Social Committee – Indigenous Voices: Books by Indigenous Authors
September 12, 2022
September 30th is marked as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities.
Orange Shirt Day also takes place on September 30th and is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day that honours the children who survived residential schools and remembers those who did not. This day relates to the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, on her first day of school, where she arrived dressed in a new orange shirt, which was taken from her. It is now a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
On September 30th, it is encouraged for all Canadians to wear orange to raise awareness of the very tragic legacy of residential schools, and to honour the thousands of Survivors.
Therefore, in recognition of this time of reflection, we’ve selected a few books by Indigenous authors that acknowledge their experiences, stories, and culture.
