First Nations, Inuit and Metis Books

Here are a few books I highly recommend. If you know of any other books like these that have inspired you, please feel free to drop me a note. I love learning, reading and applying the teachings to my every day life.

Braiding Sweetgrass - By Robin Wall Kimmerer Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings—asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass—offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.

The Seven Circles - By Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins

When wellness teachers and husband-wife duo Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins founded their Indigenous wellness initiative, Well for Culture, they extended an invitation to all to honor their whole self through Native wellness philosophies and practices. In reclaiming this ancient wisdom for health and wellbeing—drawing from traditions spanning multiple tribes—they developed the Seven Circles, a holistic model for modern living rooted in timeless teachings from their ancestors. Luger and Collins have introduced this universally adaptable template for living well to Ivy league universities and corporations like Nike, Adidas, and Google, and now make it available to everyone in this wise guide.

Walking the Red Road for Healing - By Marlyn Cook MD Pinesiw Iskwew, Thunder Woman, Dr. Marlyn Cook, member of Misipawistik Cree Nation is the author of Walking the Red Road for Healing and is based on her life and journey as a medical doctor and graduate of the University of Manitoba (MD in 1987). She believes that the approach to healing must be broadened to include holistic and Traditional Healers that work alongside physicians in our Indigenous communities. Dr. Marlyn Cook shares her own experiences of colonialism and how this affected her, her family and her community. Through her reflections of her Indigenous Knowledge, Traditional Teachings of Ceremonies and Medicines she offers a way to heal and acknowledges the resilience of communities in their healing. Dr. Cook's intention in this powerful book is to bring us together in Truth and Reconciliation. This book will resonate with health, social, and justice practitioners and educators and our community members who want to walk the Red Road to healing.

Stories of Métis Women Tales My Kookum Told Me - By Marilyn Lizee, Bailey Oster Stories of Métis Women explains the story of the Métis Nation from a their own perspective. The UN has declared this “The Decade of Indigenous Languages” and Stories of Métis Women is one of the few books available in English and Michif, which is an endangered language.

Indigenous Healing: Exploring Traditional Paths - By Rupert Ross

Indigenous Healing: Exploring Traditional Paths by retired crown prosecutor Rupert Ross is the much-anticipated third volume in his series about Aboriginal justice and healing. Following up on his previous books, Dancing with a Ghost and Returning to the Teachings, this 2014 publication shares his lessons learned from years of involvement with the northern Ontario criminal justice system and Aboriginal peoples understanding of justice and healing. Ross examines the effects of colonization and assimilation and how social trauma is in fact magnified over the years, passed down to new generations. The book's first section explains Indigenous worldviews, interdependence, the importance of the circle and medicine wheel, languages and their spiritual connections, relationships, and thankfulness. The second section looks at colonization, residential schools, psychological damage, the sixties scoop, PTSD, and incarceration. The final chapters document the healing methods used to overcome colonization. Despite of trauma of colonization, Rupert Ross remains hopeful that Indigenous Peoples in Canada will continue their journey to a healthy future where Indigenous wellness will be paramount.

Life Stages and Native Women: Memory, Teachings, and Story Medicine - By Kim Anderson.

Life Stages and Native Women explores how life stages and responsibilities of Métis, Cree, and Anishinaabe women were integral to the health and well-being of their communities during the mid- 20th century. The book is rich with oral history conducted with fourteen Algonquian elders from the Canadian prairies and Ontario. These elders share stories about the girls and women of their childhood communities at mid-century (1930–1960), and customs related to pregnancy, birth and post-natal care, infant and child care, puberty rites, gender, and age-specific work roles, the distinct roles of post-menopausal women, and women's roles in managing death. The book concludes with a consideration of how oral historians' memories can be applied to building healthier communities today. It is a fascinating and powerful book that will speak to all women.