Resources
Learn more about the history of residential schools in Canada through the resources below. There are resources in all sorts of media for all sorts of audiences. Find what works best for you.
The Truth & Reconciliation Commision
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was found in 2008 to examine and address the legacy of Residential Schools in Canada. It was a multi-year process that concluded with the release of a report in 2015. As part of this report the TRC released 94 calls to action.
Films
Holy Angels - directed by Jay Cardinal Villeneuve
We Were Children - directed by Tim Wolochatiuk
Muffins for Granny - directed by Nadia McLaren (available at the Squamish Library)
A Century of Genocide in the Americas - directed by Rosemary Gibbons and Dax Thomas
The Secret Path - by Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire
SAVAGE - directed by Lisa Jackson
In the Beginning was Water and Sky - directed by Ryan Ward
Joe Buffalo - directed by Amar Chebib
Second Stories: It Had to be Done - Tessa Desnomie
Niigaanibatowaad: FrontRunners - directed by Lori Lewis
Nootka Rose - directed by Courtney Crane
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Books
Five Little Indians - written by Michelle Good
They Called Me Number One - written by Bev Sellars
Indian Horse - written by Richard Wagamese
Call me Indian - written by Fred Sasakamoose
Fatty Legs & A Stranger at Home - both written by Christy Jordan-Fenton (these are children's books)
Wenjack - written by Joseph Boyden
No Time to Say Goodbye - Sylvia Olsen
The Reason You Walk - Wab Kinew
Unsettling the Settler Within - written by Paulette Regan
Other
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation - This centre was created as part of the mandate from the TRC. It is a space for everyone to examine the residential school system and work toward reconciliation and healing.
Where are the Children? - A webpage by the Legacy of Hope Foundation which hosts video testimonies from residential school survivors
Children of God - a musical written by Corey Payette
500 Years - song by Rhonda Head
Take Me Home - a song by Indian City
Residential School Song - a song by Cheryl Bear
He Can Fancy Dance - song by Cindy Paul
