September 30 marks the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, a day to honour the survivors and victims of the residential school system in Canada and acknowledge its ongoing, painful impact on Indigenous communities. As essential reads for every Canadian reader, these books capture the diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada in their own voices, speaking to their histories, experiences, and resilience. You’ll learn about the dark truths of residential schools from survivors and personal stories celebrating community, strength, and reconciliation.
From Bear Rock Mountain by Antoine Bear Rock Mountain (Touchwood Editions)
In this poetic, poignant memoir, Dene artist and social activist Antoine Mountain paints an unforgettable picture of his journey from residential school to art school—and his path to healing.
In 1949, Antoine Mountain was born on the land near Radelie Koe, Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories. At the tender age of seven, he was stolen away from his home and sent to a residential school—run by the Roman Catholic Church in collusion with the Government of Canada—three hundred kilometres away. Over the next twelve years, the three residential schools Mountain was forced to attend systematically worked to erase his language and culture, the very roots of his identity. From Bear Rock Mountain is a moving, personal story of healing and the reclamation of his Dene identity.
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Stories from the Magic Canoe of Wa’xaid by Cecil Paul, as told to Briony Penn (Rocky Mountain Books)
Stories from the Magic Canoe spans a lifetime of experience, suffering, and survival written in Cecil’s own words, as told to Briony Penn and other friends. This book provides a valuable documented history of a generation that continues to deal with the impacts of brutal colonization and environmental change at the hands of politicians, industrialists, and those who willingly ignore the power of ancestral lands and traditional knowledge.
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The Flesh of Ice by Garry Gottfriedson (Caitlin Press)
The Secwépemc term le estcwicwéy̓ (the missing) was given by Secwépemc elders who dedicated their knowledge and time to guide the community through the hell they were forced to endure in May 2021. Garry Gottfriedson’s The Flesh of Ice picks up from his 2021 collection, Bent Back Tongue, describing the history and relationship of Indigenous people in Canada with the Canadian government and the Catholic church. This is the story of those who survived Kamloops Indian Residential School (KIRS), and stories of descendants of KIRS who remembered “the missing” in the wake of the discovery of unmarked graves at the KIRS. Told through hauntingly visceral poems, are the living conditions, policies and practices of the school itself, the stories of those who lived there, and the names of practitioners of the school, taking readers on a journey of resilience, survival, pain and joy.
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A Haida Wedding by Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson (Heritage House)
In 1996, Terri-Lynn Williams and Robert Davidson celebrated their wedding with a traditional ceremony, the first legalized under Haida law in over a century. A Haida Wedding offers an intimate glimpse into this momentous day, symbolizing the revival of a nearly lost tradition.
Drawing on ancestral knowledge shared with ethnographers and memories from living Elders, the couple meticulously planned a seven-part celebration. This included a canoe procession, ceremony, feast, dancing, and dowry payment, representing the union of two people, families, and clans. The event is beautifully chronicled through imagery and text, honouring a resilient culture and the enduring bonds of love and family.
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This Land Is a Lullaby by Tonya Simpson (Orca Book Publishers)
From the hum of dragonflies to the drumming of thunder, with grasses swirling and the northern lights glimmering, This Land Is a Lullaby shares a song and dance—a gift from the ancestors that soothes children to sleep and reminds them of their deeply rooted connections to the land.
Written as a lullaby for the author’s daughter and featuring striking pointillism artwork, this lush lullaby of the land honours the beauty of the Prairies and the Plains and the spiritual connection between Indigenous children, ancestors, and their traditional territories.
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Lha yudit’ih We Always Find A Way: Bringing the Tŝilhqot’in Title Case Home by Lorraine Weir with Chief Roger William (Talonbooks)
Eight years in the making, Lha yudit’ih We Always Find a Way is a community oral history of Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia, the first case in Canada to result in a declaration of Aboriginal Rights and Title to a specific piece of land. Told from the perspective of the Plaintiff, Chief Roger William, joined by fifty Xeni Gwet’ins, Tŝilhqot’ins, and allies, this book encompasses ancient stories of creation, modern stories of genocide through smallpox and residential school, and stories of resistance including the Tŝilhqot’in War, direct actions against logging and mining, and the 25-year battle in Canadian courts to win recognition of what Tŝilhqot’ins never gave up and have always known.
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Crushed Wild Mint by Jess Housty (Nightwood Editions)
Crushed Wild Mint is a collection of poems embodying land love and ancestral wisdom, deeply rooted to the poet’s motherland and their experience as a parent, herbalist, and careful observer of the patterns and power of their territory. Author Jess Housty grapples with the natural and the supernatural, transformation and the hard work of living that our bodies are doing. Housty’s exploration of history and futurity, ceremony and sexuality, grieving, and thriving invites us to look both inward and outward to redefine our sense of community.
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JAJ: A Haida Manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
With gorgeous imagery, visual artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas brings to life the tumultuous history of first contact between Europeans and Indigenous peoples and the early colonization by the Europeans of the northern West Coast.
The story follows several historical figures, including Johan Adrian Jacobsen (JAJ), who comes to the Haida village of Masset to collect specimens for a German museum, through a time span that includes first contact, the devastation of the smallpox epidemic, and the mass resettlement of disenfranchised peoples, both Indigenous and European.
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The Days of Augusta by Mary Augusta Tappage Evans (Harbour Publishing)
Accompanied by Robert Keziere’s intimate photographs, The Days of Augusta is Shuswap elder Augusta Evans’ memories of a lifetime that spanned from 1888 to 1978. She depicts with eloquence her own story—her days at the Mission School, making baskets and catching salmon, the pain of giving birth and the death of a son—as well as the legends and stories of events told to her—a stagecoach robbery, a woman who was the prisoner of a bear. First printed in 1973, Augusta’s story continues to be a fascinating glimpse into the past, with throughlines to the present.
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Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age by Darrel J. McLeod (Douglas & McIntyre)
In Smith, Alberta, Darrel J. McLeod grew up steeped in his Cree family’s history, with his mother, Bertha, sharing stories of culture and her experiences in residential school. These narratives instilled in him a deep pride for his heritage, alongside the comfort of family and the beauty of their landscape.
However, chaos emerged as his mother became unstable, leading to a tumultuous home life. Darrel struggled with his studies, witnessed violence, and cared for his siblings while navigating his own identity amid a sibling’s gender transition. Mamaskatch reckons with the trauma and abuse Bertha faced in her own life, and captures an intensely moving portrait of a family of strong personalities, deep ties, and the shared history that both binds and haunts them.
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From A Square to A Circle by Delores Churchill (Harbour Publishing)
Told with humility, humour and deep respect, Delores Churchill’s From a Square to a Circle is a testament to the values of her people, a technical guide to her masterful weaving skills and Haida culture.
Having passed her skills on to hundreds of people, believing that “weaving belongs to all of us,” Delores shares the knowledge of basketweaving where beginners and skilled weavers are able to express their distinct selves, just as every coastal Indigenous weaving style is unique. Part memoir, part how-to guide, this book shines light on Delores’s weaving teachers, including her strong-minded mother Selina (Ilst’ayaa), whose teachings Delores once resisted as a child. In From A Square to A Circle, photos and diagrams act as a visual guide as you learn the weaving harvest and preparation terminology and follow the steps of how to prepare cedar bark and harvest spruce roots.
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Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails Indigenous People and How to Fix It by Bruce McIvor (Nightwood Editions)
In his insightful essays, lawyer and historian Bruce McIvor explores why reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is failing and proposes solutions. Known for his advocacy, McIvor draws from his experiences in key legal and political disputes, such as the Wet’suwet’en opposition to pipelines and Mi’kmaw fishing rights. He provides honest insights into the historical and social forces shaping Indigenous law, critiques current legal shortcomings, and outlines a practical path forward.
Through personal stories growing up as a Métis person and a representative for First Nations, he emphasizes the human side of Indigenous struggles. His work addresses systemic racism, treaty rights, and UNDRIP implementation. McIvor’s powerful message calls for Canadians to confront the realities of colonialism and demand meaningful change from politicians, fostering a future grounded in respect and recognition of Indigenous rights.
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