C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Reading Like a Critic: Understanding and Responding to Texts

Reading First Nations, Métis and Inuit Texts Through Indigenous Storywork

C1.7 A3.3About 70 minutes

Learning goals

I can name and explain the seven principles of Indigenous Storywork.
I can describe a variety of text forms by diverse First Nations, Métis and Inuit creators, naming each creator's Nation or community.
I can use Storywork principles, especially holism and interrelatedness, to make meaning about histories, cultures, relationships, communities and lived experiences.
I can explain why First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples are distinct, and speak about them as living communities today.

Words to know

Indigenous Storywork
An approach to stories described by Stó:lō scholar Jo-ann Archibald (Q'um Q'um Xiiem), based on seven principles: respect, responsibility, reciprocity, reverence, holism, interrelatedness and synergy.

holism
Understanding that a person's mind, heart, body and spirit are connected, and that self, family, community and land are connected.

interrelatedness
The connections among the story, the storyteller, the listener and the meanings they make together.

synergy
The shared energy and meaning created when storyteller and listener work together.

reverence
Deep respect, including for the spiritual and personal power of stories.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit
The three groups of Indigenous peoples recognized in Canada's Constitution; each includes many distinct Nations, communities, languages and cultures.

oral tradition
Knowledge, history and stories passed on by speaking and listening, often across many generations.

Survivor
A person who attended a residential school. The word honours their strength.

About this lesson

The explanations in this lesson were written for this website. They are not by First Nations, Métis or Inuit creators. They describe real creators and texts but do not quote them, because the best way to learn is from the creators themselves. Please read, listen to or watch their work when you can (some texts are for older teens; see the parent notes).

Remember from earlier grades

In Grade 6 you used the Storywork principles of holism and interrelatedness; in Grade 7, reverence and synergy; in Grade 8, respect, responsibility and reciprocity, with creators such as Pauline Johnson, Chief Dan George, Tanya Tagaq and Cherie Dimaline.

In Grade 9 you'll bring all seven principles together and meet new creators who work in the forms you're studying this year: the novel, memoir, short story and drama.

Hook: a story is a relationship

In many Indigenous traditions, a story isn't just words on a page. It's a relationship: between the storyteller and the listener, between the story and the land it comes from, and between generations. A listener has responsibilities too. That changes how you read.

The seven principles of Indigenous Storywork described by Stó:lō scholar Jo-ann Archibald (Q'um Q'um Xiiem). They work together: a reader uses all of them at once, not one at a time.

The seven principles

Jo-ann Archibald (Q'um Q'um Xiiem), a scholar from the Stó:lō Nation in British Columbia, learned from Elders and described seven principles of Indigenous Storywork:

Respect: for the story, the storyteller and the community it comes from. Learn who made it and which Nation or community they belong to.
Responsibility: use stories carefully. Some stories belong to particular families or communities and aren't yours to retell.
Reciprocity: storytelling is two-way. The listener gives back by listening deeply, learning and acting.
Reverence: approach stories with deep respect, recognizing their spiritual and personal power.
Holism: stories touch the mind, heart, body and spirit, and connect self, family, community and land.
Interrelatedness: meaning comes from the connections among the story, teller, listener and context.
Synergy: meaning grows from the energy between teller and listener working together.

These principles are about how to engage with stories. They help any reader approach Indigenous texts with care.

Creators and forms to know

First Nations, Métis and Inuit creators work in every form. Here are four, from different Nations and communities:

Richard Wagamese (1955 to 2017), Ojibwe, from Wabaseemoong Independent Nations in northwestern Ontario. His novel Indian Horse (2012) follows Saul Indian Horse, an Ojibwe boy taken to a residential school, who finds joy and escape in hockey. As an adult, Saul tells his life story as part of his healing. Wagamese also wrote Embers (2016), a book of short reflections on life, land and gratitude.

Maria Campbell, Métis, born in 1940 in northern Saskatchewan. Her memoir Halfbreed (1973) tells of growing up in a Métis community, the poverty and racism her family faced, her great-grandmother Cheechum's teachings, and her path toward healing and activism. It is often described as a foundational work of Indigenous literature in Canada.

Alootook Ipellie (1951 to 2007), Inuk writer and artist who grew up in what is now Nunavut. His book Arctic Dreams and Nightmares (1993) pairs short stories with his own pen-and-ink drawings, blending Inuit spiritual traditions with the changes of modern life.

Tomson Highway, Cree, from northern Manitoba. His play The Rez Sisters (1986) follows seven women from a fictional reserve who travel to Toronto for "the biggest bingo in the world." The trickster Nanabush appears throughout, in different forms. The play mixes comedy with hard truths about the women's lives.

Notice: four creators, four Nations or communities, four forms (novel, memoir, illustrated stories, drama). There is no single "Indigenous voice."

Worked example

Let's use holism and interrelatedness with Indian Horse

How does reading Indian Horse holistically deepen understanding of Saul's story and of residential school history?

Respect first: Wagamese was Ojibwe, from Wabaseemoong Independent Nations. He drew on knowledge of Ojibwe land and life, and on the history of residential schools that affected his own family.
Mind: the novel teaches the history of residential schools: children taken from families, punished for speaking their languages, cut off from their cultures.
Heart: we feel Saul's grief and loneliness, and his joy on the ice.
Body: hockey is physical; Saul's talent lives in his body. Harm done to children was physical too. Healing in the novel also involves the body.
Spirit: Saul's connection to his family's land and his grandmother's teachings, early in the novel, is part of who he is. Losing and finding that connection shapes his journey.
Interrelatedness: Saul's healing comes through telling his story, and readers become listeners. The novel was published in 2012, while the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was gathering testimony from Survivors, so the act of telling connects the novel to a national process.
Reciprocity: a reader gives back by learning the real history and sharing it accurately.

Reading holistically shows that Indian Horse isn't only a hockey story or only a history lesson. It's about how harm and healing touch mind, heart, body and spirit, and how telling and listening connect Saul, his community and readers.

Holism and interrelatedness: in many Indigenous stories, a person's mind, heart, body and spirit are connected, and so are self, family, community, Nation and land. Reading holistically means asking how a story touches all these circles, not just the plot.

Worked example

Let's use synergy and respect with The Rez Sisters

How do synergy and respect help an audience make meaning from The Rez Sisters?

Respect: Tomson Highway is Cree. The trickster Nanabush comes from Anishinaabe and Cree storytelling traditions. Learn about the figure's meaning from Indigenous sources rather than guessing.
Synergy: a play is made with an audience. The women's jokes and arguments get laughter; their private struggles get silence. Meaning comes from that shared energy in the theatre.
Holism: the women's dream of winning bingo is about hope for their families and community (heart), and Nanabush's presence connects their everyday lives to the spiritual (spirit).
Interrelatedness: seven different women, one community: the play shows how their lives are connected, and how a community's strength and pain are shared.

The Rez Sisters makes meaning through shared laughter and silence (synergy), a spiritual figure woven into ordinary life (holism), and the connected lives of a community (interrelatedness). Respect means learning about Cree and Anishinaabe storytelling from Indigenous sources.

Speak accurately and in the present

First Nations, Métis and Inuit are distinct peoples. Within each are many Nations and communities: Ojibwe and Cree are different Nations; the Métis Nation has its own history, culture and the Michif language; Inuit homelands are in the Arctic.
Use the specific Nation or community whenever you can: Wagamese was Ojibwe, from Wabaseemoong Independent Nations.
Speak in the present tense about living communities: Wabaseemoong, the Métis communities of Saskatchewan and Inuit communities in Nunavut are here today, with writers, artists and filmmakers creating new work.
Don't treat sacred stories, designs or ceremonies as decoration or material for your own creations.

Hands-on activity

Learn from a creator directly

You need: a library card or internet access (with a grown-up), paper, a pencil.

With a grown-up, choose one work by a First Nations, Métis or Inuit creator. Suggestions: a few reflections from Richard Wagamese's Embers; a film by Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin on the National Film Board of Canada website; a story or poem by an Indigenous writer from your own region (ask a librarian). A grown-up should preview the work first.
Respect: write the creator's name, Nation or community, the form and the year.
Holism: write one way the work touches the mind, heart, body and spirit.
Interrelatedness: what connections does it show among people, community and land?
Reciprocity: write one thing you will do because of what you learned, such as learning whose traditional territory you live on, or sharing a fact you learned accurately with your family.

What to look for: a specific creator and Nation named, all four aspects of holism addressed thoughtfully, and a realistic act of reciprocity.

Your turn

Name the seven principles of Indigenous Storywork.

Who described these principles, and what Nation is she from?

Match each creator to a Nation or people: Richard Wagamese, Maria Campbell, Alootook Ipellie, Tomson Highway.

What does holism ask a reader to consider?

Why is Indian Horse more than "a hockey story"?

How does synergy work in a play like The Rez Sisters?

Give two ways to speak accurately about First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.

More practice: warm-up

What form is Halfbreed?

What form is The Rez Sisters?

What does Ipellie's Arctic Dreams and Nightmares combine?

What does reciprocity mean in Storywork?

What is an oral tradition?

More practice: on your own

Why is it important to name each creator's Nation or community?

What does responsibility mean when a reader learns a story from a particular community?

How could reading Halfbreed with reverence differ from reading it as just an adventure or a sad story?

Explain interrelatedness using an example of a story you've heard from a family member.

Why are four creators from four different Nations and four forms a better introduction than one?

Challenge

Choose two Storywork principles and explain how they would change the way you read any text, not just Indigenous texts.

A classmate says, Indigenous stories are mostly old legends. Respond using evidence from this lesson.

Using holism, plan four questions (one each for mind, heart, body and spirit) you would ask while reading any novel by a First Nations, Métis or Inuit author.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which of these is not one of the seven Storywork principles?

Richard Wagamese was...

Holism asks readers to consider how a story touches...

Maria Campbell's Halfbreed (1973) is a...

Which statement is accurate and respectful?

In Storywork, reciprocity means the listener...

For parents and teachers

What this lesson teaches: Grade 9 students read, listen to and view a variety of text forms by diverse First Nations, Métis and Inuit creators to make meaning through Indigenous Storywork about histories, cultures, relationships, communities, groups, nations and lived experiences (C1.7). They analyze themes in these cultures to understand identities, perspectives and ways of knowing (A3.3).

Please note: The explanations were written for this site and are not by Indigenous creators. They describe real works but don't quote them. Please experience the real texts together when you can.

Reading and viewing advice: Indian Horse (and its 2017 film) includes abuse at a residential school; it is often taught in high school, but please preview it. Halfbreed includes violence, sexual violence and addiction; it suits older teens with an adult to talk with. The Rez Sisters includes mature language and themes. Embers and many National Film Board documentaries by Alanis Obomsawin are good starting points; preview first.

Sensitive topics: Residential schools caused deep and lasting harm to Indigenous children, families and communities. Keep explanations honest and simple, let your teen ask questions, and check in about feelings. If your family has a personal connection, you know best how to share.

Facts used: Jo-ann Archibald (Q'um Q'um Xiiem), a Stó:lō scholar, described seven principles of Indigenous Storywork. Richard Wagamese (1955 to 2017), Ojibwe, from Wabaseemoong Independent Nations, wrote Indian Horse (2012) and Embers (2016). Maria Campbell, Métis, born in 1940, wrote Halfbreed (1973). Alootook Ipellie (1951 to 2007), Inuk, wrote and illustrated Arctic Dreams and Nightmares (1993). Tomson Highway, Cree, wrote The Rez Sisters (1986), featuring the trickster Nanabush. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission gathered Survivors' testimony from 2008 to 2015. Alanis Obomsawin is an Abenaki filmmaker whose documentaries are available from the National Film Board of Canada.

Avoid stereotypes: treating all Nations as the same, speaking only in the past tense, and using sacred stories or designs as decoration. There is no "Just for fun" box in this lesson because of the seriousness of the topics.