Canadian Indigenous Resource Lists

This teen novel, written by Iqaluit-based Inuit author Aviaq Johnston, is a coming-of-age story that follows a young shaman named Pitu as he learns to use his powers and ultimately finds himself lost in the world of the spirits. After a strange and violent blizzard leaves Pitu stranded on the sea ice, without his dog team or any weapons to defend himself, he soon realizes that he is no longer in the world that he once knew. The storm has carried him into the world of the spirits, a world populated with terrifying creatures---black wolves with red eyes, ravenous and constantly stalking him; water-dwelling creatures that want nothing more than to snatch him and pull him into the frigid ocean through an ice crack. As well as beings less frightening, but equally as incredible, such as a lone giant who can carry Pitu in the palm of her hand and keeps caribou and polar bears as pets. After stumbling upon a fellow shaman who has been trapped in the spirit world for many years, Pitu must master all of his shamanic powers to make his way back to the world of the living, to his family, and to the girl that he loves.

Award

• 2018 Winner of Indigenous Voices Award for Most Significant Work of Prose in English by an Emerging Indigenous Writer

Educator Information
Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2019-2020 resource list for grades 7 to 10 for English Language Arts.

Additional Information
208 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"

When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother’s garden, she begins to notice things that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where all of these things were taken away. When We Were Alone is a story about a difficult time in history, and, ultimately, one of empowerment and strength.

Reviews
"When We Were Alone is rare. It is exquisite and stunning, for the power conveyed by the words Robertson wrote, and for the illustrations that Flett created. I highly recommend it." — Debbie Reese, American Indians in Children's Literature.

"…Robertson handles a delicate task here admirably well: explaining residential schools, that shameful legacy, and making them understandable to small children. It’s a dark history, and the author doesn’t disguise that, but he wisely focuses the grandmother’s tale on how, season by season, the students use creativity, imagination, and patience to retain their sense of identity. A beautifully quiet, bold strength arises from the continued refrain “When we were alone” and in how the children insisted on being themselves. Flett’s gorgeous, skillful illustrations have a flattened, faux naïve feel to them, like construction paper collage, a style that works perfectly with the story. She nicely contrasts the school’s dull browns and grays with the riotous colors surrounding Nókom and gets much expression from her simple silhouettes. Spare, poetic, and moving, this Cree heritage story makes a powerful impression." — Kirkus Reviews

"When We Were Alone addresses the topic of residential schools and, just as importantly, aspects of Cree culture and language. There is such gentleness about When We Were Alone that makes it an appropriate book for the even youngest of readers. Simply put, this is a much-needed book. Highly Recommended." — Dr. Kristen Ferguson, CM Magazine

"Robertson's text moves between the present and the past, the girl's questions and Nókom's memories, which deepen and intensify the quiet, powerful way she lives out her own culture, day by day, in the present. A beautifully rendered story of resisitance and love, this is made all the more luminous by Flett's art - not just by flashes of fuschsia or scarlet among ochre grasses, but by her precisely observed images of the compact bodies of the uniformed children, bowed beneath the weight of the scissors, or lovingly tending each other's hair. Highly recommended." — Deirdre Baker, Toronto Star

"When We Were Alone is a story about finding the strength to push forward when everything is against you. It follows a young girl asking her grandmother questions to learn more about her past. The grandmother shares her experience of a time when she was unable to make her own decisions and how she got through it." — The Dalai Lama Center

Educator Information
Recommended Grades: 3 and under.

Grades 10-11 BC English First Peoples resource for the unit First Steps - Exploring Residential School and Reconciliation through Children's Literature.

This book is also available in Swampy Cree syllabics and Roman orthography, as well as the original English: Ispík kákí péyakoyak/When We Were Alone

This resource is also available in French: Quand on etait seuls

Additional Information
24 pages | 8.50" x 7.50" | colour illustrations 

When a young boy's classmates gather around to look at a young boy's moccasins, he tells them the story of how his grandmother made them.

Additional Information
24 pages | 8.00" x 11.00" | New Edition

Amik tells Moshoom about his wonderful school. Then his grandfather tells him about the residential school he went to, much different from Amik’s school. So Amik has an idea….

Amik Loves School is one book in The Seven Teachings Stories series.The Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe—love, wisdom, humility, courage, respect, honesty, and truth—are revealed in seven stories for children. Set in urban landscapes, Indigenous children tell familiar stories about home, school, and community.

Educator Information
Find the French translation of this book here: Amik aime l'ecole.

This book is part of The Seven Teachings Stories series, which are inspired by the Seven Sacred Teachings of the Anishinaabe—love, wisdom, humility, courage, respect, honesty, and truth. These stories are set in urban landscapes, where Indigenous children tell familiar stories about home, school, and community.

Additional Information
24 pages | 6.00" x 8.00"

Each book in the series, From the Mountains to the Sea, supports the new BC Aboriginal Learning Standards in both Science and Social Studies.

Click link to download a Grade 2 five-week planning guide: Grade 2 FREE Download for We Are a Community

Back of book introduction:
From the Mountains to the Sea: We Are a Community is a Grade 2 resource, which covers all of your Aboriginal Learning Standards in both science and social studies within the new BC curriculum.

This book is about a river. Most rivers start high up in the mountains. As the water comes downhill, it makes little pathways in the rocks and gravel. As the pathways get bigger, they join to make streams. When several streams join, they make a river. Some rivers have waterfalls and deep pools. In some places, fast moving water tumbles over rocks forming rapids. When a river leaves the mountain for flatter ground it starts to slow down. Eventually, a river ends when it flows into the sea. Where the fresh water and the salt water meet is an estuary. Have you ever been to an estuary?

The area in and around an estuary is a good place for plants, animals and people to live because we can all find food and water there. The salmon is an important food for many of us. Have you ever eaten salmon?

People have paid attention to the life cycle of salmon for thousands of years. We have learned that sometimes we can help salmon survive by building a salmon hatchery along a river. Some hatcheries are huge while others are quite small. Have you ever visited a salmon hatchery?

There are many sizes of rivers in the world. Some are wide. Some are narrow. Some are deep. Some are shallow. Do you live near a river? What plants and animals have you seen there?

This book is also part of a bundled package that includes:

• a card game: matching and sequencing
• a CD
• bulletin board trimmers

Click here to view the bundle: From the Mountains to the Sea: We Are a Community Bundle

This resource is available in French: Collection Des montagnes à la mer: Nous sommes une communauté

Additional Information
Book dimensions: 10" x 14" | Pages: 16 | ISBN: 9781771741033

Each book in the series, From the Mountains to the Sea, supports the new BC Aboriginal Learning Standards in both Science and Social Studies.

From the Mountains to the Sea: We Live Here is a Kindergarten resource, which covers all of your Aboriginal Learning Standards in both science and social studies within the new BC curriculum.

Click link to download a five-week Kindergarten planning guide: Kindergarten FREE Download for We Live Here

Back of book introduction:
This book is about a river. Can you find a river on the front cover of this book? What do you know about rivers?

Most rivers start high up in the mountains. As the water comes down the hill, it makes little pathways in the rocks and gravel. As the pathways get bigger, they join to make streams. Sometimes the streams join together to make a river. Where a river leaves the mountains the ground flattens out, and the river slows down. The river ends when it flows into the sea.

The area in and around a river is a good place for plants, animals and people to live because we can all find food and water there. The salmon is an important food for many of us.

Some of the plants and animals that you will find in this book are:

• Cedar trees live and grow all the way along a river, from the mountains to the sea.
• Salmon spend their adult lives out in the open sea. When it is time to lay their eggs, they swim back to their home streams. Their home streams are sometimes very close to the mountains.
• Bears walk long distances to find their food. They live from the mountains to the sea. In the fall they go to the rivers to fish for salmon.
• Eagles fly over large areas looking for food. They live from the mountains to the sea. In the fall, they go to the rivers to feast on salmon.
• Orcas live in the open sea. They swim long distances to hunt for food. Some orcas eat salmon. 

This book is also part of a bundled package: From the Mountains to the Sea: We Live Here Bundle

This resource is available in French: Collection Des montagnes à la mer: Nous habitons ici 

Additional Information
Book dimensions: 10" x 14" | Pages: 16 | ISBN: 9781771741019

Each book in the series, From the Mountains to the Sea, supports the new BC Aboriginal Learning Standards in both Science and Social Studies.

Click link to download a five-week Grade 1 planning guide: Grade 1 FREE Download for We Share the Seasons

Back of book introduction:
From the Mountains to the Sea: We Share the Seasons is a Grade 1 resource, which covers all of your Aboriginal Learning Standards in both science and social studies within the new BC curriculum.

This book is about the changing seasons in and along a riverbank, from the mountains to the sea. You will see many plants and animals that live along a riverbank. They grow and change just as we do.

A season is one of the four parts of the year: winter, spring, summer and fall. We all share and experience the changing of the seasons. Some changes we all make are small. Other changes are big. We all grow and change. What do you know about the seasons?

Winter, up in the mountains can be cold. The days are short. Many animals sleep in their dens underneath the snow. Other animals are active all winter. Some birds and animals travel away to warmer places. Most plants rest during the winter too.

Spring, along the banks of a mountain stream, is a time when the weather feels warmer. The days are longer. Sleeping animals wake up and come out of their dens. They are hungry and start looking for food. Birds and animals that went away for the winter come back. Plants start to grow again.

Summer, along the banks of a river can sometimes be hot. The days are long. The young animals and birds are growing. They are learning how to find food and stay safe from danger. Plants are growing and spreading out their leaves and branches. Wild berries start to ripen and provide food for many of us.

Fall, around a river estuary can be cool and windy. The days are shorter. Animals and birds start getting ready for the long winter ahead. Some fatten themselves up so that they can sleep through the winter. Others gather with their families to begin their long journey to warmer places. The salmon return from the sea and swim up their home streams to lay their eggs in the gravel. Trees, shrubs, and bushes begin to turn colour and then drop their leaves. Plants start to move into a time of rest.

Which of the four seasons is your favourite? Why do you like it the best?

This book is also part of a bundled package that includes:

• a set of moon posters
• a set of sort and categorize cards
• bulletin board trimmers

Click here to view the bundle: From the Mountains to the Sea: We Share the Seasons Bundle

This resource is available in French: Collection Des montagnes à la mer: Nous partageons les saisons

Additional Information
Book dimensions: 10" x 14" | Pages: 16 | ISBN: 9781771741026

Born of Mohawk and Cayuga descent, musical icon Robbie Robertson learned the story of Hiawatha and his spiritual guide, the Peacemaker, as part of the Iroquois oral tradition. Now he shares the same gift of storytelling with a new generation.

Hiawatha was a strong and articulate Mohawk who was chosen to translate the Peacemaker’s message of unity for the five warring Iroquois nations during the 14th century. This message not only succeeded in uniting the tribes but also forever changed how the Iroquois governed themselves—a blueprint for democracy that would later inspire the authors of the U.S. Constitution.

Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator David Shannon brings the journey of Hiawatha and the Peacemaker to life with arresting oil paintings. Together, Robertson and Shannon have crafted a new children’s classic that will both educate and inspire readers of all ages.

Includes a CD featuring a new, original song written and performed by Robbie Robertson.

Additional Information
48 pages | 9.50" x 11.25"

"A long time ago, Our People came from the Northern Woodlands to the Great Plains looking for food," Grandfather said. "They saw that the Buffalo lived in harmony with Mother Earth the same as Our People did."

Through the Creator, the buffalo gave themselves as a gift for the sustenance and survival of the Plains Cree people. The largest land animal in North America once thundered across the Great Plains in numbers of 30 to 50 million. They provided shelter, food, clothing, tools, hunting gear, ceremonial objects and many other necessities for those who lived on the Plains.

But by 1889, just over a thousand buffalo remained, and the lives of the Plains Cree people changed. The buffalo is honoured to this day, a reminder of life in harmony with nature as it was once lived. This is the story of how the buffalo came to share themselves so freely.

Educator Information
The text is in English and y-dialect Plains Cree.  Y-dialect Plains Cree translation by Randy Morin, Jean Okimasis, and Arok Wolvengrey.

This resource is also available in French: Hommage au bison.

Additional Information
48 pages | 11.00" x 8.50"

Jake's puppy Kamik is growing quickly, but the dog isn't becoming any easier to handle. All Jake wants is to raise his puppy into a strong, fast sled dog, but Kamik is far from ready to pull a sled with a dog team. With some advice and a little help from his grandmother, Jake learns basic principles of how to begin training a dog to pull. Kamik finally has his first sled, and he and Jake can finally begin exploring the tundra together. But Jake and Kamik are still inexperienced, and when a blizzard starts blowing in across the tundra, Jake has to rely on his knowledge to get home.

Inspired by the life memories of the author, an Inuit elder, this book lovingly presents basic dog—rearing practices that even the youngest dog lover can try.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Kamik series. Books in this series share traditional dog-rearing practices and dog-training techniques from the remote community of Arviat, Nunavut, through the life memories of community members. These books preserve the rich history of working dogs in Nunavut and celebrate the traditional bond between Inuit and their sled dogs.

This resource is also available in French: Kamik et son premier traineau.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 8.50"

Selected for inclusion in the Spring 2015 edition of Best Books for Kids & Teens (BBKT) by the Canadian Children's Book Centre.

Kode knows many things, but she doesn’t know one thing: What does respect mean? Who will help her figure out the answer?

Educator & Series Information
Kode's Quest(ion) is one book in The Seven Teachings Stories series. The Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe—love, wisdom, humility, courage, respect, honesty, and truth—are revealed in seven stories for children. Set in urban landscapes, Indigenous children tell familiar stories about home, school, and community.

This book is also available in French: La quête de Kode : Une histoire sur le respect

Additional Information
24 pages | 6.00" x 8.00"

In the time before animals were as they are today, Wolf spends his days admiring all the other animals. Not content to simply be a wolf, happy and hunting with his pack, he watches the owls, wolverines, and caribou with envy, wishing that he could be like them. Wishing he could be anything other than a wolf. When the magic of the land finally grants his wish, Wolf finds out that what he admires may not be what he really wants in the end.

Reviews
"Children who are struggling to be satisfied with and confident in their identities may be able to identify with the wolf.  This book would be a good starting point for discussion.  Highly recommended for elementary school libraries and public libraries." - Sandy Campbell, The Deakin Review of Children's Literature

Additional Information
32 pages | 9.30" x 7.25"

“The Gabriel Dumont Institute Press is pleased to be able to preserve and share Jeanne Pelletier’s work and life story through Let Me See Your Fancy Steps—Story of a Métis Dance Caller. The Story of Jeanne Pelletier as told to Sylvie Sara Roy and Wilfred Burton. Jeanne’s achievement as the first female Métis dance caller is, of course, about Métis dance, but it is also about the determination of a young Métis girl who achieves her dream to become a dance caller during a time when this was only done by men.”

This resource includes dance calls for 16 dances and is accompanied by the instructional DVD All My Relations which features dance company V’ni Dansi which is led by renowned dancer and artistic director, Yvonne Chartrand.

Reviews
"The recounting of Jeanne’s work is supplemented throughout the book by testimonials of her former dance students and community members, all of whom praise the dance caller for the substantial impact that she’s had both on their personal lives, as well as the academic and social climates of the Métis community in Saskatchewan. As a Métis myself, I feel lost at times, as if my culture is fuzzy or foreign to me. Reading the life experiences, knowledge, and not to mention the wealth of Métis Jig steps found in this book gave me an overwhelming sense of peace to see research of this caliber and this level of care being invested in my culture. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Métis culture and the significance that the jig has to the culture. Anyone who has seen the Métis Jig performed live knows that it is a beautiful and awe-inspiring dance, but after reading Jeanne’s explanations of the cultural significance of the dances, I will now appreciate the dance that much more as a story and celebration of my culture. It is also worth mentioning that entire dance sequences are written out to follow with Jeanne’s notes, and the book includes an instructional DVD." - Ben Charles for SaskBook Reviews

Educator Information
Recommended by Gabriel Dumont Institute for Secondary/Post Secondary/Adult.

Includes a DVD.

Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2019-2020 resource list as being useful for grades 5-12 with regard to these subjects: English Language Arts, Physical Education, Social Studies, Teacher Resource.

Misaabe tells great stories – about trolls, and x-ray glasses, and secret agents, and his super-exciting life. But is real life so bad?

Educator Information
Misaabe's Stories is part of the series The Seven Teaching Stories. The Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe—love, wisdom, humility, courage, respect, honesty, and truth—are revealed in seven stories for children. Set in urban landscapes, Indigenous children tell familiar stories about home, school, and community.

This resource is also available in French: Les Histoires de Misaabe: Une histoire sur l'honnetete

Additional Information
24 pages | 6.00" x 8.00"

Thousands of years ago in the village of Kitkatla, four hunters leave home in the spring to harvest seaweed and sockeye. When they arrive at their fishing grounds, exhaustion makes them lazy and they throw their anchor overboard without care for the damage it might do to marine life or the sea floor.

When Orca Chief discovers what the hunters have done, he sends his most powerful orca warriors to bring the men and their boat to his house. The men beg forgiveness for their ignorance and lack of respect, and Orca Chief compassionately sends them out with his pod to show them how to sustainably harvest the ocean’s resources.

Accompanied by almost exclusively new illustrations by Roy Henry Vickers, this next installment of the Northwest Coast Legends will captivate readers young and old with its vivid imagery and remarkable storytelling.

Educator & Series Information
Orca Chief is the third in a series of Northwest Coast legends by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd.

Other books in this series include:
Raven Brings the Light
Cloudwalker
Orca Chief
Peace Dancer 

Recommended for ages 3 to 6.

Additional Information
40 pages | 12.00" x 8.25"