# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
The Students Of Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School - Topic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mourning Keeps Coming Back (feat. July Talk, Broken Social Scene, Cris Derksen, Nicholas...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We Matter is a national multi-media campaign designed to gather positive messages from people across the country, to offer support for Indigenous youth going through a hard time.

# data[].attributes.headline
Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy

# data[].attributes.subject
Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy

# data[].attributes.body
Follow filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers as she creates an intimate portrait of her community and the impacts of the substance use and overdose epidemic. Witness the change brought by community members with substance-use disorder, first responders and medical professionals as they strive for harm reduction in the Kainai First Nation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Follow filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers as she creates an intimate portrait of her community and the impacts of the substance use and overdose epidemic. Witness the change brought by …

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
N'we Jinan Artists - "THE HIGHWAY" // Kitsumkalum First Nation, BC.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Four Faces of the Moon" - Canada's dark colonial past | Animated Short Doc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson - "How to Steal a Canoe"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
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.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Unreserved with Rosanna Deerchild | Live Radio | CBC Listen

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
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.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

This Course Video Transcript

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.

View Syllabus

DR

Thumbs Up Helpful?

LC

Thumbs Up Helpful?

8th Fire: Aboriginal Peoples, Canada & the Way Forward

This television series aired on Canada's CBC in 2013. Short clips used in the course created a demand from students for more and to see the clips in their original context. We received permission to show the series here.

Taught By

[music]. Hi, I'm Wab Kinew. I'm an Anishinaabe from the Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation in Ontario. Welcome to 8th Fire. Its been about 500 years since your people first met my people, and things look a little bit different. Let's face it though, our relationship still needs a lot of work. Some people call it reconciliation, some people call it the 8th Fire. A first nation's prophecy that says now is the time for all people to come together and build. A new relationship. If not, things could get a little awkward. After all, aboriginal peoples are Canada's fastest growing population, and more than half of us now live in the cities. So come meet the neighbors. And I promise, honest injun, no guilt trips. Maybe even a few surprises. [music]. >> We're kind of invisible, almost. The only time when we really notice is when something's going wrong. >> Death rate, poverty and alcoholism, I don't see myself as an aboriginal being any of those statistics. >> When I hear from other Canadians that we, as aboriginal people should just get over it. I often think that they probably haven't heard enough. >> The biggest opportunity right now is young people in the city. >> Nobody's going to go nowhere. Everybody's here to stay. Now, how do we work it out together? >> It's true. We're not all hidden away on reserves anymore. Here in Winnipeg, one in ten people is either First Nation, Inuit or Metis. That's the largest aboriginal population per capita of any Canadian city. But how do we form a new relationship if we don't know each other? Almost half of urban Canadians say they have little or no contact with aboriginal peoples. And when they do it's often negative. Yet if you look past the streets, you'll find the cities are buzzing with our culture, creativity and energy. [music]. >> What stereotypes do you have, as a Canadian, about indigenous people? I really, really ask you to examine those stereotypes that you carry. You may not have ever met an indigenous person in Canada before. And I, I meet many people who haven't, but they do know we're stereotypes. >> The biggest stereotypes? >> You meet people who say well, you're not native are you? There's still native in Canada? >> Non educated. >> Alcoholics and drug addicts. >> Lazy. >> Very negative, very put down. >> Taxes. That's a big one. >> I'm sorry, I pay a lot of taxes. >> Wow, and that's just for starters. But we all know that those are just comic book caricatures. [music]. >> [laugh] I tell people I'm an Aboriginal artist. They're like, oh, so you carve totem poles? No. Oh, so you paint buffaloes. No, I draw comic books. They're like, Indians draw comic books? And it's like, yes, it's not an, a ridiculous notion to think that, you know. >> Steve Sanderson, who is a Plains Cree from Saskatchewan, isn't drawing buffaloes. >> Ed, Edd, n Eddy! >> But he has drawn for a popular animated series in the states and worked on computer games. His early influences were big. >> Growing up as the Incredible Hulk, and I was just fascinated with the Hulk. I mean, there was just so, there was a million photos of me growing up wearing my Incredible Hulk swim trunks or my Incredible Hulk T-shirt. You know, like, I was just fascinated by the Incredible Hulk. >> Okay. You can see his super hero influences. But these days he's drawn to telling stories that affect aboriginal kids in Canada. Like suicide, adoption, diabetes and the different ways stereotypes work. >> The most classic idea of, of, of a positive stereotype of aboriginal people is that noble savage. You know, the really cool, really handsome, you know, rugged Indian. And as much as it is appealing, it is limiting. Cause it's an idea that keeps us stuck in a certain time. And we're no more or no less than that. [music] And it's from 200 year ago. Meanwhile, me, I, you know, work on a computer. >> I'm doing comic books 100% digital you know what I am saying? Like, I'm, I'm not using flint here, you know? >> In the modern Metropolis of Toronto, a managing partner in a law firm finds it's not that she's a woman, but that she is Malisi that surprises people. [music]. >> I have tended to notice that when I first identify as an aboriginal person, and then someone finds out that I'm also a lawyer, I tend to get a very strong reaction. People are very impressed, and like, oh, wow. That's amazing, and good for you. And I can't help but feel like if they just thought I was a white person, that it wouldn't be that big of a deal. >> More of us are joining the middle class, even though a lot of people think we're all poor and living on the street and think young. Half of aboriginal people living in the cities are under 25, the fastest growing population in Canada. >> They could be the future workforce. Problem is, too many Canadians think they're all gang members. [music]. Let's check out the story of some young guys that seem to fit that stereotype. Gangsters, rappers. Three guys Jon-C, Brooklyn and Charlie Fettah. They call themselves Winnipeg's Most. In a few short years they've gained a lot of attention. [music]. >> It's crazy when you get kids singing our stuff. It's like I think that's means more than the money to me. It's like, you know, I'm actually changing the way people think. And changing the way, you know, and hitting people's hearts. [music]. It was Jon-C and Fettah who first met and started making music together. Brooklyn joined them a year later, and recorded an album that took off. [music]. Now they're winning awards. Had a spread in Maclean's magazine. They even opened their own store. >> We got the gear. We're going to get into our own jeans, all sorts of stuff. >> And are swarmed by fans. >> We were stopped at Calgary, to hop on the next plane and, and two middle-aged white men, like in their, like, I would say, early 50's, like look at me and Jon-C ,and says, are you The Most? He's like, my kids love you. It's like, I need a picture right now, pull us aside, take a picture of me and Billy were like, this is crazy. >> Between these guys, race isn't a factor. >> Grade 6, I started playing guitar, started being into hip-hop. >> Charlie Fettah isn't even aboriginal. >> Yeah, Fettah's like pink. He's, he's not even white, he's pink. [laugh]. [music]. Our relationship is, like we said, we've never tried to ever be racist. Or ever, you know, look at that sort of aspect. >> I'm with two aboriginal guys. I know both their families. Their families treat me the same way so it's like I'm really color blind when it comes to things like that. You see it, but I don't. [music]. >> Brooklyn who is Metis and Jon-C, whose mother is Anishinaabe from Saugeen First Nation, grew up in the inner city. Like one out of three aboriginal kids, they didn't finished high school. >> The north end of Winnipeg is basically the lower end of Winnipeg. There's a lot of space for underachievers, so to speak. >> Some in the community say it's more than just underachievement. They say it's not that aboriginal kids are dropping out of school. Rather, that they are being pushed out, because they don't feel included. >> If our kids continue to be taunted on the playing fields and pushed out of schools. And experience racism, and all kinds of other things. They're not going to think that they deserve better, and they're not going to trust that they can go to a certain program, or go to a certain place. And make positive changes in their lives because of what other people are still imposing upon them. >> Let's just say you're a normal person. Race isn't a factor. Sex isn't a factor. Looks aren't even a factor. And you've just grown up in a negative environment. Everybody tells you you're stupid. Everyone tells you you're nothing. Everyone who looks at you, even if they don't even say anything, they just give you that look. I don't think you can behave to your full potential. >> Aboriginal kids are five times more likely than non aboriginal than aboriginal kids to be in trouble with the law. And let's come clean on Winnipeg's Most. They wrestle with demons of a recent past. Fettah and Brooklyn spent time in prison. [music]. >> I was horrible guy back then. I just had no emotion, no nothing. I was a monster. >> It's estimated aboriginal gangs could double in membership in the next ten years. So why do a higher percentage of our kids join gangs? Well, it's partly because of racism and the effects of colonization. And aboriginal kids are twice as likely as non-aboriginal kids to live below the poverty line. >> I grew up where it was hard every turn, it was never easy for me. I went out, and I did certain things to get myself nice clothes. You know what I mean? I clothed myself. There's a lot of influences out there and, and when I was young, the influences out there was crime. It wasn't music, it wasn't this, it was crime. You seen your mom get beat up your whole life, and seen your dad sell drugs, and all that. You're probably going to do the same thing. And if I didn't find music when I did, I'd be, those two options, dead or in jail for life. [music]. >> Indigenous youth are caught between two worlds, and they're suffering. The results of this alienation and this ignorance and all of the kinds of violences and abuses and pathologies and diseases and all these things that are happening to a much higher degree to our youth then in to other people. [music] ... >> So what is it that was lost that leaves aboriginal peoples caught between two worlds. That leaves more in poverty, out of school, and in trouble with the law. The source can be directly traced to our colonial history. Way back in 1876, the new government of Canada passed the Indian Act, which made Indians wards of the crown. The Indian Act controlled our lives/g. We were forbidden to practice our traditions or speak our language. Our ceremonial items were collected and burned. We weren't allowed to leave the reserve without a pass and we couldn't go to university unless we gave up our Indian status. Indians were forced from their land, and given tiny little spaces called reserves, which were controlled by government agents. We were supposed to live out of the way of the settlers, who took our land. >> This country is founded on, I think, Daniel Francis write, writes about it, but it's founded on the negation. Of aboriginal people, to justify the theft,[LAUGH]. You know, it's just, you know someone comes into your house and you welcome them and then they pretty soon they take over your house. You have to have a reason for it, well it's because they're not really human. >> And because we were cleared away from cities, most people don't even know whose land their suburban dream home has been built on. >> You're driving around, you're walking around and well, these people have a nice life here. It'd be nice if they acknowledge that they're on our territory, much less give it back. But, you know, that ain't going to happen tomorrow but at least they could acknowledge it. And not just try to wipe us out psychologically and say we're just like everybody else. [music] ... >> Much of the reserve land we were stuck with was not exactly prime land, you couldn't really make a living from it. So some people started to move out of reserves. Seeking a better life in the cities, but were treated like strangers on their own land. >> So people were just like okay, we have native people, we have Indian people. They come out of the bush, they dress funny, they look funny, they smell funny. But then, it's okay because they come in and they go back in the bush. [music]. But more and more in the 70's native people started to come in the city and town, but settled in town. So now, it was starting to be a little bit more awkward for the non-native population. So leaving the community, for many, is leaving behind struggles and problems and difficulties and crisis. Thinking that the city is the El Dorado of a new life. But more than often, you find yourself isolated. You find yourself alone. And you find yourself marginalized. [music]. >> > What do Elton John and Belinda Stronach have in common? Well, they both own paintings by Cree artist Kent Monkman. His work can sell for $150,000. Monkman questions the colonizers view of history and their view of where Indians belong in the world. >> Why are aboriginal people living in the cities? And then I started thinking, well why are people living on reserves? Reserves are in many places arbitrary, artificial places established by the Canadian government. I think there's a perception that Aboriginal people all come from a reserve. Well, I don't know if anyone in my family actually lived on that reserve. If they did, it wasn't for very long because it wasn't really a place where we wanted to call home. I think a lot of Aboriginal people at some point, you know, want to live in the cities, and I think That was certainly the case in my family. It was a very deliberate choice to create opportunities for us to get a good education, to have opportunities to get music lessons and go to the art galleries and basically participate in the world. [music] ... >> And boy does Kent participate. He is a multimedia artist who is breaking stereotypes, and tearing down boundaries with his videos and paintings of his alter-ego, Mischief Eagle Testicle. His subversive work is shaking up the relationship with the colonizers from Montreal to Paris. [music]. >> One of the main themes that I deal with in my work is sexuality and colonized sexuality. Coming out as a gay man and, gee, you know, realizing that in our own cultures. We had an openness to diverse sexuality that somehow got stamped out by the Europeans, who didn't understand it. >> With Miss Chief as the subject, Kent's art appropriates the work of 19th century artists like George Catlin, who idealized Native Americans in his paintings. Kent stands those romanticized ideas on their heads. So I created Miss Chief. So she's really, you know, this flamboyant, kind of egomaniac artist who's in all of her own paintings. She's kind of reversing the gaze, where it's the aboriginal artist who's looking at the Europeans. I'm dealing with an art history tradition of making art in North America that really was about obliterating Aboriginal narratives. There was such a strong will to disappear us, to disappear us from the places where we lived. The places where we were born. Our present is informed by our histories and we have to engage with these histories to understand why we are where we are right now. >> Then I thought about it one day and I realized, okay, so my father went to residential school. His father went to residential school. His father didn't go to residential school because he was still an Indian. That was like living off the land, that wasn't starting to get grouped up at the time that reservations were being made. My great, great grandfather was a full on buffalo hunting Indian. You know what I'm saying? That's only four generations. That is not a lot of time. >> Residential schools. That screwed-up government idea to take children away from their families, in order to kill the Indian in the child. That attempt to assimilate us by destroying our languages and cultures didn't work. But by the time the last school closed in 1996, it did managed to devastate our families. >> [music] I think the state has done a lot to make sure that we implode. And all the forces that were set to work, residential schools one of them, but there were a lot of different ways of ensuring that we didn't come out of this unscathed. And they can say, well, look, they're all drunk. >> Once you sanction theft, once you sanction the alienation of an entire people, once you illegalize and render illegitimate everything about it. Once you paint the face of the person with negative stereotypes and you say that, that's okay. Once you've done that everything else becomes that you do that's destructive becomes okay. >> And so the, the social pathology as they say are going to it's going to keep getting worse. Because native people see a vision of Canada which they just cannot accommodate. >> The effect is huge. The tsunami of generational effects are occurring now. My mother certainly never talked about it. If we tried to raise it with her, she would get extremely angry. >> As a result of her own mother's experience attending residential school, Leslie Varley has dedicated her life to breaking down barriers that prevent aboriginal people from accessing good healthcare. That way, they can heal from the trauma. >> There's a lot of internalized oppression in aboriginal people. And that's part of the challenge, having to heal ourselves. I don't think I would do this, you know, if we were all a really healthy, aboriginal community. We were all thriving and, you know. I, I wouldn't be doing this. I'd be a gardener. [laugh] ... >> The land that our school is located on right here. This is traditional aboriginal homeland. The education of Canadians I think is by far the most important thing. They really need to know and understand what we've been through. And then they need to engage with us about what we need to do to make things better for ourselves. The irony of this all is that It's far more expensive to keep us contained in the downtown east side of Vancouver than it is to work with us to become integrated into Canadian Society. >> The largest concentration of homeless aboriginal people in Canada live in Vancouver's downtown east side. Leslie's brother is one of them. >> We're just lazy, you know, good for nothing downtown east-siders. Kind of get thick skin after a while. You just ignore it. >> Herb Dixon worked most of his life on fishing boats around the world. But when the work dried up. He returned to Vancouver and couldn't find a job. >> As I said, it's not the Taj Mahal but it's, it's a roof over my head for now. >> Like his father before him, he fell into a world of alcohol and drug addiction. >> I got tied up in my addictions and I lost it. You know, it's my own fault. I don't blame anybody for it except myself. >> One of the things I know about my brother is that he's always making a plan to get out of there, to get a job, to find somewhere else to live. Gotta get out of here. Once you're there, it's very difficult to get out of the downtown east side. >> People in inner cities who are caught in this web are not only there because of their own failings. They are partly there because of failings of society. [music] Schools have failed to give them good educational attainment. There's not enough opportunity for them to integrate into the work force. There isn't necessarily always safe housing and real estate that can support them. >> I just let him live his life. I know he's had issues with addiction to, crack cocaine. And I don't like it but there's really nothing that I can do with that. But just be there when he reaches out to me. [music] ... >> Herb Varley is used to struggling the, the downtown east side. He's trying hard to stay out of the life his father has fallen into. He's taking advantage of programs at the Urban Native Youth Association, a place that gives him new skills and training to become part of a community. >> You know it's, it's just fantastic and you see how much. If you have meaningful opportunities and culturally relevant programming and people who are just willing to listen what kind of a difference it can make in the life of a young person. So, Herb is a walking example of, you know, how much people can change. >> He's branched out into photography. And this is opening night at a local art gallery. Where his exhibit deals with the time he was briefly homeless. >> One of the things we came to realize in this project is many people that are homeless are struggling with addiction issues. >> But he's no longer sleeping in doorways. >> This is where I live now. It's just a room. And this is 12 by 14. A jail cell is 12 by 8. >> He invited his father to come tonight. >> Yeah, he's going to be here soon. I don't think he's actually ever really attended any too many of my shows. But, you know, tonight's a start. >> His Auntie Leslie showed up, and he still holds hope for his father. But at the end of the night, he's a no-show. >> He wasn't really there when I was growing up and I don't have any resentment towards that, because he had. He is living his own life, he is going through his own struggles. For that entire time that residential school was in effect, our families were destroyed. And now, we're really only relearning again how to be families without, without constant fighting, without constant bickering. Because we're, we're just not used to it anymore, because our families were broken up. >> I think what people need to realize is that things can change so quickly. I had such challenges growing up in, in my life, you know, all kinds of things, alcoholism and single parent and living in the projects and my mother passed early. But when I look at my children, my daughter's a PHD student. My son is an established artist. So it gives me great hope for the future to see how much things can change within one generation. [music] ... >> Here in Winnipeg, Brooklyn is in his neighborhood bar. This is familiar territory. A refuge from the stresses of his music career. This is where he grew up. >> Dar Mare, she got murdered. [music]. >> As a kid, Brooklyn already was a budding rapper. And he was a star athlete on a championship baseball team at his local community center. >> Yeah, this used to be my rec center. >> But he says things changed when they tore it down. >> There's nothing in this area. They're just pretty much forcing kids back into the street. >> He's recognized as a celebrity and hero, but also for his criminal past. It continually comes back to haunt him. >> The general, look, there's the bad guys right there. Hey, just watch it. Watch, they'll come mess at us. They'll come mess at us, for sure. >> What's your name, kid? >> Prefontaine. >> Oh, yeah, I've met you before, too, right? >> Yeah, you've met me. >> As far as that goes, same old. It's never going to change, never. No matter how good we do. >> Brooklyn's friend, Brett, is arrested on an outstanding warrant. >> That's not how you do it. >> That's how I do it. That's how it's done. >> He will be released two hours later. >> You guys ask about me every time you pull over one of my friends. >> I stop everybody. I stop everybody. >> Ask my brother. He got pulled over by you and you asked, where's the drug dealer at? >> See that guy who drive my car? >> Yeah. >> I stop him too. >> Yeah, he's a black guy, I guess so. >> Oh my god. Okay. >> It's either Indian or black guys then, come on. It's like the same old shit, like you guys think we're up to something no good you know. >> Nope. We're, we're in the neighborhood, we're roaming around and we come in contact with people. >> I'm making music now. That's all I do now. >> Well, I'm glad to hear that. >> Changed kids' lives and I try to change my own. >> And this, you know? >> And I change kid, kids' lives too in this neighborhood by being out here day and night and making contact and making sure people are safe so. >> Okay. >> This is the delicate dance that aboriginal youth and police often do on the city streets. >> Yeah, that's continuous, man. Honestly, I'm so sick and tired of the stereotype. >> Everyone is sick of the stereotype. Everyone wants things to change. But how do we do that? >> As an indigenous person I have to know where I came from. And where I came from, again, less than 200 years ago was the land, the land and the people were so interconnected. [music] ... >> What's the core thing that the land gives them? The land gives them wholeness and completeness. Well, let's figure out a way to give them that experience. No one says you have to pack up and move out to the bush, but you have to have a connection. You have to interact and you have to draw spiritual and psychological sustenance from that. And then you can go and continue on in the life that you've chosen, for whatever reason, in a hermit environment. [music]. >> That connection to the land is important for many, no matter how citified. Even Jordan Tootoo, the first Inuk ever to play in the NHL. He needs to go back to his roots. >> Obviously the game has brought me to many places where I'd never expected to be. Going to cities where is just 24 hour nonstop, it's a, I don't know how people live like this. >> When the hockey season ends, he leaves the big city and connects to his home community in Rankin Inlet. >> Are you in school or? >> I'm starting grade one. >> I always know that I have people that I could count on to understand me for, you know, Jordan, the kid that grew up here. Not Jordan the hockey player that is living, living the high life. I definitely have a connection with nature. You gotta to respect your land. You know, you really become a humble person when you appreciate what's given to you out there. Because you know down south here, everything's just so fast paced. >> For me, we can be a native person that has a foot in the bush and a foot in the city. But really be who we are. And, and in a modern world and being contemporary and modern. >> Ideally, I would be very close to the land in order to practice some traditions. Given that I'm in the city I obviously can't do that but, I still have a very close relationship with my creator. And that's something that I believe I'm able to do anywhere. >> [music] In most cities, the local native friendship center has become the place to go for cultural activities. At the friendship center in Val-d'Or, a seven hour drive north of Montreal, a new program is proving hugely popular with non-native parents. An aboriginal day care where native and non-native kids play and learn about native culture together. >> We live in a city where there's a lot of native people. So I find it interesting that at a young age they learn about each others culture. I find it's a good way to counter racism. >> When we opened our doors, we were hearing comments about the quality that could be not as high as a non-native daycare because it's in a native environment. But now we see that we have waiting lists of non native family of in Val-d'Or that wished to have their children integrate this day care. >> [music] Who am I? In a sense its the same problem that our ancestors faced when they were dispossessed and then moved at the city in the first place. I used to be a hunter. Who am I now? Or what good am I now? They have to reinvent themselves, right? And some do, and some don't. [music]. >> Many aboriginal people have lived in the city for generations, with little connection to the culture. So many of our youth don't know their past or how colonization affects their lives. The boys from Winnipeg most want to understand their past so that they can move forward, but how do you do that. Well, they say, wisdom lies with the elders. So we arranged a meeting between Winnipeg's most, an elder Stella Blackbird and Audrey Bone, to see what would happen. >> Not knowing a road to my aboriginal culture comes from my grandmother and my mom being in residential schooling and, and the stuff that was going on there where they were forced to be ashamed of who they were. >> Yeah, it's a long struggle. >> Mm-hmm. >> But then, you're well on your way. There you're starting to think about it. >> Our grandfathers, our grandmothers, they were not allowed to practice their ceremonies. They thought they took it all away from us, but you can't take away something you can't see, and that's our spiritual way of life. And we have that today, they, they couldn't take that away from us and they never will. >> I know it's going to take long, you know, for people to accept us. >> It's like that all over. I go in a store. I'm always being watched, you know, like I'm going to put something in my purse. [laugh] Today those little things, they just bounce off me. >> [laugh] Brush it off. >> If were looking at things that eroded our sense of who we are, there was also something called the 60s scoop. Elsewhere throughout the 1960s and into the 80s thousands of kids were taken away from their homes and adopted out sually to white families. As one report stated, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And the child welfare system was the contractor. >> [music] I don't remember any of this. I don't remember being this age. I don't remember getting off a plane. I don't remember hardly anything. Basically, I was put in almost like a catalog so that my parents can choose which child they wanted and I guess they thought this was a really cute picture so choose me and off I wen't from Manitoba brought over to Montreal. >> At the age of three, Nakuset was adopted out to a Jewish family where her name was changed. Misguided social workers thought it would be better if she didn't identify as aboriginal. >> So I know that my mother used to try to tell me to tell people that I was Israeli because I'm dark. So that would sort of make a better story. You know, I was just a kid you know, having a rough time looking the way I do and being brought up. Like, I would go out with Jewish boys, and their parents would take a look at me and go, uh-uh. >> She's hurt. >> Strangely enough, she discovered her aboriginal identity through this 1990 Academy Award winning Movie. >> It's kind of embarrassing, but I saw the movie, Dances With Wolves. And then I became a born-again Indian. And it's just like, wow. I'm going to wear a braid now, I'm going to wear a choker. And I did. >> Against her parents wishes, she began to explore her aboriginal identity. She changed her name to Nakuset, which means the sun, a spirit name given to her by an elder. She began to feel she belonged somewhere. Now, she runs a shelter for aboriginal women. >> :So now what I need from the most of you is, what are they going to be saying. >> And works to bring all people together to improve lives. >> Because we have to work together, and also, I have a strong feeling that if we wait for the government to address our issues, that's never going to happen. >> And at home, she's making sure her kids know who they are and where they come from. >> I gave my children aboriginal names so people will know right away that they are. Since they were babies they've been to Pow Wows so they're not going to have any issues about whether they are or not. They'll know they are. >> [music] Meet Ron Linklater. He really fuses over the new additions to his family. >> Hey boys. How you doing? I take them out twice a day. I take them to their walks. They mean a lot. >> He seems to live the typical suburban lifestyle. But it wasn't always this way. >> I remember as a young boy growing up in the sixties and seventies. Being on welfare ourselves. And having to go into these, places in the city that give meals out to people. Common baby, common. >> So he's thankful for what he has today. And he acknowledges it was hard to adjust. >> Making friends, trying to live in a whole different environment, you know, it's, it's, it really was a struggle for me and today I've accomplished that and even more. I think back living in a larger urban center I'm more successful today and I know where I am part of the community today. And I try and respect other community cultures, other people that I meet and our neighborhood, for instance, I get to know our neighbors, all sorts of things. >> For Ron, the good life isn't about enjoying the benefits of the suburbs, it's about being true to his culture and tradition. And it's about sharing his knowledge with Canadians in his day job. Here, it's with future counselors at Red River College in Winnipeg. >> It's like they didn't know about our history yet. Growing up you start, you start to understand who you are as an aboriginal man? No. >> Once they started to realize that history or started to learn about the, learn about the history, it started to change their attitudes towards, towards the people. And for the better. >> So, is it, they were affected by presidential school? Or there's no way to resist that kind of lie? [music] ... >> Some of his students are new immigrants. He finds that some quickly adopt society's negative stereotypes about Aboriginal people. He loves to change their attitudes. >> Before, I had a negative assumption about these aboriginal people, but because I didn't know what's going on with their life. >> Without the class, I had perceived them negatively. But when I come to the class now I know them. Who are they, and what they are doing. [music] ... >> It seems Ron might just have one of the solutions. Get to know your neighbors. The more you know, the better it is. It's all about eduction. That means raising the level of education for all aboriginal people. Educating them in their own history. So they can understand the past, and begin to heal. It means educating non-aboriginal people. So that they get to know and understand us. It means bridging the divide between cultures. Small steps. Like here in Toronto, Winnipeg's most reaching out to mainly non-aboriginal audiences. And it's about allowing aboriginal culture to flourish, rather than trying to kill it. It means adapting to specific needs, like this clinic in Valdore that respects native cultures. In the end, it's all about changing and strengthening the relationship between us. >> A dialogue is created. It doesn't just happen out of the blue. A dialogue is built with time. It's built with people, individuals that believe in, in the fact that we're sharing the land. >> The good life is where you and I can see each other on the street, find each other interesting, establish a connection, and build a relationship from there. That's the good life. [music].

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8th Fire episode 1. Indigenous in the City (43:24) - 8th Fire: Aboriginal Peoples, Canada & the Way Forward | Coursera

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Video created by University of Toronto for the course "Aboriginal Worldviews and Education". This television series aired on Canada's CBC in 2013. Short clips used in the course created a demand from students for more and to see the clips in ...

# data[].attributes.headline
Documentary: Failing Canada's First Nations Children

# data[].attributes.subject
Documentary: Failing Canada's First Nations Children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FULL STORY: Failing Canada’s First Nations Children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Indigenous Relations Insights, Tips & Suggestions To Make Reconciliation A Reality

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This book provides some how-to advice for Canadians who are committed to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

# data[].attributes.headline
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act

# data[].attributes.subject
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This book is an essential guide to understanding the Indian Act and its repercussions on generations of Indigenous peoples.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
before the usual time: a collection of indigenous stories and poems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Before The Usual Time: A Collection Of Indigenous Stories And Poems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A collection of words and imagery from diverse voices grounded in the land that explore community in relation to time. Filmmaker/writer, Darlene Naponse, curates a gathering of expression about time that has passed, time that is now and time that comes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What We Do

Naheyawin offers sustainable, practical, Indigenous-based solutions for the improvement of diversity and inclusion in businesses, organizations and institutions through interactive workshop sessions, equity audits, and public engagement design and facilitation.

We work alongside entrepreneurs, educational institutions, non-profits and government helping them to become stewards of Treaty and realize their capacity to create conditions of abundance in their organizations, and beyond.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Naheyawin offers sustainable, practical, Indigenous-based solutions for the improvement of diversity and inclusion in businesses, organizations and institutions through interactive workshop sessions, equity audits, and public engagement design and facilitation. We work alongside entrepreneurs, educational institutions, non-profits and government helping them to become stewards of Treaty and realize their capacity to create conditions of abundance in their organizations, and beyond.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Offered by University of Alberta. Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that ... Enroll for free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Due to the COVID-19 situation, Juneau House and Michif Cultural Connections is closed until further notice. Therefore, all classes and workshops will be postponed. Check back or follow us on Facebook for updates. Thank you for your patience during this trying time, and stay safe! Maarsii.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Canadian Native Friendship Centre 11728 95 St, Edmonton, AB T5G 1L9 Phone: (780) 761-1900 Fax: 780-760-1900 Please use the form below to contact The Canadian Native Friendship Centre.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edmonton, Alberta - July 29, 2020 - Audrey Poitras, President of the Métis Nation of Alberta condemns, in the strongest [...]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Society is committed to building upon the strengths of Aboriginal children, youth and families to enable them to grow spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally so that they can walk proudly in both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Communities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Society is committed to building upon the strengths of Aboriginal children, youth and families to enable them to grow spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally so that they can walk proudly in both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Communities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Who Are We?

We are an Indigenous-owned consulting group that works with Indigenous and local communities in Canada and beyond to provide high quality research, policy, planning, mapping, negotiation, and advisory services. Our work focuses on culture, health, socio-economics, ecology, and governance to support the rights and interests of Indigenous communities.

Our Approach

We work for Indigenous communities

Firelight works only for Indigenous and local communities, or on projects where communities support our participation.

Comprehensive support

We provide research, guidance, and support through all stages of environmental assessments, negotiations, and community policy and planning.

Capacity building

We build capacity in communities, by training and mentoring through all stages of our work.

Quality

We are committed to high quality, objective, evidence-based, peer-reviewed research, and to providing deliverables that are timely, relevant, effective, and respected by all parties.

Social return

We give back to the communities we work with by supporting culturally, politically, or ecologically important initiatives. Learn more about social return...

Before working with Firelight I had never collected any traditional land values. They walked me through the process and gave me all the knowledge I need to perform direct-to-digital mapping, including what I would need to direct... The staff are friendly and professional, and I look forward to continuing working with them.

Delta Flood

Land and Resource Manager, Matachewan First Nation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We are an Indigenous-owned consulting group that works with Indigenous and local communities in Canada and beyond to provide high quality research, policy, planning, mapping, negotiation, and advisory services. Our work focuses on culture, health, socio-economics, ecology, and governance to support the rights and interests of Indigenous communities.

# data[].attributes.headline
Short Film: Canadians Have Been Breaking Their Promises

# data[].attributes.subject
Short Film: Canadians Have Been Breaking Their Promises

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Canadians have been breaking their promises to Indigenous people

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Elder in the Making | Episode 1: Cowboy X

# data[].attributes.headline
Native Counselling Services of Alberta: Educational Channel

# data[].attributes.subject
Native Counselling Services of Alberta: Educational Channel

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
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.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Native Land is a resource to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, lands, and ways of life. We welcome you to our site.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Poet and writer Marilyn Dumont earned her BA from the University of Alberta and MFA from the University of British Columbia. She is of Cree and Métis ancestry. Her first collection of poetry, A Really Good Brown Girl (1996), won the 1997 Gerald Lampert Memorial Award from the League of Canadian Poets. Other collections include green girl dreams Mountains (2001); that tongued belonging (2007), winner of the McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year; and The Pemmican Eaters (2015), which won the 2016 Writers' Guild of Alberta's Stephan G. Stephansson Award.

Dumont's poetry explores how the structural legacies of Canada's racist and colonial history continue to be lived realities for First Nations and Métis communities. In an interview with Room magazine, Dumont says, "Writing has saved my emotional, spiritual, and intellectual life in a country where I wasn't supposed to exist, let alone thrive. It allows me to sort out the mess of structural inequity, bureaucratic obfuscation, colonial racism, and sexism. It allows a space for my voice and sense of self."

Dumont has taught at the Banff Centre for the Arts and served as a mentor in its Aboriginal Emerging Writers program. A former writer-in-residence at the Edmonton Public Library and numerous Canadian universities, she serves on the board of the Public Lending Rights Commission of Canada. She is an associate professor in the Arts and Native Studies Program at the University of Alberta.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Poet and writer Marilyn Dumont earned her BA from the University of Alberta and MFA from the University of British Columbia. She is of Cree and Métis ancestry. Her first collection of poetry, A Really Good Brown Girl (1996), won the 1997 Gerald Lampert Memorial Award from the League of Canadian...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Billy-Ray Belcourt is a writer and academic from the Driftpile Cree Nation. He is an Assistant Professor in the Creative Writing Program at the University of British Columbia. A 2018 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar, he earned his PhD in English at the University of Alberta. He was also a 2016 Rhodes Scholar and holds an M.St. in Women's Studies from the University of Oxford and Wadham College. In the First Nations Youth category, Belcourt was awarded a 2019 Indspire Award, which is the highest honor the Indigenous community bestows on its own leaders.

Billy-Ray's debut book of poems, This Wound is a World (Frontenac House 2017), won the 2018 Griffin Poetry Prize (making him the youngest ever winner) and the 2018 Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize. It was also named the Most Significant Book of Poetry in English by an Emerging Indigenous Writer at the 2018 Indigenous Voices Awards. This Wound is a World was a finalist for the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry, the 2018 Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry, the 2018 Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, and the 2018 Raymond Souster Award, both of the latter via the Canadian League of Poets. It was also named by CBC Books as the best "Canadian poetry" collection of 2017. U.S. (University of Minnesota Press) and French (Groupe Nota Bene) editions of the book are now available.

His sophomore book, NDN Coping Mechanisms: Notes from the Field, a national bestseller, is out now. According to Open Book, the book "cements [Belcourt] as one of the most imaginative and creative writers in the country." Of the poems, the Toronto Star says "both intellectual and visceral, [they] dazzle with metaphoric richness and striking lyricism." It was longlisted for Canada Reads 2020 and shortlisted for the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry, the 2020 Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize, and the 2020 Raymond Souster Award. It won the 2020 Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry.

His third book, A History of my Brief Body, essays and vignettes on grief, colonial violence, joy, love, and queerness, published in Canada in August 2020 with Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Canada, and in the US with Two Dollar Radio. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called it "elegantly crafted" and "an urgently needed, unyielding book of theoretical and intimate strength."

His creative writing is represented by Stephanie Sinclair at CookeMcDermid (ssinclair [at] cookemcdermid.com).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Billy-Ray Belcourt is a writer and academic from the Driftpile Cree Nation. He is an Assistant Professor in the Creative Writing Program at the University of British Columbia. A 2018 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar, he earned his PhD in English at the University of Alberta.

# data[].attributes.headline
Documentary: There's Something in the Water

# data[].attributes.subject
Documentary: There's Something in the Water

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
TIFF is a charitable cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world, through film.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Annick Press
Pub Date: 2016
ISBN: 9781554516865
Lisa Charleyboy, Mary Beth Leatherdale

(click icon for large image)

by Lisa Charleyboy & Mary Beth Leatherdale (Editors)

A powerful and visually stunning anthology from some of the most groundbreaking Native artists working in North America today.

Truly universal in its themes, Dreaming In Indian will shatter commonly held stereotypes and challenge readers to rethink their own place in the world. Divided into four sections, 'Roots,' 'Battles,' 'Medicines,' and 'Dreamcatchers,' this book offers readers a unique insight into a community often misunderstood and misrepresented by the mainstream media.

Emerging and established Native artists, including acclaimed author Joseph Boyden, renowned visual artist Bunky Echo Hawk, and stand-up comedian Ryan McMahon, contribute thoughtful and heartfelt pieces on their experiences growing up Indigenous, expressing them through such mediums as art, food, the written word, sport, dance, and fashion. Renowned chef Aaron Bear Robe, for example, explains how he introduces restaurant customers to his culture by reinventing traditional dishes. And in a dramatic photo spread, model Ashley Callingbull and photographer Thosh Collins reappropriate the trend of wearing 'Native' clothing.

Whether addressing the effects of residential schools, calling out bullies through personal manifestos, or simply citing hopes for the future, Dreaming In Indian refuses to shy away from difficult topics. Insightful, thought-provoking, and beautifully honest, this book will to appeal to young adult readers. An innovative and captivating design enhances each contribution and makes for a truly unique reading experience.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Annick Press Pub Date: 2016 ISBN: 9781554516865 Lisa Charleyboy, Mary Beth Leatherdale (click icon for large image) A powerful and visually stunning anthology from some of the most groundbreaking Native artists working in North America today. Truly universal in its themes, Dreaming In Indian will shatter commonly held stereotypes and challenge readers to rethink their own place in the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
DJ Shub - Indomitable ft. Northern Cree Singers (Official Video)

# data[].attributes.headline
Residential School Survivors Tell Their Stories

# data[].attributes.subject
Residential School Survivors Tell Their Stories

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Residential school survivor explains the impact on her family

# data[].attributes.headline
Creating Environments for Indigenous Youth to Succeed

# data[].attributes.subject
Creating Environments for Indigenous Youth to Succeed

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creating environments for Indigenous youth to live & succeed | Tunchai Redvers | TEDxKitchenerED

# data[].attributes.headline
Young First Nations Man has Just Aged Out of Foster Care System

# data[].attributes.subject
Young First Nations Man has Just Aged Out of Foster Care System

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meet a young First Nations man who's just aged out of foster care

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
N'we Jinan Artists - "HOME TO ME" // Grassy Narrows First Nation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
(To learn more or purchase a 150Acts poster, please visit 150acts.weebly.com)
On August 4th, there are 150 days left in 2017 - the year of Canada's 150th birthday. There have been robust discussions this year around reconciliation and we would like to contribute to the conversation. Together, we have written 150 Acts of Reconciliation for the last 150 days of 2017. Many of these are small, everyday acts that average Canadians can undertake, but others are more provocative that encourage people to think about Indigenous-settler relationships in new ways. We encourage you to use #150Acts to share your engagement with each item on the list. To download a printable .pdf version of this list, click here.

1. Learn the land acknowledgement in your region.

2. Find your local reconciliation organization.

3. If there isn't one, consider joining together with others to start one.

4. Attend a cultural event, such as a pow wow (yes, all folks are invited to these!).

5. Purchase an item from an Indigenous artist. For instance, if you are interested in owning a dreamcatcher or a pair of moccasins, find an Indigenous artist who can craft these items for you and provide you with information about these special creations.

6. Download an Indigenous podcast, like Ryan McMahon's Red Man Laughing or Molly Swain and Chelsea Vowel's Métis in Space.

7. Read an autobiography written by an Indigenous person. A couple of ideas include Augie Merasty's The Education of Augie Merasty, Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton's Fatty Legs: A True Story, and Mini Adola Freeman's Life Among the Qallunaat.

8. Find out if there was a residential school where you live.

9. Memorize its name and visit its former site.

10. Choose one plant or flower in your area and learn how Indigenous people use(d) it.

11. Visit your local museum, particularly its section on Indigenous people. If it does not have one, ask the staff why not.

12. Learn a greeting in a local Indigenous language.

13. Initiate a conversation with a friend about an Indigenous issue in the news.

14. Eat at an Indigenous restaurant, café, or food truck.

15. Read about the Cornwallis Statue in Halifax.

16. Seriously consider your own position as a settler Canadian. Do you uphold practices that contribute to the marginalization of Indigenous peoples?

17. Learn why headdresses are not appropriate to wear at music festivals (or outside of Indigenous ceremony).

18. Find a book that delves into Indigenous local histories.

19. Although Gord Downie significantly contributed to the conversation about residential schools, consider why some Indigenous people might not support his project.

20. Visit a local Indigenous writer- or artist-in-residence.

21. When discussing LGBTQ issues, always include two-spirited peoples (LGBTQ2S*).

22. Educate yourself around the issue of carding and consider why this is an important issue for urban Indigenous populations.

23. Learn your family history. Know where your ancestors came from and when they arrived in Canada.

24. In addition, understand how your family story is part of a larger system that sought to dispossess Indigenous people from their ancestral lands.

25. Listen more. Talk less.

26. Ask your child's school to give a daily land acknowledgement. If the Canadian national anthem is sung at their school, ask that the acknowledgement come before the anthem.

27. Acknowledge that as a nation, Canadians choose which histories are celebrated and which ones are erased.

28. Learn the difference between Indigenous, Aboriginal, First Nation, Métis, and Inuit.

29. Support local Indigenous authors by purchasing their books.

30. Research why Joseph Boyden is not Indigenous.

31. Watch an educational documentary, such as We Were Children or The Pass System.

32. Gently counter racist or stereotypical comments with fact-based information whether you are at a party, the office, or the gym.

33. Write your local councilor, MLA, or MP about the flying of Indigenous flags at local, provincial/territorial, or federal buildings.

34. Understand and acknowledge that Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, was an architect of genocide. Say that aloud with us. "John A. Macdonald was an architect of genocide."

35. Write a letter to your local RCMP Officer in Charge or local Police Chief to inquire about how the police force is actively engaged in fostering connections with local Indigenous communities. If they are not doing so, ask that they start.

36. Show your support on social media. 'Like' pages and 'share' posts that support Indigenous endeavours.

37. Find the Indigenous section at your local library.

38. Go and see Indigenous scholars and intellectuals speak.

39. Hire Indigenous people for positions at your workplace.

40. If you live in an area where there is a Treaty relationship, read the treaty document.

41. Follow up with your representatives about the Calls to Action.

42. Find an organization locally that has upcoming programming where you can learn more. In many areas, this is the Native Friendship Centre.

43. Learn about how the child welfare system is failing Indigenous families. Write a letter to your elected representative asking for change.

44. Remember when Stephen Harper's government sent body bags to the Wasagamack First Nation during the H1N1 influenza outbreak instead of trained medical professionals with vaccines?

45. Be aware that Indigenous people were restricted from voting in federal elections until 1960.

46. Do you have access to clean drinking water? You are lucky. Also, 'luck' really has nothing to do with it; these conditions were historically engineered.

47. Recall that First Nations people were forced to choose between maintaining their Status under the Indian Act and going to university or serving in the armed forces, and women lost their status by marrying a non-Indigenous person.

48. Find out who was forced out of your area before you moved there, whether centuries ago or more recently with new housing developments.

49. Imagine living for six weeks on a hunger strike, with no sustenance but broth. To get a meeting with the prime minister. Hello, Chief Theresa Spence.

50. Actively seek out Indigenous heroes and role models. How about Dr. Nadine Caron, the first First Nations woman to become a surgeon? Or Mohawk athlete Waneek Horn-Miller? Or a historical figure, such as Thanadelthur?

51. Do you have an Indigenous political candidate in your area? Even though they might not be affiliated with your political party of choice, phone or email them and start a conversation.

52. Who was the last Indigenous person to win the Polaris Prize?

53. Recognize that Indigenous legal orders and laws guiding society existed in this land before the authority of the Canadian nation state.

54. When travelling, know whose land you are visiting while on vacation or travelling for work.

55. Do more than google.

56. If you are talking about or researching Indigenous peoples, have you included any of their voices?

57. Support Indigenous parents by learning the issues that they are faced with, which are often scenarios that settler Canadians take for granted. For instance, the use of Indigenous names on government documents and how that can be problematic. But also how these 'issues' can be resolved by speaking out!

58. Yes, this all might seem scary! Keep going, if you are committed.

59. Acknowledge that current (and sometimes vexed) First Nations politics are governed by the Indian Act.

60. Consider the diverse family forms that existed here before settlers arrived. This included strong matrilineal families in various forms, such as polyamorous relations.

61. Did you know that in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, territorial law acknowledges Indigenous custom adoptions?

62. This year was the twenty-seventh anniversary of the so-called 'Oka Crisis.' What do you know about it?

63. Ever wonder why only English and French are Canada's official languages when there are at least sixty Indigenous languages in this land?

64. Remember that good intentions can be harmful too.

65. Did you know that Indigenous peoples had sophisticated ways of caring for our landscapes to prevent massive fires, floods, and other natural disasters? Learn more about these methods.

66. That fish you are going to catch during this long weekend? Learn the Indigenous word for it and local teachings about it.

67. Did you know that two remarkably successful Hollywood films included Indigenous actors? Watch The Revenant's Melaw Nakeh'ko and Wonder Woman's Eugene Brave Rock!

68. Hold businesses accountable to your personal ethics and ideologies.

69. Do not assume that you are entitled to attend a local sweat or other spiritual ceremony.

70. BUT if you are invited to ceremony - definitely go. This is an honour!

71. If you actually want to see the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people change, and commit to making reconciliation a part of your every-day ethos.

72. When visiting a museum, do so critically. Ask who tells the story, how that item got there, and what processes are in place around repatriation.

73. Learn the original names of places. Learn what places were and are important to Indigenous people.

74. Discover the world of Indigenous blogging. Zoe Todd, Erica Violet Lee, Billy-Ray Belcourt, and Chelsea Vowel are among the best.

75. Consider the words that you use. For example, do not call your group of friends a "tribe," describe a meeting as a "pow-wow," or call a non-Indigenous leader "Chief."

76. Visit the website of the nearest First Nation(s) or Indigenous communities. Read their short introduction and history.

77. Find opportunities to learn about how Indigenous people experience the place where you live. Look for a local speaker's series or an online resource.

78. Volunteer your time to an Indigenous non-profit organization.

79. Support Indigenous media (newspapers, radio stations, social media sites, and TV stations).

80. If you read a news story that feeds into stereotypes, write a letter to complain and ask for Indigenous perspectives on local, national, and international news.

81. Is there any public art by Indigenous artists in your area? If so, visit it and learn about the artists.

82. Make reconciliation a family project and complete items on this list together. Bring your children to events, learn words in an Indigenous language together, and organize a youth blanket exercise, for example.

83. Start to learn and understand cultural protocol. Know this will change according to Indigenous nation and region.

84. Commit to being a lifelong student beyond Canada 150.

85. Look up and learn about an Indigenous athlete. We have NHL players and Olympians among the mix!

86. The Bering Land bridge is one way of telling migration history. But Indigenous people have their own explanation of ancient histories and that needs to be respected. Read about these conversations here and here.

87. Share this list on social media.

88. Look for and share the positive stories about Indigenous people, not just the negative ones.

89. Invite local Indigenous people in to your event or organization.

90. Know that when you are inviting an Indigenous person in, they are often overburdened and overworked.

91. Give an honorarium if you expect an Indigenous person to contribute their time and effort.

92. Cite Indigenous authors and academics in your work.

93. Consider using Indigenous research methodologies in your work. Linda Tuhiwai Smith's Decolonizing Methodologies (1999) is the singular most important book for this.

94. Want to incorporate Indigenous elements or policies into your workplace? Hire an Indigenous consultant.

95. Ask yourself how to support Indigenous families who have lost loved ones as the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls unravels.

96. Seek opportunities to collaborate that span forms of both Indigenous knowledge and western knowledge.

97. Update your email signature to reflect the territory you live and work on.

98. Encourage the institution you work for or study at to formally acknowledge the territory.

99. Check out Remember, Resist, Redraw: A Radical History Poster Project. Find more about the project here and support the cause here.

100. Make a financial donation to a local Indigenous organization.

101. Get behind the initiatives to rename Langevin Block and Ryerson University and learn why this is important.

102. Support initiatives to change the racist names of sports teams. Learn why this is so important to many Indigenous people.

103. Support and celebrate the persistence of land-based economies, such as the seal hunt.

104. Read fiction by Indigenous authors. A good place to start is the most recent copy of The Malahat Review, which you can read online for free, here.

105. If you own property, revisit the documents that gave you 'title' to your land. Think about who has the authority to grant this title and who does not.

106. Next time you want to talk to an Indigenous person about their background, try your best not to frame the discussion in terms of blood quantum (i.e. how "much" Indigenous or white blood they have). Instead, ask what community they belong to and learn the name of their people.

107. Actively commit to eliminating stereotypes about Indigenous identities by gently correcting people. For instance, being "mixed blood" does not make one Métis.

108. Contact your alma mater and inquire about the number of Indigenous people on the Board of Governors or the Senate.

109. Read about the story of one missing or murdered Indigenous woman in your region.

110. Memorize her name and learn about her life.

111. Here is a shout out to all the amazing aunties, kokums, jijuus, and aagaas! Hai cho'o for your continued guidance and support.

112. Understand that reconciliation is not about "feeling guilty." It is about knowledge, action, and justice.

113. Why stop at 150? After all, Indigenous nations are celebrating millennia on this land. Build on this list or start and share your own.

Crystal Fraser is a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Alberta and Gwichya Gwich'in from Inuvik and Dachan Choo Gèhnjik, Northwest Territories. Her research focuses on the history of residential schools in the Canadian North during the postwar period. Dr. Sara Komarnisky is a post-doctoral fellow in History at the University of Alberta and is of Ukrainian settler heritage. She is an anthropologist currently researching art and craft made by Indigenous patients at Canadian "Indian Hospitals" from the 1940s to the 1960s.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
150 Acts of Reconciliation for the Last 150 Days of Canada's 150

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
(To learn more or purchase a 150Acts poster, please visit 150acts.weebly.com) On August 4th, there are 150 days left in 2017 - the year of Canada's 150th birthday. There have been robust discussions this year around reconciliation and we would like to contribute to the conversation.

# data[].attributes.headline
Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action

# data[].attributes.subject
Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The TRC website has been archived using the Wayback Machine software. You can view the archived version by clicking here. The Wayback Machine is an archive system for websites. The archived TRC website will work like a normal website, however, it is not being maintained with current information.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Debra Courchene talks about her smudging traditions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019) -"in order to raise awareness of them, not only to benefit the people that speak these languages, but also for others to appreciate the important contribution they make to our world's rich cultural diversity" (UNESCO IYIL2019 website).

In Canada alone, approximately 230,000 Indigenous people currently speak one or more of the 60 dialects within the 12 linguistic families; most of these languages have been listed by UNESCO as either vulnerable or endangered, some critically-including several dialects of Inuktitut, which became the official language of the Northwest Territories, Labrador, and the territories now known as Nunavut in 1984. Not only does language play an important role in identity, knowledge, and culture, it also plays a critical role in passing on cultural knowledge and traditions.

In 2015, the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission drew attention to the ways in which Indigenous languages had been threatened by the genocidal actions of the residential school system. The TRC also created "94 Calls to Action" to address the legacy of the Residential School system including the loss of languages.

The National Film Board of Canada is committed to contributing to the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages through the creation and re-release of Indigenous-language versions of select films from our Indigenous collection. The films in this playlist are offered in several Indigenous languages: Inuktitut, Nakota (Assiniboine), Kanien'ké:ha (Mohawk), Cree, and Atikamekw. They are also available in English. We hope these films will be a useful tool for teachers and language learners.

Join us in celebrating Indigenous languages with this rich playlist of NFB films!

History of Manawan - Part Two - Atisokan nte Manawanik minowach kenokok (Atikamekw Version)

Atikamekw elder Cézar Néwashish continues to recount the history of the community of Manawan that first began in The History of Manawan: Part One. As Christianity and European customs take deeper root in the community - abetted by residential schools and aggressive assimilationist government policies - seemingly irreversible changes to significant customs begin to unfold. Despite these struggles, the people carry on. This short is part of the Manawan series directed by Alanis Obomsawin.

Qimmit: A Clash of Two Truths (Inuktitut Version)

This feature documentary offers an overview of the changes experienced by the Inuit from 1950-1970 with their loss of sled dogs and semi-nomadic lifestyle. A controversial issue at the time, many Inuit still believe that their dogs were deliberately killed by the RCMP as part of government policy to force them off the land and into "civilization." Qimmit: A Clash of Two Truths explores how and why the sled dogs disappeared, a mystery that has left deep wounds across Canada's Arctic.

The People of the Kattawapiskak River - Katawapiskak Sipiwi Ininiwak (Cree Version)

The people of the Attawapiskat First Nation, a Cree community in northern Ontario, were thrust into the national spotlight in 2012 when the impoverished living conditions on their reserve became an issue of national debate. With The People of the Kattawapiskak River, Abenaki director Alanis Obomsawin quietly attends as community members tell their own story, shedding light on a history of dispossession and official indifference. "Obomsawin's main objective is to make us see the people of Attawapiskat differently," said Robert Everett-Green in The Globe & Mail. "The emphasis, ultimately, is not so much on looking as on listening-the first stage in changing the conversation, or in making one possible." Winner of the 2013 Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary, the film is part of a cycle of films that Obomsawin has made on children's welfare and rights.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019) -"in order to raise awareness of them, not only to benefit the people that speak these languages, but also for others to appreciate the important contribution they make to our world's rich cultural diversity" (UNESCO IYIL2019 website).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Connecting Employers with Canada's Aboriginal Workforce

The Portal offers affordable and practical solutions for businesses throughout Canada to showcase their companies and make your presence known to potential employees. Registered Portal members can take advantage of more solutions such as enhancing your business presence, self-publishing job postings, events and more...

Economic Pursuits

Growing Community Assets

It is important to know that development does not mean continual and unlimited growth, but getting to a level of sustainability where development will mean dynamic change to enhance what already exists in the community.

​

Much more than 'making money', our strategy aims at developing and growing community assets, the natural, human, and social capital.

Our Approach

Respect - Four Winds takes pride in providing respectful guidance and support. We believe communities hold the solutions, and we provide practical, real supports to move towards those solutions. We customize our approach to every community.

Experience - With more than two and half decades of experience, we have evolved and become more efficient in our methods, efficiently increased our knowledge, and are willing to share an extensive range of tools, and provide assistance in the implementation and practice of the rules, tools, and plans.

About us

Four Winds & Associates is one of the longest operating Aboriginal consulting ﬁrms in Alberta. For over 25 years, we have been helping Aboriginal communities and organizations to achieve their social and economic goals. We provide a broad range of services to meet the needs of the organization and people we work with.

Getting assistance is easy

1.

2.

3.

We'll provide the right resources and support you to make it work for you

Committed to assisting Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, organizations and individuals to develop the appropriate tools, resources and expertise needed to enhance their ability and reach their organizational and community development goals.

The Community Demographic Database is offered as a tool for Aboriginal Communities to better understand their community and to have control over information collected.

By storing information for the entire community in one database, is far easier to achieve program integration and reduce duplication.

The purpose is to assist the individual communities to enhance/strengthen their individual consultation processes, to provide a TLU Industry Application Portal that helps each of the communities to manage their traditional land use data and industry applications for development.

Responsible Energy

We are the Caretakers of the Earth

Part of the go-to group for communities based on the theme "Understand it - Reduce it - Produce it"

Bringing partners together to help Aboriginal communities achieve their Green Energy goals.

Green Grow

Bringing partners together to help Aboriginal communities achieve their Green Grow goals.

​

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Connecting Employers with Canada's Aboriginal Workforce The Portal offers affordable and practical solutions for businesses throughout Canada to showcase their companies and make your presence known to potential employees. Registered Portal members can take advantage of more solutions such as enhancing your business presence, self-publishing job postings, events and more...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The University of Alberta Annual Round Dance brings together children, friends, families, youth and Elders of our community to share stories, catch up on news, break bannock, and share some tea. It is a time to honour traditions and memories of our ancestors.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There are thousands of Pow Wow held across North American. They are held in all 50 states and all Canadian provinces. You can find a Pow Wow somewhere close to you!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About this book

A Graphic Novel

Patti LaBoucane-Benson * Kelly Mellings
Winner, CODE's 2016 Burt Award for First Nation, Inuit and Métis Literature
In this important graphic novel, two Aboriginal brothers surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, and gang violence, try to overcome centuries of historic trauma in very different ways to bring about positive change in their lives.

Pete, a young Aboriginal man wrapped up in gang violence, lives with his younger brother, Joey, and his mother who is a heroin addict. One night, Pete and his mother's boyfriend, Dennis, get into a big fight, which sends Dennis to the morgue and Pete to jail. Initially, Pete keeps up ties to his crew, until a jail brawl forces him to realize the negative influence he has become on Joey, which encourages him to begin a process of rehabilitation that includes traditional Aboriginal healing circles and ceremonies.

Powerful, courageous, and deeply moving, The Outside Circle is drawn from the author's twenty years of work and research on healing and reconciliation of gang-affiliated or incarcerated Aboriginal men.

About the Creators

Patti LaBoucane-Benson

Patti Laboucane-Benson is a Métis woman and the Director of Research, Training, and Communication at Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA). She has a Ph.D. in Human Ecology, focusing on Aboriginal Family Resilience. Her doctoral research explored how providing historic trauma healing programs for Aboriginal offenders builds resilience in Aboriginal families and communities. She has also been the recipient of the Aboriginal Role Model of Alberta Award for Education. She lives in Spruce Grove, Alberta.

Kelly Mellings

Kelly Mellings is an award-winning art director, illustrator, and designer. His work has appeared in comic books, magazines, apps, museum exhibits, and online games, and his clients include Microsoft. He is the co-owner of the acclaimed illustration, animation, and design firm Pulp Studios. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

Awards and Praise

Winner CODE's 2016 Burt Award for First Nation, Inuit and Métis Literature, 2016

Short-listed In the Margins Top Fiction Award, 2016

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Winner, CODE's 2016 Burt Award for First Nation, Inuit and Métis Literature In this important graphic novel, two Aboriginal brothers surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, and gang violence, try to overcome centuries of historic trauma in very different ways to bring about positive change in their lives.Pete, a young Abori

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Smaller groups

Talking Rock brings you a new and intimate experience you won't soon forget. With us, there are no big crowds or impersonal talks. We think fewer people makes for more opportunity to connect with the land and one another.

Knowledge-sharing

We encourage a two-way dialogue on all our tours-so you can feel free to ask questions and share your own thoughts with our tour leaders and storytellers. Furthermore, we want our participants to take their knowledge home with them to share with their friends and family members to generate an even greater impact.

Customizable

Calling all curious minds! Are you looking for a deeper, more meaningful experience when you explore the beauty of Alberta's natural world? Are you the type that wants to sneak off the beaten trail to discover the mysteries that lie beneath the surface? We can make these tours work for you by focusing on what you want.

Hiking, Discovery

Have you ever visited another planet? Imagine what it was like to be an early explorer to lay eyes on the badlands for the very first time. This tour is perfect for groups (family, academic field trip, business retreat, etc.).

Discover

City, Discovery

Join us on a local geo-adventure that takes us back to the start of the Alberta oil boom of Leduc #1 in 1947. The tour showcases its entire history and many of the oil & gas industry's advancements from the...

Discover

Hiking, Canoe/Kayak, City, Discovery, Family, Sightseeing

Enjoy hiking inside Alberta's capital city and within Edmonton's world famous river valley. You will learn about the unique geological features exposed in the river valley and walk in the footsteps of the indigenous peoples who continue to visit this...

Discover

Hiking, Canoe/Kayak, Discovery, Family, Sightseeing, Wildlife

Your geo-adventure begins at the Moss Lake Trailhead, where the last glaciation deposited rolling sandy hills and meltwater depressions along with alternating vegetation. The west portion of the trail loop passes through terraced beaver dams and native grassland habitat. There...

Discover

Hiking, Family, Sightseeing

Do you want to rediscover the unforgettable serenity? Join us for a fabulous adventure inside the hidden gem of the Nordegg region. This tour is perfect for groups (family, academic field trip, business retreat, etc.)

Discover

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Talking Rock Tours - Alberta Discovery Tours

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Talking Rock brings you a new and intimate experience you won't soon forget. With us, there are no big crowds or impersonal talks. We think fewer people makes for more opportunity to connect with the land and one another.

# data[].attributes.body
On page 24 of this resource.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Secret Life of Canada | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
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.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why some First Nations reserves don't have clean drinking water

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
First nations' water crisis: ''We don't have quality drinking water daily'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Residency Snapshot: Enfranchisement and Bill C-31

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A New York Times Bestseller
A Washington Post Bestseller
A Los Angeles Times Bestseller
Named a "Best Essay Collection of the Decade" by Literary Hub
A Washington Post "2020 Holiday Gift Guide" Recommendation
A Minneapolis Star Tribune "2020 Holiday Book Recommendation"
A Book Riot "Favorite Summer Read of 2020​"
A Food Tank Reading Recommendation for Fall 2020
Updated with a new introduction from Robin Wall Kimmerer, the hardcover special edition of Braiding Sweetgrass, reissued in honor of the fortieth anniversary of Milkweed Editions, celebrates the book as an object of meaning that will last the ages. Beautifully bound with a new cover featuring an engraving by Tony Drehfal, this edition includes a bookmark ribbon, and five brilliantly colored illustrations by artist Nate Christopherson. In increasingly dark times, we honor the experience that more than 350,000 readers in North America have cherished about the book-gentle, simple, tactile, beautiful, even sacred-and offer an edition that will inspire readers to gift it again and again, spreading the word about scientific knowledge, indigenous wisdom, and the teachings of plants.

As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on "a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise" (Elizabeth Gilbert).

Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings-asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass-offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In a rich braid of reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.

Indigenous, Nature, science, Native American, traditional ecological knowledge, Natural history, Ecology, botany, plants, essays, environment, spirituality, nonfiction, life sciences, spiritual, teaching, wisdom

Like this book? Sign up for occasional updates

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling collection of essays Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling collection of essays Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.

American conceptual artist Jenny Holzer is no stranger to addressing the biggest issues of our times through art. In the...

Join Robin Wall Kimmerer at Door County Library for the Write on Door County Reads 2024.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Bestseller A Los Angeles Times Bestseller Named a "Best Essay Collection of the Decade" by Literary Hub A Washington Post "2020 Holiday Gift Guide" Recommendation A Minneapolis Star Tribune "2020 Holiday Book Recommendation" A Book Riot "Favorite Summer Read of 2020​" A Food Tank Reading Recommendation for Fall 2020 Updated with a new introduction from Robin Wall Kimmerer, the hardcover special edition of Braiding Sweetgrass, reissued in honor of the fortieth anniversary of Milkweed Editions, celebrates the book as an object of meaning that will last the ages.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A young Cree man's death raised disturbing questions of racism in our legal system | CBC Docs POV

# data[].attributes.headline
Family Art Adventures with Lance Cardinal

# data[].attributes.subject
Family Art Adventures with Lance Cardinal

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Family Art Adventures with Lance Cardinal!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hello everyone! Thanks for joining me on my Family Art Adventures channel! My name is Lance Cardinal. I am an Indigenous artist from the Treaty 8 Bigstone Cree Nation territory in Northern Alberta. I am always excited to meet new people and share my passion for art and creative thinking!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Land acknowledgement | Baroness von Sketch Show

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8th Fire Wab Kinew 500 Years in 2 Minutes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Wab Kinew on the Stereotypes about Natives in Canada

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About

A collaboration of dance, poetry, and traditional finger- weaving, The Sash Maker promotes the healing of long standing cultural wounds. The work communicates a collective yearning for family, understanding, and peace. By reflecting on our past, together we can move forward as people woven from diverse strands and circumstances.

﻿ The Sash Maker is an ongoing collaborative piece between choreographer Rebecca Sadowski, and poet/author Naomi McIlwraith. They met while working as historical interpreters for Fort Edmonton Park. They both felt a common pull towards exploring and researching their shared Métis heritage, and found shame and concealment surrounding their family's backgrounds. Inspired to explore ideas about Métis identity through art, they fused together their passions for Canadian history, the Cree language, and Métis craftwork and dancing. The Sash Maker was first workshopped at Good Women Dance Collective's "What's Cooking?" showcase before being presented at the Nextfest Festival in June of 2017. The piece has been performed in Alberta Dance Alliance's Feats Festival, and in Mile Zero Dance's 2017/2018 season.

The Sash Maker was promoted in The Dance Current Magazine in Jan/Feb 2018 issue, as well as in Edmonton Metro Newspaper.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A collaboration of dance, poetry, and traditional finger- weaving, The Sash Maker promotes the healing of long standing cultural wounds. The work communicates a collective yearning for family, understanding, and peace. By reflecting on our past, together we can move forward as people woven from diverse strands and circumstances.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How To Literally Tear Up the Floor Dancing the Red River Jig

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
UNAPOLOGETICALLY INDIGENOUS, UNABASHEDLY FEMALE & UNBLINKINGLY NERDY, OTIPÊYIMISIW-ISKWÊWAK KIHCI-KÎSIKOHK (MÉTIS IN SPACE), MOLLYAND CHELSEA DRINK A BOTTLE OF (RED) WINE AND, FROM A TIPSY, DECOLONIAL PERSPECTIVE, REVIEW A SCI-FI MOVIE OR TELEVISI

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Many Indigenous people do not have access to powwow culture. On deannehupfield.com, our Virtual Regalia Making Courses teach students step by step how to des...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bee Nation:  The first-ever First Nations Provincial Spelling Bee in Canada | CBC Docs POV

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
World's Best Native Hoop Dancers! In 4K! | DEVINSUPERTRAMP

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inuit Throat Singing with two Nunavut Sivuniksavut students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Shina Nova (@shinanova) Official TikTok | Watch Shina Nova's Newest TikTok Videos

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Shina Nova (@shinanova) on TikTok | 135.7M Likes. 3.9M Fans. Proud Indigenous✊🏼👆🏼 Inuuvunga, I am Inuk Throat singer shina@dulcedo.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Some of our favorite traditional meal, "Mattaq" #indigenous #inuit #culture #beluga #traditionalfood @kayuulanova

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
@shinanova
Some of our favorite traditional meal, "Mattaq" #indigenous #inuit #culture #beluga #traditionalfood @kayuulanova
♬ original sound - Shina Nova

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Keeping the Inuit Way of Life Alive in a Changing World | Short Film Showcase

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Cecil Sveinson shares the significance of his braid.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This week's Tuesday Teaching video shares the significance and sacredness of our hair.

# data[].attributes.headline
Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories

# data[].attributes.subject
Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Taaqtumi book. Read 91 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. "Taaqtumi" is an Inuktitut word that means "in the dark"-and these spine-t...

# data[].attributes.headline
Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction

# data[].attributes.subject
Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
AWW YEAH. This will be read after finals.
A quick gripe:
Really, REALLY side-eyeing Charles De Lint's "review" on the back.
"Though I'm not usually a fan of anthologies compiled by race, sex, etc., this book is so good that I'm happy to have these stories collected together however it came about. Don't read this because they're stories by Native American writers. Read them because they're damn good stories by damn good writers."

Did he actually read it? Does he know that "Indigenous" doesn't just m...more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
AWW YEAH. This will be read after finals.A quick gripe:Really, REALLY side-eyeing Charles De Lint's "review" on the back. "Though I'm not usually a fan of anthologies compiled by race, sex, etc., this book is so good that I'm happy to have these stories collected together however it came about.

# data[].attributes.headline
Journey Home Doc:  Healing Indigenous children in the Canadian child welfare system

# data[].attributes.subject
Journey Home Doc:  Healing Indigenous children in the Canadian child welfare system

# data[].attributes.headline
Jordan's Principle: Healthcare for Indigenous Children

# data[].attributes.subject
Jordan's Principle: Healthcare for Indigenous Children

# data[].attributes.body
from Inuk journalist Ossie Michelin.

# data[].attributes.headline
Bear Standing Tall and Associates: Educational Channel

# data[].attributes.subject
Bear Standing Tall and Associates: Educational Channel

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Human rights activists stand up for the rights of everyone, everywhere. When we learn that someone's rights have been abused, we jump into action. But sometimes, despite our best intentions, we may actually do harm without realising it, because we have not taken the time to be a genuine ally. It is crucial that we understand how our presence impacts the people and communities we support.
What does it mean to be a genuine ally?

Being a genuine ally involves a lot of self-reflection, education and listening. It means knowing we're often coming into this space from a position of power and privilege. Privilege that we've gained through unjust systems that marginalise the groups we seek to ally with. It's not enough to show up in solidarity and speak out against the unjust system, we have to do what is within our power to dismantle the system and differentiate ourselves from the opponents of these groups. We have to change our own behaviours and be mindful that we are not contributing to keeping that system going.

Amnesty International's Indigenous Rights Advisor Rodney Dillon explains that these groups are leading the fight against the injustices they face and as allies we are there to follow their lead. "We've been flat out campaigning for the last 200 years. We've done well in some places but not well in other places. We need supporters like you to campaigning on these things, talking to pollies. It's important for us as an organisation to be that bridge between two groups. I think that non-Indigenous peoples' support and influence can be really, really important to make change. The people who put the wall up, I can understand why it's there, but the people who pull it down - they're the ones we need."

When working with Indigenous communities there isn't one way to be an ally - because every community and individual is different. Every relationship you build needs a different approach. But here are some suggestions that will help you to get started.

1. Listen to and follow the community

Find out who the traditional owners and Elders are of the land you are on. When doing long-term work on Indigenous rights, build strong relationships within the community and make sure everything is Indigenous-led.

2. Centre the stories around community

A big part of your involvement is to amplify the voices of Indigenous communities, don't make it about yourself. You should directly share these messages with your networks in their words without alteration.

3. Know the historical and cultural context

Knowing the history and being culturally competent is vital. The issues the community face come from hundreds of years of ongoing trauma and discrimination. It is not the responsibility of the community to educate you.

4. Never show up empty-handed

Showing up in support is great but offer to lend a hand as well. Use your labour, resources and skills to help out. What additional value can you bring the community?

5. Always seek consent and permission

Consent is a continuous process, not a one-time request. Seek permission before taking part in community events, particularly around cultural and spiritual events. They'll usually be labeled something like 'all community and allies welcome'.

6. Be responsible for yourself

Be aware of what resources you're taking away from communities through your presence. Ensure you've given back to the community more than you've taken away.

7. Know when to step back

Be aware of what space you are taking up. Always remember that you are there as a guest in a supportive role. There will be times when the community need to act alone, respect their boundaries.

8. Saviours are not needed, solidarity is

Solidarity is only meaningful if it is substantive and not merely performative. This means showing up to support the community with your presence alone should be the baseline, not the end game.

9. Be mindful of others' time and energy

Indigenous people often have to be advocates on a wide range of issues that affect them and their community first-hand. They don't have the choice to switch off from being involved and can be spread thin in many directions.

10. Do no harm to the community

The community should be better off, or the same, because of your presence, not worse. Follow all of these suggestions and keep reflecting on your behaviour and you're on your way to doing your part in bringing down an unjust system.
This article was inspired by a similar resource created at Amnesty International USA by Kalaya'an Mendoza. Download a full version of 10 ways to be a genuine ally to Indigenous communities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 ways to be a genuine ally to Indigenous communities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When working with Indigenous communities there isn't one way to be an ally as every community and individual is different. Every relationship you build needs a different approach. But here are some suggestions that will help you to get started.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Raven CIWE 89.3 took flight across Edmonton airwaves on Monday.

"When we applied for this licence, we said everything but country," said Bert Crowfoot, CEO of the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta (AMMSA).

The group applied for two radio licences about four years ago; one for Calgary and one for Edmonton. They were granted and then the AMMSA applied for a one-year extension due to the pandemic.

The Raven will join Edmonton-based CFWE FM and Calgary-based CJWE FM as part of the Windspeaker Radio group.

Being able to finally launch was a proud moment for Crowfoot.

"It was awesome. Real exciting. I felt like a grandfather who's waiting for a grandchild to be born.

"The crew here both at Windspeaker Radio and The Raven worked their butts off to get to this point. So I'm just kind of watching and enjoying.

To start, the station played songs by legendary and meaningful Indigenous artists including the Logan Alexis Singers, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Redbone.

"It was awesome to hear that music on the station," Crowfoot said.

"We had four back-to-back legends in Indigenous music. It was a proud moment."

Crowfoot describes the station as bilingual, with a focus on sharing diverse First Nations' languages and culture. It will not only highlight the power of music; but also the power of the spoken word.

"When it comes to language programming, we approach it a little bit differently. When you've got five languages that you're trying to put on the air, to a non-speaker or a non-Indigenous person, it all sounds like the same thing.

Crowfoot says that means when words in Cree or Blackfoot are used, the DJ will identify the language and also say them in English.

In Calgary, the radio station was using a fair bit of Nakota Stoney.

"People were really interested in the language... so we've got one-word translations... everyday phrases that are translated. I've heard back from some people that they're picking up the language," Crowfoot said.

He grew up with a Saulteau mother and Blackfoot father. Crowfoot was part of Siksika Nation in southern Alberta until his family moved to Edmonton when he was 12.

"Listening to some of the Blackfoot programming, some of that language is coming back. Some of the words will pop into my head that I have not heard since I was 12.

"It's really exciting to be part of this and to be able to share the beauty of our culture."

The station's name is also rooted in culture.

"In Indigenous culture, the raven is a messenger. It lets people know that there's somebody else in the area. It comes in and it's like a storyteller," Crowfoot explained.

"For us it seems like the proper name for a messenger to bring news to our people in the north and the Edmonton area."

Crowfoot says the plan for The Raven is to start small and build from there.

"I believe in growing it. I don't believe in starting with a deficit," he said.

He's also proud to share that both CFWE and CJWE are self-sufficient.

"We own this building, we generate revenue from this building, we also sell advertising," Crowfoot said.

"We've got a really great crew of young people who are excited. They're committed to this, they feel apart of it... I'm proud of this place."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
aboriginal multi-media society of alberta

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New Indigenous radio station The Raven launches in Edmonton: 'It was emotional'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Raven CIWE 89.3 took flight across Edmonton airwaves on Monday. "When we applied for this licence, we said everything but country," said Bert Crowfoot, CEO of the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta (AMMSA). The group applied for two radio licences about four years ago; one for Calgary and one for Edmonton.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ancient Ink Reborn: Revitalizing Traditional Inuit Tattooing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Angry Inuk: The anti-sealing industry has had dire impacts on Canada's Inuit families - CBC Docs POV

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In early November the sun dips below the horizon in Arctic Bay and the sky bruises violet and blue. The sun won't rise again here for three months, plunging the landscape into infinite twilight.

Amid tundra and sea, Nunavut ("our land" in Inuktitut) is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada, where a majority of the country's Inuit population cluster in remote coastal communities. Photographer and Fulbright grantee Acacia Johnson embraced one of the coldest and darkest winters on Earth in order to document the Inuit's evolving relationship with their environment in her dreamlike series, Under the Same Stars.

"The only constant thing about the Arctic landscape is that it's constantly changing," Johnson says."My [original] idea was to do this landscape project ... I showed up and the reality is quite different from what you imagine. Instead it seemed more important for me to focus on the cultural transition happening there."

Over the past 50 years, the Inuit have undergone rapid political, economic, and cultural transformation associated with globalization and the assimilationist policies implemented throughout the 19th century-a new iteration of an old violence experienced by indigenous peoples worldwide.

Within living memory, Inuit were forced to transition from a self-governing, seminomadic people into government settlements where they were stripped of their identities in favor of western acculturation-actions since recognized as abuses of rights, autonomy, and dignity by the Canadian government.

Today, the Inuit continue to navigate the complex relationship between an ancient lifestyle and one that was thrust upon them. Over a period of four months in the North Baffin Island community of Arctic Bay, Johnson sought to celebrate rather than pathologize this emerging way of life through a unique visual approach.

"I'm all about challenging stereotypes of the Arctic. I think a lot of people just imagine it as a white, flat, empty place," she says. Under the Same Stars, by contrast, reveals a landscape that pulses with life and color in the depth of winter: teenage girls painted by the artificial glow of smartphones, hunters roaming beneath cotton candy-colored skies, and snow blushing with starlight.

"When you don't see the sun for a long time, your eyes grow more sensitive to light," Johnson explains. Darkness, traditionally deemed inhospitable to life, actually amplified it. "My perception of the moon and the stars were a lot greater than I was accustomed to-their light was staggering."

Johnson's most profound experience, however, was accompanying Inuit on the sea ice during traditional seal hunts. "Hunting, for mostly marine mammals, is the core of their culture," she says. "But in this region, no animal is as singularly important as the ringed seal."

Inuit subsistence hunting is distinct from Canada's widely criticized commercial seal hunt. Indigenous communities have relied on seal hunting for thousands of years as a source of nutrients and clothing. Today, in the face of persistent food insecurity and hyperinflation of imported goods, the traditional seal hunt continues to sustain life amidst economic uncertainty.

"It's important that we recognize this-the landscape, the richness of the sea, the relationship to the sea ice-is all very much alive and shouldn't be thought of as primitive or stuck back in time," Johnson says. "It's forward moving. It fascinates me."

While colonization has significantly eroded traditional land-based skills and interrupted the transfer of intergenerational knowledge, indigenous ways of life are also under threat from climate change. Scientists have now confirmed what traditional hunters have witnessed over decades of intimate interaction with the Earth: Arctic ice is melting at an unprecedented rate. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events are expediting coastal degradation and permafrost thaw-conditions that will disproportionately affect the livelihoods and health of indigenous communities who depend on natural resources.

"Everything revolves around the stability of the sea ice. It essentially forms a superhighway between otherwise totally distant regions-it is a facilitator of life," Johnson says. "I believe the warming climate and the instability of the sea ice is going to drastically impact the people who live here."

Johnson says her photographs are ultimately a tribute to the adaptability and resilience of the Inuit, qualities she believes will thread people together and guide Nunavut through an unpredictable future-a shared future.

"Even in what seems to be the farthest recesses of the globe in fact we are living on the same planet under the same stars," Johnson says. "We're all connected."
This project was funded by a grant from Fulbright Canada in affiliation with the Ontario College of Art and Design University.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dreamy Photographs Illuminate Life in Dark Arctic Winters

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In early November the sun dips below the horizon in Arctic Bay and the sky bruises violet and blue. The sun won't rise again here for three months, plunging the landscape into infinite twilight. Amid tundra and sea, Nunavut ("our land" in Inuktitut) is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada, where a majority of the country's Inuit population cluster in remote coastal communities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The University of Alberta Annual Round Dance brings together children, friends, families, youth and Elders of our community to share stories, catch up on news, break bannock, and share some tea. It is a time to honour traditions and memories of our ancestors.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
DIVERSION first connects youth who have committed their first non-violent, criminal occurrence to community and family supports, to help them build a foundation for a positive future away from crime. It's a police-led program, which allows the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) to offer the youth and their supports a restorative justice approach, instead of a criminal charge.

DIVERSION first is a partnership between the EPS, and the YMCA of Northern Alberta. Together, and with a variety of other community agencies, we redirect youth by connecting them to organizations focused on improving the lives of youth and their families so they can begin accessing services they need through a customized support program.

Through the program, youth can identify areas in their life that may require more support, request guidance, or seek out an opportunity to better themselves. They then work toward repairing the harm they've caused. To do this, they fulfill a customized agreement plan that is youth focused. These agreement plans can include written and/or in-person apologies to victims, volunteer service and projects, and self-reflection projects that could include resume building, creative projects, job shadowing, skill development, art projects and more. Their agreement gives them a chance to make amends, become more pro-social, and make positive contributions to the community. DIVERSION first helps youth recognize the connection between their behaviours and the harm caused to themselves, the community, family, and victim(s).

DIVERSION first exists because we understand for many youths who commit a criminal act, there are underlying reasons for this action. We understand the earlier we can support young people, open doors, and connect them to community programs, we may be able to redirect their path to something positive. The DIVERSION first Unit advocates for early prevention to help youth identify their missing supports to reduce youth involvement with the criminal justice system. Ideally, this will empower them to take charge of their lives and improve their access to community resources when needed.

How it's different - We are interjecting before a charge is laid. Most programs are tailored to youths after they have been charged. We are providing the youth an opportunity for a timely response to their actions, accountability of their behaviour, celebrating their strengths and connecting them to their community. DIVERSION first is a strength-based approach in addressing the underlying issues associated to their decision related to the criminal offense. We provide the youth with alternative solutions that gives them ownership over what they've done and what they can do in their lives to move forward.

What do the youths have to say about DIVERSIONfirst?

"I learned to focus on myself and put myself first in the face of adversity."

"I have a better and safer resource for my stresses and pain."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
DIVERSION first connects youth who have committed their first non-violent, criminal occurrence to community and family supports, to help them build a foundation for a positive future away from crime. It's a police-led program, which allows the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) to offer the youth and their supports a restorative justice approach, instead of a criminal charge.