Indigenous Archives and Record-keeping
The purpose of this page is to present a selection of resources to support Indigenous organizations, cultural memory-keepers, and Archivists who find themselves working with community records and to further the care, access, and preservation of heritage materials within Indigenous communities. Content will be updated as new best practices are shared and publications are made available on the topics below. Further resources on archival theory and best practices can be found as part of the AABC Archivist's Toolkit.
Sections:
- UNDRIP and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce
- General Resources
- Training Opportunities
- Repatriation
- Funding Opportunities
- Protocol and Policy Development
- Records Management
- Description, Name Authorities and Subject Indexing
- Privacy Legislation and Indigenous Records
- Preservation of Indigenous Records
- Software and Digital Heritage
- Publications and Presentations
Recommendations for additions, revisions and corrections are encouraged and should be directed to the EAS Coordinator at aabc.advisor@aabc.ca.
Content reviewed & website links verified: January 2021
UNDRIP and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Taskforce
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (University of Manitoba)
Association of Canadian Archivists Truth and Reconciliation
Steering Committee on Canada's Archives: Response to the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce (TRC-TF)
Canadian Council of Archives
General Resources
First Peoples’ Cultural Council - 10 Recommendations for Supporting Indigenous Cultural Heritage
Library and Archives Canada Indigenous Documentary Heritage Initiatives
Canadian Federation of Libraries Association Indigenous Resources
First Nations in BC Knowledge Network – Information Management Resource Library
Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries & Museums
National Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous Languages
Training Opportunities
First Nations Public Service Secretariat: Management Training Academy: Records and Information Management
IKBLC – Indigitization Program
Archives Association of British Columbia (AABC)
Canadian Museums Association (CMA)
Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA)
Association of Records Managers and Administrator (ARMA)
Repatriation
Royal BC Museum Repatriation Handbook (August 2018)
Funding Opportunities
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Department of Canadian Heritage Museums Assistance Program (MAP)
Canadian Heritage Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage
Library and Archives Canada “Listen, Hear Our Voices”
Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program
Government of Canada “Young Canada Works”
IKLBC “BC History Digitization Program”
First Peoples Cultural Council Language Grants, Arts Grants and Heritage Grants; Digitization grants
Indigenous Services Canada “BC Capacity Initiative” (BCCI)
Canada Council for the Arts “Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples”
Friends of BC Archives “Indigenous Research Fund”
Protocol and Policy Development
First Nations Information Governance Centre
- First Nations principles of OCAP® are a set of standards that establish how First Nations data should be collected, protected, used, or shared.
Protocols for Native American Archival Materials
Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Protocols for Libraries, Archives, and Information Services
UVic Libraries - Digital Ethics and Reconciliation in Libraries and Archives
Royal BC Museum Indigenous Collections Policy (August 2018)
Smithsonian Shared Stewardship Policy (July 2019)
First Nations of BC Knowledge Network
Records Management
First Nations Summit Information Management Toolkit for First Nations Government in BC
First Nations Public Service Secretariat Management Training Academy: Records and Information Management
Description, Name Authorities and Subject Indexing
Library and Archives Canada Guidelines for writing titles for descriptions of Indigenous-related archival materials
UBC X̱wi7x̱wa Library
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) Resource Centre Classification Plan (July 2015)
University of Manitoba Indigenous Knowledge Management: Indigenous Subject Headings - AMA LCSH
Red River College Indigenous Subject Headings Modification Project (Winnipeg, May 4, 2020)
National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA)
Modifications to the Library of Congress Subject Headings for Use by Manitoba Archives (2016)
Greater Victoria Public Library Indigenous Subject Heading List (interim)
Privacy Legislation and Indigenous Records
The Impacts of Bill C-58 on First Nations’ Access to Information: A Discussion Paper Following the Review of Bill C-58 by the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs National Claims Research Directors and Union of BC Indian Chiefs (March 20, 2019)
Digitization and Preservation of Indigenous Records
Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) Notes (Indigenous Materials N6/1 – N6/9)
First Peoples Cultural Council Digitization Grants
Software and Digital Heritage
EcoTrust Canada Referrals Software: An Analysis of Options (2017)
Cedar Box (referrals/managing consultation, heritage, fieldwork, GIS, governance)
Community Knowledge Keeper (referrals/managing consultation, heritage, fieldwork, GIS. Also provides a comprehensive digital community archive for documents, photographs, audio, and video files)
Trailmark (referrals/managing consultation, heritage, fieldwork, GIS)
FirstVoices (via First Peoples Cultural Council, focus on Indigenous language archiving)
Land Occupancy and Use Information System (LOUIS) Toolkit (data management for Indigenous communities, modules for Asset Management, Consultation, Indigenous Knowledge and Spatial Information)
Publications and Presentations
Simon Fraser University – Conference “Sorting Libraries Out: Decolonizing Classification and Indigenizing Description” (March 11–13, 2019)
Kimberly Christen (2011). Opening Archives: Respectful Repatriation.The American Archivist: Spring/Summer 2011, Vol. 74, No. 1, pp. 185-210.
Museum Anthropology Review. Vol 7 No 1-2 (2013). After the Return: Digital Repatriation and the Circulation of Indigenous Knowledge
Mary S. Linn (2014). Living archives: A community based language archive model. In David Nathan & Peter K. Austin (eds) Language Documentation and Description, vol 12: Special Issue on Language Documentation and Archiving. London: SOAS. pp. 53-67.
Kimberly L. Lawson. Precious Fragments: First Nations Materials in Archives, Libraries and Museums. Master's thesis, University of British Columbia, 2004.
