National Indigenous History Month
Boozhoo, Aanii, Kwe-Kwe, Wâciye, Hello!
June is National Indigenous History Month, a time to celebrate Indigenous history, heritage, diversity, and culture of the many diverse Indigenous communities. It is an ideal time to reflect on the many contributions Indigenous people have made in Canada and around the world. To honour and celebrate, we invite you to take a closer look at the links suggested by Indigenous Affairs as well as additional resources listed below. We welcome you to join and connect with events within your community!
Indigenous Affairs is here to support you in your journey. Please feel free to reach to Unit Coordinator, Sarah Jacko at Indigenous@nosm.ca.
Read more about:
- Indigenous History
- Indigenous Trailblazers
- Treaties in Canada: Education Guide
- Key Moments in Indigenous History Timeline
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
On June 21 it is National Indigenous Peoples Day!
There are events happening across Canada, including Northern Ontario. There are events in First Nations and in urban communities. Find an event near you!
Sudbury
Indigenous Peoples Day Pow Wow
Sunday, June 21
Bell Park
Poster and more details to come!
Fort William First Nation Pow Wow
Sunday, June 21
Anemki Wajiw – Mount McKay, Fort William First Nation
Free Event. All are welcome!
Books
- 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph.
- A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System, 1879-1986, John S. Milloy.
- Braiding Legal Orders, Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, John Borrows, Larry Chartrand, Oonagh E. Fitzgerald and Risa Schwartz.
- Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plant, Robin Wall Kimmerer.
- Calling Down the Sky by Rosanna Deerchild.
- Colonized Classrooms: Racism, Trauma and Resistance in Post-Secondary Education, Sheila Cote-Meek.
- Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit, Marie Battiste.
- Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies, Renee Linklater.
- Drawing Out Law: A Spirits Guide, John Borrows.
- Finding My Talk: How Fourteen Native Women Reclaimed Their Lives after Residential School by Agnes Grant.
- From the Ashes: My Story of Being Metis, Homeless, and Finding My Way, Jesse Thistle.
- Halfbreed, Maria Campbell.
- Highway of Tears, Jessica Diarmid.
- I Am Not a Number, Jenny Kay Dupuis & Kathy Kacer.
- I Am Woman, A Native Perspective on Sociology and Feminism, Lee Maracle.
- Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese.
- Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body and Spirit, Jo-Ann Archibald.
- Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Metis & Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel.
- Jonny Appleseed, Joshua Whitehead.
- Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age, by Darrel J. McLeod.
- Medicine to Help Us: Traditional Metis Plant Use, by Christi Belcourt.
- Research is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods, by Shawn Wilson.
- Seven Fallen Feathers, by Tanya Talaga.
- Shingwauk’s Vision: A History of Native Residential Schools, by J.R. Miller.
- The Courage of a Nation: Healing from Intergenerational Trauma, Addiction and Multiple Loss by Teresa Naseba Marsh.
- The Creator’s Game: Lacrosse, Identity, and Indigenous Nationhood, by Allan Downey.
- The Red Files by Lisa Bird-Wilson.
- The Right to be Cold: One Woman’s Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet, by Sheila Watt-Cloutier.
- They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at Indian Residential School, by Bev Sellars.
- Treaty 9, Making the Agreement to Share the Land in Far Northern Ontario 1905, by John S. Long.
- Unsettling Canada: A National Wake-Up Call, by Grand Chief Ronald M. Derrickson & Arthur Manuel.
- Up Ghost River, by Edmund Metatawabin.
- Whose Land is it Anyway: A Manual for Decolonization by Peter McFarlane & Nicole Schabus.
Podcasts
Expand your understanding of Indigenous history beyond the month of June by listening to some amazing and insightful Indigenous podcasts.
- Indigenous Medicine Stories: Anishinaabe mshkiki nwii-dbaaddaan. With Dr. Darrel Manitowabi. The podcast will highlight the lived experiences of Indigenous Knowledge holders, healers, and Elders and help professionals who practice Indigenous healing.
- All My Relations: All My Relations is a team of folks who care about representations, and how Native peoples are represented in mainstream media.
- Anti-racist Educators Reads
- Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo
- The Secret Life of Canada: 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.
- Pieces: Join 19-year-old Jeremy Ratt on a journey of self discovery as he seeks to understand his roots and all of the distinct “pieces” that form who he is today.
- Think Indigenous: An Education, Society and Culture podcast by Ryan McMahon.
- The Language: The Language is a podcast dedicated to the revitalization of Anishinaabemowin. By second language learners, for second language learners.
Watch a documentary or movie
Websites
Attend a webinar
Indigenous Canada is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada.
Social accountability is one of the NOSM University’s core values. This means that NOSM University is dedicated to addressing the priority health concerns of the people and communities of Northern Ontario, including over 100 Indigenous communities of Northern Ontario.

