From the earliest settler policies to deal with the “Indian problem,” to contemporary government-run programs ostensibly designed to help Indigenous people, public policy has played a major role in creating the historical trauma that so greatly impacts the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Taking Back Our Spirits traces the link between Canadian public policies, the injuries they have inflicted on Indigenous people, and Indigenous literature’s ability to heal individuals and communities. Episkenew examines contemporary autobiography, fiction, and drama to reveal how these texts respond to and critique public policy, and how literature functions as “medicine” to help cure the colonial contagion. * 2009 Winner of the Saskatchewan Book Award for Scholarly Writing; 210 Winner of the Saskatchewan Book Award for First Peoples’ Writing

This source describes in detail what the doctrine of discovery is, how it has shaped Canada's relationship with Indigenous Peoples (legally, politically, economically, and socially) and why it must be formally renounced in Canada in order to achieve reconciliation and decolonization. This is a useful source for teachers who may need some background knowledge about how the Canadian government and settlers more broadly tend to write, think, and talk about Canada as a place that was "discovered" by explorers or pioneers. For teachers beginning to introduce the concept of Treaties, a first step may be to internally reflect upon how we have, generally, historically been taught or are expected to teach Canada's history of settlement. This is an incredible resource for dismantling any preconceived notions of Canada as a "blank space" or terra nulius before European settlement, and a source that provides many justifications for overruling doctrine of discovery pedagogy with new paradigms.

Using previously unreleased government documents, historian John S. Milloy provides a full picture of the history and reality of the residential school system. He begins by tracing the ideological roots of the system, and follows the paper trail of internal memoranda, reports from field inspectors, and letters of complaint. In the early decades, the system grew without planning or restraint. Despite numerous critical commissions and reports, it persisted into the 1970s, when it transformed itself into a social welfare system without improving conditions for its thousands of wards. A National Crime shows that the residential system was chronically underfunded and often mismanaged, and documents in detail and how this affected the health, education, and well-being of entire generations of Indigenous children. Awarded the Margaret McWilliams Award, Manitoba Historical Society (1999).

“We Are Coming Home!” is the story of the highly complex process of repatriation as described by those intimately involved in the work, notably the Piikuni, Siksika, and Kainai elders who provided essential oversight and guidance. We also hear from the Glenbow Museum’s president and CEO at the time and from an archaeologist then employed at the Provincial Museum of Alberta who provides an insider’s view of the drafting of FNSCORA. These accounts are framed by Conaty’s reflections on the impact of museums on First Nations, on the history and culture of the Niitsitapi, or Blackfoot, and on the path forward. With Conaty’s passing in August of 2013, this book is also a tribute to his enduring relationships with the Blackfoot, to his rich and exemplary career, and to his commitment to innovation and mindful museum practice.