Indigenous History Month
June is National Indigenous History Month. Discover FREE programs offered by the Town of Halton Hills and the Halton Hills Public Library that honour the traditions, knowledge, creativity and diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Visit the events calendar for all upcoming programs.
Moccasin Identifier Project Painting &
Storywalk® of The Raven's Feast by ḴungJaadee
Presented by Halton Hills Public Library
- June 4, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Georgetown Library & Cultural Centre Plaza
- June 21, 2-4 p.m. at Acton Library branch
Learn more about the Moccasin Identifier Project and Storywalk®
Display of Historic Indigenous Beadwork
On view in the Sisnett Lobby of the Library & Cultural Centre all month
On loan from a private collector
Spirit of the Bead: A Celebration of Northern and Woodlands Native Beadwork. This exhibit examines the role of beads as a forum for adaptation, survival and creative expression of the Northeast and Woodland Indigenous groups of the Great Lakes region.
Equity & Diversity Book Club
In Partnership with HEDR and Halton Region Libraries
June 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Join the Equity & Diversity Book Club! This month we will discuss 'Unreconciled: Family, Truth and Indigenous Resistance' by Jesse Wente. Register here.
DIY Embroidery Kit
Pick up your $10 kit from the Library & Cultural Centre box office starting June 14.
Make your own embroidery and beading creation! The kits were created by The Aunties Dandelion, a collective rooted in Indigenous familial ways of being in relationship to each other and the natural world. The kits include images from the film From Wisconsin with Love (see details about the film below), and a QR code that will lead you to an intro video. Suitable for ages 10+.
Bring your project in progress and stitch with us in the lobby and enjoy refreshments and conversation before the films (details below). Don't forget to share your creations on social media and use the hashtag #hhIsCulture
Indigenous Film Series at the JET
Join us prior to the screenings to enjoy refreshments, table displays, and activities. Get your free ticket and a $10 embroidery & beading DIY kit from the box office.
Run Woman Run
June 23 at 7 p.m., join us for refreshments and activities at 6pm
1hr 40 minutes. Drama/Comedy
Directed by Zoe Hopkins. Rating: PG
Synopsis: Beck, a single mom, lives in Six Nations, Canada. After her mother’s death, she abandons her dream of becoming a Mohawk language teacher, and an unhealthy lifestyle leads to a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. The ghost of Tom Longboat, a sports legend of the early 1900s, appears to her. He teaches Beck to become an honour runner, dedicating each run to an aspect of creation or a special person in her life. With Tom’s help, Beck is able to turn her life around.
From Wisconsin with Love
June 30 at 7 p.m., join us for refreshments and activities at 6 p.m.
53 minutes. Documentary
Filmmaker: Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore. Rating: PG
Synopsis: From 2011 - 2015 community members in Wisconsin's Penokee Hills on the south shore of Lake Superior challenged what would have been the world's largest taconite mine. The centrepiece of that challenge was the Anishinabe-led Harvest Education Learning Project: a five-acre protest/envisioning camp on the edge of the proposed mine site. In 2015 the mining company closed its doors and left the region. "From Wisconsin with Love: People of Harvest" is the story of what the community was fighting for from the perspective of Anishinabe prophecy and practice - and what happened next.
Stories from Land Back Camp
June 30 (following From Wisconsin with Love, above)
26 minutes. Documentary
A film by Erik O’Neill. Co-directed by Erik O’Neill, Amy Smoke & Bangishimo
Rating: PG
Synopsis: On Indigenous peoples’ day a large tepee was erected in a busy, urban park close to O:seKenhionhata:tie (Willow River, presently called the Grand River) with the intention to assert an Indigenous presence just for the day. Over 100 days later, the tepee still remained standing, with the space around it transformed into a camp of queer, Two Spirit, trans, and/or non-binary youth learning and practicing their Indigenous cultural heritages and demanding Land Back.
Don't miss the post-screening talk with Amy Smoke and Bangishimo, two of the co-founders for O:se Kenhionhata:tie Land Back Camp and co-directors of the film. They'll discuss how the intent was to temporarily “occupy” a space in the park. Amy and Bangishimo observed that most of the young people at the camp were Two-Spirit, queer, trans, and/or non-binary. Land Back Camp has now become an IndigeQueer space for young people to reconnect and learn about their Indigeneity. Now in their third summer hosting the camp, their time is spent educating the community about Indigenous Rights, Decolonization and Community Advocacy.
Learn on your own time with The Halton Hills Public Library
- View HHPL Halton Hills Lectures Series recordings:
- An Evening With Michelle Good
- An Evening with Harold R. Johnson
- We Are Still Here – The Mississaugas of the Credit, hosted by Darin Wybenga
- Visit HHPL's online catalogue to view a variety of books, videos and resources by Indigenous authors and creators.
- Choose books and resources from First Nations, Inuit & Métis voices and take part in the The Read Woke Challenge.
- Borrow book sets on titles by Indigenous authors to use in your book club or classroom. Ask at a service desk for more information.