lens.

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Native Canadian Centre of Toronto is a membership-based, charitable organization located in the heart of downtown Toronto in a beautifully renovated heritage building. NCCT offers a wide range of programs and services based on Indigenous cultural traditions and teachings. All are welcome.

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Native Canadian Centre of Toronto | Empowering Indigenous Communities: Programs, Events, and Cultural Competency in Toronto

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The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT) is a vibrant community hub offering cultural programs, workshops, and support services for Indigenous peoples. Located in a historic building, NCCT hosts events, provides facility rentals, and offers educational opportunities aimed at promoting Indigenous culture and well-being in Toronto.

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Media Indigena: The Podcast

Since March 10, 2016, we’ve convened a weekly current affairs roundtable hosted by MEDIA INDIGENA’s own Rick Harp, a 20-year veteran of broadcasting including APTN (Contact) and CBC Radio (Edmonton AM). Each week, guests from the worlds of activism, arts, academia and beyond join Rick for lively, insightful conversation that goes beyond the headlines to get at what matters most to Indigenous peoples.

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Since March 10, 2016, we've convened a weekly current affairs roundtable hosted by MEDIA INDIGENA's own Rick Harp, a 20-year veteran of broadcasting including APTN (Contact) and CBC Radio (Edmonton AM). Each week, guests from the worlds of activism, arts, academia and beyond join Rick for lively, insightful conversation that goes beyond the headlines to get at what matters most to Indigenous peoples.

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Inhabit Books

612 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto, ON M4S 2M8

647-692-6809

inhabitbooks@gmail.com

Inhabit Books exclusively sells books from Nunavut and celebrates Inuit authors and Inuktitut language resources. Stocked publishers include award-winning Inuit-owned press Inhabit Media, educational children’s publisher Arvaaq Press, and Nunavut Arctic College’s academic press, NAC Media.

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Inhabit Books exclusively sells books from Nunavut and celebrates Inuit authors and Inuktitut language resources. Stocked publishers include award-winning Inuit-owned press Inhabit Media, educational children's publisher Arvaaq Press, and Nunavut Arctic College's academic press, NAC Media.

We carry a wide range of children's books-everything from board books to young adult literature. For adults, we have memoirs, cookbooks, poetry collections, graphic novels, and books on mythology, art, and history. We also carry children's toys, gift cards, and CDs featuring music from Nunavut artists.

612 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON M4S 2M8

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wed-Fri: 12 pm - 6 pm
Sat: 10 am - 6 pm
Sunday: 12 pm - 5 pm

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Inhabit Books exclusively sells books from Nunavut and celebrates Inuit authors and Inuktitut language resources. Stocked publishers include award-winning Inuit-owned press Inhabit Media, educational children's publisher Arvaaq Press, and Nunavut Arctic College's academic press, NAC Media. We carry a wide range of chil

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

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

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

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Words connect us. Words hurt us. Indigenous histories have been twisted by centuries of colonization. Host Kaniehti:io Horn brings us together to decolonize our minds– one word, one concept, one story at a time.

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Words connect us. Words hurt us. Indigenous histories have been twisted by centuries of colonization. Host Kaniehti:io Horn brings us together to decolonize our minds- one word, one concept, one story at a time.

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Telling Our Twisted Histories | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen

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Words connect us. Words hurt us. Indigenous histories have been twisted by centuries of colonization. Host Kaniehti:io Horn brings us together to decolonize our minds- one word, one concept, one story at a time.

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The country you know and the stories you don't. Join hosts Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson as they reveal the beautiful, terrible and weird histories of this land. New episodes every second Thursday.

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The Secret Life of Canada | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen

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The Secret Life of Canada is a podcast about the country you know and the stories you don’t. Join hosts Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson as they reveal the beautiful, terrible and weird histories of this land. Season 5 premieres on March 23, 2023 with episodes weekly.

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

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

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Muddied Water | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen

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

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

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

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

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Since the day he was old enough, Jeremy knew he was different. A mix of Indigenous and white heritage, he has experienced life through both vantage points – as well as the stereotypes. Join 19-year-old Jeremy Ratt on a journey of self discovery as he seeks to understand his roots and all of the distinct “pieces” that form who he is today.

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Since the day he was old enough, Jeremy knew he was different. A mix of Indigenous and white heritage, he has experienced life through both vantage points – as well as the stereotypes. Join 19-year-old Jeremy Ratt on a journey of self discovery as he seeks to understand his roots and all of the dist…

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ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᔨ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ

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ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᔨ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᕐᑐᐊᖏᓐᓂ ᖃᕆᓴᐅᔭᕐᒧ ᐴᖃᐃᑎᑦᑎᔨ ᑐᓴᖅᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᖃᑕᕐᐳ ᖃᕆᓴᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᕐᑏᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᕐᐹᒥ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᐊᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᑐᓴᕆᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐ ᓰᐲᓰᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓴᖅᓴᐅᓂᑰᔪᓂ. Host and Archivist Mary Powder reunites Inuit with stories from CBC North’s vast Inuktitut language archives by replaying them for the descendants of the original storytellers, some of whom are hearing them for the very first time.

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ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᔨ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᕐᑐᐊᖏᓐᓂ ᖃᕆᓴᐅᔭᕐᒧ ᐴᖃᐃᑎᑦᑎᔨ ᑐᓴᖅᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᖃᑕᕐᐳ ᖃᕆᓴᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᕐᑏᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᕐᐹᒥ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᐊᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᑐᓴᕆᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐ ᓰᐲᓰᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓴᖅᓴᐅᓂᑰᔪᓂ. Host and Archivist Mary Powder reunites Inuit with stories from CBC North's vast Inuktitut language archives by replaying them for the descendants of the original storytellers, some of whom are hearing them for the very first time.

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ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᑦ (Inuit Unikkaangit) | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen

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ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᔨ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᕐᑐᐊᖏᓐᓂ ᖃᕆᓴᐅᔭᕐᒧ ᐴᖃᐃᑎᑦᑎᔨ ᑐᓴᖅᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᖃᑕᕐᐳ ᖃᕆᓴᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᕐᑏᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᕐᐹᒥ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᐊᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᑐᓴᕆᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐ ᓰᐲᓰᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓴᖅᓴᐅᓂᑰᔪᓂ. Host and Archivist Mary Powder reunites Inuit with stories from CBC North's vast Inuktitut language archives by replaying them for the descendants of the original storytellers, some of whom are hearing them for the very first time.

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A podcast hosted by Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) , and Temryss Lane (Lummi Nation), to explore our relationships—relationships to land, to our creatural relatives, and to one another.

Each episode invites guests to delve into a different topic facing Native peoples today as we keep it real, play games, laugh a lot, and even cry sometimes. This space is for everyone—for Native folks to be joyous, think critically about issues facing our communities, hear new perspectives, look into a mirror of self, and for non-Native folks to listen and learn.

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Where is Cleo? Taken by child welfare workers in the 1970’s and adopted in the U.S., the young Cree girl’s family believes she was raped and murdered while hitchhiking back home to Saskatchewan. CBC news investigative reporter Connie Walker joins the search to find out what really happened to Cleo.

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Where is Cleo? Taken by child welfare workers in the 1970's and adopted in the U.S., the young Cree girl's family believes she was raped and murdered while hitchhiking back home to Saskatchewan. CBC news investigative reporter Connie Walker joins the search to find out what really happened to Cleo. For the best in true crime from CBC, ad-free, visit apple.co/cbctruecrime.

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Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen

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Where is Cleo? Taken by child welfare workers in the 1970's and adopted in the U.S., the young Cree girl's family believes she was raped and murdered while hitchhiking back home to Saskatchewan. CBC news investigative reporter Connie Walker joins the search to find out what really happened to Cleo.

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How a string of custody battles over Native children became a federal lawsuit that threatens everything from tribal sovereignty to civil rights.

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How a string of custody battles over Native children became a federal lawsuit that threatens everything
from tribal sovereignty to civil rights.

About this Podcast

The award-winning documentary podcast This Land is back for season 2.
Host Rebecca Nagle reports on how the far right is using Native children to attack American Indian tribes and advance a conservative agenda.

ALM - as referred to in court documents - is a Navajo and Cherokee toddler. When he was a baby, a white couple from the suburbs of Dallas wanted to adopt him, but a federal law said they couldn't. The Brackeens' case would have been a normal adoption dispute, but then one of the most powerful corporate law firms in the United States took it on and helped the couple launch a federal lawsuit. Today, the lawsuit doesn't just impact the future of one child, or even the future of one law. It threatens the entire legal structure defending Native American rights. The second season of This Land is a timely exposé about how the far right is using Native children to quietly dismantle American Indian tribes and advance a conservative agenda.

View All Episodes

Host

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What A Day-what's happening, why it matters, and what you can do about it.

Related Photos

Click on the episode pages to see photos, links, and documents from our reporting, as well as additional audio and timelines of the case and custody battles.

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This Land is Crooked Media's 8-episode podcast series hosted by Rebecca Nagle about how a cut and dry homicide opened up an investigation into the treaty rights of five Native American tribes. Find out how this unique case could result in the largest restoration of tribal land in US history.

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A fearless space for Indigenous voices. Join Rosanna Deerchild every Friday for vibrant conversations with our cousins, aunties, elders, and heroes. Rosanna guides us on the path to better understanding our shared story. Together, we learn and unlearn, laugh and become gentler in all our relations.

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On Demand

Unreserved is the radio space for Indigenous voices - our cousins, our aunties, our elders, our heroes. Rosanna Deerchild guides us on the path to better understand our shared story. Together, we learn and unlearn, laugh and become gentler in all our relations.

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Unreserved with Rosanna Deerchild | Live Radio | CBC Listen

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Unreserved is the radio space for Indigenous voices - our cousins, our aunties, our elders, our heroes. Rosanna Deerchild guides us on the path to better understand our shared story. Together, we learn and unlearn, laugh and become gentler in all our relations.

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UBC Indigenous New Media Library Guide

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Research Guides: Indigenous New Media: Graphic Novels & Comics

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Research Guides: Indigenous New Media: Graphic Novels & Comics

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VPL Picks: Indigenous Graphic Novels

A selection of excellent fiction and nonfiction Indigenous graphic novels featuring First Nations, Métis, and Inuit writers and artists.

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VPL Picks: Indigenous Graphic Novels — a staff-created list from Vancouver Public Library

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A selection of excellent fiction and nonfiction Indigenous graphic novels featuring First Nations, Métis, and Inuit writers and artists. In the last fifteen years, the Indigenous graphic novel genre has exploded with imaginative, provocative, intelligent and highly creative works. But this is not a new genre by any means. In the words of the writer and academic Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, ”[graphic] writing—now called comic books—are the oldest and most creative form of Indigenous writing. From rock faces to skin to panels and pages, comic books encapsulate histories and dreams of Peoples and nations.” Explore the multifaceted and complex world of Indigenous Graphic Novels with this list, carefully selected by the reading specialists at Vancouver Public Library. If you would like a personalized reading list, please use the Books Just For You service at https://www.vpl.ca/readnext.

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"We provide culturally relevant services to Indigenous students to support academic success, personal growth and leadership development. We offer learning opportunities for all students to engage with Indigenous communities at U of T and beyond."

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Why Connect With Us Academic support. Financial aid and planning. Meetings with traditional teachers. Cultural and social events. Incoming undergraduate students – find opportunities to connect with other Indigenous students and get to know Indigenous supports with the Student Life prep guide ↗ [...]

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Native Canadian Centre of Toronto | Empowering Indigenous Communities: Programs, Events, and Cultural Competency in Toronto

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The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT) is a vibrant community hub offering cultural programs, workshops, and support services for Indigenous peoples. Located in a historic building, NCCT hosts events, provides facility rentals, and offers educational opportunities aimed at promoting Indigenous culture and well-being in Toronto.

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Indigenous athletes often face tremendous difficulties beyond the rigours of training for their sport. They are frequently from geographically and economically challenged home communities which means access to elite training facilities and resources for training and travelling for training can be limited. During national and international competitions, they can be subjected to institutionalized racism and stereotyping.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada included four calls to action for sports and recreation. Here's just one:

87. We call upon all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, sports halls of fame, and other relevant organizations, to provide public education that tells the national story of Aboriginal athletes in history.

When you read the short bios of these 21 athletes, think of the era in which some of the athletes, such as Tom Longboat and Joseph Benjamin Keeper, competed, and imagine the barriers they faced.

(1968-) Bodybuilding Andrea Alfred
Kwakwaka'wakw
Andrea Alfred started bodybuilding at 50 years of age, and took first place in her very first competition, the Popeye Fall Classic, which qualified her for the Nationals and Pro/Am competitions.

Caroline Calvé (1978-) Olympic Alpine Snowboard
Algonquin heritage
Caroline Calve won Gold in the World Cup PGS (parallel giant slalom) event at Carezza, Italy - becoming the first female Canadian alpine snowboarder to win a World Cup. She won a Silver medal at the same event the following year. And the year after that, in 2014, she won her second World Cup event, parallel slalom, in Moscow.

"She was a key player on the water polo team at Carleton University, where she studied political science (graduating in 2000). The team won the Ontario University Athletics championship in 1994-95 and 1995-96, and Horn-Miller became the first woman at Carleton to be named Female Athlete of the Year three consecutive times (1994-97). She was also named to the junior and senior All-Star Canadian water polo teams from 1991 to 1999. During this period, Horn-Miller competed at the North American Indigenous Games as well, winning 20 Gold medals between 1990 and 1997, including one in rifle shooting." Waneek Horn-Miller

Sharon Firth (1953-2013) and Shirley Firth (1953-) Cross-Country Skiing
Gwich'in First Nation
Sharon and Shirley Firth were among the first Indigenous athletes to represent Canada at the Olympics. They competed in four Olympic Games (Sapporo (1972), Innsbruck (1976), Lake Placid (1980), and Sarajevo (1984) and are the only female Canadian skiers to do so. They are both Members of the Order of Canada; they both received the Golden Jubilee (2002) and Diamond Jubilee (2012) Medals and were inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (2015).

Keeper joined the army in 1916, and as a member of the 107th Pioneer Battalion, his outstanding aptitude for distance running was put to use as a dispatch carrier. In 1917, he and Tom Longboat won the inter-Allied cross-country championship near Vimy Ridge.

At the Olympics, he won four out of five events in the pentathlon, winning the Gold medal. He then competed in the three-day decathlon, which is 10 events in all the major track and field disciplines. On the first day of competition, he ran the 100-meter dash in 11.2 seconds - a time that was not equalled until 1948. The next day, his shoes were missing so he wore two mismatched shoes found in the garbage. One shoe was too large so he wore extra socks to make it fit. Wearing mismatched shoes, he won the high jump and then won the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.6 seconds. No Olympic athletes matched that time for almost 40 years. On the third day, still wearing those mismatched shoes, he ran the final event - the 1,500-meter run in 4 minutes, 40.1 seconds. After his performance, King Gustav V of Sweden donned him "the world's greatest athlete."
Featured photo: Unsplash

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Celebrate 21 Indigenous Athletes for National Indigenous Peoples Day

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Indigenous athletes often face tremendous difficulties beyond the rigours of training. Here are short bios of 21 past & present athletes who have triumphed

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2025 Recipients:

Apollo Hess, Swimming

Kaura Coles, Wrestling

Shalaya Valenzuela, Rugby Sevens

Trinity Ellis, Luge

Tuja Dreyer, Swimming

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Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website

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Celebrating Indigenous Excellence: 2025 Team Canada Indigenous Athlete Award Recipients Announced - Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website

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One of the most important teachings that Indigenous Team Canada swimmer and Paris 2024 Olympian Apollo Hess has adopted from…

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Corn

Willow bark as pain reliever

Goggles

Snow Shoes

Wild Rice

Lacrosse

Birchbark Canoe

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From medicine and agriculture to astronomy and navigation, Indigenous peoples have made countless contributions to the world's body of knowledge!

This online exhibit explores a few of the many remarkable inventions and discoveries made by Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit peoples.
Illustrations by Aybuke Yayan.
Growing Corn

Indigenous peoples in Ontario discovered corn by selectively breeding wild grasses, resulting in the development of maize, a crop that became a staple food source. The Three Sisters method (shown above), which involves planting corn, beans, and squash together, was also developed to improve crop yields and soil health.

Willow Bark

Birchbark Canoe
If you want to continue learning about discoveries and inventions, visit our Invented: Propelled by Imagination exhibit, currently on display at The Village.
More Exhibits

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Indigenous Innovations & Discoveries - Black Creek Pioneer Village

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Many Indigenous innovations in health and medicine have been around for thousands of years, predating and contributing to Western medicine. Indigenous peoples

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Jesse Cockney, Cross-Country Skiing

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Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website

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Biography

Jesse Cockney made his Olympic debut at Sochi 2014 after an impressive junior career. He won three gold medals at the 2011 Canada Winter Games and finished sixth in the classic sprint at the 2011 FIS World Under-23 Championships. Cockney made his World Cup debut in January 2011. Since then, he has shown to be a world-class sprinter. In December 2012, he recorded his best individual World Cup result in at the Canmore stop in December 2012 when he finished ninth in the free sprint.

At the PyeongChang 2018 test event in February 2017 he finished an impressive 10th in the classic sprint. He also broke into the top 10 of the free sprint at the World Cup Finals in Quebec City in March 2017. Cockney made his FIS World Championship debut in 2015 and was also a member of the world team in 2017. As an Inuit, Cockney aims to be a positive role model for all youth of aboriginal heritage.
A little more about Jesse
Getting into the Sport: Started skiing in Yellowknife when he was three... Has been skiing competitively for nine years... His family skied a lot while growing up so he's never really known anything else... His father Angus skied on the national junior team and won two Canada Games gold medals... Younger sister Marika also competed internationally for Canada... Moved to Canmore at age seven where he moved up through the developmental system... Outside Interests: Does a lot of fly-fishing in streams and alpine lakes in the spring, summer and fall with his Canmore training mates... Likes to take the time to prepare very good meals for his family and friends... Mentors First Nations, Inuit and Metis students through the Classroom Champions program; considers it a unique experience to connect with aboriginal students like himself... Odds and Ends: The first time he really understood the Olympics was while watching Donovan Bailey win 100m gold at Atlanta 1996... Made up his mind to compete for Canada when Beckie Scott won gold at Salt Lake City 2002... Favourite motto: Hard work pays off...

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Jesse Cockney - Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website

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Team Canada - Jesse Cockney has proven to be a world-class sprinter. At the PyeongChang test event in February 2017 he finished an impressive 10th in the classic sprint. Cockney also broke into the top 10 of the free sprint at the World Cup Finals in Quebec City in March 2017.

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Carolyn Darbyshire, Curling

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Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website

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Carolyn Darbyshire - Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website

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Carolyn Darbyshire won an Olympic silver medal at Vancouver 2010 where she played second for the rink skipped by Cheryl Bernard.

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Jocelyne Larocque, Hockey

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Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website

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Jocelyne Larocque - Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website

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In her Olympic debut at Sochi 2014, Larocque was Canada’s top scorer on defence with one goal and one assist, helping the team capture its fourth straight gold medal

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Expand/collapse

Women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people

Read documents on the impacts of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people as well as on recommended actions to end this national tragedy. Get to know inspiring Indigenous women and Two-Spirits, and their invaluable past and present contributions.

Environment, traditional knowledge and territory

Explore the territory through the eyes of Indigenous Peoples, and learn about what First Nations, Inuit and Métis are doing to conserve both traditions and nature. Find out more about treaties and the importance of acknowledging the land we live on.

Indigenous Voices for Nature Conservation | Environment and Climate Change Canada
A video documentary series on First Nations, Inuit and Métis leadership in nature conservation, and its importance to cultural conservation and reconciliation.

Seven Sacred Laws | Turtle Lodge
A series of short animated films on the sacred teachings of Anishinaabe culture on how we should live our lives on Mother Earth.
Treaties | Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
The story of Jocelyn Joe-Strack, member of the Agunda/Wolf clan of the self-governing Champagne and Aishihik First Nations of southwest Yukon, sharing how her father and his colleagues participated in the Yukon land claim negotiations.

Children and youth

Discover learning resources on Indigenous history and cultures designed for children and youth. Let stories created by young Indigenous artists and writers inspire you.

It's Our Time Education Toolkit | Assembly of First Nations
A toolkit to help students and teachers understand various First Nations topics.

Learning Resources | Métis Gathering
Resources for kids and teachers about Métis culture.

First Peoples Educational Kit | Musée de la civilisation
A digital kit for each school cycle highlighting the history and contributions of First Nations and Inuit in Quebec.

Languages, cultures and arts

Immerse yourself in the diverse languages, cultures and arts of Indigenous Peoples. Learn how to say "Hello" in an Indigenous language, watch a film or documentary by an Indigenous filmmaker, or visit a virtual museum.

Indigenous Languages Across Canada | Statistics Canada
An article from Statistics Canada using data from the 2021 Census of Population. It provides a portrait of the Indigenous languages spoken by First Nations, Inuit and Métis in Canada, highlighting the diversity of Indigenous languages by geographic region.

Influential Indigenous Musicians in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia
The work of these popular Indigenous musicians celebrates their cultures and shines a light on important issues for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

Online Exhibition of Inuit Prints from Cape Dorset | Canadian Museum of History
This online resource offers unique access to works created by artists from Kinngait (Cape Dorset). Visitors are invited to browse some 4,000 works, and to create their own sharable virtual exhibits.

Métis Arts and Culture | Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
An overview of traditional and modern Métis arts and culture.

Reconciliation

Access resources, research and reports on various topics related to residential schools, intergenerational impacts of colonization and efforts to advance reconciliation. Find guidance and ideas on how to start conversations about reconciliation.

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Learning resources about First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada

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Here are some resources to help you celebrate National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day.

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SkoBots: A Wearable Language Revitalization Robot for Indigenous Languages

A personal, wearable, and interactive Indigenous language revitalization robot that responds to being spoken to in the voices of Indigenous children in the endangered Indigenous language Anishinaabemowin which utilizes ethical, sustainable, and internally developed AI. The students build the robots themselves. The robots reimagine a future with Anishinaabe toys and were made to supplement community language learning (never replace it) for free.

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SkoBots Language Learning | The STEAM Connection

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A wearable, customizable, and interactive language learning robot for Indigenous youths that senses motion and speaks. It was created as a language revitalization and STEAM educational tool for Indigenous youths to make their own that costs less than $100 dollars to make. SkoBots was designed entirely by Indigenous leaders.

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FirstVoices is a collaborative platform where Indigenous communities manage, curate and share their languages

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

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The Canadian Language Museum is excited to share its appreciation for Indigenous languages with language learners of every level and age. Browse over 350 Canadian Indigenous language resources including articles, apps, archival records, audio recordings, dictionaries, games, maps, podcasts, videos, and more!

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Canadian Language Museum - Languages in Canada

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Indigenous Language Learning Tools & Resources - Canadian Language Museum

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The Canadian Language museum is excited to share its appreciation for Indigenous languages with language learners of every level and age. Browse over 350 Canadian Indigenous language resources including articles, apps, archival records, audio recordings, dictionaries, games, maps, podcasts, videos, and more! General Resources Algonquian Language Family Algonquin (Algonkin) Alnôbadôwawôgan (Abenaki) Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway/Ojibwe) Cree Innu-Aimun

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UTL Indigenous Languages Research Guides

Our goal is to promote the use of Indigenous language resources in the Toronto area and make them easier to find. This guide is gradually being developed over time. It begins with languages that are taught at the University of Toronto, and those traditionally spoken by First Nations with traditional territories falling within the boundaries of Ontario.

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It's a long way from the dirt roads of Saddle Lake Cree Nation in central Alberta to the bright lights of Los Angeles, California, but Tia Wood followed her heart from the Rez to the City of Angels to make her musical dreams come true.

Her powerful, soulful voice carries the spirit of her peoples' songs that have echoed from her homelands since time immemorial, and the musical roots of her family tree run deep. Growing up in a home rich with music and culture, she began singing as soon as she could talk, inspired and nurtured by her parents, siblings, and her dual Plains Cree and Coast Salish heritage. So Tia believes it was inevitable that she's now blazing her own trail as a solo artist, with her debut recordings being released by Sony Music this spring.

"When I was younger, this kind of stuff is something I dreamed about, but just never would say out loud because I never thought it was reachable," says the 24 year old. "But it's just so cool. I'm just so grateful."

Tia also calls it "surreal" to go from the western edges of the Canadian Prairies to the west coast metropolis of Los Angeles. Saddle Lake Cree Nation is a community of about 6000 people in Treaty 6 territory, about a two-hour drive east of the Alberta capital of Edmonton. Her home community is where Tia's musical journey began; her first experiences on stage were performing with her family, singing traditional music at powwows, schools, community events, and various showcases.

Back then, her father, Earl Wood, co-founded and was a member of the legendary JUNO-winning and Grammy-nominated powwow drum group Northern Cree, and her mother, Cynthia Jim, was in an all-women drum group. The talent in her family is generational: her sister, Fawn Wood, is also a JUNO Award-winning singer.

Even though she calls her younger self "the shyest kid" among her other siblings, Tia says those early performances and musical teachings from her family were hugely formative, and led her on to the path she continues to follow today, proudly celebrating and sharing the songs and dances of her people.

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It's a long way from the dirt roads of Saddle Lake Cree Nation in central Alberta to the bright lights of Los Angeles, California, but Tia Wood followed her heart from the Rez to the City of Angels to make her musical dreams come true.

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Roy Henry Vickers - Artist in Tofino, BC

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Canadian artist ROY HENRY VICKERS is a world-renowned printmaker, painter, carver, designer, author, and sought-after keynote speaker. Influenced by his mixed heritage, he developed a unique artistic style, which is identifiable through clean lines, vivid colours, and natural themes drawn from the rugged beauty of British Columbia. Roy merges his traditional indigenous art with a contemporary style, appealing to a universal spirit. His artwork is held in museums and private collections internationally. In 1986 Roy opened his gallery in Tofino BC, inspired by the architecture of his ancestors.

Roy Henry Vickers was born June 4th, 1946, in Greenville, BC. His father was a fisherman of Haida, Heiltsuk, and Tsimshian ancestry, and Roy's mother was a teacher of mixed European heritage. The Vickers family lived in Kitkatla, Hazelton, and Victoria. In 1973, Roy began studying traditional Native art at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art in Ksan, BC.

Over the years, Roy has received many honours for his work. In 1987, at the Commonwealth Summit in Vancouver, the original painting of Roy's 'A Meeting of Chiefs' was the official gift of the Province of British Columbia to Queen Elizabeth II. Between 1987 and 1995, Vickers sat on the board of Directors as the Artistic Advisor for the Vancouver International Airport's new terminal, where his work is still prominently displayed. During the Vancouver Summit in 1993, former Soviet leader Yeltsin and former U.S. president Clinton received artist's proofs of Roy's print 'The Homecoming' as the province's official gift. In 1994, Roy was the first artist to be included by Maclean's magazine in its Annual Honour Roll of Extraordinary Canadian Achievers. In 1998, he received the Order of British Columbia in recognition of his significant contributions to society. In 2003, Roy received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for his contributions to Canadian culture, and in 2007 was awarded the prestigious Order of Canada. In 2018, Roy received a Grammy nomination for his design work on the box set of CD recordings by The Grateful Dead. Most recently, Roy was appointed the inaugural Elder in Residence for the BC Arts Council, a key role in affecting change towards indigenous self-determination and equity.

Roy has completed many sculptures, including the Salmon Totem for Victoria's 1994 Commonwealth Aquatic Centre. He is most proud of The Raven Totem carved for The House of Walkus in Owikeeno. He is also the author and illustrator of numerous books, including his award-winning children's books.

Roy currently resides on the majestic Skeena River near Hazelton, BC, where he continues to find inspiration in the natural world.

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Canadian artist ROY HENRY VICKERS is a world-renowned printmaker, painter, carver, designer, author, and sought-after keynote speaker. Influenced by his mixed heritage, he developed a unique artistic style, which is identifiable through clean lines, vivid colours, and natural themes drawn from the rugged beauty of B