Embedded Files
Residential Schools
Residential Schools
Chanie was a young boy who died on October 22, 1966, walking the railroad tracks, trying to escape from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School to walk home. Chanie’s home was 400 miles away. A graphic novel and album that highlight Chanie's life.
Video: Where are the Children: Healing the Impacts of Residential Schools
A full documentary from The Legacy of Hope Foundation
Video: Kuper Island: Return to the Healing Circle
Kuper Island Residential School stood on a remote island off the coast of British Columbia. Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh and Peter C. Campbell join survivors of the school, 20 years after its closure, as they begin to break the silence and embark on an extraordinary healing journey.
Documentary: Finding Peter Bryce
BCTF members must login to access: A documentary film about Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce. “A journalist uncovers the story of his great-grandfather, Dr. Peter Bryce, a man who uncovered health abuses in residential schools in Canada in 1907, and published the long forgotten book: Story of a National Crime.”
Sleeping Children Awake (SCA) was shot in 1991 and televised in 1992. It was one of the earliest independant, feature length documentaries to be broadcast on the crucial subject of the Residential School System . The entire documentary is available on You Tube in 6 parts.
Wawahte is an educational documentary based on the book of the same title by Robert P. Wells, first published in 2012. It tells the story of Indian Residential Schools from the perspective of three of its survivors.
Canadian Residential School Propaganda Video 1955
CBC's The National report after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report.
Finding Heart, created by The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. This video, targeted at students, tells the story of Peter Bryce, an early whistleblower on health conditions inside Residential Schools.
An animated film adaptation of Gord Downie's album and Jeff Lemire's graphic novel telling the tragedy of Chanie Wenjack who died trying to find home after escaping a residential school.
BCTF members must login to access: This eBook is intended to be an interactive resource leading educators from the story to the 'back story' utilizing links on each page to offer related resources. Throughout this book you will find Project of Heart tiles with an 'aura' which indicates that this is a link. Click on each of these tiles to find additional resources including films, videos, documents, articles, activities and more.
Films and Videos
Films and Videos
Movies Available in Alpha's Library
Movies Available in Alpha's Library
Indigenous films available via The National Film Board - free access for Burnaby teachers and students
Free Access to films for educators. But you must fill out a request form here
A Journey into Time Immemorial
13 short videos from Siwal Si'wes Library about the importance of specific Indigenous cultural practices
To access knowledge network content you must create a FREE account. If you don't wish to do this, contact Alpha's Librarian for a generic school username and password.
KK: Going Native
Anishinaabe humorist and author Drew Hayden Taylor explores different aspects of Indigenous life, from the weird and wacky to the profound, and discovers cool new ways Indigenous people and communities are shaping contemporary culture.
KK: Picking up the Pieces: The Making of the Witness Blanket
Artist Carey Newman - Ha̱yałka̱ng̱a̱me’ (Kwakwak'awakw/Coast Salish) creates a piece called the "Witness Blanket" that commemorates the experiences of residential school survivors across Canada.
Lyana Patrick (Stellat’en First Nation) shares her story of her family's powerful story of love and survival at Lejac Indian Residential School in northern BC.
KK: Dust and Bones
A look at the issues surrounding the repatriation of Indigenous artifacts and human remains during a pending transfer from the Royal BC Museum. It’s one of many “take back the bones” initiatives of Indigenous communities around the world.
KK: s-yéwyáw AWAKEN
Stories of hope and homecoming intersect as changemakers Ecko Aleck of the Nlaka'pamux Nation (Lytton), Alfonso Salinas of the shíshálh Nation (Sunshine Coast) and Charlene SanJenko of Splatsin of the Secwépemc Nation (Shuswap) learn and document the teachings of their Elders.
KK: British Columbia: An Untold History.
Episodes 1 and 4 focus on the experiences and mistreatment of Indigenous people in BC
In New Brunswick, Cecelia Brooks combines traditional Indigenous knowledge with science. Known as Samuqwan Mi'kiju (The Water Grandmother), she is building an inclusive holistic understanding from which to move forward with environmental issues.
Drop into the studios of thirteen Indigenous artists as they share personal stories, creative approaches to their art, and the links to Indigenous history and culture.
KK: Haida Modern
In the 50 years since he carved his first totem pole and saw it raised on Haida Gwaii, Robert Davidson has come to be regarded as one of the world's foremost modern artists.
Dakelh filmmaker Joy Haskell explores the intricate spiritual and cultural relationship between wild salmon and Indigenous people on a breathtaking journey from BC's West Coast through the Chilcotin to Stuart Lake (Nak'albun).
Climate change activist Melina Laboucan-Massimo travels to Indigenous communities to discover innovative clean energy and sustainability stories.
KK: Future History
Archaeologist/artist Kris Nahrgang and dancer/activist Sarain Carson Fox explore the revitalization of Indigenous knowledge and culture after generations of colonial devastation.
Follows the story of Andrew Balfour. He was adopted at 2 months old and didn't know he was Metis until he was a teenager. He subsequently experienced many struggles.
500 years of Indigenous History in 2 minutes
Bob Randall, a Yankunytjatjara elder and traditional owner of Uluru (Ayer's Rock), explains how the connectedness of every living thing to every other living thing is not just an idea but a way of living. This way includes all beings as part of a vast family and calls us to be responsible for this family and care for the land with unconditional love and responsibility. (Australian context)
Understanding Aboriginal Identity explores the complex issue of self-identification for Aboriginal people. Today, Aboriginal identity remains inextricably linked with past government legislation and the continued stereotyping of Aboriginal people in the media and Canadian history. From a Metis farm in rural Alberta to the offices of Canada’s leading scholars, Understanding Aboriginal Identity examines the factors that shape who we are.
About Haida artist Dorothy Grant's 40 year journey as a practicing artist/fashion designer. The film is an introduction to her book: Dorothy Grant: An Endless Thread and a 40 piece collection on exhibit at the Haida Gwaii Museum.
Global News Report: The New Reality explores the importance of thoughtful and authentic education about and informed by Indigenous people, the role it plays in change, and why it’s needed now more than ever. Farah Nasser reports.
This animated documentary follows the journey of an Indigenous photographer as she travels through time. She witnesses moments in her family's history and strengthens her connection to her Metis, Cree and Anishnaabe ancestors.
Stories and Storytelling
Stories and Storytelling
Stories from Heiltsuk territory. Húy̓at collectively refers to several socially and geographically connected bays on northern Hunter Island, located in what is known today as the Central Coast of British Columbia (Bella Bella)
Museum of Vancouver: Stories from the Land (Squamish Nation)
From across Canada, these amazing young artists and writers have explored everything from their own personal past to the stories of their ancestors and country
Chris Morganroth, a Quileute elder, tells traditional stories geared towards kids and families. Morganroth also gives an introduction to Quileute culture and discuss how the tribe is presented in the popular Twilight books and movies. (American)
Two Hungry Bears. Storyteller Tamarack Song and artist Moses (Amik) Beaver combined their skills to produce "Whispers of the Ancients" with the University of Michigan Press, a book of Indigenous tales and legends. Here, Song discusses and reads a story aloud, to a slideshow of the book's artwork.
Flight of the Hummingbird - Haida Manga by Michael Nicool Yahgulnaas
Raven and the First Men: Intro sequence from 1990 BBC documentary film "Haida Gwaii: Islands of the People" featuring Haida leader, Guujaaw, and his son Jaalen
Big Buck Bunny story in Salish.
Coyote Stories: Story 1 of Level 1 Stories A Beginning Course in Salish and Pend d'Oreille Dialect.
English story is written at the end of the video.
A Story of Cedar, Cedar Hat Weaving and Bark Pulling from Cowichan Coast Salish.
A Story Before Time: excerpts from Kaha:wi Dance Theatre's enchanting interpretation of the age-old Iroquoian Creation Story.
Podcasts/Radio
Podcasts/Radio
Words connect us. Words hurt us. Indigenous histories have been twisted by centuries of colonization. Host Kaniehti:io Horn brings us together to decolonize our minds– one word, one concept, one story at a time.
Based on the acclaimed graphic novel anthology, This Place is a 10-part journey through one-hundred and fifty years of Indigenous resistance and resilience. The series reveals the heroes, battles, triumphs and traditions which live outside and beyond the national story we have been taught.
Residential School Podcast Series
Residential Schools is a three-part podcast series created by Historica Canada and hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlais. It aims to commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools, and honour the stories of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Survivors, their families, and communities.
The country you know and the stories you don't. Join hosts Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson as they reveal the beautiful, terrible and weird histories of this land.
A fearless space for Indigenous voices. Join Rosanna Deerchild every Friday for vibrant conversations with our cousins, aunties, elders, and heroes. Rosanna guides us on the path to better understanding our shared story. Together, we learn and unlearn, laugh and become gentler in all our relations.
Kīwew is a five-part podcast in which Governor General award-winning author David A. Robertson dives into his family's history and mysteries as he discovers and connects with his Cree identity.
Exposing wild stories about the fraudsters who pretend to be Indigenous.
Since the day he was old enough, Jeremy knew he was different. A mix of Indigenous and white heritage, he has experienced life through both vantage points – as well as the stereotypes. Join 19-year-old Jeremy Ratt on a journey of self discovery as he seeks to understand his roots and all of the distinct “pieces” that form who he is today.
A podcast that explores what it means to be a Native person and to be engaged in relationships—relationships to land and place, to a people, to non-human relatives, and to one another. All My Relations is a place to explore those relationships, and to think through Indigeneity in all its complexities.
Weekly Indigenous current affairs roundtable hosted by Rick Harp. Discusses current affairs from an Indigenous perspective and examines the ways in which Indigenous cultures, issues, and news are portrayed in mainstream media.
Many years ago, a small team in Iqaluit, a project to record, archive and then produce--as radio dramas--the traditional oral stories of Canada's Inuit and First Nations. These ancient legends and myths were then dramatized and broadcast across the country on CBC Radio.
Who are the Metis? It’s complicated. This podcast explores the history of Metis people in Manitoba, beginning with Louis Riel who was hero to some and traitor to others. Unravels the intricate history of the Metis...and follows the thread from resistance to renaissance.
Host and Archivist Mary Powder reunites Inuit with stories from CBC North’s vast Inuktitut language archives by replaying them for the descendants of the original storytellers, some of whom are hearing them for the very first time.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse