Education is one of the most powerful tools we have for building understanding and creating change. the resources below have been carefully selected to support your learning journey and help amplify Indigenous voices and perspectives.
Learning is an important first step toward meaningful reconciliation.
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New to this topic?
Begin with a carefully selected film, book, or educational guide that provides and accessible introduction to Indigenous history and reconcilliation.
Documentary
This Is Where I Live
2017 58m
Young people in Cross Lake share their experiences, hopes, and struggles during a devastating community suicide crisis.
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Movie
Movie
Indian Horse
2017 1h 41m
Wind River
Smoke Signals
Documentaries/Books
Movies
Textbooks / Academic Journals
The Fall of Natural Man - Anthony Pagden
The author of this text book analyzes writing from colonial philosophers and how they saw the indigenous people in North America, and how they thought they should be treated / researched. I think this textbook does a great job at showing the attitudes that Europeans had towards indigenous people when they came to North America, which greatly influenced their treatment of indigenous people.
Plastic Shaman and Astroturf Sundances - Lisa Aldred
This journal article, which is cited in many academic texts, and used in academic books, goes over the usage, appropriation, and misappropriation of indigenous works, and indigenous culture. For better or for worse, people try to purchase an indigenous experience by going to a “plastic shaman.” This has caused some conflict within indigenous circles due to the external pressures to commodify something which is typically seen as sacred—indigenous culture— something which cannot be purchased.
This journal article asks—and answers—many controversial questions surrounding culture, and how it should be shared.
Combating Cultural Appropriation in the American Southwest – David Howes
This journal article examines how Indigenous culture can be used and commercialized without permission, focusing specifically on the experiences of the Hopi people. It explains how the appropriation of Indigenous traditions, images, and practices can threaten the integrity and survival of Indigenous communities.
The article also discusses whether legal protections such as copyright, privacy rights, and publicity rights can prevent Indigenous cultures from being exploited. This text is similar to Plastic Shamans and Astroturf Sun Dances because both examine how Indigenous culture and spirituality are turned into products for non-Indigenous consumers.