Indigenous Perspectives

These Indigenous and FNMI (First Nations, Metis and Inuit) creators hail from across Turtle Island, and are aiming to eliminate negative stereotypes of Indigenous peoples as seen throughout pop culture.

Welcome to Indigenous Foundations, a website that was developed to support students in their studies, and to provide instructors, researchers and the broader public with a place to begin exploring topics that relate to Aboriginal peoples, cultures, and histories.

Curio.ca is an educational streaming platform targeting educational institutions from primary through to post-secondary levels across Canada to access thousands of programs, documentaries, audio content, and archival materials from CBC/Radio-Canada on a provisional basis.

Three Learning Modules that focus on Canadian History since World War I and II and Civics and Citizenship. Each has a particular emphasis on FNMI veterans and their contributions.

Podcasts that take an unconventional look at Canada's history and uncover stories not told in our history books.

"One of the most acclaimed Indigenous directors in the world, Alanis Obomsawin came to cinema from performance and storytelling. She has received numerous international honours and in 2019 was named a Companion of the Order of Canada—its highest distinction."
"My main interest all my life has been education," says Obomsawin, "because that's where you develop yourself, where you learn to hate, or to love."

"With its energetic pace and stunning HD landscapes, 8th Fire propels us past prejudice, stereotypes and misunderstandings, to encounters with an impressive new generation of Indigenous people who are reclaiming both their culture and their confidence. 8th Fire examines the way forward to a second chance to get the relationship right." Teacher Guide included.

"Five books, five champions, one winner: CBC's annual Battle of the Books has been getting people listening, watching and, of course, reading, for the past 18 years.
Canada Reads is a "literary Survivor," with celebrities championing books. Each day, panelists vote to eliminate one book, until a single title is chosen as the title the whole country should read this year."

"In Son of a Trickster, celebrated Haisla and Heiltsuk author Eden Robinson tells the story of a 16-year-old named Jared who is known in his community for making the best weed cookies and for having a scary mom. In this video, Eden talks about her novel and describes her methodical old-school method of figuring out pacing — it involves scissors and tape!"

"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. This guide aims to engage students in thinking critically about our historical narratives and help them consider how both individual and collective worldviews shape — and are shaped by — history."

"To promote mathematics among Aboriginal learners we have created a series of stories with mathematical themes. These stories are based on the storytelling tradition of Aboriginal peoples. Take a moment to scroll down through this page and click on each of the stories….you will see and hear many different translations of each story."

"When Richard Van Camp graduated high school in Fort Smith, N.W.T., it seemed all his peers knew exactly what their next move was — except for him."
"They could see right away that I was a really hollow Indigenous person culturally and that I was searching."

"Debates about Monuments the gift that keeps on giving for satirist Tim Fontaine."
"The sort of jokes that I make on the site is really not that much different than the actual defenses people have of statues," Fontaine said... He said it's laughable that people think toppling a statue that depicts a historic figure erases history."

"Amiee Craft, an Anishinaabe-Métis lawyer from Treaty 1 territory in Manitoba, is one of this year’s President’s Award recipients. A law professor at the University of Ottawa, she always knew she wanted to be a lawyer, even though following certain rules can be a struggle for her."

Potlatch 67-67 Lesson Series - SD71 & SD72 Collaboration

Heiltsuk Nation, federal agencies sign agreement to establish an Indigenous marine response team

First Nations University of Canada is the home of the National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education, connecting communities with each other to share their stories about Indigenous education across Canada and around the world.

Manitobah Mukluks founder says business leaders can learn about sustainability from Indigenous people.

All My Relations: Celebrating
Canada’s Indigenous Peoples
Music Alive Program TEACHER GUIDE
Written by Sherryl Sewepagaham

Weaving together live-action, animation, archival images, ancestral stories and songs, the documentary Sputc: We Shall Eat When the River is Full is a cinematic tale of wealth, loss and recovery.

"Showcasing dozens of Indigenous scientists, Coyote Science shows youth the immense possibilities open to them—they too can become ethnobotanists, mathematicians, geologists and engineers. Coyote Science affirms that western and Indigenous science blend well together, and can be part of a rich, inclusive education."

CBC Radio's Legends Project compiles traditional oral stories, legends and histories of Canada's Inuit and First Nations, gathered in communities across the country. This collection focuses on a small group of people off the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

This is an exciting time to be a teacher. Teachers have amazing potential to help make Truth and Reconciliation a reality, and to move the next generation forward in creating a fairer, more just, and more inclusive Canada. It’s a big job, and one that many teachers approach with a bit of fear and more than a few questions.

The east represents a beginning and in many First Nations, Metis and Inuit cultures, the journey proceesd clockwise. If you are new to this resource, it's a good idea to start on the eastern side of the circle of rocks, with the Worldviews topic area

This activity was designed for students in grades 4-7. The hands-on interdisciplinary approach of the activity have been designed to provoke a healthy curiosity and appreciation for universal concepts, the similarities and differences between cultures, and the value of our environment.