On this page you will find a wealth of resources that highlight crucial Awareness Months throughout the year. With a goal of providing meaningful integration of relevant learning and discussion on a regular basis, within the NBS community and beyond, this page will continue to expand as the year continues.
Directly below you will find resources for the most current Awareness Month.
Indigenous History Month
Although dance has the power to connect us all, it is important that we also acknowledge our history in Canada, which includes government-imposed regulations and restrictions targeting the cultural expression of Indigenous peoples, including dance.
Through the
Indian Act and
residential schools, Indigenous peoples were legally deprived of their music and dance. And, despite brave attempts to keep tradition alive, many cultural expressions were lost forever. It is important to reflect on these egregious acts of cultural genocide, which reach well before and extend beyond the duration of the Indian Act and residential schools.
Below you will find a selection of resources and tools for reflection, education, reminder, and action.
Selected Books
- The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America - Thomas King
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Birdie - Tracey Lindberg
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From the Ashes - Jesse Thistle
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Heart Berries - Terese Marie Mailhot
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A History of My Brief Body - Billy-Ray Belcourt
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The Marrow Thieves - Cherie Dimaline
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Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies - Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
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Jonny Appleseed - Joshua Whitehead
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A Stranger at Home - Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
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Residential Schools, With the Words and Images of Survivors, A National History - Larry Loyie, Wayne K. Spear, Constance Brissenden
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Secret Falls - Gord Downie
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Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story - David Alexander Robertson
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A Knock on the Door - National Center for Truth and Reconciliation
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Calling Down the Sky - Rosanna Deerchild
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They Called Me Number One - Bev Sellars
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Unsettling the Settler Within - Paulette Regan
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Tilly and the Crazy Eights - by Monique Gray Smith
Selected Films & Videos
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Holy Angels - Jay Cardinal Villeneuve
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Indian Horse - Stephen Campanelli
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Kakalakkuvik (Where the Children Dwell) - Jobie Weetaluktuk
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Muffins for Granny - Nadia McLaren
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The Witness Blanket - Cody Graham & Carey Newman
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We Were Children - Tim Wolochatiuk
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Where are the Children: Residential School Survivor Stories - Legacy of Hope Foundation
Selected Online Resources
Resources for Indigenous Dance in Canada:
Native Dance
Music & Dance - Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
Red Sky Performance Red Talks
Do You Know What A Powwow Is? - CBC Kids
Powwow Dances - The Canadian Encyclopedia
Selected Informative Social Accounts:
@theballantyneproject
@truenorthaid
@oncanadaproject
Get Involved:
Project ENUF (Empowering Nations United in Friendship)
On Canada Project - Settlers Take Action
On Canada Project - Get Involved
Indian Residential School Survivors Society
(FREE) Indigenous Canada History Course (University of Alberta)
2SLGBTQI+ PRIDE
2SLGBTQI+ is an abbreviation that stands for: Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Intersex. The plus-sign signifies a number of other identities and is included to keep the abbreviation brief when written out.
2SLGBTQI+ Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to commemorate the Stonewall riots in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The Stonewall riots were a series of demonstrations by members of the gay (LGBT) community in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in June 1969. Patrons of the Stonewall, and other Village lesbian and gay bars, fought back when police became violent. The riots are considered one of the most important events leading to the gay liberation movement and the fight for LGBT rights.
Take Action/Participate
Articles
Videos
Dance
Online Resources