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Adult Upgrading - English 012 First Nations Focus Fall 2024

Finding Indigenous Resources at OC Library

IMPORTANT: the dominant structure for organizing information is from a western perspective, for this reason you may need to use outdated (sometimes offensive) terminology to find resources related to Indigenous peoples; please contact us if you'd like assistance navigating this.

Combine keywords related to the concept of Indigenous identity with keywords related to your area of interest.

For example:

Indigenous

Aboriginal

"First Nations"

Inuit

Métis

"Indians of North America"

Indian

Native

Name of Nation or Community (e.g. Secwépemc)

Search Tips:

  • Use quotation marks to search for a phrase (e.g. "First Nations").

  • Use an asterisk to search for words with the same stem (e.g. Indigen* retrieves Indigenous, Indigeneity).

  • Terminology changes over time. You many need to search for alternative spellings of a word, for example: Sto:lo, Stó:lô, Staulo, Stahlo or you may need to search for alternate words, for example: Kwakiutl/Kwakwaka'wakw or Nootka/Nuu-chah-nulth

Subject headings are a tool designed to help researchers find similar materials. These are only some examples of the many subject headings that Okanagan College Library uses. Spend a few minutes exploring them when you find a book in the catalogue that supports your research.

Search by Subject Terms

  • Indians of North America

  • First Nations

  • Inuit

  • Métis

  • Native peoples -- Canada

  • Indigenous peoples -- Canada

  • Haida Indians

 

Below is an example of where to find subject areas that are part of an item's record. You can click on them to find other materials with the same subject heading.

Okanagan College Library uses the Library of Congress classification system. Classification systems are used as a way to arrange, group, and order materials. The Library of Congress classification system was originally devised between 1898 and 1912 which is part of why outdated, sometimes offensive, terminology can be found in the system. Often, materials about Indigenous peoples fall under "history" as shown below:

Class E-F: History of the Americas

  • E75-99 Indians of North America

  • E81-83 Indian Wars

  • E99 Indian tribes and cultures

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