UBC Okanagan Library Curriculum Collection

★"Captures the sympathy of readers and holds their attention...An age-appropriate telling by an Indigenous creative team of a tragic historical period."--School Library Journal, starred review The true story of how Indigenous girls at a residential school sewed secret pockets into their dresses to hide food and survive. Mary was four years old when she was first taken away to the Lejac Indian Residential School. It was far away from her home and family. Always hungry and cold, there was little comfort for young Mary. Speaking Dakelh was forbidden and the nuns and priest were always watching, ready to punish. Mary and the other girls had a genius idea: drawing on the knowledge from their mothers, aunts and grandmothers who were all master sewers, the girls would sew hidden pockets in their clothes to hide food. They secretly gathered materials and sewed at nighttime, then used their pockets to hide apples, carrots and pieces of bread to share with the younger girls. Based on the author's mother's experience at residential school, The Secret Pocket is a story of survival and resilience in the face of genocide and cruelty. But it's also a celebration of quiet resistance to the injustice of residential schools and how the sewing skills passed down through generations of Indigenous women gave these girls a future, stitch by stitch.

Winner of the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award! A young girl notices things about her grandmother that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak Cree and spend so much time with her family? As the girl asks questions, her grandmother shares her experiences in a residential school, when all of these things were taken away. Also available in a bilingual Swampy Cree/English edition. Download the free teacher guide on the Portage & Main Press website.

Winner of the Anskohk Aboriginal Children's Book of the Year Award. Finalist for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Ruth Schwartz Award In just four days young Shi-shi-etko will have to leave her family and all that she knows to attend residential school. She spends her last days at home treasuring the beauty of her world -- the dancing sunlight, the tall grass, each shiny rock, the tadpoles in the creek, her grandfather's paddle song. Her mother, father and grandmother, each in turn, share valuable teachings that they want her to remember. And so Shi-shi-etko carefully gathers her memories for safekeeping. Richly hued illustrations complement this gently moving and poetic account of a child who finds solace all around her, even though she is on the verge of great loss -- a loss that Indigenous Peoples have endured for generations because of the residential schools system. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

Winner of the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and finalist for the Governor General's Award: Children's Illustration This moving sequel to the award-winning Shi-shi-etko tells the story of two children's experience at residential school. Shi-shi-etko is about to return for her second year, but this time her six-year-old brother, Shin-chi, is going, too. As they begin their journey in the back of a cattle truck, Shi-shi-etko tells her brother all the things he must remember: the trees, the mountains, the rivers and the salmon. Shin-chi knows he won't see his family again until the sockeye salmon return in the summertime. When they arrive at school, Shi-shi-etko gives him a tiny cedar canoe, a gift from their father. The children's time is filled with going to mass, school for half the day, and work the other half. The girls cook, clean and sew, while the boys work in the fields, in the woodshop and at the forge. Shin-chi is forever hungry and lonely, but, finally, the salmon swim up the river and the children return home for a joyful family reunion.

Bestselling memoir Fatty Legs for younger readers. Olemaun is eight and knows a lot of things. But she does not know how to read. Ignoring her father's warnings, she travels far from her Arctic home to the outsiders' school to learn. The nuns at the school call her Margaret. They cut off her long hair and force her to do menial chores, but she remains undaunted. Her tenacity draws the attention of a black-cloaked nun who tries to break her spirit at every turn. But the young girl is more determined than ever to learn how to read. Based on the true story of Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, and complemented by stunning illustrations, When I Was Eight makes the bestselling Fatty Legs accessible to younger readers. Now they, too, can meet this remarkable girl who reminds us what power we hold when we can read.

This story is dedicated to the author's mother and father, both of whom are residential school survivors. Told in the voice of a boy and his father by turns, this book takes a thoughtful and heartfelt look at the emotional toll of a child being taken from their family and community to attend residential school. While the child's internal monologue expresses his fear, confusion, and loss, the father's monologue conveys his own sadness, fears, and hopes for the future of his child. The narrative gives voice to the things left unsaid between a parent and child experiencing this heart-rending separation. Upon his return to his community, when father and son are reunited, they must start the long process of reconnection. Based on the author's family history of residential school separation, this book provides a unique perspective on the difficult cycle of loss, reconnection, and regaining hope for the future.

When Nellie Winters was 11 years old, she was sent to attend the Nain Boarding School, a residential school 400 kilometres from her home. In this memoir, she recalls life before residential school, her experiences at the school, and what it was like to come home.Accompanied by the author's original illustrations, this moving, often funny memoir sheds light on the experiences of Inuit residential school survivors in Labrador.

Today, we gather togetherToday, we listenToday, we learnToday, we open our hearts A first conversation about the importance of Orange Shirt Day - Every Child Matters and what little ones can expect to see and do on Orange Shirt Day - The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. An authentic, age-appropriate touch-and-feel board book designed for ages 0-3, written by the founder of the Orange Shirt Day movement and author of award-winning picture book Every Child Matters. Orange Shirt Day is a day recognized annually on September 30th to honour Residential School Survivors, their families, and the children who did not come home.

Ashley meets her great-uncle by the old train tracks near their community in Nova Scotia. Ashley sees his sadness, and Uncle tells her of the day years ago when he and the other children from their community were told to board the train before being taken to residential school where their lives were changed forever. They weren't allowed to speak Mi'gmaq and were punished if they did. There was no one to give them love and hugs and comfort. Uncle also tells Ashley how happy she and her sister make him. They are what give him hope. Ashley promises to wait with her uncle by the train tracks, in remembrance of what was lost.

A timeless story that will always help our students and children connect with Nature.  When a young girl from the Gitxsan Nation argues with her brother, she remembers the teachings of her grandmother and goes in search of a stone to share her feelings with. This engaging First Nation's story teaches children that it is okay to have feelings and shows them how to process and release negative thoughts.

In this book, author Pamela Rose Toulouse provides current information, personal insights, authentic resources, interactive strategies and lesson plans that support Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners in the classroom. This book is for all teachers that are looking for ways to respectfully infuse residential school history, treaty education, Indigenous contributions, First Nations/Métis/Inuit perspectives and sacred circle teachings into their subjects and courses. The author presents a culturally relevant and holistic approach that facilitates relationship building and promotes ways to engage in reconciliation activities.

"Storytelling is essential for healing! Mixed with historical facts and lovely art, the values of mentorship and courage shine through in this important story."  --Robert "Lucky" Budd, co-author of the Northwest Coast Legends Series

The story of the beautiful relationship between a little girl and her grandfather. When she asks her grandfather how to say something in his language - Cree - he admits that his language was stolen from him when he was a boy. The little girl then sets out to help her grandfather find his language again. This sensitive and warmly illustrated picture book explores the intergenerational impact of the residential school system that separated young Indigenous children from their families. The story recognizes the pain of those whose culture and language were taken from them, how that pain is passed down, and how healing can also be shared.

For over a century, Canada removed more than 150,000 Aboriginal children from their families to attend church-run residential schools, often in remote locations far from home. This hidden history is told by award-winning author and former student Larry Loyie in Residential Schools, With the Words and Images of Survivors. Why did Indian residential schools, as they were called, happen? How did they continue? Why did they stop? Most significantly, how did they affect the families and the children, now known as school survivors? The goal was assimilation, the elimination of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, traditions, and languages. While the result was painful and destructive, the survivors are finally being heard, their experiences shared, and their healing revealed in words and personal images. Included in Residential Schools, With the Words and Images of Survivors are memories of more than 70 former students and family members. Seven comprehensive chapters address key issues, from "Why did it happen?" and the meaning of culture and traditions, to coping with a new life and healing in a changing world. More than 125 images, many from the personal collections of survivors, enhance the impressive design. A map of Canada's residential schools, a Key Dates poster, glossary of terms, and index are included. Residential Schools, With the Words and Images of Survivors is proudly co-published by INdigenous Education Press of Brantford, Ontario, and Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

When eight-year-old Irene is removed from her First Nations family to live in a residential school she is confused, frightened, and terribly homesick. She tries to remember who she is and where she came from, despite the efforts of the nuns who are in charge at the school and who tell her that she is not to use her own name but instead use the number they have assigned to her. When she goes home for summer holidays, Irene's parents decide never to send her and her brothers away again. But where will they hide? And what will happen when her parents disobey the law? Based on the life of co-author Jenny Kay Dupuis' grandmother, I Am Not a Number is a hugely necessary book that brings a terrible part of Canada's history to light in a way that children can learn from and relate to.

BASED ON A TRUE STORY* A school assignment to interview a residential school survivor leads Daniel to Betsy, his friend's grandmother, who tells him her story. Abandoned as a young child, Betsy was soon adopted into a loving family. A few short years later, at the age of 8, everything changed. Betsy was taken away to a residential school. There she was forced to endure abuse and indignity, but Betsy recalled the words her father spoke to her at Sugar Falls -- words that gave her the resilience, strength, and determination to survive. Sugar Falls is based on the true story of Betty Ross, Elder from Cross Lake First Nation. We wish to acknowledge, with the utmost gratitude, Betty's generosity in sharing her story. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Sugar Falls goes to support the bursary program for The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation.

Violet Pesheens is struggling to adjust to her new life at residential school. She misses her Grandma; she has run-ins with Cree girls; at her "white" school, everyone just stares; and everything she brought has been taken from her, including her name-she is now just a number. But worst of all, she has a fear. A fear of forgetting the things she treasures most: her Anishnabe language; the names of those she knew before; and her traditional customs. A fear of forgetting who she was. Her notebook is the one place she can record all of her worries, and heartbreaks, and memories. And maybe, just maybe there will be hope at the end of the tunnel.

Based on the true story of the author's biological mother and aunt, this middle-grade novel traces the long and frightening journey of two Kaska Dena sisters as they are taken from their home to attend residential school. When Maddy discovers an old photograph of two little girls in her grandmother's belongings, she wants to know who they are. Nan reluctantly agrees to tell her the story, though she is unsure if Maddy is ready to hear it. The girls in the photo, Aggie and Mudgy, are two Kaska Dena sisters who lived many years ago in a remote village on the BC-Yukon border. Like countless Indigenous children, they were taken from their families at a young age to attend residential school, where they endured years of isolation and abuse. As Nan tells the story, Maddy asks many questions about Aggie and Mudgy's 1,600-kilometre journey by riverboat, mail truck, paddlewheeler, steamship, and train, from their home to Lejac Residential School in central BC. Nan patiently explains historical facts and geographical places of the story, helping Maddy understand Aggie and Mudgy's transitional world. Unlike many books on this subject, this story focuses on the journey toresidential school rather than the experience of attending the school itself. It offers a glimpse into the act of being physically uprooted and transported far away from loved ones. Aggie and Mudgy captures the breakdown of family by the forces of colonialism, but also celebrates the survival and perseverance of the descendants of residential school survivors to reestablish the bonds of family. Winner, 2022 City of Victoria Children's Book Prize Winner, 2022 Jeanne Clarke Regional History Award Shortlisted, 2022/23 First Nations Communities READ Award Nominated, 2022 Rocky Mountain Book Award

Beyond the Orange Shirt Story is a unique collection of truths, as told by Phyllis Webstad's family and others, that will give readers an up-close look at what life was like before, during, and after their Residential School experiences. In this book, Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors share their stories authentically and in their own words. Phyllis Webstad is a Residential School Survivor and founder of the Orange Shirt Day movement. Phyllis has carefully selected stories to help Canadians educate themselves and gain a deeper understanding of the impacts of the Residential School System. Readers of this book will become more aware of a number of challenges faced by many Indigenous peoples in Canada. With this awareness comes learning and unlearning, understanding, acceptance, and change. Phyllis's hope is that all Canadians honour the lives and experiences of Survivors and their families as we go Beyond the Orange Shirt Story.

Revised 2023 Edition. Orange Shirt Day, observed annually on September 30th, is also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is an official day to honour Residential School Survivors and their families, and to remember the children who did not come home. What was initially envisioned as a way to keep the conversations going about all aspects of Residential Schools in Williams Lake and the Cariboo Region of British Columbia, Canada, has now expanded into a movement across Turtle Island and beyond. Orange Shirt Day: September 30th aims to create champions who will walk a path of reconciliation and promote the message that 'Every Child Matters'. This award-winning book explores a number of important topics including the historical, generational, and continual impacts of Residential Schools on Indigenous Peoples, the journey of the Orange Shirt Day movement, and how you can effectively participate in the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. With end of chapter reflection questions and a series of student art submissions, readers are guided to explore how they, and others, view and participate in Residential School reconciliation.

La série 7 générations est une bande dessinée épique en deux parties et quatre histoires : Pierre, Cicatrices, Rupture et Pacte. Elle raconte la saga d'une famille autochtone sur trois siècles et sept générations. Pierre : Edwin fait face à un avenir incertain. En découvrant sa famille et son passé de guerres, d'épidémie de variole et de pensionnats, il pourra mieux affronter le présent et envisager l'avenir avec confiance. Cicatrices : L'histoire se déroule en 1870, au moment où la dernière grande épidémie de variole fait des ravages dans les Prairies. Après avoir été témoin de la mort de toute sa famille, Nuage blanc, jeune Cri-des-Plaines et ancêtre d'Edwin, trouve la force d'échapper à la terrible maladie et de partir à la recherche d'un nouveau chez-lui. En constatant à bravoure et la persévérance de Nuage blanc, Edwin s'arme de courage et entreprend d'affronter la principale source de son propre désespoir.

From the accomplished memoirist and former Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario comes a first novel of incredible heart and spirit for every Canadian. The novel follows one girl, Martha, from the Cat Lake First Nation in Northern Ontario who is "stolen" from her family at the age of six and flown far away to residential school. She doesn't speak English but is punished for speaking her native language; most terrifying and bewildering, she is also "fed" to the school's attendant priest with an attraction to little girls. Ten long years later, Martha finds her way home again, barely able to speak her native tongue. The memories of abuse at the residential school are so strong that she tries to drown her feelings in drink, and when she gives birth to her beloved son, Spider, he is taken away by Children's Aid to Toronto. In time, she has a baby girl, Raven, whom she decides to leave in the care of her mother while she braves the bewildering strangeness of the big city to find her son and bring him home.

Quand une fillette de la Nation Gitxsan se dispute avec son frère, elle se souvient d'un des contes de sa grand-mère et part à la recherche d'un caillou avec qui parler de ses sentiments. Ce charmant récit autochtone enseigne aux enfants qu'il est normal d'avoir des sentiments et leur explique comment traiter et relâcher les sentiments négatifs.

Quand Phyllis était une petite fille, elle avait hâte d'aller au pensionnat pour la première fois. Sa grand-mère lui a acheté un chandail orange éclatant qu'elle aimait et elle l'a porté pour aller à l'école la première journée. Quandelle est arrivée à l'école, on lui a enlevé son chandail et on ne lui a jamais redonné.Ceci est l'histoire vraie de Phyllis Webstad et l'histoire de la Journée du chandail orange, qui pour tous les Canadiens est une journée pour réfléchir au traitement réservé aux peuples autochtones et au message « Chaque enfant compte ».

Derrière l'histoire du chandail orange est un recueil unique en son genre rassemblant les témoignages de Phyllis Webstad et de ses proches. Les lecteurs auront l'occasion d'y prendre intimement connaissance de la vie avant, pendant et après le pensionnat. Dans ce livre, les Survivants et les Survivants intergénérationnels partagent avec nous leurs récits de façon authentique, dans leurs propres mots. Phyllis Webstad est une Survivante des pensionnats et la fondatrice du mouvement de la Journée du chandail orange. Phyllis a sélectionné ces récits avec soin pour permettre aux Canadiens de s'éduquer et de mieux comprendre les effets dévastateurs du système des pensionnats. Ceux et celles qui liront ce livre seront sensibilisés aux nombreux défis auxquels font face bien des peuples autochtones du Canada. Cette prise de conscience s'accompagnera d'un apprentissage et d'un désapprentissage, d'une compréhension et d'une acceptation, qui mèneront à leur tour au changement. Phyllis espère que tous les Canadiens honoreront les vies et les expériences des Survivants et de leurs familles en découvrant ce qui se trouve Derrière l'histoire du chandail orange.

Lorsque Phyllis Webstad (née Jack) a eu six ans, elle est allée au pensionnat pour la première fois. Pour sa première journée d'école, elle portait un chandail orange tout neuf que sa grand-mère lui avait acheté. À son arrivée à l'école, on le lui a enlevé, pour ne jamais le lui redonner. Voici la vraie histoire de Phyllis et de son chandail orange. C'est aussi l'histoire de la Journée du chandail orange, un jour de commémoration important pour tous les Canadiens.

When Irene is removed from her First Nations family to live in a residential school, she is confused, frightened and terribly homesick. She tries to remember who she is and where she came from despite being told to do otherwise. When she goes home for summer holidays, her parents decide never to send her away again, but where will she hide and what will happen when her parents disobey the law?

Violet Pesheens is struggling to adjust to her new life at Residential School. She misses her Grandma; she has run-ins with Cree girls; at her white school, everyone just stares; and everything she brought has been taken from her, including her name she is now just a number. But worst of all, she has a fear. A fear of forgetting the things she treasures most: her Anishnabe language; the names of those she knew before; and her traditional customs. A fear of forgetting who she was.

Shi-shi-etko s'apprête à retourner au pensionnat indien pour une deuxième année, cette fois-ci accompagnée de son petit frère de six ans, Shin-chi. Elle lui remet une pirogue de cèdre miniature, cadeau symbolique de leur père qui représente tout ce dont Shin-chi doit se souvenir et garder secret. Ils ne reverront leur famille que lorsque le saumon rouge remontera la rivière, à l'été. Les mois passés à l'école à apprendre des leçons, à travailleur dur et à assister à la messe sont longs et solitaires. Shin-chi a souvent faim. Pour se redonner de l'espoir, il se rend souvent sur les bords de la rivière, serrant fermement sa petite pirogue et surveillant le retour des saumons.
De descendance salish et métisse, l'auteure évoque l'une des pires injustices perpétrées contre les Premières nations du Canada: le système des pensionnats indiens. Cette expérience dévastatrice pour la culture autochtone est abordée ici dans des mots simples adaptés aux enfants.

La loi l'exige: dans quelques jours, la jeune Shi-shi-etko devra quitter sa famille et tout ce qui lui est cher pour aller à l'école résidentielle, au pensionnat indien. Ces journées précédant son départ, elle observe et savoure chaque détail de son univers. Sa mère, son père et sa grand-mère lui transmettent tour à tour des valeurs identitaires dont ils veulent qu'elle se souvienne. Et elle se fait une promesse, celle de se souvenir.
De descendance salish et métisse, l'auteure évoque l'une des pires injustices perpétrées contre les Premières nations du Canada: le système des pensionnats indiens. Cette expérience dévastatrice pour la culture autochtone est abordée ici dans des mots simples adaptés aux enfants.