Indigenous History Month | What To Read, Watch and Listen To
JUNE 1ST, 2022 | INDIGENOUS HISTORY, CALGARY, WHAT'S HAPPENING, CULTURE
The Bird Creatives team shares their favourite Indigenous books, films, music, and more!
Each June in Canada, we commemorate National Indigenous History Month during which we take time to recognize the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples across Canada.
It’s not only a great time to reflect and learn about Indigenous history but also to appreciate all of the Indigenous arts and culture around us today. We asked the Bird Creatives team for their recommendations on what people can read, watch, and listen to this month and you better believe they got back to us with some gems!
COWBOY SMITHX, BEBE BUCKSKIN, & CALEIGH CARDINAL
Bird’s Principal Creative, Kaley Beisiegel, recommends watching Elder in the Making, a documentary co-produced by Cowboy Smithx. Smithx is a Blackfoot filmmaker from the Piikani Nation and Kainai Nation in Southern Alberta and someone we’ve worked with on a number of projects. In the film, he and first-generation Chinese Canadian Chris Hsiung rediscover their shared heritage.
When it comes to music, Kaley recommends checking out Nêhiyaw singer-songwriter Bebe Buckskin and Métis singer-songwriter Caleigh Cardinal. Kaley chatted with Cardinal last year as part of West Anthem’s Alberta Music Industry Ecosystem Report - Video Vol. 4. Give it a watch at the 1:11 mark of the video!
COULTHARD, ALFRED, AND A COUPLE OF GREAT BANDS!
Bird Creative’s consultant, Leah Naicken, says Glen Coulthard and Taiaiake Alfred are great reads. Specifically Alfred’s Peace, Power, Righteousness: an Indigenous manifesto and Coulthard’s Red Skin, White Masks: Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition.
She also points to Snotty Nose Rez Kids and The Halluci Nation as Canadian Indigenous bands you should listen to!
Braiding Sweetgrass, Wyatt C. Louis, and Mother Earth Essentials
“I recommend the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer,” says Bird’s Director of Partnerships and Engagement, Jessica Marsh. “If you listen via audiobook she does the narrating too which makes it extra impactful! Braiding Sweetgrass gives a profound and insightful look at the relationship between humans and Mother Earth and teaches us how the traditional practices of Indigenous Peoples can help us make the world a better place for future generations.”
Jessica is also a huge fan of Wyatt C. Louis — a Nêhiyaw singer-songwriter based in Moh'kinstsís on Treaty 7 Territory who we had the honour of seeing perform at the Music Cities Convention reception during Chinook Blast. “This local singer-songwriter is going to blow up with his next album, go see him play live while you have the chance!”
Lastly, Jessica recommends Mother Earth Essentials — Canadian-made natural beauty and lifestyle products from an Indigenous-owned company. Mother Earth Essentials creates luxurious bath & beauty products from natural ingredients and traditional recipes
QALLUNAAT!
Last but not least, Bird’s Community Engagement and Research Manager, Elyse Borlé, comes in with another great film recommendation!
“Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny is an hour-long film that flips the script on the idea of "white" people studying "others". Instead, we are presented with the fictitious Qallunaat Studies Institute (Qallunaat being the Inuit word for white people). Its satirical approach does a great job undermining the assumed wisdom or neutrality of European/settler perspectives. Also, I'd just add that the National Film Board has a great repository of Indigenous-made films, many streaming online for free.”
Make sure to take some time this month to honour National Indigenous History Month and discover and appreciate Indigenous creators, artists and makers — you’re bound to fall in love!
You can find resources and learn more about First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples across Canada
21 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THE INDIAN ACT
Our Director of Marketing and Communications, Sharon Lee, says 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act is a great read. She feels that the first step towards reconciliation is to better understand the Act, and says the book is well-written and easy to read. It does a great job explaining the 21 restrictions imposed on the Indigenous Peoples throughout the 144 years of the existence of the Indian Act.
Image from CBC Books
