Historic Maps
- Indian Reserves - Western Canada (Library and Archives Canada)Approximately 1,500 maps and plans that relate to Aboriginal reserves and settlements in western and northern Canada, including British Columbia.
- Gabriel Dumont Institute Maps (The Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture)Educational collection of simple illustrated maps which include community maps, First Nations maps, fur trade maps, political maps, and resource maps of the historic Métis communities.
Residential School Location
Below are links to maps of the Residential School System in Canada, as well as maps from the survivors of the Sixties Scoop. For a list of the 699 schools click here.
Because this information could be triggering for people, we have also provided lines to access emotional & well-being help on each topic. Please contact the 24-Hour Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 or the Hope for Wellness Help Line at 1-855-242-3310 or at hopeforwellness.ca if you require emotional support.
- Schools & Unmarked Graves Interactive MapGlobal News interactive map of former residential school sites in Canada & unmarked graves.
- Residential School Locations (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada)Listing of schools in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Links to a map of school locations prepared by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (2011).
- Recognized Indian Residential Schools (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada)Schools included in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. (2012).
- In our own Words: Mapping the Sixties Scoop DiasporaIn our own Words: Mapping the Sixties Scoop Diaspora is an interactive map launched by the Sixties Scoop Network in collaboration with University of Regina Professor Raven Sinclair.
- Sixties Scoop NetworkThe Sixties Scoop Network is a small group of Indigenous child welfare survivors. They are dedicted to re-connecting to culture through ceremony, healing and building community with other survivors. One of their aims is to raise national awareness of the 60s Scoop.
- Did You Live Near a Residential School? - Interactive MapThis interactive map allows you to see the locations of residential schools in relation to your own communities.
- FNHA Indian Residential Schools Information HelpThe Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program provides mental health and emotional supports to eligible former Indian Residential School students and their families.
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About: provides convenient and expert chat reference help to post-secondary students, faculty, and researchers across BC and the Yukon. For assistance click here.
Getting Started
Below you will find articles and databases specific to History. As we progressively move to an online environment X̱wi7x̱wa is moving away from print and physical materials. For more research guidance please refer to the related guides to the left of this page.
Databases
- Academic Search CompleteIndexes over 10,000 journals, with many full-text articles. Subject Terms: First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Native Americans, Aboriginal Australians, Indigenous peoples, names of specific nations. Some articles have no Subject Terms assigned, so also try full-text searches.
- Alternative Press Index (EBSCO)Indexes 450 alternative, radical and left publications. Aboriginal titles include: Akwe:kon Journal (title changed to Native Americas) ; Akwesasne Notes, and American Indian Rights Center.
- America History and LifeIndexes material related to the history of Canada and the United States in over 1700 journals (1964-present). Search terms: Native American, First Nations, Indigenous people, Indian, and Aboriginal.
- Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North AmericaAnthropological focused index of books, journal articles, essays, conference papers, dissertations and US government articles, including the 8-volume "Ethnographic Bibliography of North America". Search terms: Alaska Eskimos, Alaska natives, Baffinland Inuit, Canadian Inuit, eastern Métis, Native Canadians. Use historic keywords: Niska for Nisgaa; Nootka for Nuu-chah-nulth.
- Canadian Business & Current Affairs (CBCA)Indexes academic periodicals, special interest publications, and newspapers, including the Aboriginal press: Windspeaker, Kahtou, Aboriginal Nurse. Search terms: Indigenous peoples, Native peoples, Métis, Native Americans and Inuit.
- Electronic Information System for International Law (EISIL)ASIL's goal is to ensure, through EISIL, that web searchers can easily locate the highest quality primary materials, authoritative web sites and helpful research guides to international law on the Internet. To this end, EISIL has been designed as an open database of authenticated primary and other materials across the breadth of international law, which until now have been scattered in libraries, archives and specialized web sites.
- First Nations Periodical IndexMainly First Nations/Aboriginal Canadian content. Searchable index of 20 Aboriginal newspapers, magazines and periodicals.
- The Fletcher School Multilaterals ProjectContains texts of international multilateral conventions and other instruments, treaties in the fields of human rights, commerce and trade, laws of war and arms control, and other areas. Most of the texts date from 1945 or later, but the collection also includes historical texts.
- Index to Canadian Legal Literature (ICLL)Journals, law reports, theses, books, book reviews, essay collections and Canadiana Forthcoming Books. Use the "Terms & Connectors" tab to search using the database's controlled vocabulary. Thesaurus terms: Aboriginal, Indigenous, Indian. Subject heading term: "Indians of North America." Use the "Natural Language" tab to search with any keyword.
- Indian Reserves - Western CanadaFrom Library and Archives Canada. This database provides item-level descriptions on approximately 1,500 maps and plans that relate to aboriginal reserves and settlements.
- Informit Indigenous CollectionCollection includes journals, reports and monographs from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and the Pacific.
- JSTOR CollectionFull-text searching of hundreds of journal titles in the sciences, humanities, social sciences, business, and more. Searches can result in hundreds or thousands of hits, so use the "Advanced Search" to narrow your search down. Search terms: First Nations, Native American, Indigenous, Aboriginal.
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Multimedia LibraryBook collection of more than 13,000 volumes covering the period from 1945 to date, and a unique collection of approximately 30,000 journal articles, 1972-present. Library members also have access to a variety of electronic resources and circulation privileges.
- Project MuseFull-text collection of over 400 humanities and social sciences journals. Use the "Advanced Search" to narrow down your results. Search terms: First Nations, Native American, Indigenous, Aboriginal.
- Treaties, Surrenders and AgreementsLibrary and Archives Canada (LAC) holds an extensive, but not a complete, collection of historic Canadian Indian treaties, land surrenders, and related agreements.
- UN Treaties CollectionThe United Nations Treaty Collection contains information regarding the activities of the Treaty Section of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs.
- Global Environmental Justice CollectionDocumentaries in this collection that may be of interest: Tar Creek, Yindabad, Homeland, People of a Feather, and Arrows Against the Wind.
Pre-Contact & Early Post-Contact
To understand treaties (both historical and modern/comprehensive) it is important to understand the nation-to-nation relationships built between Canada and First Nations over time, as well as treaty-making processes that pre-date colonization. The following resources contribute to this understanding:
- Haudenosaunee Confederacy - Great Law of PeaceWell before the arrival of Europeans, Indigenous nations had already established treaties and treaty processes. One example is the Great Law of Peace established between five different nations.
- Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada - A History of Indian and Northern Affairs CanadaAn in-depth history of the relationship between the Indian Department, later renamed Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, and soon to be dissolved into 1) Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and 2) Indigenous Services Canada and First Nations.
- Indigenous Writes : A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit issues in CanadaPart 5 of this book (published in 2016) is titled "Land, Learning, Law, and Treaties". It contains foundational information as well as an extensive resource list for more in depth research. In particular, see the notes for Chapter 27. Note: Print copies are also available at various UBC Library and Vancouver Public Library branches.
- Treaty-Making from an Indigenous Perspective: a Ned’u’ten-Canadian Treaty ModelLorna June McCue's thesis from 1998 is available through UBC Open Collections.
Aboriginal Treaties
"From the eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries, Crown representatives and leaders of Aboriginal communities signed treaties throughout most of Canada in an effort to resolve issues of outstanding Aboriginal title. [...] Crown representatives interpreted these treaties as a “blanket extinguishment” of Aboriginal title. However, many have argued that at the time the treaties were negotiated, Aboriginal signatories did not understand the treaties as limiting or extinguishing their title." (From Indigenous Foundations).
- The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission - Aboriginal & Treaty RightsInformation about treaties, the Indian Act, land rights, natural resources, and more.
- University of Calgary - Aboriginal Law 101Brief overview of historical events, which provide context for understanding current legal and treaty topics (in PowerPoint presentation format).
- âpihtawikosisân - Treaty TalkEarly treaty-making from an Indigenous perspective.
- Government of British Columbia - A History of Treaty-Making in BCBrief history of treaty-making, including Historic Treaties (the Douglas Treaties), the Nisga’a Treaty, and the BC treaty process.
- Indian and Northern Affairs Canada - A History of Treaty-Making in CanadaTraces the history of treaty-making from 1534 to the present (published April 2010).
- Library & Archives Canada - Treaties, Surrenders and AgreementsIncludes an essay; an online database with copies of treaties, surrenders, and related land agreements; and a gallery of nine digitized volumes from 1680 seigneurial grant dated May 29, 1680 to western Treaty 6 signed in 1876.
- Canadian Encyclopedia - Indigenous Land ClaimsWritten by Gretchen Albers. Published June 6, 2011.
- Canadian Encyclopedia - Treaties with Indigenous Peoples in CanadaWritten by Anthony J. Hall. Published June 6, 2011.
- Constitution Act, 1982 Section 35Section 35 recognizes and affirms Indigenous treaty rights in Canada.
- Indigenous Foundations - Constitution Act, 1982 Section 35Information on Section 35, supplementary resources, and recommended reading.
- Canada's History - Interpreting the TreatiesFirst Nations, historians, lawyers, and judges interpret treaties differently.
Métis People in Canada
The Métis people are a distinct nation with their own language, culture, and traditions. For information on Métis identity visit Indigenous Foundations. All Métis settlements in Canada are located in Alberta. See the following resources for more information:
- Government of Alberta - Key Dates: The Métis in AlbertaTimeline of Métis history beginning in 1928 (in PDF format).
- Métis National CouncilSince 1983, the Métis National Council has represented the Métis Nation nationally and internationally. It receives its mandate and direction from the democratically elected leadership of the Métis Nation’s governments from Ontario westward.
- Women of the Métis NationBy motion of the Métis National Council, Women of the Métis Nation was been created to enable Métis Women to take an active role within Metis Nation governance.
- Canadian Encyclopedia - MétisIntroduction to Métis communities in Canada.
- Library & Archives Canada - Métis NationResources for genealogy and family history, databases, and finding archival materials.