EPL Picks: Decolonization Reading List

The Final Report of the National Inquiry Into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

by National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (Canada)

eBook - 2019

National Inquiry into MMIWG website here: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/ National Inquiry into MMIWG website here: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/ Show less

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Unsettling Canada

A National Wake-up Call

by Manuel, Arthur

Book - 2015

"While Canada spent 2017 celebrating the 150th anniversary of Confederation, Indigenous peoples made shrewd interventions into its birthday blowout, ...Show more "While Canada spent 2017 celebrating the 150th anniversary of Confederation, Indigenous peoples made shrewd interventions into its birthday blowout, questioning, at every turn, just what was being celebrated. [Arthur] Manuel's book provided much fodder for this counter-celebration. Chronicling five decades that he fought for Aboriginal title (land rights) and self-determination, the book is a damning history of Canadian policy made profoundly personal through Manuel's life story." — via Emma Feltes, Project MUSE [Also available as an eBook.] Show less

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The Reconciliation Manifesto

Recovering the Land, Rebuilding the Economy

by Manuel, Arthur

Book - 2017

“[Arthur] Manuel and [Grand Chief Ronald] Derrickson show how governments are attempting to reconcile with Indigenous peoples without touching the basic c...Show more “[Arthur] Manuel and [Grand Chief Ronald] Derrickson show how governments are attempting to reconcile with Indigenous peoples without touching the basic colonial structures that dominate and distort the relationship. They review the current state of land claims. They tackle the persistence of racism among non-Indigenous people and institutions. They celebrate Indigenous Rights Movements while decrying the role of government-funded organizations like the Assembly of First Nations. They document the federal government's disregard for the substance of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples while claiming to implement it. These circumstances amount to what they see as a false reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.” — via James Lorimer & Company Publishers Show less

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Indigenous Writes

A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada

by Vowel, Chelsea

Book - 2016

“Delgamuukw. Sixties Scoop. Bill C-31. Blood quantum. Appropriation. Two-Spirit. Tsilhqot’in. Status. TRC. RCAP. FNPOA. Pass and permit. Numbered Treaties...Show more “Delgamuukw. Sixties Scoop. Bill C-31. Blood quantum. Appropriation. Two-Spirit. Tsilhqot’in. Status. TRC. RCAP. FNPOA. Pass and permit. Numbered Treaties. Terra nullius. The Great Peace. Are you familiar with the terms listed above? In Indigenous Writes, Chelsea Vowel, legal scholar, teacher, and intellectual, opens an important dialogue about these (and more) concepts and the wider social beliefs associated with the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada.” — via Portage & Main Press [Also available as an eBook.] Show less

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As We Have Always Done

Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance

by Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake

Book - 2017

“Indigenous resistance is a radical rejection of contemporary colonialism focused around the refusal of the dispossession of both Indigenous bodies and la...Show more “Indigenous resistance is a radical rejection of contemporary colonialism focused around the refusal of the dispossession of both Indigenous bodies and land. [Leanne Betasamosake] Simpson makes clear that its goal can no longer be cultural resurgence as a mechanism for inclusion in a multicultural mosaic. Instead, she calls for unapologetic, place-based Indigenous alternatives to the destructive logics of the settler colonial state, including heteropatriarchy, white supremacy and capitalist exploitation” — via Project MUSE. [Also available as an eBook.] Show less

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Indigenous Nationhood

Empowering Grassroots Citizens

by Palmater, Pamela D.

Book - 2015

“Indigenous Nationhood is a selection of blog posts by well-known lawyer, activist and academic Pamela Palmater. Palmater offers critical legal and politi...Show more “Indigenous Nationhood is a selection of blog posts by well-known lawyer, activist and academic Pamela Palmater. Palmater offers critical legal and political commentary and analysis on legislation, Aboriginal rights, Canadian politics, First Nations politics and social issues such as murdered and missing Indigenous women, poverty, economics, identity and culture. Fiercely anti-racist and anti-colonial, this book is intended to help rebuild the connections between Indigenous citizens and their home communities, local governments and Indigenous Nations for the benefit of future generations.” — via Pamela Palmater's website Show less

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Red Skin, White Masks

Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition

by Coulthard, Glen Sean

Book - 2014

“Over the past forty years, recognition has become the dominant mode of negotiation and decolonization between the nation-state and Indigenous nations in ...Show more “Over the past forty years, recognition has become the dominant mode of negotiation and decolonization between the nation-state and Indigenous nations in North America. The term 'recognition' shapes debates over Indigenous cultural distinctiveness, Indigenous rights to land and self-government and Indigenous peoples’ right to benefit from the development of their lands and resources. In a work of critically engaged political theory, Glen Sean Coulthard challenges recognition as a method of organizing difference and identity in liberal politics, questioning the assumption that contemporary difference and past histories of destructive colonialism between the state and Indigenous peoples can be reconciled through a process of acknowledgment.” — via Project MUSE Show less

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Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

An Indian History of the American West

by Brown, Dee

Book - 2007

“First published in 1970, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee generated shockwaves with its frank and heartbreaking depiction of the systematic annihilation of ...Show more “First published in 1970, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee generated shockwaves with its frank and heartbreaking depiction of the systematic annihilation of American Indian tribes across the western frontier. In this non-fiction account, Dee Brown focuses on the betrayals, battles and massacres suffered by American Indians between 1860 and 1890. He tells of the many tribes and their renowned chiefs who struggled to combat the destruction of their people and culture.” — via Open Road Media [Also available as an eBook and streaming audiobook.] Show less

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Medicine Unbundled

A Journey Through the Minefields of Indigenous Health Care

by Geddes, Gary

Book - 2017

“A shocking exposé of the dark history and legacy of segregated Indigenous health care in Canada. The memories recounted by these survivors—from gratuitou...Show more “A shocking exposé of the dark history and legacy of segregated Indigenous health care in Canada. The memories recounted by these survivors—from gratuitous drug and surgical experiments to electroshock treatments intended to destroy the memory of sexual abuse—are truly harrowing, and will surely shatter any lingering illusions about the virtues or good intentions of our colonial past.“ — via Heritage House Publishing [Also available as an eBook.] Show less

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Unsettling the Settler Within

Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation in Canada

by Regan, Paulette

Book - 2010

“In Unsettling the Settler Within, Paulette Regan, a former residential-schools-claims manager, argues that in order to truly participate in the transform...Show more “In Unsettling the Settler Within, Paulette Regan, a former residential-schools-claims manager, argues that in order to truly participate in the transformative possibilities of reconciliation, non-Aboriginal Canadians must undergo their own process of decolonization. They must relinquish the persistent myth of themselves as peacemakers and acknowledge the destructive legacy of a society that has stubbornly ignored and devalued Indigenous experience.” — via UBC Press Show less

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Whose Land Is It Anyway? A Manual for Decolonization

http://fpse.ca/decolonization_manual_whose_land_is_it_anyway

Web Resource

“The book contains two essays from [Arthur] Manuel, described as the Nelson Mandela of Canada, and essays from renowned Indigenous writers Taiaiake Alfred...Show more “The book contains two essays from [Arthur] Manuel, described as the Nelson Mandela of Canada, and essays from renowned Indigenous writers Taiaiake Alfred, Glen Coulthard, Russell Diabo, Beverly Jacobs, Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Kanahus Manuel, Jeffrey McNeil-Seymour, Pamela Palmater, Shiri Pasternak, Nicole Schabus, Senator Murray Sinclair and Sharon Venne. FPSE is honoured to support this publication." — via The Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of B.C. [This website contains free downloadable PDF and EPUB versions of the book.] Show less

Memory Serves

Oratories

by Maracle, Lee

Book - 2015

“Memory Serves gathers together the oratories award-winning author Lee Maracle has delivered and performed over a twenty-year period. Revised for publicat...Show more “Memory Serves gathers together the oratories award-winning author Lee Maracle has delivered and performed over a twenty-year period. Revised for publication, the lectures hold the features and style of oratory intrinsic to the Salish people in general and the Sto: lo in particular. From her Coast Salish perspective and with great eloquence, Maracle shares her knowledge of Sto: lo history, memory, philosophy, law, spirituality, feminism and the colonial condition of her people.” — via NeWest Press [Also available as an eBook.] Show less

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My Conversations With Canadians

by Maracle, Lee

Book - 2017

“On her first book tour at the age of 26, Lee Maracle was asked a question from the audience, one she couldn't possibly answer at that moment. But she has...Show more “On her first book tour at the age of 26, Lee Maracle was asked a question from the audience, one she couldn't possibly answer at that moment. But she has been thinking about it ever since. As time has passed, she has been asked countless similar questions, all of them too big to answer, but not too large to contemplate. These questions, which touch upon subjects such as citizenship, segregation, labour, law, prejudice and reconciliation (to name a few), are the heart of My Conversations with Canadians.” — via CBC Books [Also available as an eBook.] Show less

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Clearing the Plains

Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life

by Daschuk, James W.

Book - 2014

“For years, government officials withheld food from Aboriginal people until they moved to their appointed reserves, forcing them to trade freedom for rati...Show more “For years, government officials withheld food from Aboriginal people until they moved to their appointed reserves, forcing them to trade freedom for rations. Once on reserves, food placed in ration houses was withheld for so long that much of it rotted while the people it was intended to feed fell into a decades-long cycle of malnutrition, suppressed immunity and sickness from tuberculosis and other diseases. Thousands died.” — via James Daschuk [Also available as an eBook.] Show less

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Restoring the Balance

First Nations Women, Community, and Culture

Book - 2009

“Restoring the Balance brings to light the work First Nations women have performed, and continue to perform, in cultural continuity and community developm...Show more “Restoring the Balance brings to light the work First Nations women have performed, and continue to perform, in cultural continuity and community development. It illustrates the challenges and successes they have had in the areas of law, politics, education, community healing, language and art, while suggesting significant options for sustained improvement of individual, family and community well-being. Written by fifteen Aboriginal scholars, activists and community leaders, Restoring the Balance combines life histories and biographical accounts with historical and critical analyses grounded in traditional thought and approaches. It is a powerful and important book.” — via University of Manitoba Press Show less

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The Inconvenient Indian

A Curious Account of Native People in North America

by King, Thomas

Book - 2017

“Neither a traditional nor all-encompassing history of First Nations people in North America, The Inconvenient Indian is a personal meditation on what it ...Show more “Neither a traditional nor all-encompassing history of First Nations people in North America, The Inconvenient Indian is a personal meditation on what it means to be 'Indian.' [Thomas] King explores the relationship between Natives and non-Natives since the fifteenth century and examines the way that popular culture has shaped our notion of Indigenous identity, while also reflecting on his own complicated relationship with activism.” — via CBC Books [Also available as an eBook.] Show less

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Settler

Identity and Colonialism in 21st Century Canada

by Battell Lowman, Emma

eBook - 2015

“Canada has never had an “Indian problem”—but it does have a settler problem. But what does it mean to be settler? And why does it matter? Through an enga...Show more “Canada has never had an “Indian problem”—but it does have a settler problem. But what does it mean to be settler? And why does it matter? Through an engaging, and sometimes enraging, look at the relationships between Canada and Indigenous nations, Settler: Identity and Colonialism in 21st Century Canada explains what it means to be settler and argues that accepting this identity is an important first step towards changing those relationships.” — via Fernwood Publishing Show less

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Surviving Canada

Indigenous Peoples Celebrate 150 Years of Betrayal

Book - 2017

“Surviving Canada: Indigenous Peoples Celebrate 150 Years of Betrayal is a collection of elegant, thoughtful and powerful reflections about Indigenous peo...Show more “Surviving Canada: Indigenous Peoples Celebrate 150 Years of Betrayal is a collection of elegant, thoughtful and powerful reflections about Indigenous peoples’ complicated, and often frustrating, relationship with Canada, and how—even 150 years after Confederation—the fight for recognition of their treaty and Aboriginal rights continues. Through essays, art and literature, Surviving Canada examines the struggle for Indigenous peoples to celebrate their cultures and exercise their right to control their own economic development, lands, water and lives.” — via ARP Books Show less

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The Right Relationship

Reimagining the Implementation of Historical Treaties

Book - 2017

“In The Right Relationship, John Borrows and Michael Coyle bring together an impressive slate of renowned scholars to consider the fraught treaty relation...Show more “In The Right Relationship, John Borrows and Michael Coyle bring together an impressive slate of renowned scholars to consider the fraught treaty relationship(s) between First Nations and Canada. Despite the fact the Supreme Court of Canada has described treaties as 'sacred' agreements, Canada has yet to create an effective manner to address disputes regarding the meaning(s) and contemporary effects of historical treaties.” — via Project MUSE Show less

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Returning to the Teachings

Exploring Aboriginal Justice

by Ross, Rupert

Book - 2006

“During a three-year secondment with Justice Canada, [Rupert] Ross travelled from the Yukon to Cape Breton Island, examining—and experiencing—the widespre...Show more “During a three-year secondment with Justice Canada, [Rupert] Ross travelled from the Yukon to Cape Breton Island, examining—and experiencing—the widespread Aboriginal preference for 'peacemaker justice.' In this remarkable book, he invites us to accompany him as he moves past the pain and suffering that grip so many communities and into the exceptional promise of individual, family and community healing that traditional teachings are now restoring to Aboriginal Canada. He shares his confusion, frustrations and delights as Elders and other teachers guide him, in their unique and often puzzling ways, into ancient visions of Creation and our role with it.” — via Barnes & Noble Show less

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What We Have Learned

Principles of the Truth and Reconciliation

by Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

eBook -

"It is due to the courage and determination of former students—the Survivors of Canada’s residential school system—that the Truth and Reconciliation ...Show more "It is due to the courage and determination of former students—the Survivors of Canada’s residential school system—that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established. All Canadians must now demonstrate the same level of courage and determination, as we commit to an ongoing process of reconciliation. By establishing a new and respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians, we will restore what must be restored, repair what must be repaired and return what must be returned.” – via the Introduction for What We Have Learned (page 1) Show less

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Price Paid

The Fight for First Nations Survival

by Sellars, Bev

Book - 2016

“Price Paid untangles truth from some of the myths about First Nations and addresses misconceptions still widely believed today. The book begins with glim...Show more “Price Paid untangles truth from some of the myths about First Nations and addresses misconceptions still widely believed today. The book begins with glimpses of foods, medicines and cultural practices North America’s indigenous peoples have contributed to the rest of the world. It documents the dark period of regulation by racist laws during the twentieth century, and then discusses new emergence in the twenty-first century into a re-establishment of Indigenous land and resource rights. The result is a candidly told personal take on the history of Aboriginal rights in Canada and Canadian history told from a First Nations point of view.” — via Talonbooks Show less

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The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book

by Hill, Gord

Book - 2010

"The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book is a powerful and historically accurate graphic portrayal of Indigenous resistance to the European colonizati...Show more "The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book is a powerful and historically accurate graphic portrayal of Indigenous resistance to the European colonization of the Americas, beginning with the Spanish invasion under Christopher Columbus and ending with the Six Nations land reclamation in Ontario in 2006. Gord Hill spent two years unearthing images and researching historical information to create The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book, which presents the story of Aboriginal resistance in a far-reaching format." — via Native Reflections Show less

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https://twitter.com/RISEdmonton

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RISE (Reconciliation in Solidarity Edmonton) is a group of citizens in the Edmonton region committed to supporting reconciliation in words and actions. They regularly share tweets with information about working towards reconciliation. RISE (Reconciliation in Solidarity Edmonton) is a group of citizens in the Edmonton region committed to supporting reconciliation in words and actions. They regularly share tweets with information about working towards reconciliation. Show less

Decolonization Reading List - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hrxir_IMWU48ye1_WuIEF4DvxQ1R7HOEY1kiIaSk9Tk/edit

Web Resource

The items included on this list were drawn from a list shared by RISE. See the full list here. The items included on this list were drawn from a list shared by RISE. See the full list here. Show less

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