GDI Programs
and Services
Curriculum
and Publishing Department
About the Curriculum and Publishing Department
Since 1985, the Curriculum and Publishing Department has developed
more than 75 Métis-specific resources, which have instilled
pride among the Métis and informed the larger community about
the Métis' role in building Canada. In fact, GDI is the only
book publisher in Canada that exclusively publishes Métis-specific
books by Métis authors and illustrators. Our books and resources
ensure that the Métis continue to tell their own stories.
GDI, therefore, provides an excellent service to Canada's literary
community because our books are unique and fill numerous voids in
the literature. GDI’s Publishing Department has the following
multifaceted mandate:
I)
To provide the public with a balanced analysis of Métis
history and culture by producing high-quality and inclusive books,
audio, audio-visual and multimedia resources, posters and prints
from a Métis perspective;
II)
To publish and promote the works of emerging Métis writers
and artists;
III)
To put all sales revenue back into our community-based non-profit
publishing program;
IV)
To support Métis artistic, cultural and literary achievement
throughout Canada;
V)
To develop both a conventional museum/archives and resource centre
and an online virtual museum, which will showcase the Institute’s
artifact and archival collection and
VI)
To build partnerships with like-minded educators, community groups,
non-profit agencies and government departments to ensure a strong
Métis presence in decision-making bodies affecting book
publishing, education and heritage issues.
The Department
develops Métis specific curriculum to be used in Saskatchewan
classrooms and is responsible for publishing of educational material.
We publish books by Métis authors and artists that illuminate
Métis history and culture and support the work, through publishing
and advocacy, of Métis Elders, authors, artists, singers,
songwriters and video producers. GDI's Publishing Department has
become a leader in the production and dissemination
of literary, audio-visual and multimedia resources pertaining to
Métis history and culture. For instance:
I)
More than a dozen GDI publications have been placed on the Saskatchewan
Department of Learning's recommended resource list;
II)
Five books have been short-listed for Saskatchewan Books Awards:
Remembrances: Interviews with Métis Veterans (1998),
Changes (2000), The Bulrush Helps the Pond (2002),
Metis Legacy (2002) and Drops of Brandy: An Anthology
of Métis Fiddle Music (2002);
III)
In September 2000, we co-released, with Arnold Publishing, the
first CD-ROM about Canada's Métis entitled The Metis:
Our People, Our Story;
IV)
In November 2001, we released Metis Legacy, the most
substantial Métis-specific annotated resource, historiography
and collection of scholarly essays to date;
V)
In the winter of 2002, we released Drops of Brandy: and Other
Traditional Tunes, the most comprehensive traditional fiddling
compilation to date;
VI)
In March 2002, we released Expressing Our Heritage: Métis
Artistic Designs Study Prints and Resource Manual, the most
comprehensive resource on Métis material culture to date;
VII)
In November 2002, two GDI books won Saskatchewan Book Awards:
The Bulrush Helps the Pond (First Peoples Publishing)
and Metis Legacy (Publishing in Education) and
VIII)
In May 2003, GDI, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Department
of Learning and the University of Saskatchewan's Division of Multimedia
and Technology, developed the Virtual Museum of Métis History
and Culture (www.metismuseum.ca).
IX)
In November 2003, GDI's Expressing Our Heritage: Métis
Artistic Designs won two Saskatchewan Book Awards in the
First Peoples Publishing and Publishing in Education categories.
The Curriculum
and Publishing Department is located in GDI's Saskatoon office,
where the Department is also responsible for GDI's museum and archives.
The museum and archive collection includes traditional arts and
crafts, oral histories, and a print, video and audio archival collection.
The Curriculum and Publishing Department also oversees the development
and delivery of The Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture,
the most comprehensive collection of Métis material available
on the Internet.
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