Indigenous peoples in Canada reading list

The University of Waterloo Library has created an Indigenous peoples in Canada reading list to contextualize recent events and help situate them within the landscape of Canada's colonial history.

These events, to name only a few, have included the on-going resistance of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation against the Coastal GasLink Pipeline, increased pressure to change the racist names of professional sports teams, the vandalization of a Sir John A. MacDonald statue in Baden, the occupation of Victoria Park by local Indigenous community members, and the 30th anniversary of the Kanesatake (Mohawk) Resistance. 

Scope of the list

Much like the titles included in the Library's Black Lives Matter — Canadian reading list, the Indigenous peoples in Canada reading list has been compiled to expand and build on current understandings of the experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada. Drawing on titles available through the library catalogue, the list includes scholarly research; guides to working with Indigenous peoples; biographies, memoirs and fictional accounts of lived experiences during and after the end of the residential school system; as well as links to web versions of the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and Reclaiming power and place the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. 

Educating ourselves

Library staff at Waterloo recognize that in providing improved access to equity focused educational resources we too have a responsibility to educate ourselves by reading, listening and working to meaningfully enact systematic change. We know we can't do this work alone and welcome your input.  You can help library staff identify new titles to the Indigenous peoples reading list by using the Library's Purchase request form and selecting Indigenous voices from the Subject focus pull-down menu. 

Accessing titles

The Library remains closed as part of the University of Waterloo's response to the global pandemic. While the closure limits access to hard copies of the highlighted titles, several electronic books are included on the list and can be accessed online. Faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students can also make use of Print Pickup @ Porter for research purposes.

Interested readers are encouraged to order copies of these titles from local public libraries offering curbside services, like the Waterloo Public Library's Curbside Pickup Service and the Kitchener Public Library's Curb and Carry, or from a local independent bookstore as an alternative means of access. 

Additional resources 

• How can I learn more about Indigenous cultures and Reconciliation? 
• Indigenization at Waterloo 
• Indigenous Initiatives 
• Indigenous Student Association
• Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre 
• #ReadTheTRCReport