On teaching Indigenous history, Dr. Winegard said, “They [Indigenous peoples] are not spectators to colonization they are active participants and by removing that factor it doesn’t give them a voice. They [Indigenous peoples] are active participants in colonization and Canadian-Indigenous relations. By not keeping it like that you remove their voice and their agenda. You can’t have a one-sided history.”
This list is inspired by Dr. Timothy Winegard's presentation about teaching Indigenous history at the University of Winnipeg’s Summer Teaching Institute in July 2014.
Elementary
Appropriate from kindergarten through to grade 5
Lydia’s Dabcovich’s The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale is appropriate from kindergarten through to grade 5.
Secondary
For grades 9 to 12
Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road fiction narrative is an excellent book for grades 9 to 12.
Applicable for grades 9 to 12
Guy St. Denis’ Tecumseh’s Bones is applicable for grades 9 to 12 because of the humorous tone.
Ideal for grades 11 and 12
Timothy C. Winegard’s For King and Kanata: Canadian Indians and the First World War is ideal for a grade 11 or 12 class. The first three chapters deal with the colonial history.
Suitable for grades 11 and 12
Thomas King’s The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America is best presented in senior high school classes. This book’s narrative is from the perspective of Indigenous peoples.