Journeys of Reconciliation

Guest editor Cynthia Bird of Peguis First Nation explores Treaties and the historic Treaty relationship between First Nations peoples and the British Crown, now represented by the government of Canada.

Everyone benefits when there is a greater understanding and appreciation of Treaties and the Treaty relationship. This special issue is part of a greater conversation to ensure that our collective history is truly inclusive.

Oral histories from the survivors of the residential school system seeks to fill the gap in Canadian educational curricula.

Very few residential school buildings still stand today, making walking tours of the Shingwauk site increasingly important as an experiential learning tool.

One of the last three remaining residential schools in Manitoba. Operating from 1889 to 1972, this brick building was completed in 1931.

Of the almost two dozen residential schools that operated in Saskatchewan, Muscowequan — operating from 1889-1997 — is one of the last remaining.

Watch now: this webinar provides an introduction to treaty-making between First Nations peoples and the Crown (Canada) and discusses the significance of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 to this process. 

Watch now: this webinar examines the written record of Treaty 1, the first of Canada's western treaties. 

Watch now: this webinar provides an overview of the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba's Treaty Education Initiative, which is a K-12 education mandate.

Watch now: this webinar provides a geographical perspective on the Numbered Treaties in Canada.

Watch now: in this webinar Shashi Shergill shares how grade 9 students deepened their understanding of Indigenous perspectives, specifically the affirmation of collective rights through an examination of treaty rights and research into historically significant events that impacted the relationship and Canadian society.

Watch now: in this webinar Elder Florence Paynter provides an “Elder’s Perspective” to treaty making and the importance of teaching treaties in the classroom.

Book Review: This recent book by historian J.R. Miller demonstrates that Harper’s apology was just one moment in Canada’s journey of reconciliation regarding the residential school system.

In this presentation, Dr. Maureen Lux shares a few stories that she found in the archival and oral history research for her book Separate Beds: A History of Indian Hospitals in Canada.

Book Review: Thomas King is far more than a good writer, storyteller, and academic. He has a dazzling intelligence that quickly sees through so many of the “accepted” truths people are repeatedly fed by the media, and he skewers these with delightful humour and self-deprecation.

Book Review: 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act is a heartfelt guide for reconciliation.

Book Review: Talking Back to the Indian Act speaks to all Canadians and begins by imbuing the reader with a sense of action.

Book Review: Authors Poelzer and Coates opt for breadth respecting events of the past several decades. As well as providing a useful primer, a principal reason for their broad approach is to enable those of us interested in one or the other aspect of their “road map” to acquire just enough information to be able to search other sources.

Book Review: In From Treaties to Reserves, D.J. Hall focuses on Alberta and details the critical period during which the newly formed Canadian state transformed Indigenous peoples from their own selves into menials confined to reserves for the convenience of white newcomers who were determined to have their land.