Five years ago, Elders living in the Snuneymuxw region, also known as Nanaimo, came together with one shared purpose – to learn to read. Many who had been forced to attend residential and day schools had left receiving limited, if any, meaningful education.
Art has long been a vital form of expression and knowledge transmission within and between Indigenous cultures. Beadwork, sewing, and painting are traditional practices deeply connected to Indigenous identity and storytelling.
As people become increasingly dependent on technology and online forms of social connection, they feel more disconnected from one another than ever. While this impacts people of all ages and backgrounds, Indigenous youth are especially affected.
Spoken around a fire, whispered during ceremony, and passed down from Elder to youth, Indigenous languages have been preserved and shared orally for thousands of years. Most have never had a written alphabet, relying solely on verbal traditions to remain alive.
Indigenous communities across Canada are bringing back ceremonies that have almost been lost due to colonization. One such gathering, the Métis Rendezvous, is one of the most important events for Métis to reconnect and engage with traditional activities and demonstrations that reflect the rich cultural heritage of the Métis Nation.
Sacred gatherings have been used for countless generations in Indigenous cultures. These ceremonies mark important social, cultural and spiritual events and vary from Nation-to-Nation.
In the community of Sipekne’katik, Nova Scotia, lies the Sainte-Anne Mission site. This site is a powerful symbol of the Mi’kmaq ancestral homeland and the enduring relationship between the Mi’kmaq people and the Roman Catholic faith.
In 2021, the Canadian Census found that Indigenous children under the age of 15 accounted for 53.8% of those in foster care, despite only making up 7.7% of the general population. This number paints a stark picture of the impacts that intergenerational trauma and colonization continue to have on Indigenous children and their families today.
Indigenous women have always played the vital cultural role as caregivers, leaders, knowledge keepers, and supports for their families and communities. But these traditional roles have become warped by colonialist viewpoints and intergenerational trauma.
Indigenous communities have always passed down ancient traditional practices from generation to generation. Sewing, beading, and the creation of cultural clothing and regalia is an art form that helps define Indigenous Nations and Treaty territories through unique weaving patterns, colour and shapes.
