Latest news with #IndigenousStories
Associated Press
2 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Message from the Governor General of Canada on National Indigenous History Month
OTTAWA, ON, June 1, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, I join Canadians from across the nation in celebrating the beginning of National Indigenous History Month. Our rich and diverse stories—and the resilience and wisdom they embody—have profoundly shaped this land and our national identity. I am encouraged to see more and more Canadians listening and learning from these powerful narratives. Every day, we deepen our understanding of our national history and uncover new truths through the stories of Indigenous peoples, including Survivors of residential schools. Some of these stories contain unspeakable pain, loss of culture and of language, but also tremendous courage and determination. Only by understanding the impacts of our history can we take meaningful steps toward reconciliation and build a more inclusive society for the future. History is being written every day, and with their incredible achievements and positive contributions, Indigenous peoples are writing new chapters that are shaping a vibrant and successful future we can be proud of. On this month and every month, let us honour our past and embrace the history, knowledge and traditions of our First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. Mary Simon Stay connected: Follow GovernorGeneralCanada on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. SOURCE Governor General of Canada
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Message from the Governor General of Canada on National Indigenous History Month
OTTAWA, ON, June 1, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, I join Canadians from across the nation in celebrating the beginning of National Indigenous History Month. Our rich and diverse stories—and the resilience and wisdom they embody—have profoundly shaped this land and our national identity. I am encouraged to see more and more Canadians listening and learning from these powerful narratives. Every day, we deepen our understanding of our national history and uncover new truths through the stories of Indigenous peoples, including Survivors of residential schools. Some of these stories contain unspeakable pain, loss of culture and of language, but also tremendous courage and determination. Only by understanding the impacts of our history can we take meaningful steps toward reconciliation and build a more inclusive society for the future. History is being written every day, and with their incredible achievements and positive contributions, Indigenous peoples are writing new chapters that are shaping a vibrant and successful future we can be proud of. On this month and every month, let us honour our past and embrace the history, knowledge and traditions of our First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. Mary Simon Stay connected: Follow GovernorGeneralCanada on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. SOURCE Governor General of Canada View original content: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
For David A. Robertson, stories are at the heart of reconciliation
Social Sharing Through his books and public speaking, David A. Robertson has dedicated his career to sharing stories about Indigenous people. Robertson began publishing books in 2010 and has since released 33 titles, including picture books, graphic novels, fiction and memoir. With each of his stories, the Winnipeg author delves into hard truths, always with a gentle touch and a profound sense of hope. His recent book, 52 Ways to Reconcile, is a guide for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people who want to take action when it comes to reconciliation — and shows how we can work together on the long road ahead. "I really do think it's a community movement and it's not good enough for one [group] to understand the other," he said on Bookends with Mattea Roach. "It's for us to do the work to talk with each other. I can't stress that enough." A two-time Governor General's Literary Award winner and a member of the Norway House Cree Nation, Robertson shared his approach to building community between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people — and why the term "reconciliation" might not be the right word for it. Mattea Roach: I think reconciliation entered the vocabulary for a lot of people when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established back in 2008. But that wasn't the first time the word reconciliation was used to talk about Indigenous peoples and their relationship with Canada. What does the word reconciliation mean to you? David A. Robertson: I've been lucky enough to go to schools across Canada to speak to kids, teachers and adults all over the place. As I've done this work, I've come to a better understanding of what we're trying to do. I do think that reconciliation, in the broad sense that people think about it, is a misnomer because we're not trying to return to anything. We're not trying to fix something that was not broken before. The relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canada has always been broken. So it's not exactly the right word, I don't think. I used it, but I just want people to think critically about everything — so we think critically about this word. What we're trying to do, it's building relationships, it's building community. It's doing that through mutual understanding and respect. What we're trying to do, it's building relationships, it's building community. It's doing that through mutual understanding and respect. - David A. Robertson So we're not trying to build or return to anything. We're trying to build something for the first time. If we keep that in mind, I don't care what you call it, as long as we're doing things properly and with the right kind of vision. I think that conversation hopefully focuses that vision onto the right kind of goals we need to have. You've said that you see reconciliation as a verb. Can you talk more about that concept? It is an action, it is intentionality. We need to continue to think about the actions that we can take in our own capacities and have a long-term view and know that we need to continue to act into the future. My dad used to say that — I'll probably mention my dad every single answer I give — if he did things the right way, he won't see the results of the actions that he's taken in his lifetime. I was given this amazing reminder of that when, after he died, I was giving a personal development session to Indigenous teachers at the Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg. My dad worked in Indigenous education and after the session, the teachers came up to me and told me that a lot of them were there because of my dad. I saw what he meant there and I wish he was there to see that, but he knew he didn't have to be, he wouldn't be. We have a long road to go and a lot of actions need to be taken and will need to be taken for the foreseeable future. - David A. Robertson It's a continual action and keeping in mind as well that we're still trying not only to heal from what's happened, but we'll be trying to heal from what is happening now for a long time. We still have colonial systems in this country that are doing damage. That means that the clock hasn't started ticking yet to when we need to start healing as a whole. The foster care system, the education system, justice, all of these systems are still in place that are doing harm. So we have a long road to go and a lot of actions need to be taken and will need to be taken for the foreseeable future. If we take them with intentionality and with the knowledge that we all do have a role and we all can take an action and we should take an action, that's when we change this word into a verb. And that verb is a motivational factor for us to continue to do the work together as a community. You say that stories are at the heart of reconciliation. Why is that for you? Reconciliation is inexorably linked with truth. You can't get healing, whatever way you want to talk about it, without truth. And the truth lies in the stories that we tell. My dad and I used to talk about reconciliation as a conversation. It's not a one way conversation. It's like what we're doing now, sitting across the table and talking to each other and listening, really listening to each other and working to understand each other and come to respect through understanding. That's what it is. Then, through that, we see two things. One of them is that we're all people. We share the human condition. And the other thing is that the things that set us apart, the differences, make us stronger as a community. There's a teaching of non-interference in the Cree culture and that is that you don't interfere with how someone else lives. You try to model a good life through how you live. I think that's a really good way to go about anything.
ABC News
10-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Children's books written in English, Hazaragi and Noongar-Menang languages
Noongar woman Jeanice Krakouer says the story of how her great-grandfather found a missing child in the West Australian town of Mount Barker was only known within her family until recently. Indigenous readers are advised this article includes the names of people who have died. She decided to share it as part of Mount Barker's Reading for Generations project that has published four children's books, telling stories from the local Hazara, an ethnic group originally from Afghanistan, and First Nations Menang-Noongar communities. Ms Krakouer's book Little Boy Lost tells of how, in 1954, her great-grandfather Sammy Miller found a four-year-old boy who had wandered away from his home one winter morning. After hours of searching, including into the night, the boy was found in bushland 5 kilometres from his house. Given the cold and wet conditions he had been in, the boy was taken to the hospital, and his family was grateful to be reunited with him. Ms Krakouer said the historical context of the story was important. "I think the story came because of the way that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people worked together [to find the missing boy] in 1954 and I think it's a great way to lead up to Reconciliation [Week]. "It wasn't until 1967 that things had changed, our people weren't allowed in town before 6am and after 6pm at night, yet, late at night, these Aboriginal guys were still out searching the district to find the little boy?" She said, at first, it was difficult trying to decide whether to tell the story to the wider community. "Then I started to do more and more and see the illustration from the kids and hearing the story they were asking, 'What did Sammy do?' "It brought joy to your heart and you knew that you were doing the right thing. A group of primary school students from Mount Barker Community College illustrated the books for the project. Eleven-year-old Maisie Hemmings said they worked on the artwork for two terms and it was great to see the final published book. "It's crazy," she said. Ms Krakouer's book, as well as a story about the late Bella Kelly, a local Aboriginal artist who painted landscapes of the Great Southern region, both include a Menang-Noongar translation. Ali Sina Azimi contributed the stories of The Farmer and the Snakes and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, both include a Hazaragi translation. The former Mount Barker Community College student said it was a privilege to share the stories and their values, including with his younger brother. "When I was writing the book he was four years old and he was slowly starting to read," he said. Nicole Selesnew from the Shire of Plantagenet, which includes Mount Barker, was one of the main organisers of the project. She said including an audio recording in both languages with each of the books was important to assist parents who wanted to help their children with their reading. "We had an opportunity to talk to a Hazara family and they said that for their parents to read to the kids it was quite intimidating because not a lot of the parents could read English very well, so that's sort of when the ideas started,'" Ms Selesnew said. The Shire of Plantagenet has a population of approximately 5,700 people. About 4.5 per cent are part of the Hazara community. Rhonda Oliver from Curtin University's school of education said it was great initiative. "To foster cultural understanding across all kids, regardless of background, to see that we do have other ways of being and knowing and doing," Professor Oliver said. "It's really good for the kids whose language background it is because it makes them feel good about who they are and and self-identity is really important for academic success."
