See what’s happening at UBC
June commemorates Indigenous History Month in Canada. The month encourages people to learn about, appreciate and acknowledge the rich history, heritage, resilience, contributions and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples across the country.
Featured UBC Events
June 5, 2025 | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Book Launch—The Teachings of Mutton: A Coast Salish Woolly Dog
Join MOA for this special book launch. Author Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa will read selected excerpts from the book alongside several of the book’s Coast Salish contributors including Debra Sparrow, Janice George and Kerrie Charnley.
June 12, 2025 | 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Decolonization Tour
The Decolonization Tour guided by the Belkin Art Gallery highlights site-specific artworks by Indigenous artists and raises questions around issues of place, space and identity.
June 20, 2025 | 8:30 pm
Celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day x Summer Solstice
This outdoor screening will be under the summer skies, celebrating Indigenous storytelling and visual brilliance. The event will feature SGaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife), the first-ever film made entirely in the Haida language. Co-directed by Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown, this powerful story brings to life a haunting Haida legend of loss, survival, and transformation.
September 20–21, 2025
ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl Come Toward the Fire Festival
ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl is a festival celebration of Indigenous culture and community presented by the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam)—on whose territory the Chan Centre and UBC are located.
UBC Okanagan Events
Interested in Indigenous History Month events happening at UBC’s Okanagan campus?
Visit https://events.ok.ubc.ca/indigenous-history-month/
Featured Community Events
June 1, 2025 | 11:00 am
Family Fun Day: Celebrating National Indigenous History Month
Join the Museum of North Vancouver for a day of family fun! Through storytelling, crafts, language learning and more, connect with the vibrant history of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ Nations, and the North Shore lands we call home.
June 1–30, 2025
National Indigenous History Month at the Vancouver Public Library
Join the celebration by learning more about Indigenous people’s history, lives and cultures, reading books and watching films by Indigenous authors and filmmakers, attending events and exploring resources.
Resources
UBC Resources
- Professional Development Opportunities
- Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre
- Indigenous Research Support Initiative
- Xwi7xwa Guide to Land Acknowledgements
- Acknowledging the Musqueam People at Ceremonies and Events
- Connecting Communities: Principles for Musqueam-UBC Collaboration, by Aaron Lao
- Okanagan campus Declaration of Truth and Reconciliation commitments
- Indigenous Foundations: histories, politics, cultures of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada
- Love, Land & Spirit podcast series
- UBC Learning Circle booklist
- Residential School Timeline
- Kamloops Residential School Timeline
- The Catholic Church and the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement
- Supporting the International Decade of Indigenous Languages
- 5 Arts courses you can take to learn about Indigenous history and culture
- It takes a community to motivate change
- Wellness Drop-ins
Community Resources
Background Information
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
- United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples: resources
- National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report
- Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples report
- FirstVoices: web-based tools and services designed to support Indigenous people engaged in language archiving, language teaching and culture revitalization
Reference and Style Guides
- Reporting in Indigenous Communities by Duncan McCue
- Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples, by Gregory Younging
- Pronunciation Guide for Indigenous Communities in BC, compiled by Bannock and Butter
Land Acknowledgements
- Beyond territorial acknowledgments, by âpihtawikosisân (Chelsea Vowel)
- Native Land, a living resource to help identify territories, languages, and treaties
- Khelsilem’s Tips for Acknowledging Territory 1.0, by Khelsilem (Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh Úxwumixw)
Working Respectfully with Communities
- Why Aboriginal Peoples Can’t Just “Get Over It”, by Jeffrey J. Schiffer
- Settler Colonialism Primer, by Laura Hurwitz & Shawn Bourque
- Decolonizing practices, workshops designed by Michelle Lorna Nahanee, Squamish
- 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act, adapted from book by Bob Joseph
Other Resources
- Open online course on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights
- First Peoples Law, a law firm dedicated to defending and advancing Indigenous Peoples’ Aboriginal title, rights and Treaty rights
- My Ally Bill of Responsibilities, by Lynn Gehl
- Unsettling the Settler Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation in Canada
Are you in a UBC department or student group planning an Indigenous History Month event?
Please connect with us to have your event considered for this page: info.events@ubc.ca.