This 10 song album by Gord Downie (the Tragically Hip) tells the story of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack of Marten Falls First Nation. Young Chanie escaped from Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in 1966 and died while trying to make his way home.
This video by the First Nations Health Authority looks at how the social determinants of health affect Indigenous communities.
Look at the National Film Board’s website to find short films for younger learners (ages 6 – 11) by Indigenous filmmakers from across Canada.
Indigenous Children’s TV Shows
The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network has many Indigenous children’s TV shows to choose from, including for example Louis Says, a show about an Aboriginal elder who speaks mostly Cree and a 10-year old boy who speaks only English. Some episodes can also be watched online.
Pilgrimage for Indigenous Rights is a documentary recording the experience of Settler and Indigenous walkers as they advocate for Bill-262 and the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Check out this 30min YouTube video to learn about UNDRIP.
Two Spirits, One Voice is a community-based initiative that seeks to bolster supports for persons that identify both as LGBTQ and Indigenous: Two Spirit people. Start by watching their 16 minute video!
Elder in the Making is a 95 minute documentary about a Blackfoot First Nation man and a Chinese Canadian newcomer embarking on a spiritual journey across traditional Blackfoot territory rediscovering their shared heritage.
Reserve 107 is a documentary about recent Reconciliation initiatives in the prairies. The film documents the Reconciliation of land between the Young Chippewayan First Nation and the town of Laird, Saskatchewan.
Heartspeak is about sharing stories that inspire and providing inspirational educational media to support well-being and success. In this segment, Senator Murray Sinclair (Chair, Truth & Reconciliation Commission) provides background on the history of residential schools and the work of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission. He highlights the need to teach the history and intergenerational impact of residential schools and our shared responsibility to forge a new relationship of mutual respect and trust.
Stolen Children is an 18 minute video from CBC News show The National, which demonstrates how Residential Schools affected survivors and their children and grandchildren.
Muffins for Granny Excerpt
Telling the urgent story of how the Canadian residential school system affected her grandmother’s life, filmmaker Nadia McLaren weaves together home movies with accounts from seven other survivors to document this painful period of Canadian history.
We Were Children at the National Film Board
This National Film Board film explores the residential school experience through the perspective of two children. This film has disturbing content that would not make it suitable for youth.
