Indigenous Voices in Open Education: A Reading List
June 21 marks National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. The date falls on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and a well-established time of gathering and celebration for many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities long before it received a federal designation in 1996 (Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, 2026).
In the United States, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is observed on the second Monday of October as a counter-observance to Columbus Day. Although not a federal holiday, 17 states and the District of Columbia have officially recognized the day (Pew Research Center, 2025). The dates differ, and so do the institutional frameworks behind them. However, educators on both sides of the border face the same question: what does honest reckoning with this history look like in our work?
To mark the dates and the year-round work they ask of all of us, we’ve gathered a reading list of openly licensed, Indigenous-authored and Indigenous-led work in open education, alongside a smaller set of resources developed in close collaboration with Indigenous communities.
Why the reading list matters
The Canadian residential school system carried out its harm through the everyday means of education. For more than a century, classrooms, curricula, and teachers were used to separate children from their families, forbid their languages, and disrupt the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was unsparing about the finding that Canada’s residential school system “was an education system in name only” and a central element of a policy it termed “cultural genocide” (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015, pp. v, 1).
The late Murray Sinclair, who led the Commission, often returned to the idea that while education caused much of the damage done to Indigenous peoples in Canada, education is also how that damage will be undone (Queen’s Alumni Review, 2021). The institution that severed knowledge between generations is also the one that can mend it, and that work does not rest with Indigenous peoples alone – reconciliation is a responsibility all of us carry.
June 21 isn’t the only date in the Canadian calendar that asks educators to reckon with this history and teach it honestly. On September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day honour the children forcibly sent to residential schools and the families and communities they were taken from. Orange Shirt Day grew from the story of survivor Phyllis Webstad (Northern Secwepemc, from Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation), whose new orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at school.
June 21 celebrates the knowledge Indigenous Nations have carried forward despite every effort to sever it, while September 30 represents the cost of those efforts. These two days of the year do not make up for generations of people who have been affected. We ask you to read this post and consider what 365 days a year of meaningful reconciliation looks like for you, as an Indigenous or non-Indigenous reader.
For those of us working in open education, reconciliation sits close to the centre of our work. Openness is not neutral, and access to learning materials alone is not enough. A resource can be freely available and still take from communities what was never offered. The resources gathered below are grounded in the premise of self-determination: Indigenous authors and communities deciding what to share, in what form, and on whose terms.
What “open” means here
Open educators usually frame “open” through licensing, and specifically, what you can do with a resource via the 5Rs: Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix, and Redistribute (Wiley, 2023). This model rests on Western copyright logic, and Indigenous scholars have been clear that it doesn’t fully fit Indigenous Knowledges, where some knowledge is collectively held, tied to context, or not meant to be widely shared at all (Lar-Son, 2026; Harris & Smith, 2026). Open licensing, usually Creative Commons, is one approach among several, but some Indigenous Knowledge is deliberately kept “closed.”
That gap has produced its own scholarship. In a 2026 special issue of the Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education devoted to Indigenous Knowledges and OER, Lar-Son (2026) offers “The 6Rs of Indigenous OER,” reworking the openness model around Indigenous sovereignty rather than reuse. In the same issue, Harris and Smith (2026) propose “6Rs for Indigenous Open Pedagogy,” written as a conversation between a Cherokee Nation citizen and a settler colleague. Their most pointed addition is refusal: the recognition that the right not to share is part of openness done well, rather than a failure of it. “Closed” is still “open” in principle, even if licenses are different. Both frameworks change the substance, not just the vocabulary. Tools like Local Contexts and Mukurtu CMS came to exist precisely because standard Creative Commons licensing doesn’t always serve Indigenous Knowledge sovereignty (Anderson, 2019).
That principle runs through the list below.
The reading list
The list that follows includes OER (or work) on various facets of Indigeneity and open education, shared under a range of licenses and tools. It is neither exhaustive nor entirely Indigenous-authored, and neither is this post. Some entries were developed or co-authored by non-Indigenous scholars working closely with Indigenous communities, and where that’s the case, we say so. Ultimately, we hope this list serves as a point along a longer journey of curiosity, relationship building, and learning.
Resources by community and Nation
Cree: Language of the Plains / nēhiyawēwin: paskwāwi-pīkiskwēwin by Jean L. Okimāsis (White Bear First Nation), a comprehensive Plains Cree language textbook with companion workbook and audio labs. Useful for educators teaching, learning, or supporting Cree language revitalization, with an introductory course of twenty sessions across textbook, workbook, and audio. Open-access edition published by the University of Regina Press in 2018. CC BY-NC-ND.
Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Book 1 and Book 2, co-edited by Gloria Snively (non-Indigenous) and Wanosts’a7 Lorna Williams (Lil’wat of the St’at’yem’c First Nation), with Indigenous authors contributing chapters across both volumes. Useful for science educators looking to ground their teaching in Indigenous Knowledges of Northwestern North America, with chapters on Indigenous Science, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and classroom curriculum models. Published by the University of Victoria in 2016 and 2018. CC BY-NC-SA.
The North Dakota Tribal History and Culture Series includes volumes on the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Sahnish; Spirit Lake Oyate; Standing Rock Oyate; and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. It also includes the introductory Journey to Understanding (2002) and the North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings (2015). Revised editions began rolling out in 2024 and 2025 after the state legislature required Native American instruction in all public and nonpublic schools. Useful for K-12 and post-secondary educators looking for nation-specific teaching materials, with the content of each guide led by the Tribal nation it represents. Written by experts, scholars, and Elders from each Nation; published through the North Dakota University System, the North Dakota Tribal College System, and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. CC BY-NC-SA.
ECHO: Ethnographic, Cultural and Historical Overview of Yukon’s First Peoples by Victoria Castillo and Christine Schreyer, both non-Indigenous, with Tosh Southwick (Kluane First Nation), 2020. Developed over seven years through interviews and partnership with First Nations communities in Yukon, the textbook is a collaborative work rather than a wholly Indigenous-authored one. Useful as an introduction to Yukon First Nations histories, governance, and contemporary realities, with material drawn directly from interviews with community members and Elders. CC BY-NC-ND.
Pedagogy and curriculum for educators
Understanding Indigenous Perspectives: a set of learning modules on Indigenous histories, cultures, and contemporary issues in Canada, developed at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (University of Toronto). Jean-Paul Restoule (Anishinaabe, Dokis First Nation) served as Instructional Lead and Jennifer Wemigwans (Wikwemikong First Nation) as Design Lead and Producer. Useful as a self-paced grounding for instructors and future teachers who want a structured introduction before bringing Indigenous content into their own classrooms. CC BY-NC-SA.
Moon of the Crusted Snow: Reading Guide by Anna Rodrigues and Kaitlyn Watson (Ontario Tech University), a non-Indigenous-authored teaching guide to the novel by Waubgeshig Rice (Anishinaabe, Wasauksing First Nation), developed in collaboration with the author. Useful for instructors teaching the novel in literature, Indigenous studies, or interdisciplinary courses, with teaching material developed with the author’s input. Originally produced in 2019, updated in 2021. CC BY-NC-SA.
Foundational guides for Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation
Pulling Together: A Guide for Indigenization of Post-Secondary Institutions (BCcampus, 2018) is a six-guide series authored by teams of Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers across BC institutions, with role-specific guides for Foundations, Leaders and Administrators, Curriculum Developers, Teachers and Instructors, Front-Line Staff, and Researchers. Useful for anyone in a post-secondary role, since each guide is written for a specific role rather than a general overview. CC BY-NC.
Pulling Together: Manitoba Foundations Guide (Brandon Edition) by the Manitoba Foundations Group, Campus Manitoba (2021) is an Indigenous-led adaptation of the BCcampus Foundations guide for the Prairies, developed with support from Rebus’ Open Publishing Projects Certificate (formerly the Textbook Success Program). Useful as a model for how the BCcampus framework can be localized for a different region’s Indigenous histories, treaties, and communities rather than adopted as-is. CC BY-NC.
Skoden: Teaching, Talking, and Sharing About and for Reconciliation by Elder Laureen Blu Waters, Randy Pitawanakwat, and Darcey Dachyshyn (Seneca College, 2022), with additional contributors. A reconciliation-focused learning resource for post-secondary faculty, staff, and administrators, framed around the treaty-partner relationship and grounded in Anishinaabe teachings. Useful for educators and administrators looking for structured reflection on the colonial history of Canada and what reconciliation asks of non-Indigenous people in post-secondary settings. CC BY-NC-SA.
Tools and infrastructure for Indigenous sovereignty
Mukurtu CMS: a free, open-source content management system, GPL-licensed. It originated in 2007 with the Warumungu community in Australia in collaboration with Kim Christen, and is now hosted at Washington State University’s Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation. It’s used by the Plateau Peoples’ Web Portal, the Passamaquoddy People, the Catawba Indian Nation Archives, and many others. Useful for any community or institution stewarding Indigenous cultural heritage online, where access can be set by each community’s own protocols rather than generic permissions.
Local Contexts provides the Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural Labels and Notices, which allow Indigenous communities to add culturally specific permissions and protocols to digital heritage materials beyond what standard copyright can express. Founded in 2010 by Jane Anderson and Kim Christen, and incorporated in 2022 as an Indigenous-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit under Navajo Nation jurisdiction. Useful for institutions, archives, and researchers working with Indigenous materials and wanting to recognize community authority over knowledge that copyright alone doesn’t address.
Native Land Digital: an Indigenous-led nonprofit that maintains a free interactive map of Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties alongside a Territory Acknowledgement Guide. Useful as an entry point for educators and institutions writing or revisiting their own territorial acknowledgments, and as a teaching tool for orienting students to the territories where they’re learning.
Where to keep exploring
The following directories aggregate openly licensed resources across many disciplines and include substantial Indigenous content:
- Pressbooks Directory, home to the Indigenous Voices Collection
- OER by Discipline Directory: Indigenous Studies (BCcampus)
- eCampusOntario Open Library
What this list doesn’t do
The list is partial and weighted toward Canadian post-secondary contexts as that’s where the most Indigenous-authored openly licensed material currently exists. Some of the most important Indigenous Knowledge work isn’t openly licensed and shouldn’t be. And no list, however careful, replaces actually being in relationship with the communities this Knowledge comes from. For readers ready to go further, we recommend Pulling Together: A Guide for Researchers, Hiłḵ̓ala.
These resources are here not only for the work that June 21 and September 30 both ask for, but also for the work we can do all year round. Education was the instrument of so much harm. Learning, done with care and reciprocity, is part of how the damage gets repaired.
Acknowledgments
By: Victoria Brame
Victoria Brame is a non-Indigenous open education advocate and marketing professional at The Rebus Foundation, where she supports initiatives that advance open education and learner access.
Rebus
The Rebus Foundation operates on the unceded territory of the Kanienʼkehá:ka Nation in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), land long stewarded by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. We honour Indigenous histories and are committed to ongoing learning, reconciliation, and decolonization in our work.
References
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. (2026). National Indigenous Peoples Day. Government of Canada. https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100013718/1708446948967
Anderson, J. (2019, January 30). Is it possible to decolonize the Commons? An interview with Jane Anderson of Local Contexts [Interview]. Creative Commons. https://creativecommons.org/2019/01/30/jane-anderson/
Harris, M. L., & Smith, S. M. (2026). 6Rs for Indigenous open pedagogy: A conversation. Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education, 4(1), 53-72. https://doi.org/10.31274/joerhe.24657
Lar-Son, K. (2026). The 6Rs of Indigenous OER: Upholding Indigenous sovereignty in open educational resources. Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education, 4(1), 9-21. https://doi.org/10.31274/joerhe.24660
Pew Research Center. (2025, October 7). Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples Day or just a regular Monday? It depends on where you are. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/10/07/columbus-day-indigenous-peoples-day-or-just-a-regular-monday-it-depends-on-where-you-are/
Queen’s Alumni Review. (2021, August 8). Building a new relationship. https://www.queensu.ca/alumnireview/articles/2021-08-04/murray-sinclair-chancellor-truth-reconciliation
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Honouring the truth, reconciling for the future: Summary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. https://nctr.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Executive_Summary_English_Web.pdf
Wiley, D. (2023, September 26). Defining the “open” in open content and open educational resources. Open Content. https://opencontent.org/definition/
Photo credits
Lead photo by KaboomPics on Pexels
The reading list photo includes book covers from Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Book 1, ECHO: Ethnographic, Cultural and Historical Overview of Yukon’s First Peoples, Moon of the Crusted Snow: Reading Guide, and Pulling Together: A Guide for Indigenization of Post-Secondary Institutions.