New Indigenous Law Books for 2026

June is National Indigenous History Month and is an opportunity to learn about and celebrate the cultures, traditions, and experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. When the LawMatters team creates the Law Books for Libraries list each year, we pay special attention to books with Indigenous-specific legal content. We wanted to use this post to highlight some of the titles which are new to the List this year. All these books are pre-approved for purchase using the LawMatters grant funding.    

w7ec n7élye ey || We Are Still Here 

This is the memoir of Phyllis Webstad, the founder of Orange Shirt Day. In this book, she tells the story of her life, including sharing at the 2013 Truth and Reconciliation event in Williams Lake and her work travelling across the country to advocate for Indigenous rights.  

The Colonial Problem: An Indigenous Perspective on Crime and Injustice in Canada 

This book shows how colonialism continues to uphold inequality in the Canadian justice system, resulting in both the victimization and criminalization of Indigenous peoples.  

Canada & The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 

This book analyses Canada’s relationship with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), including how UNDRIP came to be, how Canada’s constitution interacts with UNDRIP, and important court decisions and legislation. 

Process as Power: The Legitimacy of Indigenous Consultation in British Columbia Environmental Assessments 

This book uses interviews and analyses of judicial decisions and environmental assessment reports to evaluate systemic flaws in the BC environmental assessment process as it relates to Indigenous consultation.  

We’ve also added some new Indigenous titles to our Law Books for Kids list. This list features books for children that have legal or social-justice specific content. New to this List this year are:  

Kohkom’s First Drum 

Charlie’s Kohkom tells him about her experience in the Sixties Scoop. This book is for ages 6 to 8.  

Tess’s Red Dress 

Tess’s parents show her how to honour her Auntie by wearing her red dress and participating in the Red Dress Day march. This book is for ages 6 to 9.  

Shirley: An Indian Residential School Story 

This book tells the true story of Shirley (Fletcher) Horn, who was taken to residential school at the age of five. This book is for ages 9 to 12.  

Want to see more new titles? You can see the full Law Books for Libraries List and Law Books for Kids Lists on the Courthouse Libraries BC website.