Global Read Aloud: Marrow Thieves

The Marrow Thieves, won the Governor General’s Award and the prestigious Kirkus Prize for Young Readers, was a finalist for the White Pine Award, and was a selection for CBC’s 2018 Canada Reads.

In the dystopian world of Cherie Dimaline's The Marrow Thieves, climate change has ravaged the Earth and a continent-wide hunt and slaughter of Indigenous people is underway. Wanted for their bone marrow, which contains the lost ability to dream, a group of Indigenous people seek refuge in the old lands.

Cherie Dimaline's community is often the inspiration for her work. The award-winning work of the Métis author and editor draws on the rich culture and history of Indigenous Canadians, as well as the struggles they have faced historically — and currently.

Indigenous elders often say that memory is in the blood and bone, that our stories are passed not just verbally but through a kind of genetic memory.

Unreserved invites you into the circle to share in the story of indigenous Canada.

Our children and grandchildren are shaped by the genes they inherit from us, but new research is revealing that experiences of hardship or violence can leave their mark too.

Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people have traditionally been revered as life-givers and caregivers. This is why we say, “our women and girls are sacred.” But Indigenous women and girls, including those who are 2SLGBTQQIA, continue to be devalued. All too many become the victims of violence.
Our vision for the National Inquiry is to build a foundation that allows Indigenous women and girls to reclaim their power and place.
Because of Indigenous Peoples’ rich diversity, this reclaiming will look different in different places. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples each have their own distinct cultures, languages, and ways of life. Their communities have their own distinct political, legal, social, cultural, and economic systems. There can be no one-size-fits-all, pan-Indigenous approach. Solutions must instead be culturally appropriate to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women and girls, their respective communities, and their Nations.

In Ontario, historic Métis settlements emerged along the rivers and watersheds of the province, surrounding the Great Lakes and throughout to the northwest of the province. These settlements formed regional Métis communities in Ontario that are an indivisible part of the Métis Nation.

Indigenous work is all the rage in the Canadian art world. But life in the North is as much a struggle as ever.

A Novel Study Hyperdoc created by Michelle Darlene with input from other Global ReadAloud YA readers. Please copy if you want to use

For the people of the Arctic, the effects of climate change are a part of everyday life. Higher temperatures there have been reshaping their environment and their lives. Now, even their language is being affected.

More than 3,200 aboriginal children who were sent to residential schools in Canada died while attending. On Tuesday, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released a report about the residential schools. It said that many students were buried in unmarked graves.

Canada systematically forced kids into residential schools – forbidden to speak their language or practice their culture. So how are teachers talking to our kids about it?

In the 19th century, the Canadian government believed it was responsible for educating and caring for aboriginal people in Canada. It thought their best chance for success was to learn English and adopt Christianity and Canadian customs. Ideally, they would pass their adopted lifestyle on to their children, and native traditions would diminish, or be completely abolished in a few generations.

The company's Canadian subsidiary is currently in dispute with an Ontario town that was experiencing a drought.

While a recent report by lawyers representing families of six of seven Indigenous students whose deaths in Thunder Bay, Ont., were the subject of a months-long inquest shows action from all levels of government and Indigenous education authorities, there is still a lot of work to do.

Orange Shirt Day began in 2013 and was created to educate Canadians on the history and lasting impact of the residential school system. Every year on September 30th is a chance for communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation.

Neuroscientist Mark Solms explains how dreams may protect and distract our brains from the outside world and allow the body to rest.

Dreams are hallucinations that occur during certain stages of sleep. They’re strongest during REM sleep, or the rapid eye movement stage, when you may be less likely to recall your dream.

If you tried to explain sleep to an alien, it might make what we humans do every night seem strange and pointless. Yes, we get to experience dreaming during sleep, along with crucial, rejuvenating rest, but we also become completely defenseless and open to attack.

The Dreamtime is a commonly used term for describing important features of Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and existence. It is not generally well understood by non-indigenous people.