Giving Back - 2022 — Know Indigenous History

Organizations Supported This Year

Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival

In June, Know History sponsored the annual Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival (SSIF) held at Mādahòkì Farm. SSIF is a multi-disciplinary arts festival that brings together Indigenous artists, performers, educators, students, and community members to share knowledge and celebrate Canada’s diverse Indigenous cultures. Know History sponsored the Traditional Knowledge program, in which Indigenous speakers and community leaders shared stories, knowledge, traditional crafts and workshops. The SSIF’s goal to support the decolonization of history aligns with our mandate to provide a platform for sharing Indigenous history and honouring traditional knowledge keepers.

Inuit Studies Conference

In June, Know History proudly sponsored the Inuit Studies Conference held in Winnipeg, which brought together elders, researchers, professionals, artists, and representatives from various Inuit communities to discuss a range of topics related to Inuit society. As part of our sponsorship of the conference, our team put together the panel “Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit – Elders in Conversation.” Susan Enuaraq moderated the session with elders Edna Elias, Luke Suluk, and Jean Simailaq, who shared personal stories and their own experiences with research, community consultation and respectful community interactions for researchers.

CIAJ Indigenous People and the Law Conference

As part of our commitment to supporting Indigenous rights and governance, Know History sponsored the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice’s Indigenous People and the Law conference in November 2022. The conference brought together voices from across the legal and Indigenous rights fields to explore self-governance, decolonization of legal institutions, and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

Auntie Up!

We are very proud to sponsor Auntie Up!, a podcast created by Tanya Talaga of Makwa Creative that is for, by, and about Indigenous women. Hosts Jolene Banning and Kim Wheeler bring Indigenous stories to the mainstream, from water rights to women’s sexual health. As part of Know History’s sponsorship of the program, our team has provided pro-bono research to create “Know History Moments” for each episode. Check out Auntie Up! on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and subscribe to hear the latest!

National Indigenous Tourism Conference 2022

Know History was proud to sponsor the 2022 National Indigenous Tourism Conference hosted by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC). This year’s conference, held on Tsuut’ina Nation lands in Calgary, brought together innovative Indigenous leaders and business owners from across the country to discuss recovery and resilience in the sector following the Covid 19 pandemic.

BC Heritage Fair

We proud to support the BC Heritage Fair again this year! In addition to providing funding for the event, we sponsored the Know History Award, which is awarded to project with the best use of primary sources. Know History also led an online activity in which students learned about interpretive writing techniques and competed in a writing challenge.

Pro-Bono Projects

Every year we provide hundreds of hours of pro-bono research services to support communities as they undertake important heritage projects.

Kahnawá:ke Oral History Project, Kahnawá:ke

Know History has partnered with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawá:ke to help capture and preserve the oral histories of the community’s Elders for future generations. Know History’s team met with Elders to help collect their stories about life in Kahnawá:ke, recollections from their childhoods spent in the community, as well as their culture, language, and history. Videos taken during these interviews will be used to create a short documentary that will be shared with the interviewees and their families during a community event, as well as full-length interview recordings that will be held by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawá:ke. We are honoured to be a part of helping preserve the memories and knowledge of Kahnawá:ke’s Elders.

Canadian Garden Council

Know History conducted archival research for a citizen of the Nisga’a Nation who was interested in learning about written historic records related to the 1881 Nisga’a Delegation. In April 1881, the delegation made the long journey to Victoria to protest ongoing issues between the provincial government and Indigenous peoples living along the Nass River in British Columbia. Our project team identified a variety of archival sources related to both the protests and the events leading up to them.

Highlighted Projects

In addition to contributing to communities through our donations and pro-bono work, we are honoured to work on projects that preserve and share important stories about Canada’s past. Below are a few of the most impactful projects we worked on this year:

Survivor’s Secretariat

Since November 2021, Know History has worked closely with the Survivors’ Secretariat to collect over 12,000 archival documents that shed light on the history of the Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ontario. Through this research, Know History has helped identify 43 previously unrecorded children who died while attending the Institute. These deaths are in addition to the 48 already confirmed by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Know History continues to support the Survivors’ Secretariat through historical research. You can read more about the Survivors Secretariat at http://www.survivorssecretariat.ca/.

Juno Beach

Located in Normandy, France, the Juno Beach Centre serves as a memorial to the Canadians who served during the Second World War, including the 5,500 who were killed during the Battle of Normandy. Know History is honoured to be working collaboratively with the Centre to redesign the final room of their permanent exhibitions and ensure the preservation of this important legacy. As part of this work, our team has collected artefacts and recorded stories of Canadians who continue to serve our country, inspired by the sacrifices made by those before them.

Outreach

National Gathering on Unmarked Burials

Kimberly Murray, Independent Special Interlocutor, and her team are working closely with Indigenous leaders, communities, Survivors, families and experts to recommend a new legal framework to ensure the ethical protection and treatment of unmarked graves and burial sites at former residential schools. Know History is proud to support this process by attending National Gatherings across Canada and providing resources support communities as they work to access, collect, analyze and store archival documents about residential schools.

NCTR Community Dialogues

We were honoured to participate in the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation’s “Community Dialogues on Unmarked Burials & Missing Children.” The two-day gathering was focused on intercommunity support and learning. Know History’s team provided an overview of how Indigenous Nations can conduct archival research to identify children who did not return from residential schools.

2022 Canadian Historical Association Annual Meeting

At Know History, we value the opportunity and importance of entering into dialogue with other professionals in the historical research field. The Canadian Historical Association’s (CHA) Annual Meeting, now in its 101st year, brings together historians from across Canada to showcase their research and discuss diverse issues relating to the field. At this year’s meeting, Know History was represented by six of our staff, including our own CEO Ryan Shackleton, who gave presentations on their own research and findings.

Aboriginal People’s Television Network

Know History has worked closely with the Survivors’ Secretariat to collect over 12,000 archival documents about the Mohawk Institute Residential School. Research Director Alice Glaze joined survivors and leadership to speak about this ongoing research on Aboriginal People’s Television Network.

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Giving Back - 2022

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