Xwi7xwa Library Guide
Featured Video
The Importance of Digital Preservation for Indigenous Communities
Dr Rachael Ka’ai-Mahuta of Te Whare o Rongomaurikura – The International Centre for Language Revitalisation at the Auckland University of Technology – talks about why digital preservation is imperative to ensure that the knowledge and information that is shared digitally by indigenous communities be collected, preserved and made accessible to future generations.
Indigenous Content in the UBC Open Collections
Open Collections brings together locally created and managed content from the following open access repositories, maintained by the UBC Library:
- cIRcle is the UBC digital repository for research and teaching materials created by the UBC community and its partners.
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Archives, Rare Books and Special Collections acquires archival materials which document the economic, political, cultural, labour, and literary history of British Columbia and Canada as well as the history of the University. Archival material which is born digital or digitized is included in Open Collections.
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UBC Library Digital Collections are developed and maintained by the Library. Collectively they document a diverse range of people and places, activities and events, and serve as a resource for students, historians, genealogists, and other researchers.
Open Collections includes digital photos, books, newspapers, maps, videos, theses and more. These publicly-accessible collections are constantly growing and reflect the research interests of the UBC community and beyond.
Open Collections has digital Indigenous content in the areas:
- BC Historical BooksThe goal of the BC Historical Books project is to build a single searchable database of the bibliography of BC based on full-text searchable versions of the books contained therein. Currently provides a timeline of books published from 1776-1836.
- Delgamuukw Trial Transcripts"The Delgamuukw case (1997) concerned the definition, the content and the extent of Aboriginal title (i.e., ownership of traditional lands). The Supreme Court of Canada observed that Aboriginal title constituted an ancestral right protected by Section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982." (From the Canadian Encyclopedia).
- Indian Education NewsletterPublished by the UBC Indian Education Resources Center from 1970-1977. Included lists of resource materials distributed by the Center, conference reports, regional reports, grant information, activities of BCNITA, recommended (and not recommended) children's literature, curriculum ideas, guidance counselor and home school coordinators' reports, an initial history of the UBC Native Indian Teacher Education Program (NITEP) and other news relevant to Aboriginal education.
- UBC Archives Photographs CollectionSearch for terms like First Nations, Indigenous, and Aboriginal.
- Uno Langmann Family Collection of BC PhotographsSelect subject: Indigenous peoples.
- Verna Kirkness’s SpeechesVerna Kirkness is a Cree scholar of Indigenous language, culture and education who has been influential in Canadian Indigenous education policy and practice. She is an associate professor emeritus at UBC.
Digital Collections - Canada
- Blackfoot Digital LibraryDeveloped in collaboration with University of Lethbridge and Red Crow Community College to celebrate Akaitapii through various forms of media, to help and support the Kainai and other students of today and tomorrow. The Blackfoot Digital Library is a venue for sharing our families and our communities stories, past and present.
- The Moravian Beginnings of Canadian Inuit LiteratureMcGill University Library's exhibition The Moravian Beginnings of Canadian Inuit Literature traces the beginnings of literacy and written literature for the Inuit living in Nunatsiavut (Labrador) and, to a lesser extent, in Nunavik.
- Musqueam Place Names MapA multimedia interactive map that highlights hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ place names throughout Musqueam’s Traditional Territory. It also provides audio of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language from Musqueam elders past and present, as well as historical photographs.
- Reciprocal Research NetworkCreated by the Musqueam Indian Band, the Stó:lō Nation/Tribal Council, the U’mista Cultural Society, and the Museum of Anthropology. It is an online tool to facilitate reciprocal and collaborative research about cultural heritage from the Northwest Coast of British Columbia.
- SFU Digitized Collection: Indigenous CollectionsIncludes the BC Multicultural Photograph Collection at the Vancouver Public Library; the Bill Reid Centre Collection; the Northern Justice Society Native Crime Bibliography; the Rodeo Collection; the Scowlitz Artifact Assemblage Project; and the White Mountain Apache Collection.
- Squamish History ArchivesSquamish Public Library manages a digital collection, which includes historical photographs, newspapers (1948-2001), and other materials related to First Nations history.
- Sq’éwlets: A Stó:lō -Coast Salish Community in the Fraser River ValleyA collaborative project of the Sq’éwlets and a team of archeologists at UBC. The virtual museum displays nearly three decades of collaborative work, sharing Sq’éwlets stories, history, language, and the deep connection between people and place as a way of situating Sq’éwlets people in the world.
- UBCIC Digital CollectionsOffers a variety of research and informational materials on Indigenous peoples and the law; land rights; the Joint Indian Reserve Commission; the McKenna-McBride Royal Commission; and the history of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) and First Nations in British Columbia.
- University of Calgary Native Canada CollectionsIncludes the ANCS Aboriginal Film Collection; the Aboriginal Veterans' Archive; Douglas Cardinal Fonds; Dene Crafts; the Stampede Archives; the Arctic Institute of North America Photographic Archives; Galileo Educational Network - Aboriginal Resources; Artistry of the Land, Ancient Stories and Art of our First Nations' People; and more.
- University of Manitoba Indigenous Peoples Digital CollectionsInclude the Henry Budd Letters; the Centre for Settlement Studies fonds; the Connie Macmillan Collection; the Kenneth Hates Collection (North-West Rebellion); the Jill Oakes fonds; the Red River Cartes de Visite Collection; the Louis Riel Photograph Collection; the Walter Rudnicki fonds; and the Nan Shipley fonds.
- Voices of AmiskwaciyAn online public space, created by the Edmonton Public Library in collaboration with Indigenous communities, which supports the community to create, share, discover, and celebrate local Indigenous content in the form of digital text, videos, sound files, and images.
Digital Collections - United States
- American Indian Digital History ProjectFounded to recover and preserve rare Indigenous newspapers, photographs, and archival materials from all across Native North America.
- Billie Jane Baguley Digital Library (Heard Museum)Represents a virtual selection from the Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives, which has an extensive collection of documentary and photographic works on Native Americans with an emphasis on Indigenous people in the Greater Southwest.
- Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource CenterBrings together, in digital format, a variety of resources related to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School that are physically preserved in various locations around the country.
- Catawba Indian Nation ArchivesIdentifies, collects, preserves, and makes accessible historical and cultural materials relating to the Catawba Indian Nation for use by tribal and the community for educational and research purposes.
- Confluence Story Gathering CollectionPublicly available on the Plateau Peoples' Web Portal. The collection feature the stories of native elders, told in their own voices, as a way to explore the interconnectedness of people and places of the Columbia River system.
- Elmer E. Rasmuson Library Digital CollectionBased in Alaska. Includes several collections that contain Indigenous materials: Photographs of Alaska Women includes historical photographs of Indigenous and settler women of Alaska in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; and the Wenger Eskimo Database provides access to written literature about Inuit peoples, including nearly 200 titles—primarily books and journal articles.
- Huna Heritage Foundation Digital ArchivesA collecting archives, which gathers historical and cultural materials relating to the Xúna Kaawu for the purposes of education and enjoyment of current and future generations.
- Indigenous Digital ArchiveAllows visitors to explore, annotate, and learn from over 500,000 archival documents about Santa Fe Indian School, 1920, all kinds of boarding school records, and letters.
- Plateau Peoples' Web PortalA gateway to Plateau peoples' cultural materials held in multiple repositories including Washington State University's Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections, the Northwest Museum of Art and Culture, the National Anthropological Archives and the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institution. The materials in the Portal have been chosen and curated by tribal representatives.
- Sípnuuk Digital Library, Archives and MuseumAims to manage, share, and enhance understanding of Karuk history, language, traditions, natural resource management, and living culture following the cultural protocols of the Karuk Tribe and in support of the missions of the Karuk Tribe, Department of Natural Resources, People’s Center and Karuk Tribal Libraries, Archives and Museums.
Digital Collections - New Zealand
- Tāmata ToiereAims to provide comprehensive information about waiata and haka (Māori song, chant, and dance). Where possible, this will include the lyrics, a translation, an explanation of the context behind the composition and the reasons it was composed, a biography of the composer, an audio file, a video file, any photos of relevance, and a list of references for further study.