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Indigenous Peoples

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Below you will find a variety of resources for Indigenous peoples, as well as resources to help kids, youth and families learn about Indigenous history and culture.

Books 

Breaking the silence: an interpretive study of residential school impact and healing as illustrated by the stories of first nation individuals.

Ottawa: Assembly of First Nations, 1994.

This study sought to understand the impact of residential schools on First Nations individuals, families and communities by documenting the life stories of 13 adults who attended residential school and children. The account of these individual's stories reflects how residential schools have impacted the lives of First Nations peoples and subsequent generations in very complex and confusing ways. The final chapters turn to the question of healing and ways to recover from the wounds inflicted by these early educational experiences on the First Nations psyche.

Choosing life: Bobby's story / Pinette, Gilles. 

Southampton, ON: Ningwakwe Learning Press, 2002.

Bobby is a depressed teen who almost commits suicide. He is sent to live with his great grandfather who teaches his about his Aboriginal heritage. Based on a true story.

 Diabetes and diet: Ivan’s story / Pinette, Gilles.

Southampton, ON: Ningwakwe Learning Press, 2002.

Ivan is an Aboriginal man who has just been diagnosed with diabetes. He found the will power to live with his disease through the cultural teachings of his uncle.

Finding my talk: how fourteen native women reclaimed their lives after residential school / Grant, Agnes. 

Calgary: Fifth House Ltd. 2004.

In Finding My Talk, fourteen aboriginal women who attended residential schools, or were affected by them, reflect on their experiences. They describe their years in residential schools across Canada and how they overcame tremendous obstacles to become strong and independent members of aboriginal cultures and valuable members of Canadian society.

The gathering tree / Loyie, Larry; Brissenden, Constance. 

Penticton, BB: Theytus Books, 2005.

Robert, a young man with HIV, returns to his Native community to attend a gathering and to speak to his people about his disease. The two children in the story learn about traditional Native culture while they learn about Robert's disease.

 Healthy beginnings: supportive communities: a strong future.

Ottawa: National Aboriginal Health Organization, 2010.

"In 2009, the Métis Centre of the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) met with Métis in different parts of Canada to share and collect stories, teachings and information about maternal-child well-being. This DVD is the result of all the things we learned from Métis midwives, health professionals, elders and parents. Our objective with this project was to collect and share experiences, traditions and health information for the benefit of Métis families.”

I belong here: a framework to promote the healthy development of urban aboriginal children 6-12 years / Fiddler, Don.

Ottawa: Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, 2008.

Aboriginal children at all stages of growth and development have specific needs and parents and the community have responsibilities to respond to these needs.

 The Inuit way: a guide to Inuit culture.

Ottawa: Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, 2006.

Inuit presently maintain a foothold on two worlds - the traditional world of their ancestors and the modern world where they live.

Jon's tricky journey: a story for Inuit children with cancer and their families: includes resource guide for family caregivers / McCarthy, Patricia; Lim, Hwei (ill.).

Iqaluit, Toronto: Inhabit Media, 2017.

Jon loves his life in the North. But when he feels a pain that won't go away, he must go to a children's hospital in the south to find out what is wrong. A doctor there tells Jon he has cancer and will have to stay at the hospital for a while. Suddenly Jon's life is upside down! But with a handful of tricks from the doctors and nurses, and new friends, Jon discovers ways to cope with some of the tricky parts of having cancer.

 Kiss me deadly / Van Camp, Richard; Auchter, Christopher.

Vancouver, BC: Healthy Aboriginal Network, 2011.

This graphic novel covers a range of issues such as from respect and communication in relationships, pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, two-spirit people and sexual health as a career or youth led project.

A national crime: the Canadian government and the residential school system, 1879 to 1986 / Milloy, John S.

Winnipeg: The University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

For over 100 years, thousands of Aboriginal children went through the residential school system, where many suffered from neglect, disease, and abuse. Using previously unreleased documents, historian John Milloy follows the paper trail of the system from bureaucrats’ offices to the tragic impact on individual children.

Not my girl / Amini-Holmes, Liz (ill.); Jordan-Fenton, Christy; Pokiak-Fenton, Margaret.

Toronto: Annick Press, 2014.

Ten year-old Margaret Pokiak can hardly contain her excitement, it's been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloaked nuns and brothers. But Margaret soon realizes that she's an outsider in the Arctic, she's forgotten the language and stories of her people, and she can't even stomach the food her mother prepares. As she struggles to reclaim her way of life, she discovers how important it is to remain true to the ways of her people, and to herself. For ages 6-10.

 Resilience: overcoming challenges and moving on positively / Korhonen, Marja.

Ottawa: National Aboriginal Health Organization, 2007.

The focus of this booklet is on the factors that make it more likely that a person will be able to cope successfully with the many stresses and difficulties that we encounter in life, even very damaging and traumatic experiences.

 Sacred ways of life: traditional knowledge / Crowshoe, Chelsea.

Ottawa: National Aboriginal Health Organization, 2005.

This book discusses the differences between First Nations ways of life and the western ways of life and traditional knowledge versus scientific knowledge.

 Secret path / Downie, Gordon; Lemire, Jeff.

Toronto, ON: Simon & Schuster Canada, 2016

This graphic novel tells the story of Chanie, misnamed Charlie by his teachers, who died on October 22, 1966, walking the railroad tracks, trying to escape from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School to return home. Chanie's home was 400 miles away. He didn't know that. He didn't know where it was, nor how to find it, but, like so many kids - more than anyone will be able to imagine, he tried.

The shaman's nephew: a life in the far north / Tookoome, Simon; Oberman, Sheldon. 

Markham, ON: Fitzherny & Whiteside Ltd., 2009.

Each of the 28 short stories in this book deals with a different aspect of Inuit life: choosing suitable names for newborns, hunting and fishing for sustenance, the mystic endeavors of Shaman, the dangerous spiritual nature of the Northern Lights and fascinating and humorous first encounters with Kabloonaq (white people).

Stolen from our embrace: the abduction of first nations: children and the restoration of aboriginal communities / Fournier, Suzanne. 

Vancouver BC: Douglas & McIntyre, 1997.

This important and timely book is a balance of the most gruesome elements of assimilation: church-run schools, the child welfare system, survivors of sexual abuse, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome counter-balanced against heroic stories of children who survived, fought back, and found their way home.

 Understanding cancer: Mishoo's story / Rice, John.

Southampton, ON: Ningwakwe Learning Press, 2008.

Mishoo tries to explain cancer to his granddaughter after she starts asking questions. He explains that all different races get cancer, as well as people. It doesn't matter if you are good or bad or Aboriginal or white, anyone can get cancer.

Where the pavement ends: Canada's aboriginal recovery movement and the urgent need for reconciliation / Wadden, Marie.

Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2008.

Where the Pavement Ends is filled with inspiring stories gathered from journalist Marie Wadden discussions with activists across Canada who are involved in the Aboriginal healing movement. This book also highlights an urgent need to make social healing in Aboriginal communities an immediate national priority.

Websites 

  • Assembly of First Nations 
  • Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada – Government of Canada
  • Ministry of Indigenous Affairs - Government of Ontario
  • First Nations Health Authority
  • Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada
  • Avatag Cultural Institute

Apps 

First Nations Storybook – Cree
Last updated May 2018
Available from iTunes

 

First Nations Storybook – Dene Yatie (Slavey)
Last updated April 2017
Available from iTunes

 

Forgotten Métis
Last updated May 2017
Available from iTunes

 

Askî and Friends
Last updated: June 2019.
Available from iTunes

 

Uqausiit Pinnguarutiit
Last updated November 2017
Available from Google Play and iTunes

Local Contacts 

First Nations Child & Family Caring Society
Suite 401 – 309 Cooper Street
Ottawa, ON K2P 0G5
613-230-5885
info@fncaringsociety.com

 

Wabano
299 Montreal Road
Ottawa, ON K1L 6B8
(613) 748-0657
info@wabano.com

 

Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
867 St. Laurent Blvd
Ottawa, ON K1K 3B1
613-747-6022
reception@abo-peoples.org

Native Women’s Association of Canada
85 Albert St
Ottawa, ON K1P 6A4
613-722-3033 or 1-800-461-4043
reception@nwac.ca

Métis Nation
4–340 MacLaren Street
Ottawa, ON K2P 0M6
613-232-3216 or 800-928-6330
info@metisnation.ca

Disclaimer

These resources are for educational purposes only. If you have any questions, ask your health-care provider.

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