For generations, Indigenous children have been forcibly separated from their communities through policies whose entire purpose was dedicated to erasing Indigenous cultural identity. Today, Indigenous children in British Columbia make up 60% of those placed in foster homes through the child welfare system, leaving them displaced from their families, communities and culture.

Since 1993, Mi'gmaq peoples living in what is now known as Québec have been revitalizing one of their most important cultural celebrations, the Listuguj Powwow. Today, it is one of the largest Indigenous gatherings in Atlantic Canada, bringing together people from across the country to celebrate Mi'gmaq traditions, language, and community pride through dancing, drumming and art.

The Indigenous residents of J. B. Wood Continuing Care Centre in Alberta have spent much of their lives forcibly disconnected from their cultural traditions. However, changing attitudes over the last few decades have empowered some to regain pride in their heritage and cultivate community connections.

As the women’s empowerment movement continues to sweep the world, the negative effects of colonialist views of women brought by settlers to North America can still be felt by Indigenous women today. Many were stripped of their important cultural roles and left adrift and unsure of their place in the community.

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.

The lasting impacts of colonization and the residential school system have left deep physical, emotional, and spiritual scars on Indigenous Peoples and their communities. Systemic policies have led to cultural practices, sacred connections to the land, and traditional ways of living and knowing to be lost.

Many Indigenous Peoples face emotional, spiritual, and physical disconnect from their culture, the land and their communities. Colonization and the residential school system deliberately implemented policies aimed at cultural erasure, leading to generations of traumatized Indigenous individuals and families.

For generations, the transition from youth to adulthood in Wolastoqey Nation has been a sacred process guided by ceremony, cultural teachings, and traditional dances. Like many other communities, these practices have been disrupted by colonization and systemic polices that deliberately blocked these sacred cultural practices.