Did you know?
The Canadian Government recognizes three distinct groups of Indigenous Peoples:
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First Nations, comprising more than 630 communities, representing more than 50 nations and 50 Indigenous languages
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Inuit, the Indigenous persons of the Arctic
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Métis, Peoples of mixed Indigenous and European (primarily French) heritage
Did you know?
June is National Indigenous History Month!
June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day.
September 30th is Orange Shirt Day, a day set aside to honour indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools. The end of September falls within the time of year when the children would have been taken.
Did you know?
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was active in Canada from 2008 to 2015 for the purpose of documenting the history and lasting impacts of the Indian Residential School system on children and their families – a chance for residential school survivors to tell their stories.
In June 2015, the Commission released a summary of its findings and included 94 ‘calls to action’, that is, they identified 94 changes believed to be needed in order to begin the process of reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous Peoples.
Based on their final report, in 2019, the Commission released a 5-part film, produced in Halifax, and called, ‘They Came for the Children’.
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Part 1 – Introduction (17 minutes)
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Part 2 – History (21 minutes)
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Part 3 – The Residential Schools (25 minutes)
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Part 4 – The Churches (20 minutes)
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Part 5 – 94 Calls to Action (17 minutes)
And for any parent trying to explain the Truth and Reconciliation Report to their children, a NB-based group, Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn (a non-profit organization whose members are the nine Mi’gmaq communities in New Brunswick) has produced a child-friendly version of the 94 Calls to Action.
Click here and read as Spirit Bear explains.
We thank the Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn for their hard work in doing this for the children – planning for the future, while honouring the past.
Did you know?
CBC New Brunswick has started a series called, ‘The Elders‘, stories about Indigenous historians, knowledge keepers and educators.
This is a five-part weekly series that will feature Elders from Mi’kmaw, Wolastoqi and Passamaquoddy communities sharing their stories. Very interesting!
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Meet Metepenagiag Elder George Paul. George, well known as the composer of the Mi’kmaq Honour Song, specializes in picking herbal medicines.
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Meet St. Mary’s First Nation Elder Cecelia Brooks Cecelia has a degree in chemistry with a minor in biology, but she holds a passion for traditional plants used in ceremony and medicine.
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Meet Elsipogtog Elder Noel Milliea. Noel says he tries to empower people to heal themselves.
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Meet Wolastogi Elder Imelda Perley. Imelda offers language teaching and spiritual guidance.
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Meet Elsipogtog Elder Donna Augustine. Donna works to bring the remains of ancestors home.