Reconciliation

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Reconciliation

Indigenous beadwork

We wish to acknowledge this land on which we gather as Treaty 4 Territory, the traditional lands of the Cree, Dakota, Nakota, Lakota, Saulteaux and the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Regina Public Library is committed to working together with Indigenous peoples as we take important steps forward on the pathway of collaboration, reconciliation, and change.

Reconciliation Resources

Here you'll find programs, services and resources that support and celebrate Indigenous culture, traditions and histories.

We've included traditional and contemporary resources that reflect cross cultural awareness, education and understanding for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. These programs, resources and services create opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of reconciliation.

Featured Events

Indigenous beadwork. Text reads: National Indigenous History Month

Celebrate National Indigenous History Month with a series of programs for all ages that honour the rich heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of Indigenous peoples. Experience and learn about Indigenous culture, traditions, and art to develop a deeper understanding of Indigenous peoples.

June 23 & 30 at 7:00pm: Bead and Share, Beaders Helping Beaders

Waitlisted Programs

June 27 at 7:00pm: Raised Beadwork Technique with Katie Longboat
June 29 at 7:00pm: Beading Circle – Beaded Orange Shirt Day Pin

Visit our programs page for more Indigenous offerings, or explore our additional resources, below.

Download the Decolonize YQR Booklet:

Download the NIHM colouring page, colour it, and then display your finished art on your front window to show your support for National Indigenous History Month.

RPL offers Indigenous programming year-round. Visit our programs page to find out what's available.

Online Resources

Selections of films from the RPL Film Theatre collection

Indigenous Word of the Week:

We learned a word each week in one of the six languages spoken in Treaty 4 this summer. Check out our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram every Tuesday for the latest edition of our 30 second video tutorials.

1 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Hello in Michif

2 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Thank you in Michif

3 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Hello in Saulteaux

4 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Thank you in Saulteaux

5 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Hello in Cree

6 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Thank you in Cree

7 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Hello in Dakota

8 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Thank you in Dakota

9 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Hello in Lakota

10 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Thank You in Lakota

11 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Hello in Nakoda

12 - Indigenous Word of the Week - Thank you in Nakoda

13 - Indigenous Word of the Week - I Love You in Cree

Five Phrases Videos:

1 - Indigenous Word of the Week - 5 Phrases in Saulteaux

2 - Indigenous Word of the Week - 5 Phrases in Cree

3 - Indigenous Word of the Week - 5 Phrases in Dakota

4 - Indigenous Word of the Week - 5 Phrases in Lakota

5 - Indigenous Word of the Week - 5 Phrases in Nakoda

6 - Indigenous Word of the Week - 5 Phrases in Michif

From Dunlop Art Gallery

The RPL Dunlop Art Gallery proudly represents Indigenous artists, and in 2021 alone acquired permanent or long-term works by four prominent Indigenous artists.

Anishinaabe artist Jaime Black’s REDress installation is a visual reminder of the staggering number of women who are no longer with us. Through her work, Black draws attention to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against Indigenous women and to evoke a presence through the marking of absence. These photographs can be viewed at Albert Branch.

Two murals by renowned Saskatchewan artist Daphne Boyer, All my Relations and For Clémence, celebrate her Metis and Fransaskois heritage. These murals were displayed at Central Library and Sherwood Village Branch until April 2022.

Image of animal print mural Image of mural

(Left) Daphne Boyer, All My Relations, vinyl, 2021. Central Library. Photo by Don Hall.
(Right) Daphne Boyer, For Clémence, vinyl, 2021. Sherwood Village Branch. Photo by Don Hall.

Jeffrey Veregge’s Stark is installed in Regent Place Branch, Last Son is installed at Connaught Branch, and She’s Got it Where it Counts at Glen Elm Branch. Veregge combines references to popular comic icons with imagery of his S’Klallum (Port Gamble/Coast Salish) ancestors.

Tony Stark superimposed over Ironman figure

Jeffrey Veregge, Stark, print, 2013.

David Garneau’s Métis in the Academy and Displacement, Indigenous Scholarship come from a series of still life paintings that explore the artist’s complex experience of living as a contemporary Indigenous person, academic, and artist. Métis in the Academy is available to view at Prince of Wales Branch.

Books wrapped in a scarf Stack of books

(Left) David Garneau, Métis in the Academy, acrylic on canvas, 2019
(Right) David Garneau, Displacement, Indigenous Scholarship, acrylic on canvas, 2019.

Reading Lists

Indigenous Voices collection: Read or listen to a rich diversity of Indigenous voices, from established authors to new voices, by immersing yourself in an eBook or eAudiobook through Overdrive/Libby.
Indigenous Children’s Books: Explore the work of Indigenous voices through a list of recommended eBooks and eAudiobooks for children and young adults, available on Overdrive/Libby.
Indigenous Reading and Streaming: Read, watch and listen to eBooks, eAudiobooks, music, and movies that celebrate the diverse stories by Indigenous voices through Hoopla.
American Indians in Children’s Literature Best Books: A resource for parents, caregivers and teachers.

Also available through Overdrive/Libby:

Video Resources

From the community:

Making bannock with the Sioux Chef

See the Sioux Chef in action making traditional oven bannock. He'll also share a few tips on how to give a boost to your baked bannock.

Bannock-making recipe and demonstration: 0:00-6:15
Interview with Chef Dickie Yuzicapi: 6:15-15:04

Tipi raising and sharing traditional tipi teachings

Learn about the teachings and values related to the tipi poles; for caring for ourselves, and living in balance. View this video to learn about construction, placement, and traditional teachings associated with the tipi.

Knowledge Keepers: Sharing Stories from the Métis Community: an oral history project honouring Métis families of Indian Head and the Qu’Appelle Valley. We're grateful to the Indian Head Museum for allowing us access to view this film.

From Regina Public Library:

Indigenous Word of the Week: Follow us on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts for our 30 second Indigenous Word of the Week tutorials!

Video: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2021: Bevann Fox, author of Genocidal Love: A Life After Residential School, honoured survivors and encouraged commitment to meaningful and lasting reconciliation in her Sept. 30 talk at Central Library. Watch the full program!

Movies

Kanopy Indigenous film
NFB Campus: Get great Canadian content from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), with free streaming video of NFB films. NFB Campus provides exclusive access to hundreds of films not available to the public on the main NFB site.
- The Aboriginal Voice: The NFB and Indigenous Film makers through the years
- Birth of a Family: Four siblings meet for the first time after being removed from their mother and adopted into families across North America during the Sixties Scoop.
- Indigenous Voices and Reconciliation
- Residential Schools
- Indigenous and Métis Peoples Living in Non-Indigenous Communities
- Indigenous Cinema: The NFB’s online collection of Indigenous made films
- Browse Indigenous Peoples in Canada (First Nations & Métis)
- Birth of a Family:

History

Indigenous Peoples: North America: Collections from Canadian and American institutions, providing insight into the cultural, political and social history of Indigenous Peoples from the seventeenth into the twentieth century.

Reconciliation Information

Web Resources

CBC Docs: Canadians have been breaking their promises to Indigenous People
- Filmmaker Tasha Hubbard narrates a history of Indigenous peoples in the prairies and their relationship with the government, focusing on the events of the late nineteenth century.
KAIROS Blanket Exercise: An educational workshop to help people understand the shared history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada. 
- Welcome to the KAIROS Blanket Exercise
- The Blanket Exercise: Indigenous Perspectives
Indigenous Canada: A free 12-lesson Massive Open Online course from the University of Alberta. It explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.

Classrooms

The Learning Circle: Classroom Activities on First Nations in Canada, Ages 4-7
Shattering the Silence: The Hidden History of Indian Residential Schools in Saskatchewan
Think Indigenous – Online Indigenous Education K-8. These educators are taking their Indigenous teachings online via Facebook, with science, math and storytelling classes for students who are out of school.

Indigenous Languages

Cree: The Cree language has the largest speaker population of all of Canada’s First Nations languages

Online Cree Lessons
Online Cree Dictionaries:
- Cree Dictionary
- Plains Cree Dictionary
Resources for Learning Cree

Ojibwe: Ojibwe has been called by many names including Anishinaabemowin, Ojibwe, Ojibway, Ojibwa, Southwestern Chippewa, and Chippewa. It is a Central Algonquian language spoken by the Anishinaabe people throughout much of Canada from Ontario to Manitoba and U.S. border states from Michigan to Montana.

University of Toronto Libraries: Anishinaabemodaa: Ojibwe Language Resources

Michif: Michif is a mixed language which combines Cree with French. For the most part, Michif uses Cree verbs, question words, and demonstratives while using French nouns.