Refer to our recommendations for Evaluating Children's Books with Indigenous Content as needed.
Beginnings: Stories of Canada's Past
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Ann Walsh has selected fourteen captivating stories written by accomplished authors from across Canada for this historical anthology. Each of the stories focuses on a "first-time" historical experience, such as the meeting between natives and Europeans at Fort St. James; the ship carrying filles du roi as brides for the settlers of New France; the first elections in which women in Canada were allowed to vote; the first gourmet meal cooked in a CPR rail camp for Cornelius Van Horne; a mine disaster in the Crowsnest Pass, with the subsequent introduction of safety lamps for the miners; and an account of the "Home Children" first sent to Canada during the nineteenth century, supposedly for a better life, but often to work in slave-labour conditions.
Canada's First Peoples: Canada: A People's History
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In Canada’s First Peoples, we explore the diverse cultures of the peoples who made up Canada from its very early days. Their societies are profiled for each geographical region – from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic – with detailed descriptions of both the similarities and the differences in culture, stories, and beliefs.
The text is richly illustrated throughout with the and stories of the First Peoples, as well as maps, photos, and artifacts. Activities draw the reader into societies that are both old and contemporary.
Canada’s First Peoples connects to the present with an account of the relationship between the First Peoples and the newcomers to Canada. The recent struggles to obtain self-government and renew Native cultures suggest a new age for the First Peoples that seemed unlikely thirty or forty years ago.
Digging Canadian History
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Canada`s most remarkable historic treasures and events. What happened at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and how did it get its name? Where could you find oranges growing in Nova Scotia in the early 1800s? Digging Canadian History answers these questions and many more, revealing many astonishing facts and events from Canada`s past. From a sunken steamboat to the discovery of a frozen man, this cross-country investigation visits every province and territory, stopping at places such as Red Bay, Labrador, and the Fall Caribou Crossing in Nunavut. Also included is a trivia collection of odd facts plus a resource guide on how to find further information. This engaging book demonstrates that Canada has a remarkable story to tell and it encourages children to discover more about the country`s past. In fact, Canadian history can be so much fun that kids will ask for more.
First Contact: Canada: A People's History
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Aboriginal peoples had lived throughout North America for thousands of years. They had practiced a world view in which everyone shared the land and its resources. They viewed nature's resources as gifts, and they used these gifts wisely to ensure these resources would still be there for their children and their children's children to use. Then, around 1600, Europeans began arriving in North America, bringing with them a world view that was very different from that of the Aboriginal peoples. To the newcomers, land was not something people shared. It was something people owned. The Europeans were interested in what they could gain from the land, the resources of that land, and the riches of the surrounding oceans. In First Contact, we learn how over time, first fish, then furs, would bring the Europeans here to stay, and how those early encounters set the stage for a collision course between two very different sets of values - a clash that would change the lives of Aboriginal peoples forever. Richly illustrated with maps, historical graphics, documents, paintings and portraits, the book examines the Aboriginal lifestyle before these first encounters with special attention given to the traditions, customs, values, governments and spiritual beliefs. The book explores the quest for riches that brought the early explorers - Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain - to Canada, the settlers who followed in search of a new life in the new land, and the arrival of missionaries intent on spreading Christianity around the world. First Contact also explores the conflicts between the European nations as the quest for furs produced bitter rivalries and alliances. The book concludes with an examination of Aboriginal peoples in Canada today, the on-going disputes over land claims, and debates over self-government.
Powwow
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★ "Clearly organized and educational--an incredibly useful tool for both school and public libraries." --School Library Journal, starred review Powwow is a celebration of Indigenous song and dance. Journey through the history of powwow culture in North America, from its origins to the thriving powwow culture of today. As a lifelong competitive powwow dancer, Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane is a guide to the protocols, regalia, songs, dances and even food you can find at powwows from coast to coast, as well as the important role they play in Indigenous culture and reconciliation.
Turtle Island
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Unlike most books that chronicle the history of Native peoples beginning with the arrival of Europeans in 1492, this book goes back to the Ice Age to give young readers a glimpse of what life was like pre-contact. The title, Turtle Island, refers to a Native myth that explains how North and Central America were formed on the back of a turtle. Based on archeological finds and scientific research, we now have a clearer picture of how the Indigenous people lived. Using that knowledge, the authors take the reader back as far as 14,000 years ago to imagine moments in time. A wide variety of topics are featured, from the animals that came and disappeared over time, to what people ate, how they expressed themselves through art, and how they adapted to their surroundings. The importance of story-telling among the Native peoples is always present to shed light on how they explained their world. The end of the book takes us to modern times when the story of the Native peoples is both tragic and hopeful.
The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
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Canada's Aboriginal peoples have shaped this country in countless ways. Their story is central to the nation's identity - indeed, the word "Canada" is derived from the Huron-Haudenosaunee word "kanata," which means "our village." This title in the acclaimed Kids Book of series is a balanced, in-depth look at the cultures, struggles and triumphs of Canada's first peoples. Exhaustively researched and reviewed by specialists in the field, this groundbreaking book is by far the most comprehensive of its kind. The detailed illustrations based on museum artifacts, written records of long ago and contemporary scholarship help bring the traditional ways to life for young readers.
The People Shall Continue
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Told in the rhythms of traditional oral narrative, this powerful telling of the history of the Native/Indigenous peoples of North America recounts their story from Creation to the invasion and usurpation of Native lands. As more and more people arrived, The People saw that the new men did not respect the land. The People witnessed the destruction of their Nations and the enslavement of their people. The People fought hard, but eventually agreed to stop fighting and signed treaties. Many things changed and became more difficult, but The People continued to farm and create crafts. They remembered and told their children, "You are Shawnee. You are Lakota. You are Pima. You Acoma. . . . You are all these Nations of the People." The People held onto their beliefs and customs and found solidarity with other oppressed people. And despite struggles against greed, destruction of their lands, and oppression, The People persisted. "The times call on all of us to share The People Shall Continue. Ortiz reminds us that we must come together to save our planet." --Debbie Reese (Nambé Pueblo), PhD and publisher, American Indians in Children's Literature
Turtle Island
by
Unlike most books that chronicle the history of Native peoples beginning with the arrival of Europeans in 1492, this book goes back to the Ice Age to give young readers a glimpse of what life was like pre-contact. The title, Turtle Island, refers to a Native myth that explains how North and Central America were formed on the back of a turtle. Based on archeological finds and scientific research, we now have a clearer picture of how the Indigenous people lived. Using that knowledge, the authors take the reader back as far as 14,000 years ago to imagine moments in time. A wide variety of topics are featured, from the animals that came and disappeared over time, to what people ate, how they expressed themselves through art, and how they adapted to their surroundings. The importance of story-telling among the Native peoples is always present to shed light on how they explained their world. The end of the book takes us to modern times when the story of the Native peoples is both tragic and hopeful.
We are all...Treaty People
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This book explains the history of the Anishinaabeg, or Anishinabek nations. The nations of Ojibwa, Chippewa, Odawa, Mississauga, Potawatomi, Algonquin, and Delaware peoples are described. This book gives the history of the culture, values, co-existence, Seven Years War, treaties, Oka, and present day events. First Nations, Inuit and Métis content and perspectivies. This resource supports the "Teaching of Treaties in the classroom".