Story is an honoured method of Indigenous knowledge transfer. It is through the sharing of stories that cultural beliefs, history, and ways of life are passed through generations. Today, learn more about Truth and Reconciliation by listening to Indigenous voices.
Stories through Film:
We Know the Truth: Stories to Inspire Reconciliation:
Survivors share their stories and how they are healing in the hopes of flipping the conversation on reconciliation.
- National Day of Truth & Reconciliation Collection CBC Gem has gathering movies, specials, and documentaries highlighting stories shared by Indigenous voices.
- Indigenous Stories CBC Gem has also created a collection of shows, movies and documentaries that share the stories and histories of Indigenous peoples.
- Indigenous Cinema The National Film Board provides an online collection of Indigenous-made films on a wide-variety of subjects. And almost all films are available for free streaming.
Stories through Podcasts:
- Telling our Twisted Histories: Hosted by Kaniehtiio Horn, this podcast discusses decolonizing concepts and history “one word at a time”.
- This Place: Rosanna Deerchild hosts this podcast based on the graphic novel series “This Place”. The podcast focuses on 150 years of Indigenous resistance and resilience.
- Muddied Water: A podcast on the history of the Metis people in Manitoba.
- Kuper Island: An 8-part series about four students who attended Canada’s residential schools.
Well-Known Indigenous Storytellers
It is impossible to list all the Indigenous storytellers that gift us with their voices. Here are a few well-known authors to celebrate and explore.
Tanya Talaga is an investigative journalist who resides in northern Ontario. She is the author of All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward and Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City. Talaga has received numerous awards, including being named the 2017-2018 Atkinson Fellow in Public Policy for All Our Relations: Finding a Path Forward. Also, Seven Fallen Feathers was CBC’s Nonfiction Book of the Year and a national bestseller.
Although he resided in Kamloops, B.C., Richard Wagamese was originally from the Ojibway Wabasseemoong First Nation. He is remembered as a rich storyteller who authored the books Indian Horse, Medicine Walk, and Embers. He received numerous awards for his writing including the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Media and Communications and the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize.
Eden Robinson became one of the first female Indigenous writers in Canada to gain international attention. Her first novel Monkey Beach was written in her Vancouver apartment, a story that shows a love of culture and brings readers into a traditional world. Since Monkey Beach, Robinson has written many award-winning books including the Trickster Trilogy and The Sasquatch at Home.
In 2021, Thomas King’s Indians on Vacation won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. The author of The Inconvenient Indian, Truth & Bright Water, and Green Grass, Running Water is a Member of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award.