Indigenous Peoples Day

June 21 marks National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada – a day to celebrate, honour, and recognize the lives, communities, ancestors, and land of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. We feel very honoured to work with Indigenous people every day both in the communities we work with and within our staff.

Although Indigenous Peoples Day looks very different for many Indigenous communities this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, community members are finding ways to remain connected. Many communities are holding celebrations online with live performances and gatherings. Others are calling community elders, preparing traditional food to be delivered to community members, listening to the stories of knowledge keepers, being on the land, beading, and celebrating in many other ways.

This day has also raised a call to action from some Indigenous communities and organizations, to repurpose Indigenous Peoples Day into a National Day of Action against Systemic Racism. This calls on the support of allies to amplify Indigenous voices and prompt the Canadian government to take action to end the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two Spirit people; and to end police brutality.

It is critical to amplify the voices of Indigenous people and share their stories, both past and present. This Indigenous Peoples Day, our staff have put together a list of some of our favourite Indigenous books, movies and podcasts. Let us know your favourites!

Books

Click on the links below to learn more about each of the books we recommend.

Spirits of the Coast: Orcas in Science, Art and History – Edited by Martha Black, Lorne Hammond, Gavin Hanke, Nikki Sanchez, Jack Lohman

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52356303-spirits-of-the-coast

Canada’s Indigenous Constitution – John Borrows

https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1100&context=ohlj

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West – Dee Brown

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76401.Bury_My_Heart_at_Wounded_Knee

A Mind Spread Out on the Ground – Alicia Elliot

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/588523/a-mind-spread-out-on-the-ground-by-alicia-elliott/9780385692403

Indigenous Relationships: Insights, Tips & Suggestions to Make Reconciliation a Reality – Bob Joseph

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45455127-indigenous-relations

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality – Bob Joseph

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/38620150-21-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-indian-act

The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America – Thomas King

https://www.cbc.ca/books/the-inconvenient-indian-1.3972080

From Recognition to Reconciliation: Essays on the Constitutional Entrenchment of Aboriginal Treaty Rights – Edited by Patrick Macklem and Douglas Sanderson

https://utorontopress.com/ca/from-recognition-to-reconciliation-4

There There – Tommy Orange

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36692478-there-there

Moon of the Crusted Snow – Waubgeshig Rice

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39082248-moon-of-the-crusted-snow

Monkey Beach – Eden Robinson

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/292706.Monkey_Beach

Split Tooth – Tanya Tagaq

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40044460-split-tooth

The Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City – Tanya Talaga

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/33154545-seven-fallen-feathers

Medicine Walk – Richard Wagamese