Historic photos show 'resilience,' 'strength' of Indigenous communities

When PaulSeesequasis began posting photos of Indigenous people from archives, museums andother institutions to social media, he earned a large following across the country.

Then he got a book deal.

The Saskatchewan author was inspired to begin the project when his mother, a residential school survivor, said she would like to see more stories depicting the strength and resilience of Indigenous communities across Canada.

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By posting the photos and having someone identify the people featured or provide a background story is giving the pictures new life,Seesequasissaid.

Book release in 2018

Seesequasishas signed a book deal with Penguin Random House.

He is currently interviewing people about the photos, which he said is a way of providing traditional oral history for the documents.

Seesequasis' book will contain full colour and black and white photosspanning five decades. It will feature various Indigenous communities throughout the country and include the work of anywhere from eight to 12 photographers, he said.

The photos depict Indigenous people enjoying themselves in day-to-day life, he said.

"When they start to see the resilience and the strength that went on in these communities, even in the hardest of times, I think that really strikes a chord with people when they are viewing these photos," he said.

The book will be released in 2018.