There are 1.8 million Indigenous people in Canada accounting for five percent of the total
population. They speak more than seventy languages and represent many different cultures. With
recent land claims and the discovery of unmarked graves at former residential schools the
situation of the First Nations Inuit and Métis has gained critical attention. Teaching
Indigenous Studies however is a difficult endeavor as educators must be knowledgeable and
sensitive about Indigenous histories cultures traditions and political issues. Incorporating
the latest research in anthropology ethnography history literary and film studies the
chapters in this book focus on current matters such as traditional ways of life land claims
and self-government trace cultural changes that resulted from contacts with the Europeans and
discuss the process of reconciliation. Referring to Indigenous perspective in the analysis of
cultures and the teaching of these issues the authors have included many Indigenous voices and
sources and explore the institutions that provide Indigenous communities in Canada with
national and international visibility.
