Resources
We have curated some learning resources for you so that you can form a base for further engagement. The resources offered are designed to get you started on your journey of learning but are not meant to be exhaustive nor to be a replacement for local, personal engagement. We hope you find them useful.
We are actively developing and expanding our resources centre, so check back soon to see more content!
Begin Here: The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
When non-Indigeneous individuals and communities commit to the journey toward right, just, and whole relationships with Indigenous Peoples, a common question is: Where do we start?
The Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission offer clear guidance: they ask that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples be used as a framework for engagement with, and advocacy for, Indigenous Peoples.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Bill C-15
The three Commissioners of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) discuss the relationship of the TRC and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and how that brings us now to Bill C-15 (“An Act respecting UNDRIP”).
Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery
European descendants benefit from a violent history of land-grabbing and genocide that was justified by patriotism and religion. This same theology formed an international legal structure that continues to dispossess Indigenous Peoples of their land.
Web resources and videos
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Canada's prisons are the 'new residential schools'
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Reserve 107: Reconcilitation on the Praries
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Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
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Doctrine of Discovery: Stolen Lands, Strong Hearts
Reading List
Overview
Gain a general understanding of the topics that surround the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
TRC Trilogy
Steve Heirichs, Cheryl Woelk, Jeff Friesen
Find it at Common Word
Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry: Conversations on Creation, Land Justice, and Life Together
Steve Heirichs, Harold Press
Indigenous Theology
Gain a general understanding of the topics that surround the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
NAIITS Journals: An Indigenous Learning Community
(North American Institute of Indigenous Theological Studies)
Understanding Decolonization and Racism
A curated list of books and articles to help you gain a richer understanding of Canada’s colonial past and the challenges that it presents today.
The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race
Willie Jennings, Yale University Press
Unsettling the Settler Within
Paulette Reagan, UBC Press
Settler Identity and Colonialism in 21st Century Canada
Emma Battell Lowman and Adam J Barker, Fernwood Publishing
Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery
Mark Charles, Soong-Chan Rah, IVP
Stories
Firsthand accounts from survivors.
Neither Wolf Nor Dog,
Kent Nerburn
The Truth About Stories
Thomas King
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions
In This Together: Fifteen Stories of Truth and Reconciliation
Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail, Brindle Glass Publishing
Historical Background
Understanding the history of Truth and Reconciliation
21 Things you may not know about the Indian Act: Helping Canadians make reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a reality
Bob Joseph
8th Fire: Wab’s Walk Through History
Watch on CBC
A 2021 Status Update on Reconciliation
Read on Yellowhead Institute
In Plain Sight: Reading List
A list of books recommended by Dawn Thomas as part of the In Plain Sight Report—a report addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care.
Medicine Unbundle: A journey through the minefields of Indigenous Health Care
Gary Geddes, 2017
Written as I Remember It: Teachings from the Life of a Sliammon Elder
Harmony Johnson, Elsie Paul, Paige Slyvia Raibmon, 2014
Unsettling Canada: A National wake-Up Call
Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson, Arthur Manuel, 2015
The Reconciliation Manifesto: Recovering the Land, Rebuilding the Economy
Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson, Arthur Manuel, 2017
Unsettling the Settler Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation
Paulette Regan, 2010
White Fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism
Robin DiAngelo, 2018
Nishga
Jordan Abel, 2021