Discover Five Indigenous Storytellers and Artists

1. Art Canada institute Norval Morisseau’s spiritual vision
2. Art Gallery of Ontario’s Indigenous Collection
3. Seven Fallen Feathers
4. Son of a Trickster
5. The Secret History of Canada
6. Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun

Art Canada Institute Norval Morrisseau’s Spiritual Vision

This online exhibition features a selection of pieces from the iconic artist Norval Morrisseau, who created the Woodland School of art and who was considered the grandfather of contemporary Indigenous art. Curated by Dr. Carmen Robertson, Canada Research Chair in North American Art and Material Culture and a Scots-Lakota professor of art history at Carleton University in Ottawa, some of the brightly pigmented pieces include the “Observations of the Astral World” and “Man Changing Into Thunderbird.

Art Gallery of Ontario’s Indigenous Collection

This expansive art gallery in Toronto features a robust collection of contemporary Indigenous art, including paintings from Anishinaabe artist Daphne Odjig, Shelley Niro’s panel of photographs “The Shirt,” and a large collection of works from Inuit artists, including sculptor Manasie Akpaliapik’s “Respecting the Circle,” made out of whalebone, antler and ivory.

Seven Fallen Feathers

Anishinaabe investigative journalist Tanya Talaga examines the unsettling incident of seven Indigenous teenagers who died tragically after they moved to attend school in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The non-fiction novel tells each teenager’s story and weaves their stories together with children who died at residential schools decades earlier.

Son of a Trickster

This supernatural thriller features Haisla mythology, packaged in a coming-of-age story of a teenaged boy, Jared. Written by Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations novelist Eden Robinson, it’s a darkly funny story that was recently turned into a CBC television series.

The Secret Life of Canada

With research and wit, Mohawk/Tuscarora playwright Falen Johnson and writer/director/producer Leah Simone-Bowen delve deep into many of Canada’s untold stories in this CBC podcast, which has three seasons worth of episodes that tackle everything from legendary Indigenous creatures to the importance of water.

Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun

Canadian writer and journalist Paul Seesequasis, who is a member of Saskatchewan’s Plains Cree First Nation, has compiled archival photographs from First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities into this photo book. These never-before-seen archival photos and  portraits depict everyday life from eight North American communities spanning from the 1920s through the 1970s.

Read on

Click here to check out the winter 2020 issue of CAA Magazine and learn about Indigenous tourism experiences across Canada.

Plus, pick up the books mentioned in this story, as well as others by Indigenous writers at Indigo, where CAA Members earn 5% in CAA Dollars® online through our eStore.

Image credit: Bill Brooks/Alamy Stock Photo