Indigenous Education Resources for Decolonizing Academia
Explore diverse resources for curriculum and course development related to Indigenous knowledges, ways of knowing, being, connecting and doing.
The following list of resources was compiled by Daina Tribble as part of her role as a Research Assistant to assist faculty and staff members seeking different approaches to the transformation and renewal of Indigenous knowledges, ways of knowing, being, connecting, and doing into curriculum and course development. Daina is a 3rd year Undergraduate Cree Metis student from Fort McMurray and grateful visitor to mohkinstis where she has resided since the age of 7. Despite being raised primarily in urban settings, Daina acknowledges the immense harms inflicted by settler colonialism and acknowledges the inherent bias she likely holds as a result. She is committed to challenging her existing mental structures and to the revitalization of Indigenous knowledges. She is passionate about the well-being of her community and all of her relations (Wâhkôhtowin).
Related content
Stop talking: Indigenous ways of teaching and learning and difficult dialogues in higher education
Written by Ilarion Merculieff and Libby Roderick, this book explores Indigenous teaching and learning in higher education.
Indigenizing the Academy: Transforming Scholarship and Empowering Communities
Written by Devon Abbott Mihesuah, it explores integrating Indigenous perspectives into disciplines like psychology, political science, and history, empowering Indigenous students.
Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit
Written by Marie Battiste, this book looks at different approaches to decolonizing education.
Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples
A book about decolonizing methodologies by Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Ngati Awa and Ngati Porou), Associate Professor for the Research Institute for Maori and Indigenous Education at the University of Auckland.
Online Courses
Videos
Cadmus Delorme speaking on Truth and Reconciliation Day
A video shared by UCalgary addressing the effects of residential school and discourse about decolonization on National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair
A powerful speech given by Senator Murray Sinclair during his acceptance of the WFM-Canada World Peace Award, with testimonies of former students at residential schools.
More Resources
- University of Alberta First Nations, Métis and Inuit Contexts in Education: A guide to learning and understanding Indigenous Histories Practices, and Cultures in North America.
- First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education (FNMI): A list of resources for K-12 Educational supports from the Government of Alberta.
- First Nations Children's Action Research and Education Service (FNCARES): A guide to approaching research that aims to address structural disadvantages faced by Indigenous children and youth through involvement and community.
- Walking Together: A digital resource to help teachers understand FNMI ways of knowing and perspectives in teaching and learning by the Government of Alberta Education in collaboration with Alberta Parks, Alberta Provincial Archives and First Nations, Métis and Inuit Advisory Committees.
- Edmonton Public Library Indigenous Collection: A collection of materials written, performed and/or produced by Indigenous Peoples.
- The Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture: A virtual collection of Métis Historical Records and Collections.
- Four Directions Teachings: Audio narrated resource for learning about Indigenous knowledge and philosophy from 5 diverse First Nations in Canada.
- First Nations, Métis and Inuit Playlist: Educational & Curriculum Video (McIntyre Media Inc.) from the University of Alberta.
- First Nations in Canada - an educational resource designed for use by young Canadians; high school educators and students; Aboriginal communities; and anyone interested in First Nationshistory. Its aim is to help readers understand the significant developments affecting First Nations communities from the pre-Contact era (before the arrival of Europeans) up to the present day.
- Native-Land.ca: An interactive global map of traditional languages, territories, and treaties.
- Inviting Indigenous Speakers to Class: Resources for educators at all levels for teaching Indigenous content and inviting Indigenous speakers to classes with a list of commonly-asked questions.
- Rupert's Land Teaching and Learning Resources: Lesson plans designed to support and build Alberta educators’ competency to meet the new Alberta Teacher Quality Standard.
- Resources for Learning Blackfoot: A list of resources for learning Blackfoot and other Indigenous languages.
- Indigenous Knowledges & Ways of Knowing: A guide to decolonization through Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing in the academy from the Dalhousie University Centre for Teaching and Learning.
- Indigenous Pedagogies and the Benefits for All Learners in Ontario: A module developed by the University of Windsor to help educators understand and incorporate the principles of UDL, EDI, and Indigenous Pedagogies into course material.
- Concordia University Centre for Teaching and Learning Decolonization Strategies: Strategies for Decolonizing Curriculum and Pedagogy from Concordia University.
- Indigenous Content Requirements in Canada: A resource for including Indigenous content in Canada.
- Aboriginal Education Research Centre (AERC) - Recommended Readings: A collection of readings from the University of Saskatchewan for scholars regarding decolonization.
- Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
- Education Is Our Buffalo: A Resource for FMNI Education in Alberta by The Alberta Teachers’ Association.
- Our Words, Our Ways: Teaching First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learners: A resource developed in collaboration with the Aboriginal Learning Services department of Edmonton Catholic Schools that provides information about FNMI cultures/perspectives and strategies for meeting the needs and recognizing the gifts of FNMI students.
- 100 Years of Loss Timeline - Residential Schools History and Information: An educational kit for educators to raise awareness and inform teaching about the history and legacy of residential schools in Canada.
- Alberta Education: Applying Foundational Knowledge: Foundational knowledge about FMNI for teachers, school leaders and education stakeholders to understand and apply new ways of knowing to advance reconciliation and shift thinking and attitudes from the Government of Alberta.
- MAAMWI GZIKEWAG: Indigenous Curriculum and Learning Report by Western University.
- Medicine Wheel Evaluation Framework: An introduction to the Medicine Wheel and its use for framework by the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation.
- Weaving Ways: Indigenous Ways of Knowing in Classroom and Schools: An Introductory Guide to reconciliation for education created by the Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortium.
- Wheel of Privilege and Power - a tool from the Canadian government based on Sylvia Duckworth’s illustration which can be used to identify intersectional locations of power (direct pdf).
- Cree language and culture kindergarten to grade 12: Alberta Authorized resource list and annotated bibliography on Cree language and cultural resources.
- Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada - Teaching Resources: Find exercises, projects and activities for students aged 4 to 16.
- Prairie Indigenous Ebook Collection (via Edmonton Public Library): A resource including over 200 books and other digital resources by Indigenous authors about Indigenous cultures.
- First Nations Education Resources: Teaching Resources for grades 6-8.
- Deepening Knowledge: Bringing Indigenous Perspectives into Your Teaching Practice.
- Empowering the Spirit: Educational Resources to Support Reconciliation: An educational resource to help increase awareness, understanding and application of FNMI histories, perspectives and ways of knowing for the purpose of implementing treaty, residential schools’ education, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action for education.
- Indigenous Perspectives in Science: Teaching resources, education guides and research available for Indigenous education including foundational knowledge on art, land-based learning, lesson plans, literature, math, music, film, professional learning and more.
- Pulling Together: A Guide for Curriculum Developers: A Guide for Indigenization of Post-Secondary Institutions.
- Decolonizing methodologies : Research and Indigenous peoples: A book for researchers working with Indigenous content.
- Resources for Decolonizing Your Teaching - Queens University.
- Indigenization Guide: A guide to Indigenizing curriculum from the University of Saskatchewan.
- Indigenous Teaching and Learning Resources: from Western University.
- McGill Education Resources: A database with a significant amount of teaching and learning resources for and Indigenizing education by Jacqueline Kort Mascort and McGill University.
- Resources for Decolonizing Your Teaching: A resource guide for support in decolonizing learning environments from Queens University.
- Indigenous Learning Space: An Indigenous learning bundle resource for Indigenizing academia.
- Promising Practices in Supporting Success for Indigenous Students: A report of empirically based strategies for improving the well-being, participation, engagement and achievement of Indigenous students in education.
- The Five R’s for Indigenizing online learning: A case study of the First Nations Schools’ Principals Course. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 40(1), 125-143: A guide to course design and delivery to assist incorporate Indigenous knowledge into online learning or anyone looking to Indigenize learning environments.
- Indigenization as inclusion, reconciliation, and decolonization: navigating the different visions for indigenizing the Canadian Academy: A journal article that identifies different levels of decolonial and indigenization initiatives at the post-secondary level and suggests decolonial focus policies to move past reconciliatory language to just decolonization in academia.
- 100 Ways: Indigenizing & Decolonizing Academic Programs: A resource for aboriginal study transformation by Shauneen Pete from the University of Regina, published by the Aboriginal Policy Studies from the University of Alberta Library.
- Indigenous education and decolonization: A study outlining the challenges with decolonizing education.
- Institutional structures and individual stories: Experiences from the front lines of Indigenous educational development in higher education: Drawing from a Canada-wide study, and best practices identified in the literature, this article explores the experiences of educational developers EDs in these roles, and proposes strategies for how institutions of higher education can better foster transformative change and practices inclusive of First Peoples in Canada.
- Mapping Approaches to Decolonizing and Indigenizing the Curriculum at Canadian Universities: Critical Reflections on Current Practices, Challenges, and Possibilities: Curriculum development article by Brunette-Debassige et al., (2022), Indigenous Policy Journal, 13(3).
- Indigenous Knowledge in Post-Secondary Educators’ Practices: Nourishing the Learning Spirit: An article outlining application of Indigenous knowledge to post-secondary classroom practices.
- Indigenous knowers and knowledge in university teaching: A guide to working and engagement with Indigenous students and introduces Australian Aboriginal epistemology.
- Two-Eyed Seeing and other lessons learned within a co-learning journey of bringing together indigenous and mainstream knowledge and ways of knowing: An article outlining approaches to blending traditional Indigenous knowledge and mainstream knowledge in curriculum.
- Supporting Indigenous Students through a Culturally Relevant Assessment Model Based on the Medicine Wheel: Article by the Native Education College describing the development of the medicine wheel used as framework for student assessment.
- Apps for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Studies / Languages: The largest online encyclopedia devoted exclusively to Indigenous Peoples, and communities in North America with a collection of apps, games, articles, pictures and more.
- 30 Aboriginal apps you probably didn't know about.
- Our Data Indigenous: App designed to support Indigenous communities by helping to collect meaningful data via surveys.
- Indigenous Apps on Google Play.
- Revitalizing Indigenous languages through mobile apps and human connections.
- Indigenous Languages.
- iDecolonize: A Review of Indigenous Language-Learning Apps.
- First Nations Unicode Font.
- Language Apps for Indian Country.
- Indigenous Academic Integrity via UCalgary.
- Mobile Apps for deepening knowledge.
- Whose Land 4+ on the App Store: A web-based app that uses GIS technology to assist users in identifying Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities across Canada.
- Indigenous Language Apps via Winnipeg Public Library.
- Racialization of Poverty: An article on Indigenous Women, the Indian Act and Systemic Oppression: Reasons for Resistance.
- Communities of Practice: Discover a community dedicated to transforming public participation (P2) with Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
- Medicine Stories: History, Culture and the Politics of Integrity: Drawing vibrant connections between the colonization of whole nations, the health of the mountainsides and the abuse of individual women, children and men, Medicine Stories offers the paradigm of integrity as a political model to people who hunger for a world of justice, health and love.
- Interview with Archibald, Dr. Jo-ann discussing Indigenization.
- Indigenous Resources and Databases.
- Indigenizing curriculum - Simon Fraser University.
- Indigenous Studies Portal - University of Saskatchewan.
- CONTEMPORARY INDIGENOUS ARTS IN THE CLASSROOM: This project aims to provide elementary and high school–level teachers with curriculum-linked lesson plans designed by contemporary Indigenous artists.