Indigenous Topics

To amplify Indigenous voices in the collection, the Emily Carr University Library has created an “Indigenous creators” local subject term.

The subject term is being applied to materials that have been created in whole or in part by people who self-identify as Indigenous to Turtle Island (colonial “North America”). This includes Indigenous authors, illustrators, directors, producers, and other creators. Resources tagged with the subject term are searchable by doing a subject search for Indigenous creators.

The Library + Archives team started adding this local subject term to materials in the spring of 2024. It is ongoing work to retroactively add this to our catalogue records. 

The Indigenous creators local subject term is applied to all types of materials (books, artists’ books, exhibition catalogues, magazines, films, and other media) where any of the following apply:

1. The entire work has been created by one person who is Indigenous
2. A substantial contribution has been made by a person who is Indigenous (e.g., a chapter of an edited work)
3. A corporate or group author is Indigenous operated.

Following KPU Library’s approach, the local subject term is not applied to works purely edited or translated by or with a foreword by an Indigenous person. The term is also not added to materials about Indigenous peoples by authors/creators who are not Indigenous. 

You can find works which have been tagged with the Indigenous Creators local subject term by searching the library catalogue using the following steps.

Please be aware that there are currently a limited number of resources searchable in this way. As work on this initiative progresses, more resources with the Indigenous Creators subject term will be discoverable in the library’s catalogue.

1. Visit the ECU Library website.
2. Select the “Books & Media” tab on the General Search tabbed box.
3. Search for “Indigenous creators” in quotation marks.
4. View a list of materials by Indigenous creators.

To check if the Indigenous Creators local subject term has been applied to a work:

1. View the catalogue record for the item.
2. Scroll down and select the green “More Details” button.
3. Under the heading “Search for related items by subject,” look for “Topic Heading: Indigenous creators.”
4. Select the hyperlink to view all works tagged with the subject term.

The Indigenous Creators local subject term is manually applied to materials in the ECU Library catalogue. Works are assessed on a case-by-case basis using the best knowledge available at the time of application. The term is only applied when a clear and reputable source is located which identifies a creator as Indigenous, such as a self-identification or biography.

 Identifying Indigenous authors, creators, and contributors can be challenging for several reasons. These include:

• Some authors may be underrepresented with little information publicly available about them.
• Some Indigenous contributors may not be identified as such in certain publications.
• Indigenous contributors may be uncredited in certain publications.
• Non-Indigenous people may misrepresent their identity as Indigenous.
• Some individuals who identify as Indigenous may be accepted by certain Indigenous communities, but not others. 
• Knowledge about a person’s identity can change over time. For example, a person may learn about or confirm their Indigenous identity later in life.

Library users are ultimately responsible for making their own decisions around what qualifies as authentic Indigenous content for their own purposes – this includes conducting their own research into the resources’ creators and content. Those seeking more information about Indigenous identity are encouraged to engage with the resources listed at the end of this document.

The ECU Library is working to make Indigenous authors, illustrators, contributors, and creators more discoverable in its catalogue and library guides by using the Indigenous creators subject term. This is a necessarily time consuming and manual process.

We need your help! If you know of a resource by an Indigenous creator that is part of the library collection and not already tagged with an Indigenous creators subject term in the library catalogue, please let us know by submitting a suggestion here. Recommendations will be reviewed using the selection guidelines outlined above. Please include a link to information or a few sentences about the creator in your recommendation.

Members of the ECU community wishing to challenge the appropriateness of a resource tagged with an Indigenous creators local subject term are welcome to submit their reasoning by submitting a suggestion to the library. All complaints or challenges will be considered carefully with consultation and research. If you'd like us to get back to you, be sure to include your contact information. 

Arcand, Mark. "Indigeneity is for Indigenous People to Define." The Globe and Mail, 18 April 2022. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A700983154/CPI?u=ecuad&sid=ebsco&xid=5ac44c0e

First Peoples Group. ‘GII-IKIDONAANIWAN’ ‘It Has Been Said’: Queen’s University Indigenous Identity Project: Final Report. Queens University. 2022,
https://www.queensu.ca/indigenous/sites/oiiwww/files/uploaded_files/FPG%20Queens%20Report%20Final%20July%207.pdf

Hayden Taylor, Drew. "Proposal for an Indigenous Identity Act Presents a Moral Quandary: Opinion." The Globe and Mail, 25 Jan. 2021. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A649583422/CPI?u=ecuad&sid=ebsco&xid=db41e1a9

Kolopenuk, Jessica. "The Pretendian Problem." Canadian Journal of Political Science, vol. 56, no. 2, 2023, pp. 468-473. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008423923000239 

Leroux, Darryl. Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity. University of Manitoba Press, 2019. https://emilycarr.bc.catalogue.libraries.coop/eg/opac/record/125830549 

NIIF (National Indigenous Identity Forum). Indigenous Voices on Indigenous Identity: What Was Heard Report. 2022, https://www.fnuniv.ca/wp-content/uploads/Indigenous-Voices-on-Indigenous-Identity_National-Indigenous-Identity-Forum_Report_March-22_June-22-FINAL.pdf

Strong Nations Publishing. “Strong Nations Bookstore Authenticity Labels.” https://www.strongnations.com/download.php?f=203. Accessed April 18, 2024.