As you read this post, consider how dependant the world is on the all of the creative professionals working for, with, and within the Photographic Arts Community - from photographers and videographers to HMUAs and models to designers and directors involved in the process - to provide the images and videos that provide not just content but context, illustration, and clarification for everything from news to sales to stories. This week's #seventhings highlights one of the primary reasons Rare Earth came to be: removing barriers and empowering marginalised individuals, which are disproportionately represented within the Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit communities of Turtle Island. LISTEN   to this podcast on Indigenous stock photography. A quick scroll through "indigenous" images on Google or  Adobe's stock photography page  reveals how the dominant representation of Indigenous peoples is limited to costumes and stereotypes, completely devoid of "normal" things li...

This week's #seventhings is a little bit of something for everyone - science, technology, history, law, visual and performing arts, geneology, and weird history. Watch Jaat Sdiihltl’lxa: Woman Who Returns Heather didn't know she was Haida until she was 16. After visiting Haida Gwaii many times over the next twenty years, Heather realized she wanted to join her clan and receive her Haida name. This film follows her journey home. Follow  Meryl McMaster, an award-winning photographer of nêhiyaw (Plains Cree), British and Dutch descent. Haunting, ethereal, beautiful.  Her website is here. Go give Meryl some love and if you happen to be in the Ottawa area, be sure to catch her exhibit at the Karsh Masson Gallery before her latest show, Entanglements, closes on January 15, 2023. Entanglements Nov 17, 2022 - Jan 15, 2023 Karsh Masson Gallery Ottawa, Ontario Karsh Masson Gallery Learn about Lillian Eva Dyck (Cree; Chinese). She was a badass who grew up in small town Saskat...

Inspired by sweater weather turning to parka weather, this week's #seventhings is all about cold weather and snow. The night sky in winter holds no shortage of beauty for those willing to brave the cold and stare up (and point cameras!) at the heavens.  Listen to this episode of the CBC Unreserved podcast with Rosanna Deerchild called We Come From the Stars. Winter is a time for storytelling, and according to Tsimshian legend it was winter hunters that caused teeny tiny summer mosquitoes. Read The Winter Hunters and the Mosquito. Mosquito Mask Coast Tsimshian British Columbia Before 1925 Wood and paint Canadian Museum of Civilization, VII-C-1188, CD98-20-015 Watch this old-school NFB documentary on how igloos are traditionally made... Did you know protective winter eyewear was invented by the Inuit people? You might be surprised to  Learn what else was invented here long before before Europeans arrived on Turtle Island! Discover this incredible series of Warrior: Fire ...

This week, Rare Earth Outreach is excited to share how we can   LEARN about the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) and Ownership, Control, Access, and Protection (OCAP). While there is an obvious connection between unlawful and immoral possession of sacred items and artifacts (like the Royal Alberta Museum 's meteor known as Manitou Asinîy ) but could there be arguments for returning negatives and film taken of Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit peoples, too? WATCH this video explaining FNIGC, its mission, and OCAP's role in the ethical use, interpretation, and preservation of data ranging from research surveys and photographs to biological samples. Now that you have watched the video, there is a LOT more information coming at you so we suggest you look up a local (or discover a favourite) Canadian Indigenous radio station to LISTEN to while you read.  FOLLOW Dr. Kim Tallbear on Twitter for up-to-date information on topics that range from misappropriated ...

Here's this week's list of seven things - one thing for each day of the week - that you can do to make learning about Truth, Reconciliation, and Decolonisation a part of your daily habits. Watch this interview with Canadian musical icon Buffy St. Marie as she reflects on 81 amazing years on Turtle Island. Read this article about Spencer Wells and his attempt to use a genome project to prove that Indigenous Peoples are the precursor (read: un- or at least less-evolved) humans than white (European) people. His infamous quote justifying his research "Your DNA is Our History" should raise flags. Props to  National Geographic  for removing all of Wells' content from its site, citing a violation of its journalistic ethics policy. Follow some or all of these incredible Indigenous photographers . Buzzfeed is a US-based thing but read the bios (not even carefully) you will notice that several of the tribal or band names (Dene, Lakota Sioux, Squamish, etc.) are familiar. ...

Here's this week's list of seven things - one thing for each day this week - that you can do to make learning about Truth, Reconciliation, and Decolonisation a part of your daily habits.  This week, in light of Colonial Settler Day (known in the US as Columbus Day and in Canada as Thanksgiving Day) we've got some suggestions that will make you grateful for new perspectives. Download Decoloniszation is Not a Metaphor by Eve Tuck and Wayne Yang (2012) - it's a long and difficult read but one you'll likely refer back to, so we suggest you print it off and read it piece by piece so it's easier to digest. Watch Reel Injun , a documentary by Canadian Cree (Waskaganish) filmmaker Neil Diamond tracing the portrayal of North American Indigenous peoples in the movies from the silent era to the film's release in 2010. Buy or Borrow National Bestseller THIS PLACE: 150 Years Retold , a beautifully illustrated graphic novel reframing Canadian historical narratives thr...