On this week’s collected, connected conversations (the fifth in our summer series): the conclusion to our five-part retrospective, Why Canada Needs Natives Needy, wherein we feature a few more settler-centric solutions to settler-made problems, as well as examples of what truly independent Indigenous initiatives look like.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance):

• Naiomi Metallic, associate professor of law at Dalhousie University, and Yellowhead Institute advisory board member

• Tim Thompson, First Nations education advocate, and Yellowhead Research Fellow and advisory board member

• Kim TallBear, professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Society

• Ken Williams, playwright and associate professor with the University of Alberta department of drama

• Brock Pitawanakwat, associate professor of Indigenous Studies at York University

• Terese Mailhot, author and associate professor of English at Purdue University

• Robert Jago, writer, educator, co-founder and director of the Coast Salish History Project

• Danika Billie Littlechild, assistant professor of law and legal studies at Carleton University, and Ethical Space research stream leader at the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership

• Dr. Jeffrey Ansloos, clinical psychologist, associate professor of Indigenous health and social policy at the University of Toronto, and Canada Research Chair in Critical Studies in Indigenous Health and Social Action on Suicide

• Jesse Thistle, author and assistant professor in the department of humanities at York University

// CREDITS: Creative Commons music this episode includes ‘Expanding Cycle’ and ‘Up + Up (reprise/arise)’ by Correspondence (CC BY); Design for Dreaming by Lo-Fi Astronaut (CC BY); '02 - ricochets on the lake' by neil|lien (CC BY ND); 'Its A Trap' and 'A Moody Phonecall' by John Bartmann (CC 0); 'spacewalk' by Tea K Pea (CC BY); 'Seasonal Interlude' and 'F block (Outro)' by Gagmesharkoff (CC BY); 'Vibes Phibes' by DaveJf (CC 0).

On this week’s collected, connected conversations (the fourth in our summer series): part four of Why Canada Needs Natives Needy, ranging from the precarity of charity to the dubious duty to consult.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance):

• Michael Redhead Champagne, Winnipeg-based community leader, helper, author, and public speaker

• Lisa Monchalin, criminology lecturer at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in B.C.

• Candis Callison, associate professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and School for Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia

• Kim TallBear, professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Society

• Ken Williams, playwright and associate professor with the University of Alberta department of drama

• Brock Pitawanakwat, associate professor of Indigenous Studies at York University

// CREDITS: Creative Commons music this episode includes ‘Expanding Cycle’ and ‘Up + Up (reprise/arise)’ by Correspondence (CC BY); 'Reflections' by Kevin Hartnell (CC BY-SA); 'Pangea's Pulse' by Aldous Ichnite' (CC BY); 'Extremely Tik-tok compatible for slow videos' by Lundstroem (CC BY); 'New minimalist VII (Remix)' by Christian H. Soetemann (CC BY ND).

This week: building upon last episode's commanding talk by MI's own Kim TallBear, in which she highlighted the insatiable settler drive to consume all things Indigenous—including so-called ‘identity’ claims staked by individuals—host/producer Rick Harp discusses her insights with fellow roundtable regulars Ken Williams (associate professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama) and Brock Pitawanakwat (associate professor of Indigenous Studies at York University), a conversation peppered with a rundown of just the latest litany of colonial cosplayers making headlines.

CREDITS: 'An Autumn' by BIIANSU (via Zapsplat.com); our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic. Edited by Cassidy Villebrun-Buracas and Rick Harp.

Northern education rooted in the north: for many, it's a vision at the very heart of Laurentian University, a northern Ontario school that today is in turmoil. Administrators now pursuing a dramatic—some say draconian—process of retrenchment and austerity, cutting dozens of programs and positions.

Seen as a tricultural hub serving the region’s English, French and Indigenous populations, the institution has not only shared a campus with the University of Sudbury (among others), it’s shared funding. Now that too will end. Putting the fate of the U of S Indigenous Studies program—among Canada’s oldest—up in the air. But as some try to make sense of all the slashing, critics allege the process remains shrouded in secrecy. Prompting some to wonder whether larger agendas and larger forces may be at play.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable this week are MI regular Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, as well as special guest Celeste Pedri-Spade, an Associate Professor and Queen's National Scholar in Indigenous Studies at Queen’s University.

// CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic. SFX: “ding” by tim.kahn (CC BY 3.0)

It’s the second half of our conversation with artist Chief Lady Bird about her decision to design a beer can label in support of Indigenous women’s causes. In part one, we learned about how it all came to be and some of the reaction that’s poured forth in its wake. This time, we go deeper into popular misunderstandings and misrepresentations of drugs and addiction, drawing on the insights of a neuroscientist who not only studies drugs but unapologetically enjoys them too.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp for even more social lubrication are Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment, Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC, and our special guest, artist Okimaa Kwe Bihness, also known as Chief Lady Bird.

// CREDITS: “Tree Tenants,” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

It was meant as a gesture in support of Indigenous women. A one of a kind design by an Indigenous artist known for her bold, provocative imagery. But when it comes to her latest work, it’s not what her art shows that’s sparked strife so much as where it’s shown—wrapped around a cold can of beer. Cue the beer can backlash, with some slamming the artist for supposedly glorifying or at least trivializing a substance many blame for violence against and among Indigenous people. This week, the first half of an extended conversation with Chippewa/Potawatomi artist Chief Lady Bird to learn more about the origins of her collaboration with the brewery, the outrage it tapped into, and why this topic can be so touchy to talk about—for us included.

Also joining host/producer Rick Harp: MI regulars Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// CREDITS: Our theme is ‘nesting’ by birocratic.

Canine colonial. Is it apt to draw parallels between the worst ills of mainstream child welfare systems and those of animal welfare? It’s the potentially provocative thesis of the Vancouver Humane Society, a thesis they soon hope to put into practice.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp for a decolonial discussion on dogs on and off the rez are MI regulars Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, and Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment.

// CREDITS: Episode edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

They’re one of Canada’s oldest political parties. Heck, they gave the country its first ever prime minister back in 1867. Today, the Conservative Party of Canada hopes to form the next federal government. They may get their chance: rumours of a summer election abound.

Making the party’s recent policy convention—and the associated keynote speech of leader Erin O’Toole—possible windows into what another Conservative government might hold in store for Indigenous interests. Joining host/producer Rick Harp to parse the party's policies and pronouncements are Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

CREDITS: “Disco High” by UltraCat (CC BY 3.0)

A crapload of controversy. Did an Indigenous member of the Manitoba Legislature cross the line when she claimed members of the governing Conservative party "just don't give a crap about Indigenous women and girls in this province"? The Speaker sure thought so: ejecting the member for refusing to apologize or withdraw her so-called indecorous language. Meanwhile, not so long ago, an Indigenous MP in New Zealand was also ejected from that Parliament for not wearing a tie, or, as he put it, “a colonial noose.” On this episode, our roundtable unpacks unparliamentary conduct: is it just the usual tempest in a teapot of petty politics, or a thinly-disguised dig at unruly, ill-mannered savages who refuse to behave?

Joining host/producer Rick Harp are MI regulars Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic. SFX: 'boo 01' by tim.khan; 'Quiz Show Buzzer 2' by JapanYoshiTheGamer

With COVID-19 immunization programs now underway in Canada and beyond, the basic questions of who, when and where have leapt to the fore. Will the most vulnerable be the most vaccinated in time? Some, like the Métis of Manitoba, say they’ve been left exposed, prompting their efforts to try and cut out the provincial middle man by going straight to the manufacturers. A situation that arguably raises questions about just how much control or capacity Indigenous governments actually have when it comes to safeguarding the health of their own peoples.

Back at the roundtable with host/producer Rick Harp are Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, and Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University.

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week, high hopes for Deb Haaland—the congresswoman from New Mexico and citizen of the Laguna Pueblo who could make history as the first Indigenous person to ever serve as Secretary of the Interior for the United States. First things first, though: she still needs to be confirmed by the U-S Senate. Although committee hearings have wrapped up, a vote has yet to be held.

But amidst all the excitement over her potential appointment, some have struck a more cautious tone about what it may—or may not—make possible. That includes Nick Martin, a staff writer at The New Republic and author of the recent piece, “Deb Haaland’s Ascent and the Complicated Legacy of Native Representation.”

In this episode, Martin joins host/producer Rick Harp and roundtable regular Candis Callison to discuss why he thinks even “[some]one as capable as Haaland [confronts] an unfortunate truth… [that] whenever Native people have occupied positions of great power within [the] colonial machine [they’ve either left] embittered or transition[ed] themselves into an active participant in the grand American tradition of treaty-breaking and excuse-making.”

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Punishment for Pretendians: the back half of our extended look at colonial cosplay. And if part one was all about the problem, this part’s all about solutions. Just what is to be done about all these faux First Nations actors, authors and academics? What mechanisms might we use, and by whose authority? Does it make sense to target all the players, or would it be better to re-write the rules of the game?

Back with host/producer Rick Harp to assess what's been put forth as ways to sift through the grift are Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC, and Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta as well as Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment.

// CREDITS: This episode edited by Stephanie Wood. Music includes: “Summer Tour Bird Windows” by Strategy (CC BY 3.0); 'nesting' by birocratic.

With issues of identity reaching a fever pitch of late, we thought we’d take its temperature. From Michelle Latimer’s contested claims to Indigeneity, to an ever-growing, quasi-underground list of Alleged Pretendians, not to mention a Twitter tempest over light-skin privilege, we’ll break down what’s at play, what’s at stake and—in part two—what might be ways out of this messy business.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable are Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment, as well as Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// CREDITS: This episode edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

On this week’s program: a plethora of pretendianism! So much, in fact, it’s going to take two whole episodes to fit it all in. And here in part one, we take our deepest dive yet into the ultimate underpinnings of pretendianism—the political imperatives of whiteness.  Driving the insatiable settler urge to possess every last thing, fueling the desire to assume and consume imagined Indigenous 'identities.' Indeed, such self-serving self-Indigenization is very much a byproduct of the colonial imagination, a contorted construct which privileges the individual over the collective, the racial over the relational, and possession over peoplehood. 

So says podcast regular Kim TallBear, who, by the end of this episode, so thoroughly unpacks the problematic formulation and foundation of so-called Indigenous "identity"—a hyper-individualized right to resources invoked in isolation from those it performatively pantomimes—you may never want to use the term again. A talk she delivered last month in Ottawa, it took place at a two-day symposium convened by the Wabano Centre—an Indigenous Centre for Excellence in Health Service based in the national capital region. One of four core presenters at the event, Kim shared the stage with Drew Hayden Taylor, Brenda Macdougall and Pam Palmater, with MI's Rick Harp as emcee/moderator for the event.

CREDITS: 'One more day in orbit' by Aldous Ichnite (CC BY); 'Horror background atmosphere for horror and mystical' by Universfield (CC BY); 'Goshen's Lonely' by Gagmesharkoff (CC BY). Our intro/xtro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Medically-assisted death. It’s a controversial subject to say the least, precisely why any effort to legislate it has proven just as contentious. So it is in Canada, where laws have been challenged and critiqued, both in and out of court, as either too broad, too narrow or even both, depending on who’s doing the talking—and whom they’re talking about. And with the federal government poised to re-codify medical assistance in dying (MAID), there are those concerned the law’s expansion of access to it will do more harm than good, and that the gap between intent and outcome will see those already put at risk placed into even greater peril. One such critic is Andray Domise (aka Q), who in a recent Globe and Mail editorial argued that proposed changes to the law risk the reinscription of the Canadian colonial logic of eugenics. And Q is our special guest this episode, joining host/producer Rick Harp and roundtable regular Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama.

// CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

A new brief from the Yellowhead Institute has shone a light on yet another Canadian government attack on the spirit if not the letter of a human rights order demanding equity for First Nations kids. Issued by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, the order supports the right of First Nations children to access the same essential public services as any other kid in Canada, free of delays due to disputes over who should pay for it. It's known as Jordan's Principle, named for the late Jordan River Anderson, whose all-too-short 5 years of life was marred by such jurisdictional disputes.

Although everyone says they agree with the principle, their actions tell a different story, a new chapter of which is well documented in the recent Yellowhead brief, "Happy New Year To Everyone But Non-Status Kids: Jordan’s Principle & Canada’s Persistent Discrimination." In this episode, we sit down with Yellowhead Associate Fellow Damien Lee to learn more about what's driving federal moves to restrict the principle to Status Indian kids only—in other words, to only those kids Canada deems 'legitimately' Indian, regardless of who First Nations themselves claim as citizens.

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Repping the Queen. With Canada’s last Governor-General stepping down due to scandal, there are those who say her replacement ought to be a First Nations person. And while the idea seems innocuous on its face—what with the bulk of their day-to-day duties confined to ribbon-cutting and rubber-stamping—there is one potential complication: the fact the role literally represents a foreign monarch whose assertion of dominion over Indigenous territories is still kind of controversial.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp are roundtable regulars Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama.

// CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week, the back half of our two-part foray into fish farms. Part one discussed the myriad problems with such aquaculture; this time around, we look at proposed solutions. Might they swap one set of issues for another, or represent a genuine step toward a truly sustainable future for species so central to coastal First Nations?

Back with host/producer Rick Harp are Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment, as well as Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; additional music by Andy. G. Cohen ('In Awareness') appears under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Fish farm phase-out. And with the end of aquaculture as we know it in sight on British Columbia’s central coast, there is hope it could help spark a revival in the region’s once rich wild salmon population. Or, at the very least, halt the decline of species said to be at the foundation of numerous Indigenous cultures.

But not everyone’s glad to see the farms fade away. In fact, there are those First Nations with a stake in the industry. Wading into these troubled waters with host/producer Rick Harp this episode are Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Candis Callison, associate professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

A second sit-down with Suzuki. In the first half of our discussion with Dr. David Suzuki, we learned how COVID inspired a return to his spoken word roots and why it was important to include Indigenous knowledge and voices in his new podcast. This time around, we explore whether the coronavirus is a kind of dry run for how we might—or might not—respond better to climate change going forward.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp once more are Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC, as well as Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

// CREDITS: Our opening/closing theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; '#1 Wish' by Jahzzar. SFX: 'FireBurning' by pcaeldries.

Scientist, broadcaster, activist, author, grandfather: David Suzuki has worn many hats over his eight-plus decades on the planet. A planet he continues to be both amazed by and concerned for as it faces catastrophic climate change. A trajectory made all the more challenging amidst a global pandemic. But it's precisely that pandemic that indirectly inspired Suzuki to do something he's never done before: start a podcast.

It's a series featuring plenty of Indigenous voices—from Autumn Peltier to Jeannette Armstrong to Winona LaDuke—just one of many reasons we're honoured to welcome David as our special guest for this double-episode year-end discussion. In part one, David sits with host/producer Rick Harp as well as roundtable regulars Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Candis Callison, associate professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic. SFX: "Campfire...' by YleArkisto

Imagine what it would be like to live in a country where roughly half the population is Indigenous, said to be the highest such proportion in all of South America. Imagine too that, for over a decade, your president was himself Indigenous. Well, in Bolivia, that’s been the reality—and a fascinating one at that. A reality we delve into further with a special guest who’s written extensively about the ways in which Indigenous-led social movements have dramatically and fundamentally altered the mainstream political landscape.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp this week are roundtable regular Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Carwil Bjork-James, author of The Sovereign Street: Making Revolution in Urban Bolivia.

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme music is 'nesting' by birocratic.

A western Canadian premier denounced by critics for bungling the province’s COVID response has now come under fire for questionable comments about immunizing Indians. We’re talking Manitoba, where Brian Pallister’s gone on-record as saying that federal moves to ensure First Nations get vaccines would somehow leave less for everybody else...?

Trust us: that's only mildly paraphrased. Joining host/producer Rick Harp to review the real rhetoric used by the premier are Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, and Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University.

// CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

A Heiltsuk grandfather in British Columbia has recently launched a pair of human rights complaints almost a year after he and his young granddaughter were forced to stand outside a downtown Vancouver bank handcuffed for upwards of an hour. They’d been detained there by police after a bank manager suspected their Indian Status Cards were fake and called 911 to report a potential fraud-in-progress. Now a transcript of that call has come to light, and wouldn’t you know it, someone from Indian Affairs Canada may have actually contributed to this mess. Back at the roundtable with host/producer Rick Harp are Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University Brock Pitawanakwat, and assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, Ken Williams.

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood. SFX: duck quack by dobroide; whistle by InspectorJ. MUSIC: 'nesting' by birocratic (podcast theme); 'Happy Feet,' by Twisterium.

This week: 'Close Encounters of the Colonial Kind,' the title of a talk given by our very own Kim TallBear (University of Alberta professor of Native Studies) at “Of the Land and Water: Indigenous Sexualities, Genders and Ways of Being,” hosted earlier this year in Whitehorse, YK by the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning.

Although rooted in her by-now familiar terrains of sexuality and science, Kim’s monologue was a bit of a departure from what we’re used to here on the podcast: delivered in the fictionalized voice of ‘IZ,’ she’s the personification of an Indigenous-driven movement of ‘unapologetic intellectual promiscuity,’ or what IZ herself calls “critical polydisciplinamorous engagement.” 

An adaptation of her 2023 Substack post / 2021 essay by the same name, Kim’s keynote so aroused our curiosity we had to have her flesh out the body of thought behind it. In the first of this two-part discussion, she walks MI host/producer Rick Harp and MI audio editor Cassidy Villebrun-Buracas through ‘IZ Speaks Back’ and ‘IZ Confesses,’ which together make up the first half of her talk.

CREDITS: ♬ 'A Moment' by Mr Smith (CC BY 4.0); 'Cryin' in my Beer' by Jason Shaw (CC BY 4.0); 'As Time Passes' (via ZapSplat.com); a sample of 'Staying’s Worse Than Leaving' by Sunny Sweeney; our program intro/xtro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic. SFX: 'Deep Space Vibrations Ambience Loop' by rhodesmas; 'Ambient space 4' by DylanTheFish.

Decades of disruption and destruction later, massive portions of northern Manitoba have been effectively sacrificed for hydro mega-projects, to the seemingly exclusive and enduring benefit of urban interests to the south. Which makes it all the more urgent for a northern Indigenous coalition working to prevent such a fate for what’s said to be one of the last great wild places on Earth, the Seal River watershed. A pristine 50,000 square kilometre expanse of tundra, wetlands and forests, the area’s home not only to caribou and polar bears, birds and belugas, but to the people of the Sayisi Dene First Nation.

In this episode, host/producer Rick Harp sits with Stephanie Wood—Cultural Editor with The Narwhal—to discuss her latest piece, "The last free river of Manitoba," her look at how the Sayisi Dene and the rest of this unique coalition hope to protect the watershed from industrial development forever.

// CREDITS: Episode edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Voting day is just hours away in the USA, a day featuring a good number of Indigenous candidates at various levels: 111 in all, according to Indian Country Today. But even as some do their best to influence the outcome, others have serious questions about their effect, the kind of questions we got deep into over part one of our discussion. Here in part two, we talk about organizing vs. mobilizing, what some call ‘Voteps’ (and their possible Indigenous equivalents), how US and Canada Indigenous politics compare, economic democracy and more—including tentative efforts at predictions about what this week may bring.

Back at the table with host/producer Rick Harp are recovering Democrat Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, as well as special guest Trevor Beaulieu of the US-based podcast, “Champagne Sharks.”

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Election and Empire: with U.S. voting day just around the corner, what will November 3rd bring? Will it be a worsening of the Republican shit-show that is the Trump presidency or will it be a slide over to that other party? You know the one, the party that can’t even commit to a fracking ban during a climate crisis, much less health care for all its citizens in the midst of a pandemic? And yet, though the outcome may not be immediately clear come election night, what arguably won’t change is where non-Settler interests fit into the big picture of American politics. Be they Black, Indigenous, or people of colour, most such voters are not kidding themselves about whether settler colonialism or white supremacy are on the ballot. So what does that mean then for any marginalized population’s participation in the electoral process? How far does it go, and could or should these energies be more productively invested elsewhere?

Joining host/producer Rick Harp for the first half of this special, extended look at American politics are Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, as well as lawyer and podcaster Trevor Beaulieu, the driving force behind “Champagne Sharks,” a US-based current events program on race, politics, and pop culture, as seen through the lenses of humour and psychology.

// CREDITS: This episode was co-edited by Stephanie Wood and Rick Harp. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Back to the border: part two of our extended look at a court case that should be getting more attention, but continues to fly under the radar of major Canadian media. At issue: the cross-border hunting rights of the Sinixt people, a people whose territory long pre-dates Canada, the U.S. and the man-made, imposed divide between them. A case in which Canada’s core argument rests on its claim that the Sinixt people are 'extinct.' But the Sinixt say reports of their demise are greatly exaggerated.

Back at the roundtable with host/producer Rick Harp are Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood and Rick Harp. SFX: rattle by sandyrb; hawk cry by reidedo. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Beyond borders: It’s the shot that continues to be heard across time and states. And it was roughly 10 years ago that an un-licensed Sinixt hunter named Rick Desautel took down an elk in what’s now called British Columbia, thus landing himself in provincial court. Thing is, he lives in what’s now called Washington state, south of a dividing line that does precisely that to ancestral Sinixt territory. In this episode—the first of a two-part discussion on this notable case (one seemingly under-covered in Canada)—host/producer Rick Harp is joined by Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta as well as Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC, as our show re-visits a fight for rights which precede the imposed border between the US and Canada.

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood and Rick Harp. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

It’s a gut-wrenching, even agonizing video. As a distraught, bed-ridden Joyce Echaquan pleads for help, a nearby nurse and an orderly at a Quebec hospital do not seem particularly concerned with her condition.

"You're stupid as hell," one can be heard saying in French: the other tells the mother of seven she’s made bad choices in life, asking what her children would think of her behaviour. Those comments—streamed live to Facebook by Echaquan herself—have sparked a firestorm of reaction. But the sad truth is, it’s only the latest example of a Canadian health care system that fundamentally, and fatally, fails Indigenous people. And yet, despite all evidence, there persists a stubborn refusal to see racism as a systemic, social determinant of Indigenous ill-health.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp this week to share their thoughts on this horrific incident and the reaction in its wake are Brock Pitawanakwat, York University Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

New sounds of the city. One of Canada’s largest centres—amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (aka Edmonton)—could be on the verge of Indigenizing the nomenclature of its political sub-divisions. Drawing on languages such as Blackfoot and Cree, the suite of newly-proposed names for Edmonton's 12 wards were recently voted on by city council, with a two-thirds majority favouring the switch. But there’s still a ways to go before it’s official, not to mention those critics who’d like these new names nullified.

At the roundtable this week with host/producer Rick Harp—who himself proudly called Alberta's capital city home for almost two years while at CBC—two Edmontonians extraordinaire: Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, and Kim TallBear, associate professor in the U of A’s Faculty of Native Studies.

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Stephanie Wood and Rick Harp. SFX: Rimshot by Simon_Lacelle. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

THIS WEEK: 'Chapter 2' of The Anti-Indigenous Handbook. A look into the "constellation of corporations, special interest organizations, politicians, lobbyists, and hate groups work[ing] to limit or eliminate… [Indigenous] self-determination,” the ‘Handbook’ gathers together reports from the US, Canada and Australia. In part one of our sit-down with two of its contributors, we discussed Guåhan (aka Guam), as documented by Leilani Rania Ganser, a CHamoru and Kānaka Maoli writer, storyteller, and organizer.  This time ‘round, we focus mostly on the story by Tristan Ahtone, a member of the Kiowa tribe and the editor in chief at The Texas Observer, who tells us how a university there shunted Indigenous people to the side.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic

The Anti-Indigenous Handbook: A collective effort spanning three countries, this 'Handbook' is the joint product of four media outlets: the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, The Guardian Australia, High Country News, and The Texas Observer.

And though each case embodies anti-Indigeneity in its own particular way, what they have in common are concerted, systematic efforts to "undermine [Indigenous] rights to land, resources, language, and culture … by relying on a variety of doctrines and practices that find root in scientifically false, racist, and legally invalid arguments."

In this first of a two-part discussion, host/producer Rick Harp sits down with two of the contributors to this initiative: Leilani Rania Ganser, a CHamoru (Jeje and Romeo Clans) and Kānaka Maoli writer, storyteller, and organizer who works to include traditional Pasifika methods of storytelling into journalism, research, and water, land, and medicine protection, as well as Tristan Ahtone, a member of the Kiowa tribe and the editor in chief at the Texas Observer.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Settler panic in the Atlantic. Why do opponents of a new Mi’kmaq fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia speak as if it’s illegal when it has the support of a 21-year-old Supreme Court ruling? Why do they persist with arguments that the fishery could endanger the stock when not even 10 licenses are involved—an iota compared to the millions of pounds caught by the industry every year? And what might the UN Declaration on Indigenous rights have to say about all this?

Joining host/producer Rick Harp this episode to discuss these questions and more are roundtable regulars Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment, as well as Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

On this week’s Indigenous round table: legal limbo? Did the Supreme Court's recent rejection of Quebec’s constitutional challenge to Bill C-92 really cement the self-determination of Indigenous peoples on child welfare? Or did it seal in the status quo, one where the feds still hold all the cards and all the funds?

A ruling described as “very beautiful” by one leader, hailed as paving “the road… for the transfer of authority” by another, such celebrations risk missing the core point of C-92’s critics: that it was always a half measure, keeping full authority and jurisdiction in the grips of the Canadian government. Making the supreme hype about the Supreme Court’s ruling all the more puzzling.

Now that the pixie dust has settled, MEDIA INDIGENA regulars Brock Pitawanakwat (associate professor of Indigenous Studies at York University) and Ken Williams (associate professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama) joined host/producer Rick Harp to try and decipher where things now stand after the ruling, drawing on the perspective of well-known child welfare advocate Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society.

// CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic. Other music (i.e., bridges to and from Cindy Blackstock interview) sourced from Zapsplat.com.

This week: Indigenous Gender and Sexuality Studies. A subject at the center of a talk delivered this past March by Dr. Jennifer Nez Denetdale, Professor of American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and the author of Reclaiming Diné History: The Legacies of Navajo Chief Manuelito and Juanita. Historic figures with a direct connection to Denetdale, as their great-great-great-granddaughter. But, as she argues in her presentation, it’s a history non-Diné often get wrong, especially on matters of gender and tradition. Yet her work isn’t confined to the academy; Denetdale also chairs the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission. We hear about both this episode—our final installment of the 2019/20 Weweni Indigenous Scholars Speaker Series, run by the University of Winnipeg’s Office of Indigenous Engagement.

// CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

On this week’s collected, connected conversations (the last of our summer-long series), we bring you part two of our resource resistance retrospective. Yet, as part one revealed, these issues are hardly historical. Indeed, it was only six months ago that the Royal Canadian Militarized Police—in full riot gear and armed to the teeth—raided Wet’suwet’en activist camps for the second time in as many years to enforce an injunction secured by the Coastal GasLink corporation.

And though the raid signaled another setback to grassroots efforts to stop the pipeline, things seemed different this time around, both during and after the raid.

// CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Headway” and “Tumult” by Kai Engel, plus the following tracks by Andy G. Cohen: “Sheffield Hall” “Space (Outro),” “Scramby Eggs,” plus “Humming and Strumming.”

This week’s collected, connected conversations (the seventh in our summer-long series) make up the first part of a double-episode look at resource resistance, inspired by a struggle too big to ignore, one punctuated by striking video of back-to-back raids by militarized police against small Indigenous encampments in what's now known as interior British Columbia.

Yet these dramatic events of 2019 and 2020 in ancestral Wet’suwet’en territory are but part and parcel of a much bigger picture. Their resistance to resource extraction—pushback on a pipeline that, if built, would move 2.1 billion cubic feet of fracked natural gas per day—carries loud echoes of battles across the world, battles against a fossil-fueled climate catastrophe.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance):

• Hayden King, executive director, Yellowhead Institute at Ryerson University.

• Angela Sterritt, CBC Vancouver reporter and artist

• Wawmeesh Hamilton, journalist/photographer

• Ken Williams, Assistant Professor of Drama, University of Alberta

• Brock Pitawanakwat, York University Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies

• Kim TallBear, Associate Professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment

• Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the School of Journalism, Writing and Media at UBC

// CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Headway,” by Kai Engel, “Time” by Pedro Santiago, “Time to go home” by Anonymous420, “Habit” by Nctrnm, “One March Day” by smallertide, and “Aurora” by Kevin Hartnell.

On this episode’s collected, connected conversations (the sixth in our summer-long series): we get down with data and tight with tech, tackling topics that range from social media to social services.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance):

• Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta

• Ken Williams, assistant professor, University of Alberta department of drama

• Karyn Pugliese, Assistant Professor, School of Journalism, Ryerson University

• Lisa Girbav, broadcaster and podcaster

• Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the School of Journalism, Writing and Media at UBC

• Jennifer Walker, Canada research chair in Indigenous Health at Laurentian University; core scientist and Indigenous lead with IC/ES North

// CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Headway” and “Harbor” by Kai Engel, The Institute Laboratories and Careful now, Stalker by ROZKOL, RENDER ME - Single by Nctrnm, Robot is chilling by Frederic Lardon, “Black & Blue” by Breath Before the Plunge, and “Sector Vector”, by Little Glass Men.

On this episode’s collected, connected conversations (the fifth in our summer-long series): navigating the harms and hopes associated with drugs. From alcohol to opioids, taxes to testing, you could say we’ve explored our fair share of substances on this show. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance):

• Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta

• Tim Fontaine, head honcho at satirical news site Walking Eagle News

• Solomon Israel, cannabis industry reporter

• Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama

• Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University

• Patrice Mousseau, entrepreneur

• Colleen Simard, freelance writer, clothing designer and filmmaker

• Conrad Prince, Indigenous health and child welfare advocate

• Lakota activist and communications professional, Taté Walker

// CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Headway,” by Kai Engel, “No Moon” by Unheard Music Concepts, “Mechanics Of Leaving” by Haunted Me, The Apotheosis of All Deserts, by ROZKOL, “Open Door” and “The Jewel and Me” by Little Glass Men, “The Pear In The Garden” by Kevin Hartnell, as well as “Ride to the party” by Anonymous420.

On this week’s collage of collected, connected conversations (the fourth in our summer series): appropriation and authenticity. The second half of our extended foray into the arts, our topics range from tacky souvenirs to the endless parade of Settlers pining to play Indian, as we question the images of Indigenous people: who gets to make and profit by them, as well as what is and isn’t considered ‘authentic.’ Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance):

• Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta's Department of Drama

• Brock Pitawanakwat, York University Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies

• Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta

• Taté Walker, Lakota activist and communications professional

// CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Stephanie Wood and Rick Harp. Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Headway,” by Kai Engel, “Startup nation” by Anonymous 420, “On the Run” by ROZKOL, “Dead From The Beginning Alive Till The End,” by Doctor Turtle, Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts by LG17, plus “Home Base Groove and “Quasi_Motion” by Kevin Macleod.

On this week’s collected, connected conversations (the third in our summer series), the arts take centre stage. A stage so wide, it’ll take two acts to cover it all. For our first act, we look at representation and misrepresentation, be it on-screen, on stage, or on the page. From gatekeepers to white fragility, it ain’t easy trying to be Indigenous in this industry.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance):

• Cutcha Risling Baldy, Assistant Professor and Department Chair of Native American Studies at Humboldt State University.

• Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism

• Kim TallBear, Associate Professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta

• Brock Pitawanakwat, York University Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies

• Ken Williams, University of Alberta Assistant Professor of Drama

• Taté Walker, Lakota activist and communications professional

• Jessica Ka'nhehsí:io Deer, a Kanien'kehá:ka journalist at CBC Indigenous

// CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Stephanie Wood and Rick Harp. Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Headway,” by Kai Engel, L'Etoile danse (Pt. 1) by Meydän, Jolenta Clears The Table by Doctor Turtle, “New Years Day” by Breath Before the Plunge, “Love” by Steve Combs, and “Lost_Forever” by Little Glass Men.

In our second summer series collection of connected conversations: a checkup on the state of Indigenous health. A thorough examination of how the Canadian health system can all too often operate against Indigenous well-being via ill-considered policies and practices. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance):

• Mary Jane McCallum, professor of history at University of Winnipeg

• Dr. James Makokis, a Cree physician based in Alberta

• Dr. Lisa Richardson, clinician-educator, University of Toronto division of general internal medicine; joint strategic lead in Indigenous Health, U of T Faculty of Medicine

• Dr. Jason Pennington, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto; Scarborough General Hospital staff surgeon; joint strategic lead in Indigenous Health, U of T Faculty of Medicine

• Colleen Simard, writer/designer/filmmaker

• Conrad Prince, child health and welfare advocate

• Pam Palmater, Chair in Indigenous Governance, Ryerson University’s department of Politics and Public Administration

• writer/journalist Paul Seesequasis

• Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University

• Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama.

• Amy Bombay, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University

• Danika Billie Littlechild, lawyer and international Indigenous rights advocate

• Robert Jago, writer/entrepreneur

// CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Stephanie Wood and Rick Harp. Creative Commons tracks in this episode include “Headway” and “Interception” by Kai Engel, “Isolated” by Kevin MacLeod, “Carnival” and “There are Places” by smallertide, “Comadreamers I” by Haunted Me, “Chalet” by Meydän, plus “A Perceptible Shift” and “A Human Being” by Andy G. Cohen.

Once again this year, we at MEDIA INDIGENA have dug deep into our archives to bring you a summer-long series of collected, connected conversations, on a variety of topics: from drugs to data, the arts to activism. We begin with a subject some argue has always been at the heart of the Canadian project: genocide. Once dismissed outright as an object of any serious consideration in this country, there is today a compelling case to be made that Canada's past and present actions merit the label of genocide.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance):

• Ryerson University professor Chris Powell, author of Barbaric Civilizations: A Critical Sociology of Genocide

• Historian James Daschuk, author of Clearing the Plains: Disease, the Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life

• Brock Pitawanakwat, associate professor of Indigenous studies at York University

• Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama.

• Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC

• Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment

// CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Stephanie Wood and Rick Harp. Creative Commons music in this episode includes the tracks “Headway,” and “Evermore” by Kai Engel. Other tracks were “A Vital Piece of Music for All Your Soundtrack Needs,” by Steve Combs and “Dark Room,” by XTaKeRuX.

THIS WEEK: A systemic look at media. It’s the second half of our extended conversation with our very own Candis Callison and Mary Lynn Young, co-authors of Reckoning: Journalism’s Limits and Possibilities. Published by Oxford University Press, it’s the work of former practitioners in the field who now study and teach the craft at the University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism, Writing and Media.

In part one of our discussion, we covered what kind of tool journalism is, and how the field tends to idealize itself, seemingly unaware of its continual performance of white masculinity. Here in part two, we get into what Callison and Young refer to as ”systems journalism,” an approach that moves storytellers away from a disinterested, objective 'view from nowhere' to a greater self-awareness about the murky, often choppy waters of identities and interests they themselves swim in. It's a call for journalism to work harder to make more visible and legible the social, economic, political, even biological structures that order all of our lives.

// MUSIC: Our theme is ‘nesting’ by birocratic. Other music this episode: “Backed Vibes Clean” by Kevin MacLeod. Hear more of their work at incompetech.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

This episode, another ‘mini’ INDIGENA (the easy-peasy version of MEDIA INDIGENA)—one where the first item went way longer than anyone expected!  Joining host/producer Rick Harp on Tuesday, February 6th were Kim TallBear (University of Alberta professor in the Faculty of Native Studies) and Candis Callison (UBC Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the School for Public Policy and Global Affairs), as they discuss the multiple Indigenous actors within Mni Sóta Makoce who helped drive the process of reimagining Minnesota’s contested state flag, the pushback, and the possible perils of engaging and enabling settler symbolism.

CREDITS: 𝅘𝅥𝅯 'All Your Faustian Bargains' by Steve Combs (CC BY 4.0); 'Guatemala - Panama March' by Heftone Banjo Orchestra (CC BY 4.0). 🕬 SFX 'Hockey fanfare' by jobro.

On this episode: part one of our extended conversation on the limits and possibilities of journalism. And these days, we hear little about the latter, a lot about the former—even before COVID-19 took its toll on the industry.

Some blame media companies’ downfall on the digital: the interwebs and smartphones shredding the business model of now-obsolete oligopolies.

And yet, it’s not all cause for techno-driven doom and gloom. In fact, there are those who believe digital might actually be a doorway to better journalism, especially for those audiences legacy outlets have failed to reach, much less represent. Among the hopeful: Candis Callison and Mary Lynn Young, Associate Professors at UBC's School of Journalism, Writing and Media and the co-authors of Reckoning: Journalism’s Limits and Possibilities, a book about the media moment we’re living through, a time where crisis and opportunity co-exist.

// MUSIC: Our theme is ‘nesting’ by birocratic. Other music this episode: 'Clean Soul,' by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

THIS WEEK: NAISA INDIGENA. And just who or what is a “NAISA”? It’s the Native American Indigenous Studies Association. Or as they put it, a “professional organization for scholars, graduate students, independent researchers, and community members interested in all aspects of Indigenous Studies.” Many of whom gather every year to share and discuss their scholarship. And this year, that included us! And then, just like that, COVID-19 took out NAISA 2020. What’s a roundtable to do? Well, lemons do make for great lemonade, so get ready for some bittersweetness as we stage a roundtable about the roundtable.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp are Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University Brock Pitawanakwat, Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

THIS WEEK: Food and environmental justice. Topics at the heart of a talk given back in February by Dr. Priscilla Settee, Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, and Adjunct Professor for the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba.

A global educator and activist from Cumberland House Swampy Cree First Nations with a keen interest in Indigenous food sovereignty, she can now add David Suzuki Fellow to her list of accomplishments, a way to take her research deeper into the impacts of climate change on the environment and livelihoods of northern trappers.

As with the other 2019/20 Weweni Indigenous Scholars Speaker Series lectures, Settee sat down immediately after her presentation—“The Impact of Climate Change and Environmental Degradation on Indigenous Knowledge Systems: What You Should Know”—to discuss her ideas further with MEDIA INDIGENA host/producer Rick Harp, an opportunity courtesy of the University of Winnipeg’s Office of Indigenous Engagement.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.