Journeys of Reconciliation

Guest editor Cynthia Bird of Peguis First Nation explores Treaties and the historic Treaty relationship between First Nations peoples and the British Crown, now represented by the government of Canada.

Everyone benefits when there is a greater understanding and appreciation of Treaties and the Treaty relationship. This special issue is part of a greater conversation to ensure that our collective history is truly inclusive.

One hundred years ago, Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce exposed the horrifying death toll among children in residential schools.

An Inuk artist reflects on the legacy of the residential schools in the Far North.

Oral histories from the survivors of the residential school system seeks to fill the gap in Canadian educational curricula.

Very few residential school buildings still stand today, making walking tours of the Shingwauk site increasingly important as an experiential learning tool.

One of the last three remaining residential schools in Manitoba. Operating from 1889 to 1972, this brick building was completed in 1931.

Of the almost two dozen residential schools that operated in Saskatchewan, Muscowequan — operating from 1889-1997 — is one of the last remaining.

Connie Wyatt Anderson is a long-time educator from The Pas, Manitoba. She has been involved in the creation of student learning materials and curricula and has contributed to a number of textbooks, teacher support guides, and school publications.

Nathan Tidridge, in partnership with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, established the Souharissen Natural Area in Waterdown, Ontario. This 55-acre educational and cultural space continues to evolve as an outdoor classroom and inspiration for numerous curriculum-based projects.

Genevieve Soler and Kayla Weller worked with Stoney Nakoda Elders Virgle Stephens, Tracey Stevens, and Phillomene Stevens to help their grade 4 students explore and deepen their understanding of their culture, traditions, and personal histories.

Maxine Hildebrandt is a member of Pelican Lake First Nation and a teacher at Mother Earth’s Children’s Charter School (MECCS), Canada’s only Indigenous charter school, in Warburg, Alberta. Maxine organized a cultural exchange with another rural school in Alberta to introduce students to each other’s history, culture, and perspectives.

Elementary teacher Jacqueline Cleave led a project to make the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s ninety-four calls to action more accessible to younger learners.

Were Canada’s Treaties based on a major misunderstanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples?

Commemorating the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Treaties One and Two gives us all an opportunity to honour our ancestors’ sacred promises to live in peace and share the bounty of the land.

This webinar series shares information and promotes conversation about the historical and contemporary issues that relate to treaties. These presentations explore both the Canadian and First Nations perspectives of treaties.

Book Review: Thomas King is far more than a good writer, storyteller, and academic. He has a dazzling intelligence that quickly sees through so many of the “accepted” truths people are repeatedly fed by the media, and he skewers these with delightful humour and self-deprecation.

Open Book: In Brittany Luby's multiple-award-winning book Dammed: The Politics of Loss and Survival in Anishinaabe Territory, she writes that the Anishinabeg have “since time immemorial” lived and fished along the waterways of the Winnipeg River drainage basin that includes the lake and that extends into parts of Manitoba and Minnesota.

Book Review: This recent book by historian J.R. Miller demonstrates that Harper’s apology was just one moment in Canada’s journey of reconciliation regarding the residential school system.

Book Review: Authors Poelzer and Coates opt for breadth respecting events of the past several decades. As well as providing a useful primer, a principal reason for their broad approach is to enable those of us interested in one or the other aspect of their “road map” to acquire just enough information to be able to search other sources.

Book Review: In From Treaties to Reserves, D.J. Hall focuses on Alberta and details the critical period during which the newly formed Canadian state transformed Indigenous peoples from their own selves into menials confined to reserves for the convenience of white newcomers who were determined to have their land.

Book Review: 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act is a heartfelt guide for reconciliation.

Book Review: Talking Back to the Indian Act speaks to all Canadians and begins by imbuing the reader with a sense of action.