CRKN Completes Phase II of the Indigenous Subject Headings Project

March 30, 2024

The Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) has completed the second phase of the Indigenous Subject Headings project. This project is part of our ongoing efforts to update the Canadiana collections and infrastructure with community-supported improvements, and will result in a better experience for researchers seeking content in Canadiana by and about Indigenous communities.

In this project, CRKN staff removed outdated and disrespectful language in Canadiana subject headings and metadata that relate to Indigenous communities. We then replaced that language with updated terminology developed with guidance from Indigenous groups and pre-existing work from GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) organizations. Phase II of the project involved removing the term “Indian” from subject headings and, where required, updating the spelling and alphabet of subject headings. For example, the term “Micmac Indians” has been replaced with “Mi’kmaq,” a term that better reflects current usage among the Mi’kmaq community and GLAM organizations in Canada. CRKN completed the first phase of the project in 2022, which replaced the Canadiana subject heading “Indians of North America” with “Indigenous peoples.”

To encourage collaboration and provide transparency for our work, CRKN is once again sharing a spreadsheet outlining interim subject headings, developed as a provisional measure while national efforts advance. It will be revised as language changes, or as an updated national vocabulary is created. This spreadsheet is a living document and should not be considered exhaustive or definitive, and we encourage input and feedback on it.

Next steps for the Indigenous Subject Headings project include continuing our support for the National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA) and their Respectful Terminology Platform Project, which aims to build “an open and online platform that will enable a dynamic, multilingual set of terminologies applied to Indigenous Peoples, places, heritage, tradition, knowledge and cultures.” CRKN members have contributed financially to the Respectful Terminology Platform Project, and CRKN staff members sit on the Technology Working Group guiding the project. CRKN looks forward to further collaboration with NIKLA.

The Indigenous Subject Headings project is just one step of many to reduce the potential harms faced by researchers accessing historical materials on Canadiana. As CRKN continues to update Canadiana through collaborative work with members and partners, as well as through infrastructure upgrades and collection development, the need to appropriately represent Indigenous peoples and their experiences remains front of mind. We are committed to learning from and correcting the mistakes of the past as we bring Canadiana into the future.

CRKN thanks the Preservation and Access Committee for their ongoing guidance and oversight on this project. We would also like to acknowledge the labour of the Indigenous library and other GLAM workers who continue to lead this work and inform our activities.

For more information on the Indigenous Subject Headings project, please contact Francesca Brzezicki, Heritage Engagement Officer, at fbrzezicki@crkn.ca.

(Via Canadian Research Knowledge Network)