Indigenous literatures in Canada

Indigenous literature in Canada is the collective written works of Indigenous peoples of Canada, who include the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people of Canada. Each cultural diverse group has its own literature, language and culture.

Writing was not widespread among Indigenous peoples in Canada prior to European contact, so literature can sometimes be expanded to include the robust oral histories and lyric poetry of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Building upon robust oral traditions, Indigenous writers work in many genres today, including poetry, playwriting, and novels.

One of the earliest known Indigenous writers of Canada to publish in English was E. Pauline Johnson (Grand River Mohawk, 1742–1807). She wrote poetry and short stories, which were anthologized, and she published a collection of poems in The White Wampum in 1895.

Since Inuit, Métis, and First Nations are so diverse, the term "Indigenous literature" can be misleading and homogenizing. As Okanagan writer Jeannette Armstrong states in one interview, "I would stay away from the idea of 'Native' literature, there is no such thing. There is Mohawk literature, there is Okanagan literature, but there is no generic Native in Canada". However, the term is a broad umbrella term covering disparate writing traditions.