The Indian Act remains a contentious piece of legislation within settler and Indigenous communities. Despite policies within it aimed at limiting traditional practices, it is also the only document that allows some measure of protection for Indigenous traditions. It remains in place today to ensure that erasure efforts led by colonialization, such as the Residential School System, never return.

In the effort to erase Indigenous Peoples from Canada, settler governments implemented policies to restrict sacred cultural practices such as traditional singing, dancing, Pow Wows, and ceremonial gatherings. Despite these measures, Indigenous Peoples fought back and continued to participate in events and pass down Indigenous ways of knowing in secret.

Many young Indigenous Peoples remain disconnected from their traditional practices. Educational opportunities for these skills are often in classroom settings, lacking connection to Indigenous ways of knowing, such as land-based teachings or through Elders and Knowledge Keepers.

Meaningful connections between the youngest and the oldest within Indigenous communities has been the beating heart of how culture and language is shared. Colonization has frayed these bonds and led to a generational divide between Indigenous Peoples, increasing the risk of losing integral cultural knowledge.

There is a sacred bond between young Indigenous Peoples and community Elders that is integral to passing on traditional knowledge, practices and history. Due to the impacts of colonization, these bonds have frayed over generations.

Birch bark has long held important cultural significance within Indigenous communities, traditionally used for baskets, artwork, and many more practical purposes. Over the years, opportunities to learn these practices have waned and these critical cultural skills have faded from modern life.

In 1984, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations were thriving despite generations of colonial oppression. More than half the community spoke their traditional language fluently and cultural practices such as canoe carving remained an active artform.

It is no longer a debate that Indigenous Peoples and their cultures endured great harm under colonialist policies for centuries. Today, many remain disconnected from their language, culture, and identity because of the ongoing effects of intergenerational trauma, residential schools, and the sixties scoop.

In Indigenous communities, the transfer of sacred knowledge from Elder to youth thrived in historic settings due to living together in close-knit Nations. The forced displacement and the migration of many Indigenous Peoples away from their traditional lands has made this transfer of knowledge increasingly difficult.

The Sun Dance is an ancient, sacred ceremony celebrated by First Nations Peoples living in the grasslands of Saskatchewan. It has been hosted for generations to honour the renewal of life, bountiful and lush seasons, community connections, and spiritual and physical well-being.