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National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with Alberta Books

Today we take time to honour the survivors of residential schools, their families, their communities, and the children who never came home. National Truth and Reconciliation Day is a time for reflection, remembrance, and a renewed commitment to listening, learning, and taking meaningful steps towards reconciliation.

Reading is one way we can deepen our understanding and stand in solidarity. We have compiled a list of books that feature Indigenous voices, histories, and hope. This booklist is only a small selection of the books available, and we encourage you to continue to read books by and about these communities beyond today. Buy these titles at your local independent bookstore or borrow them with an Alberta public library card through the Prairie Indigenous eBook Collection.

 

Behind the Bricks Ed. by Richard W. Hill Sr., Alison Norman, Thomas Peace, and Jennifer Pettit

Behind the Bricks is the story of the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s first and longest-running residential school and a model for the entire residential school system.

A thorough and thoughtful history that provides deep insight into over a century of institutional operation, Behind the Bricks is an essential work that tells us not only about the Mohawk Institute, but the entire residential school system, providing a window into the past with the goal of working towards a future of truth and reconciliation.

Behind the Bricks: The Life and Times of the Mohawk Institute, Canada's Longest-Running Residential School

Richard W. Hill Sr. (CA), Alison Norman (CA), Thomas Peace (CA)

Published: Sep 01, 2025 by University of Calgary Press
ISBN: 9781773856520

The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour by Dawn Dumont

The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour is the hilarious story of an unlikely group of Indigenous dancers who find themselves thrown together on a performance tour of Europe.

A group of expert dancers they are not. There’s a middle-aged woman with advanced arthritis, her nineteen-year-old niece who is far more interested in flirtations than pow-wow, and an enigmatic man from the U.S. — all being chased by Nadine, the organizer of the original tour who is determined to be a part of the action, and the handsome man she picked up in a gas-station bathroom. They’re all looking to John, who has never left the continent, to guide them through a world that he knows nothing about. As the gang makes its way from one stop to another, absolutely nothing goes as planned, and the tour becomes a string of madcap adventures. Dawn Dumont brings her signature razor-sharp wit and impeccable comedic timing to this hilarious, warm, and wildly entertaining novel.

The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour

Dawn Dumont (CA)

Published: Sep 27, 2021 by Freehand Books
ISBN: 9781988298870

Elements of Indigenous Style, 2nd Ed. by Gregory Younging, lead editor Warren Cariou

A new editorial team continues the paradigm-shifting conversation started by the late Gregory Younging in his foundational Elements of Indigenous Style. Trusted by writers, editors, publishers, researchers, scholars, journalists, and communications professionals around the world, the second edition of Elements continues to offer crucial guidance to everyone who works with words on how to accurately, collaboratively, and ethically participate in projects involving Indigenous Peoples.

Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples

Gregory Younging (CA)

Published: Jan 13, 2025 by Brush Education
ISBN: 9781550599459

Troubling Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Education Ed. by Sandra D. Styres and Arlo Kempf

Troubling Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Education offers a series of critical perspectives concerning reconciliation and reconciliatory efforts between Canadian and Indigenous peoples. Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars address both theoretical and practical aspects of troubling reconciliation in education across various contexts with significant diversity of thought, approach, and socio-political location. Throughout, the work challenges mainstream reconciliation discourses.

Troubling Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Education: Critical Perspectives

Published: May 25, 2022 by University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 9781772126006

My Decade at Old Sun, My Lifetime of Hell by Arthur Bear Chief

My Decade at Old Sun, My Lifetime of Hell is a simple and outspoken account of the sexual and psychological abuse that Arthur Bear Chief suffered during his time at Old Sun Residential school in Gleichen on the Siksika Nation. In a series of chronological vignettes, Bear Chief depicts the punishment, cruelty, abuse, and injustice that he endured at Old Sun and then later relived in the traumatic process of retelling his story at an examination for discovery in connection with a lawsuit brought against the federal government.

He returned to Gleichen late in life—to the home left to him by his mother—and it was there that he began to reconnect with Blackfoot language and culture and to write his story. Although the terrific adversity Bear Chief faced in his childhood made an indelible mark on his life, his unyielding spirit is evident throughout his story.

My Decade at Old Sun, My Lifetime of Hell

Arthur Bear Chief (CA)

Published: Jan 01, 2017 by Athabasca University Press
ISBN: 9781771991759

The Art of Making by Jared Tailfeathers

The Art of Making: Rediscovering the Blackfoot Legacy is a captivating entry into Jared Tailfeathers’ quest for cultural reclamation. Accompanied by his family and loyal dog, Tailfeathers delves into his Indigenous heritage through hands-on, land-based exploration. The book traces the evolution of the Blackfoot Confederacy, examining its trade routes, resources, and interactions pre- and post-1800s. It provides intricate details of Blackfoot connections with nature, neighbouring First Nations Peoples, and their rich legacy in tool-making, textiles, and artistic expression. Tailfeathers’ research began in 2019, driven by a deep desire to reacquaint himself with his cultural and historical identity as a Blackfoot man navigating a post-colonial world. This book is a journey into the heart of Blackfoot culture, told by a man who walks the ancestral trails.

The Art of Making: Rediscovering the Blackfoot Legacy

Jared Tailfeathers (CA)

Published: Oct 01, 2024 by Durvile Publications
ISBN: 9781990735547

 

Wahogicobi by Nakota Sioux Language Keepers

“Inside this book you will find the words the Nakota Sioux Nation people use to refer to each other as family. Some terms may not be used very often anymore, but we hope these are some of the first words our babies and children hear and learn. May they understand they are loved and cared for by all the members of our nation who surround them.”

Wahogicobi: Kinship terms to make relationships with each other

Nakota Sioux Language Keepers (CA)

Published: Jun 15, 2020 by Eschia Books
ISBN: 9781926696867

Those Who Know by Dianne Meili

The Elders in Those Who Know have devoted their lives to preserving the wisdom and spirituality of their ancestors. Despite insult and oppression, they have maintained forbidden practices for the betterment of not just Indigenous Peoples, but all humankind. First published in 1991, Dianne Meili’s book remains an essential portrait of men and women who have lived on the trapline, in the army, in a camp on the move, in jail, in residential schools, and on the reserve, all the while counselling, praying, fasting, healing, and helping to birth further generations.

Those Who Know: Profiles of Alberta’s Aboriginal Elders (20th Anniversary Edition)

Dianne Meili (CA)

Published: May 15, 2012 by NeWest Press
ISBN: 9781927063132