National Indigenous Peoples Day
National Indigenous Peoples Day
June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the traditions, cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Metis. June is also National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to recognize the rich history, resilience and diversity of all First Nations in Canada. As a learning community at HCOS/Flex, we commit to listening, learning and growing in understanding.
We believe this observance allows our students to embody the HCOS Biblical Attributes of Community and Restoration. The Community attribute reminds us that “Students will discover that they have a unique role to play in a living and growing community; they will seek to discover their own gifts and skills, and to affirm the gifts and skills of others.” The Restoration attribute calls us to be "compassionate peacemakers and participants in God's mission to bring about the restoration and reconciliation of all things according to His intention for creation."
Explore Indigenous history, storytelling, and culture through these resources.
Resources
Learning Commons Resources
Learning Commons | Selected Books
These books have been selected as a conversation starter on Indigenous culture, stories and history.
Primary (Grades K-4)
- Sweetest Kulu - Inuit values of love and respect for the land and animals.
- Our First Caribou Hunt - Traditional Inuit hunting practices.
- The Old Ways - Traditional wisdom of elders.
- An Inuksuk Means Welcome - An inuksuk is a stone landmark that different peoples of the Arctic region build to leave a symbolic message.
- Soapstone Signs - One spring, a nine-year-old Cree boy is visited by a master soapstone carver named Lindy, who gives him four pieces of soapstone.
- The Salmon Twins - Caroll Simpson explains the significance of community values. She introduces readers to a world of creatures like Sea Lion, Killer Whale, Dogfish and Kingfisher. Her dramatic tale of young twins and their transformation shows how working together keeps a community healthy.
- niwîcihâw / I Help - This simple story in Cree and English explores a young child's relationship to his grandmother, or nôkhom, as they go for a walk in the woods to pick rosehips. Part of the Nohkom Series.
- Coyote Tales - Two tales, set in a time "when animals and human beings still talked to each other," display Thomas King's cheeky humour and master storytelling skills.
For further resources, visit the K-Grade 3 Indigenous Peoples Collection in Sora or the Indigenous Peoples Fiction or Non-Fiction topic collections in the Search Portal.
Middle School (Grades 5-9)
- Salmon's Journey - Combines the timeless appeal of Aesop's fables with the oral storytelling traditions of First Nations and other cultures.
- Fatty Legs - A Residential School Story.
- Turtle Island - This book goes back to the Ice Age to give young readers a glimpse of what life was like pre-contact.
- Brothers of the Wolf - This is the tale of two wolf cubs found and raised in a village on the Pacific coast as human children. The wolf cub brothers, Tkope and Klale, are very different from one another. One feels most at home in the forest, while the other is more comfortable in the sea.
- Little Wolf - A young Indigenous girl moves to the big city and learns to find connections to her culture and the land wherever she goes, despite encountering bullies and feelings of isolation along the way.
- The Sockeye Mother - To the Gitxsan people of Northwestern British Columbia, the sockeye salmon is more than just a source of food. Over its life cycle, it nourishes the very land and forests that the Skeena River runs through and where the Gitxsan make their home.
- The Barren Grounds - a novel about two Indigenous foster children who discover a portal to a snowy, magical world where they must use traditional knowledge and courage to survive and bring balance to a land in crisis.
For further resources, visit the Grades 4-6 Indigenous Peoples Collection and Grades 7-9 Indigenous Peoples Collection in Sora or the Indigenous Peoples Fiction or Non-Fiction topic collections in the Search Portal.
High School (Grades 10-12)
- Pemmican War - Echo finds herself transported to another time and place—a bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie—and back again to the present.
- Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults - Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.
- How I Survived Four Nights on the Ice - After his snowmobile breaks down halfway across the sea ice on a trip back from a fishing camp, Serapio Ittusardjuat recounts the traditional skills and knowledge he leaned on to stay alive. This harrowing first-person account of four nights spent on the open sea ice…
- The FireKeepers Daughter - Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is…
- Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast - Hilary Stewart introduces the elements of style, interprets the myths and legends which shape the motifs, and defines and illustrates the stylistic differences between the major cultural groupings.
For further resources, visit the Grades 9-12 Indigenous Peoples Collection in Sora or the Indigenous Peoples Fiction or Non-Fiction topic collections in the Search Portal.
Website Resources
National Indigenous Peoples Day
The following online resources may be helpful for discovering more about our B.C.'s First Nations heritage.
Every year, First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across the country host events on or around June 21 to share and celebrate their rich and diverse cultures and traditions.
Find an event or activity near you:
Map of Indigenous Peoples and Lands
GeoViewer Map of Indigenous Peoples and Lands
Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
Canadian Geographic - Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
"First Nations culture is rooted in storytelling. Since time immemorial, we have passed on knowledge from generation to generation through our Oral Traditions to teach our beliefs, history, values, practices, customs, rituals, relationships, and ways of life. Our culture and the teachings of our ancestors are preserved and carried on through the words of Elders, leaders, community members and young ones. These teachings form an integral part of our identity as nations, communities, clans, families and individuals. - Perry Bellegarde
First Nations Education Steering Committee
Learning First Peoples Classroom Resources
With the increased inclusion of First Peoples’ content in the changing BC curriculum, there is a need to incorporate unappropriated First Peoples’ perspectives across the curriculum. The First Nations Education Steering Committee and the First Nations Schools Association, in collaboration with teachers and partners, have developed the following Learning First Peoples series of teacher resources to support English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and Mathematics courses.
Indigenous Education: Teaching Tools and Resources
BC Ministry of Education: Indigenous Education
There are many thoughtful and authentic ways to teach Indigenous history and culture. Use these teaching tools to create a lesson plan that’s tailored to the specific needs of your class.
Simon Fraser University: The Stories/Movies - Math Catcher
To promote mathematics, we have created a series of stories with mathematical themes. These stories are inspired by the storytelling tradition of Indigenous peoples.
Historica Canada: Indigenous Perspectives Education Guide
Education Portal on Indigenous History
Popular narratives of Canadian history have most frequently been told from the perspective of European settlers. As a result, Indigenous experiences have often been neglected or excluded from the telling of our country’s history. For a more comprehensive understanding of Canada’s history, it is important to examine it from Indigenous perspectives. Doing so requires students to explore the depth, breadth, diversity, and regional variation of experiences of Indigenous peoples in the land that...
National Center for Truth and Reconciliation
For a period of more than 150 years (see the Residential School Timeline), First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children were taken from their families and communities to attend schools which were often located far from their homes. More than 150,000 children attended Indian Residential Schools. Many never returned.
Government of Canada: Indigenous People in the Second World War
Indigenous People in the Second World War
Indigenous people from every region of Canada served in the armed forces during the Second World War, fighting in every major battle and campaign of the conflict. To serve their country, Indigenous people had to overcome unique cultural challenges. Their courage, sacrifices, and accomplishments are a continuing source of pride to their families, communities, and all Canadians.
Four Directions Teachings
FourDirectionsTeachings.com is a visually stunning audio-narrated resource for learning about indigenous knowledge and philosophy from five diverse First Nations in Canada
Kiddle: Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Indigenous peoples in Canada facts for kids
Indigenous Peoples in Canada are the original inhabitants of the land now known as Canada. They are also called First Peoples.
Canada Guide: Indigenous Peoples of Canada
The Indigenous people of Canada, a small but influential community that reminds Canadians of their country’s ancient past and their contemporary responsibilities to its first residents.
4 Canoes
Indigenous Series, Gr K-12 Subscription (Passwords can be found on the subscriptions page or in the Search Portal)
4Canoes magazine (K-Grade 12) has articles vetted by the Indigenous communities about which they were written. The 4Canoes website is accessed through Focused Education Resources and the BC Digital Classroom.
Circle of Courage
A model of positive youth development based on the principle of universal needs for emotionally healthy youth, including a sense of belonging, mastery, independence and generosity.
Canada’s History: Treaties and the Treaty Relationship
Treaties and the Treaty Relationship
The Canada’s History Treaties issue features guest editor Treaty Commissioner Loretta Rosslink opens in a new window from the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba.
First Nations Pedagogy Online
First Nations storytelling videos
First Nations, Inuit, and Metis cultures have long passed on knowledge from generation to generation through oral traditions, including storytelling. Storytelling is a traditional method used to teach about cultural beliefs, values, customs, rituals, history, practices, relationships, and ways of life.
Exploring the Great Bear Sea
Elementary and Secondary Teaching Resources. Students explore the importance of this region of BC – and our connection to both land and sea – through place-based stories, traditions and histories, bringing a diversity of First Peoples’ perspectives from this region into the classroom.