Indigenous Resources

The following list of resources and categories are meant to serve as a starting place for some of these topics and are by no means comprehensive.

Local Organizations & Resources

ORGANIZATIONS:

• Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre: The Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre Society is an organization guided by Aboriginal values that provides activities, services and information to all people.
• Office of the Wet’suwet’en: The Office of the Wet’suwet’en was created as a central office for the Wet’suwet’en Nation, offering many services throughout the traditional territories.
• Witsuwit’en Language and Culture Society: The Society is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization that seeks to promote the revitalization of the Witsuwit’en language and culture.
• Kyah Wiget Education Society: The Kyah Wiget Education Society is a non-profit organization that was formed as an independent body responsible for all educational matters in Witset.
• Smithers Bridging Committee: The Committee aims to encourage dialogue in the Bulkley Valley to further more harmonious relations among diverse cultures.

RESOURCES:

• Acknowledging Witsuwit’en Territory: A guide on how to acknowledge the Witsuwit’en territories when hosting events and meetings.

Residential Schools, Truth and Recognition

• Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: A summary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
• 94 Calls to Action: The 94 Calls to Actions that came out of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s final report.
• Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS): The IRSSS is a provincial organization with a twenty-year history of providing services to Indian Residential School Survivors.
• Legacy of Hope Foundation: A national Indigenous charitable organization with the mandate to educate and create awareness and understanding about the Residential School System, including the intergenerational impacts of the removal of generations of Indigenous children from their families.
• Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund: Inspired by Chanie’s story and Gord’s call to build a better Canada, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: The NCTR is a place of learning and dialogue where the truth of the residential school experience is honoured and kept safe for future generations.
• National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG): Find reports, videos, resources and calls for justice related to the national inquiry. Quick link to the final report: Reclaiming Power and Place.
• Reconciliation Canada: Reconciliation Canada engages Canadians in dialogue and transformative experiences that revitalize the relationships among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians.
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): A resolution adopted by the General Assembly on September 13, 2007.

Education and Language Revitalization

EDUCATION:

• First Nations Child & Family Caring Society: The Caring Society works to ensure the safety and well-being of First Nations youth and their families through education initiatives, public policy campaigns, and providing quality resources to support communities.
• Indigenous Awareness (BCIT): A free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that promotes an increased understanding of Indigenous people and their place and space in Canada, past and present.
• Indigenous Canada (University of Alberta): A free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. This course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today, highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.
• Native Land: Native Land Digital is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that strives to create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations through educational resources including an interactive map of Indigenous territories.
• NCTR Education Resources (grouped by age)
• Strong Nations: An Indigenous-owned and operated online book/gift store and publishing house, sourcing the finest Indigenous resources for classrooms, organizations, and homes.

LANGUAGE & CULTURE:

• FirstVoices: A suite of web-based tools and services designed to support Indigenous people engaged in language archiving, language teaching, and culture revitalization.
• First Peoples’ Cultural Council: The mandate of the FPCC is to assist BC First Nations in their efforts to revitalize their languages, arts, and cultures.
• First Peoples’ Map of BC: Explore and contribute to the interactive map of the Indigenous languages, arts and heritage in BC.
• Witsuwit’en Wilhtatdzïn (Wednesdays): A fun way of learning Witsuwit’en! Started in 2017 by Indigenous educator Dolores Alfred and (former) Smithers Mayor Taylor Bachrach.