Jasper Municipal Library Staff
On September 30, Canadians honoured the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities with the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Public acknowledgement of the tragedy of residential schools and their ongoing impact on Indigenous communities is a vital step towards reconciliation.
If you are taking your own steps to reconciliation, the library is a great place to learn more about Indigenous history and culture. Whatever your area of interest – history, health, gardening, education, law, language or the arts – we likely have resources by Indigenous creators for you to check out. You can use these to learn, reflect and act to make ours a more just and equitable society, but you can also use them to expand your skills and perspectives, or simply to be moved or entertained. There’s a reason that books by Indigenous writers so often make bestseller lists… they are terrific!
Here are just a few titles and resources available at our library:
Adult Non-fiction
- Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga
- From Oral to Written by Tomson Highway
- 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph
- In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience by Helen Knott
- Our Story by multiple authors
- Indigenous Healing: Exploring Traditional Paths by Rupert Ross
- The Reason You Walk by Wab Kinew
- One Native Life by Richard Wagamese
- Me Funny by Drew Hayden Taylor
- Clearing the Plains by James Daschuk
Juvenile Non-fiction
- Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation by Monique Gray Smith
- As Long as the Rivers Flow by Larry Loyie
- Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan- Fenton and Margaret Pokiak- Fenton
- A Stranger at Home: A True Story by Jordan- Fenton and Margaret Pokiak- Fenton
Adult Fiction
- Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
- Take Us to Your Chief: and Other Stories by Drew Hayden Taylor
- Trial of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
- Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
Juvenile Fiction
- The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson
Young Adult Fiction
- The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Graphic Novels
- This Place: 150 Years Retold
- Borders by Thomas King
- A Girl Called Echo by Katherena Vermette
- The Outside Circle by Patti LaBoucane-Benson
Picture Books
- The Moccasins by Earl Einarson
- Phyllis’s Orange Shirt by Phyllis Webstad
- Stolen Words by Melanie Florence
Board Books
- We Sang You Home by Richard Van Camp
- My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Gray Smith
Additional resources are available online:
Use your library card to access the Prairie Indigenous eBook Collection in the Read Alberta eBooks resource https://jasperlibrary.ab.ca/eresources/read-alberta-ebooks
NFB https://www.nfb.ca/ has an Indigenous Cinema collection ready for streaming.
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation https://nctr.ca/
Government of Canada Begin your learning journey https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1621447127773/1621447157184
University of Alberta Indigenous Canada course https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions-programs/online-courses/indigenous-canada/index.html Alberta School Councils https://www.albertaschoolcouncils.ca/about/indigenous-awareness/september-30th
