Stories that brought us Indigenous joy in 2023

With what may feel like a never-ending cycle of bad news, CBC Indigenous makes an effort to ensure moments of joy are also in your news feed.

Positive community reflection is a priority for us and we wanted to share with you some of our favourite stories from the past year. 

You probably know about Barbie's dream home but have you seen Barbie's fish camp? 

In September, Candace Maracle spoke with Angela Gonzalez, who has been making scenes that depict the fish camps she grew up in, with help from her daughter. 

"I grew up in fish camp along with Koyukuk River in interior Alaska and my late grandma and my mom and aunties, they would create, do the same thing that I did with my daughters," said Gonzalez. 

Gonzalez is Koyukon Athabaskan from Huslia, Alaska, about 600 kilometres northwest of Anchorage

Fish camp Barbie's style is no match for those typical storebought Barbies. Fish camp Barbie wears a qaspeq (a summer parka made of cotton used to keep the mosquitos away), a beaded moosehide headband and mukluks.

Her accessories to match: a fish gutting table and ulu knife. 

No need to leave the city to get a little taste of the country, Buckskin Babes Urban Moosehide Collective is bringing it to you! 

The collective helps Indigenous people living in Montreal reconnect to land-based practices and traditional teaching from elders through their workshops. 

In May, Ka'nhehsí:io Deer spoke with Gracie Ratt, who drove her truck loaded up with hides to Montreal for a week-long tanning camp. 

"My motivation is keeping the culture, language, just to preserve it, especially for our youth," said Ratt, a member of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, about 300 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

Move over dorks, three Indigenous artists and content creators are Indigenizing nerdy popular culture. 

In October, Jennifer Francis spoke with Alina Pete, Jordanna George and Bianca Martin. These creators and artists are challenging a white-centric spaces of sci-fi and fantasy to include stories from the perspectives of Indigenous characters.