If any of these statements are similar to questions you may have, this section of the Indigenous Studies LibGuide may help you in your search.
In addition, there is a chapter in Indigenous Information Literacy called Finding Indigenous Voices, that may also help. The information in this chapter details our local Indigenous Authors Local Subject terms and how to search for Indigenous authors in our catalogue.
Before starting your research you should always be aware of the barriers Indigenous scholars may face that result from colonialism. There are biases, both overt and subtle, that persist in the process of academic research, writing, and publication. Gregory Younging opens his crucial work, Elements of Indigenous Style, by pointing out that there has been a failure in publishing to present Indigenous voices authentically as there persists "the colonial practice of transmitting "information" about Indigenous Peoples rather than transmitting Indigenous Peoples' perspectives about themselves" (2018, p.1).
Ashley Edwards, Indigenous Initiatives and Instruction Librarian at Simon Fraser University, also reminds readers that it is important to think about "what is meant by Indigenous scholar and scholarly output" in her article, Finding Indigenous voices: Approaches for discovering Indigenous scholars and authors. The bias within the peer review systems means that many voices which can represent Indigenous communities--Indigenous scholars, researchers, knowledge keepers and Elders "do not [necessarily] have to be credentialed by or affiliated with the academy" to be considered as citable (2021, para. 2). If you have been asked by your instructor to find "scholarly" material by Indigenous authors, it may be worth speaking with your instructor and ask them what they mean by 'scholarly'.
It is also important to keep in mind that printed material, which this step-by-step research guide is primarily focused on, is only one expression of Indigenous knowledges. In addition, orality and oral traditions are still important in many communities today. Gathering and citing oral knowledge from Indigenous peoples such as Elders requires appropriate protocol, permissions and respect. To find out more about Respectful Research, watch the Videos about Indigenous Information Literacy by Indigenous Studies Liaison Librarian Rachel Chong or read Indigenous Information Literacy.
One option to find out if an author is Indigenous is to search for a self-identification with an internet search. Ensure to use sources that are reputable and respectful to the author's privacy. For example, authors websites, public statements in news articles or interviews, or other published works are appropriate types of sources. Authors may also include a self-positioning statement within the content of their work, either within the text or as a statement prefacing or closing their words. Biographical texts by publishing houses the authors work with can also be helpful.
Each of our campus libraries at Langley, Richmond, Surrey and Tech campuses feature an χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection. χʷəχʷéy̓əm is a physical space with a collection with works by Indigenous authors. The purpose of χʷəχʷéy̓əm is to centre and feature Indigenous voices in a single, searchable, and browseable collection.
χʷəχʷéy̓əm means 'oral storytelling' in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, a language spoken by people in Kwantlen, Katzie, Tsawwassen, Kwikwetlem, and Musqueam First Nations, on whose territories KPU is built.
If you are looking for Indigenous-authored material, we often recommend to browse the collection in person or through our online catalogue. It is helpful to have material grouped together to browse. Our Surrey collection is the largest.
Read more about the space at the χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection.
For a more comprehensive research for books by Indigenous authors you can use the library catalogue.
There are two ways to access the χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection via our online catalogue:
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The χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection is organized with a different classification system (system to organize books) than the rest of the library collection. It is a modified version of the Brian Deer classification (BDC). This classification follows a more geographic and community-based approach, that focuses on relationalities. One important outcome of the BDC is that books by authors who identify with the same Indigenous Peoples and communities stand on the shelves next to each other. For more information about our use of the BDC, visit Indigenization at KPU Library.
You also find books with Indigenous content in the 'General Collection' of KPU Library. There the books are organized by the Library of Congress classification. While we endevour to include all newly acquired material by Indigenous authors in χʷəχʷéy̓əm, some of our older material may have been missed by our reclassification process.
In addition, material by non-Indigenous authors about Indigenous topics are not included in χʷəχʷéy̓əm and are housed in the General Collection. This does not necessarily discount the material as feasible sources of your research; You, as the researcher, will have to assess the material and authorship according for your purposes and decide if the material housed outside the χʷəχʷéy̓əm collection is appropriate for your subject or area of research.
Please note:
KPU Library has begun the process of Indigenizing our collection (in part) by decolonizing certain subject and name terms. This is a long and ongoing process, so you may encounter some problematic and outdated terms in our catalogue. Visit How to Search for Indigenous Books in our Indigenous Studies Guide to learn more.
You can search in the KPU catalogue for books, e-books, streamed films and DVDs.
This video by Indigenous Studies Liaison Librarian Rachel Chong gives you a short introduction how you can find Indigenous authors’ material in the KPU catalogue. KPU Library has created a local subject term “Indigenous authors” the catalogue can be searched with and it also makes Indigenous authorship visible in the detailed information on a title. The χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection can be browsed online through the catalogue by searching 'χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection.'
The video is part of a Video series about Indigenous Information Literacy by Rachel Chong, that discusses topics such as Respectful Research, finding Indigenous voices, and Elder and Knowledge Keeper citations. All the information is also published in a Pressbook.
You have the task to search for material on environmental issues and justice with a focus on Indigenous communities by Indigenous authors:
Noting that the item is housed within the Indigenous Collection, as well as the item being tagged with the Subject Term 'Indigenous Author,' are two good indications that the item has some Indigenous authorship.
The final step is then examining the item and content. It should be apparent if an item is by one author, or if it is co-written or has multiple authors within the publication.
Summon is a research tool that searches most of the library's collection and will give you results listing books, ebooks, articles, and other e-resources. While this is useful to find potential resources, it may not be clear whether or not an author is Indigenous. Databases that KPU Library subscribes to do not typically contain tags that identifies Indigenous authorship.
This means that the searcher may have to do some independent inquiry (as listed above) before or after their Summon search if the searcher wishes to find Indigenous-authored material.
Selecting the name of the author in a Summon result list will open a new list with all materials at KPU Library by this specific author. The results will also contain articles by this author from the subscribed databases. You may be able to read and download these articles in full-text.
In the catalogue search, you may notice a book by author Chelsea Vowel. Looking at the item record, you see that the 'Indigenous Author' tag has been applied, which means that the author identifies as being Indigenous. You are interested what else Chelsea Vowel has published, so by searching her name through Summon or clicking on her name, you can see 16 titles by her in the KPU system, including some articles.
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There are other ways to search for Indigenous authors. Here are some further tips:
If you go to Special Topics in this Subject Guide you will find tips for books and other resources on various topics - Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices.
