The Aunties Dandelion

Our Aunties Emergent mentoring program returns as guest host Alex Jacobs-Blum Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga), Wolf Clan, Six Nations of the Grand River visits with Grandmother Renée Thomas-Hill Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk), Turtle Clan, Six Nations of the Grand RiverAs a Haudenosaunee woman, Grandmother Renee Thomas Hill carries the deep responsibility of upholding and sharing the teachings of “Our” Way of Life, guided by peace, power, and righteousness. Renee is founder of Grandmother's Voice, a visionary Indigenous organization that aims to unite Indigenous voices while extending a warm invitation to individuals from all directions.Renee is an auntie and grandmother to many and reminds us how the natural world cares deeply for us. “Right now it's the frogs that are singing and oh gosh, I get all excited hearing the frogs, and then when I wake up and I hear the birds singing, that's my medicine, says Grandmother Renee, “They're taking care of me. They're looking after me. The sun rises and it's taking care of me. So just those moments, slowing down and just appreciating everything that's around you is that medicine that builds up your immune system.”Alex Jacobs-Blum (she/her) is a Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga) and German visual artist and curator living in Hamilton, ON. Her research focuses on Indigenous futures and accessing embodied ancestral Hodinöhsö:ni' knowledge. The core of her practice and methodology is a strong foundation in community building, fostering relationships, empowering youth, and Indigenizing institutional spaces. Her creative process is rooted in storytelling and challenging hierarchical power structures. Alex endeavours to facilitate transformative change infused with love and care.Check out our February interview with Alex as our guest! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode from Rematriation's Indigenous and Haudenosaunee Matrilineality Symposium, Auntie Kahstoserawkathe visits with filmmaker/potter Katsitsionni Fox (Kanyen'kehà:ka) and interdisciplinary artist Ty Defoe (Ojibwe, Oneida) on their shared focus on Seeds through their individual projects. Wa'tkwanonhweráton to the symposium organizers at Rematriation and the vision Kaluhyanu:wes Michelle Schenandoah (Oneida). Great thanks as well to James O'Conner, Brett Barry, and Dominic Naggar for production and tech support! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month we visit with masterful interviewer Ansley Jemison (Seneca Nation, Wolf Clan), host of the Original Peoples Podcast (OPP). We loved that the “Eastern Door” show (TAD podcast from Kanyen'kehà:ka territory) is crossing over with Ansley's excellent “Western Door” show. We had a rollicking time covering culture, art, traditional teachings, clans, while exploring sensitive topics that lots of people shy away from. Ansley is great at opening conversations in a safe and thoughtful way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AUNTIE: Wa'tkwanonweráton Sewakwé:kon. Today, we're visiting with Alex Jacobs Blum who is Cayuga and Wolf Clan, from Six Nations of the Grand River.Raised away from her territory, Alex now engages dual tracks of art and curation to find a pathway—to the natural world, her Haudenosaunee teachings and community - and to herself.Alex shares her remarkable journey back to Cayuga territory in Central New York a few years back where she reconnected with ancestors to find her path forward.AJB: You know growing up - there was a lot of shame built up around my identity, so I had been working to unpack and unlearn that. And then when I was there - you know I just felt so validated in myself and I felt so surrounded by so much care.AUNTIE: Alex is well-known for surrounding others with the same type of care as she nurtures a supportive web of relationships, uplifts young artists, and weaves Indigenous perspectives into institutional spaces. Through her transformative work she disrupts hierarchical power structures in storytelling and creates space for collective, Indigenous, matrilineal voices to be amplified. And in the wake of her mother's recent passing, Alex's work has become a way to make sense of her own profound loss.If you're in region around Six Nations, you can experience Alex's work firsthand—her In the Shadow of the Eclipse residency is on view at the Art Gallery of Hamilton until March 16, 2025. She also co-curated Ascending Horizons with Métis artist Kim Anderson, now showing at the McMaster Museum of Art until June 20, 2025.We are Yetinistenha ne Tekaronkyakánere – the Aunties Dandelion and wa'tkwanonhweráton greetings, love, and respect to Canada's Indigenous Screen Office – teyonkhiwihstekénha – who provide the support to keep this show running. And can you do us a big favor by liking and sharing our episodes – and subscribe to our feed on your favorite platform. It goes a long way to support voices of Indigenous changemakers. #IndigenousArt #IndigenousCreatives #Haudenosaunee #Cayuga #IndigenousVoices #Storytelling #ArtCurator #MatrilinealPower #IndigenousMedia #AuntiesDandelion #ListenToYourAunties

***CLARIFICATION: Louise Wakerakas:te Herne is the only condoled Bear Clan mother for the Mohawks/Kanyen'kehà:ka. **** AUNTIE: Wa'tkwanonhweráton Sewakwékon! We're starting strong in this Ohserá:se – this New Year – on The Aunties Dandelion podcast as we visit with Iehstoseranón:nha, who is Kanyen'kehà:ka and Bear Clan. Iestohseranon:nha is a feather protector, community connector, and graphic artist. She is also a survivor of the Sixties Scoop – a term that refers to Canada's mass removal of Onkwehón:we children into the welfare system and non-Indigenous families without consent of their own families or communities. That removal began in the 1960s and continues to this day. Iehstoseranón:nha was 18 in 1989 when she found her biological family and spent these past decades reconnecting with her Mohawk territory at Akwesasne. She recognizes the unique emotional and spiritual perspective this epic journey brings. IESTOHSERANON:NHA: Adoptees like me – Indigenous, Native, Onkwehón:we that are just coming home – we have spent our lives on the colonial side, with a Native heart and a Native spirit. And so we see in each other and we see our colleagues: we are the bridges, right? Because we can sit in both worlds and we can connect that in a different way than anyone else. AUNTIE: Iehstoseranón:nha centers Indigenous women creatives as the owner, writer, and artist at Pass the Feather Indigenous, and founder of Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada – a registered charity. She was the first facilitator of the National Day of Truth Reconciliation on Ottawa's Parliament Hill and founder of the National Indigenous Women Arts Conference. She takes the gifting of feathers seriously and I was grateful to receive a beautiful feather fan from her as we began our visit. IESTOHSERANON:NHA: To be really, really truthful – it is friendship making, it's relationship making. And I don't give them to many people but when I do it's because someone has touched me in a way and given me time in a way that I never expected them to. And so my first response is to share that medicine with them because that is important medicine that I think that people forget about. It's that flight and that connection to Sky World. AUNTIE: I feel a particular connection with Iehstoseranón:nha – whose name means “she keeps the feathers” because my name – Kahstoserakwathe – means Bright Feather – can you hear the similar Mohawk root word for feather - oshstòseri - in our names? It's all about the feathers. We are Yetinistenha ne Tekaronkyakánere – the Aunties Dandelion and we're sending a big wa'tkwanonhweráton to the Indigenous Screen Office – teyonkhiwihstekénha – who are providing us financial support for the third year in a row. And can you do us a big favor by liking and sharing our episodes – and subscribe to our feed on your favorite platform. It goes a long way to help us bring stories of Indigenous changemakers your way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Honoring our epic Auntie Germaine Tremmel (kénha) in this powerful episode — a Lakota Water Warrior, lawyer, and descendant of Sitting Bull.

Dr. Beverly Jacobs - University of Windsor bio

Dana Tiger's websiteLoren Waters website

Nęyękwawęta'θkwáhshek - Tuscarora Language ProgramOnkwawénna Kentsyóhkwa - Six Nations Kanyen'ké:ha language program that helped Tuscarora Nation

AUNTIE: WA'TKWANONHWERÁTON SEWAKWÉ:KONDID YOU KNOW THAT IN TAIWAN THERE ARE 16 RECOGNIZED INDIGENOUS TRIBES WHO LIVE IN 700 COMMUNITIES? THAT WAS NEWS TO ME UNTIL I MET THE REMARKABLE ELENG KAZANGILJAN- WHO IS A PAIWAN INDIGENOUS PERSON AND RECENT GRADUATE OF UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA'S ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROGRAM. ELENG HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL INDIGENOUS YOUTH CAUCUS AND SHE IS FOCUSED ON GLOBALLY CONNECTING INDIGENOUS NATIONS IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE.IN OUR VISIT ELENG DISCUSSES THE REVIVAL OF HER TRIBE'S CULTURAL PRACTICES INCLUDING HUNTING THE SACRED MUNTJAC WHICH IS LIKE A SMALL DEER FOR CEREMONIES. AND HOW RECONNECTING WITH HER COMMUNITY'S SONGS IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF RECLAIMING HER IDENTITY. ELENG: I am singing the same songs that my ancestors did. That feels like they can hear me and we are in the same place again. AUNTIE: STAY AROUND UNTIL THE END OF THE EPISODE FOR THE GREAT JOY OF HEARING ELENG SHARE A TRADITIONAL PAIWAN SONG OF LONGING. HERE IS A LITTLE SNIPPET: WE ARE YETI NISTENHA NE TEKARONYAKÁNARE – THE AUNTIES DANDELION. WE BRING YOU STORIES OF INDIGENOUS CHANGE MAKERS WHO ARE REVITALIZING COMMUNITIES THROUGH THEIR LAND, LANGUAGE AND RELATIONSHIPS. JOIN US IN SENDING GREETINGS LOVE, AND RESPECT TO CANADA'S INDIGENOUS SCREEN OFFICE – TEYONKHIWIHSTAKÉNHA – WHO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT TO SHARE THESE REMARKABLE VISITS. LIKE SHARE AND FOLLOW OUR POSTS AND THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE HERE - TO LISTEN TO YOUR AUNTIES. 

Here's the FB page for Skaronhyasekò:wa - The Mohawk immersion school where Otsistohkwí:yo works with early years students and where Tehahenteh taught when the school was being built. Tekarahkwarásare = The Eclipse  (the faces that lay over each other)Kayanere'kó:wa - The Great Law (the great space between steps)

Our Aunties Emergent series returns as Haudenosaunee filmmaker and host Paige Bethman visits with Cherokee filmmaker Loren Waters. The two discuss the joys and challenges of creating movies that honour Indigenous communities.

Art Gallery of Hamilton - 500 Year ItchShelley Niro's Website

A special Eclipse 2024 episode co-hosted with Rematriation and their Rekindling the Fire of Our Sisterhood gathering: a group of Onkwehónwe women who have been meeting for the past seven years in anticipation of this historic day for the Confederacy of Six Nations.

AUNTIE: Wa'tkwanonhweráton Sewakwékon. On April 8th, 2024 the path of totality of the solar eclipse will fall over our Haudenosaunee homelands surrounding Lake Ontario. It's an historic event that we've been anticipating for years as we remember a similar eclipse that signaled the beginnings our Confederacy generations ago. Today we're visiting with a key carrier of Haudenosaunee astronomy, Samantha Doxtator, who is Wolf Clan of Oneida Nation, to discuss the eclipse and so much more. Samantha's sky teachings were rendered through the great loss of her sister Sasha to cancer in 2021 -- and Samantha's own liminal journey when she fell seriously ill soon after her sister passed. When she recovered - Samantha picked up the astronomy work that Sasha began in university – and now she is sharing powerful insight - in places like Hayden Planetarium in New York City, with NASA in Niagara Falls at the time of the eclipse, and in engagements all across our confederacy. SAMANTHA: Our people we've always been scientists. We've always been astronomers. We're 80 percent stardust and we're just souls… made of flames. AUNTIE: In the wake of our historic eclipse – around a thousand years back – the warring nations that became our confederacy buried weapons and chose great peace with each other. Samantha says the April 8th eclipse is significant because she believes the Haudenosaunee will choose again to bury the weapons of oppression they've experienced through both colonization and lateral violence. SAMANTHA: So on the next solar eclipse that is over our homelands in 120 years when our great grandkids say I wonder what my great, great grandparents did in 2024 – they will have actual concrete historic documents that will say “In 2024, the Haudenosaunee buried their oppression. And they did it for all people.” AUNTIE: I'm Kahstoserakwathe and we are Yetinistéhnha ne tekaronyakánare. The Aunties Dandelion and we're sharing visits with powerful Indigenous changemakers focused on land, language, and connections with each other. Our podcast is possible through the support of Canada's Indigenous Screen Office teyonkhiwihstakénha – wa'tkwenonhweráton. We can continue to bring you this powerful content when you like, share, give us feedback, and take the time to listen to your Aunties.

AUNTIE: WA'TKWANONHWER´ATON' SEWAKWÉKON. YOU KNOW, IT'S EASY TO ROMANTICIZE AN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE JOURNEY – YOU ARE GETTING BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS, YOUR BRAIN IS REWIRED. IT IS A REMARKABLE THING. TODAY WE VISIT WITH TAIAWENTÓN:TI' CHELSEA SUNDAY - KANYEN'KEHÀ:KA LANGUAGE CARRIER FROM AKWESASNE MOHAWK TERRITORY. AND I LOVE THIS VISIT BECAUSE TAIAWENTÓN:TI' KEEPS IT REAL -- ABOUT THE CHALLENGES SURROUNDING BEING A MOM, BEING PRESENT IN COMMUNITY – ALL WHILE OVERCOMING THE ROADBLOCKS TO SPEAK WHAT IS TRULY ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT LANGUAGES ON THE PLANET. TO START, TAIAWENTÓN:TI' SPENT TWO YEARS TRAVELING BACK AND FORTH TO LANGUAGE IMMERSION SCHOOL IN KAHNAWAKE MOHAWK TERRITORY - WHICH IS ALMOST TWO HOURS DRIVING ONE WAY - AND MANY BRIDGES AND BORDERS FROM HOME. TAIAWENTÓN:TI': So daily it is like – what time is the bridge closing? ‘Cause, if it is closing, there is another route we can take. So knowing those back roads and knowing where the gas stations were and where the Tim Horton's were and make our way up to Kahnawake. And even when you get to Kahnawake sometimes they block their roads out there ‘cause of the through traffic so like “K! The roads are blocked! Let's find another route in.” so… AUNTIE: TAIAWENTÓN:TI' AND HER FRIENDS ARE EXPERTS AT FINDING ANOTHER ROUTE IN – AND HAVE FORMED A GROUP CALLED “YONKWARONHKA'ONHATYE” WHICH TRANSLATES TO “WE ARE MAKING OURSELVES FLUENT”. THEY'RE LEARNING AND TEACHING KANYEN'KEHA BY ENGAGING MYRIAD ASPECTS OF OUR CULTURE AND DAILY LIFE – NOT JUST THE HIGHEST BAR OF PROFICIENCY – WHICH IS A COMMON THING TO DO. TAIAWENTÓN:TI': I am reclaiming my language. I am reclaiming my land. I am reclaiming my position as a mom. I'm reclaiming my voice as a woman. I am reclaiming all of those things. AUNTIE: WE'LL ALSO DISCUSS OUR HISTORIC INSPIRATION – JIGONHSASE – WHO WAS A WOMAN RESPONSIBLE FOR CO-FOUNDING OUR CONFEDERACY AND WHOSE INFLUENCE IS HONOURED IN THE CONTEXT OF FULL SOLAR ECLIPSE ON APRIL 8TH 2024. I'm Kahstoserakwathe and we are Yéthi Nihsténha ne Tekarónyakénare. The Aunties Dandelion. We're focused on revitalizing our communities through stories of land, language, and relationships. And we want to say Nyá:wenkò:wa – or big thanks – to Canada's Indigenous Screen Office – teyonhkiwihstekénha – for making this podcast possible through their New Media fund. When you share this episode with your friends, follow us on your favorite podcast channel and give us a review – we are able to continue to share the. As always, we're happy you are here to listen to your Aunties.

Nikaronhyá'a Dawn Martin's IGSilo City: Why Here, Why Now with Jodi Lynn Maracle

Bear Fox website

Laura Couchie is Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Two Spirit from Nipissing First Nation. She's a multidisciplinary artist and Indigenous language revitalizationist living in Dish With One Spoon territory. Her artistic practice has spanned several outlets over her lifetime including; performance (acting, comedy/improv, dance), music and beadwork. Laura has published op-ed pieces tackling issues such as cultural appropriation and "pretendianism". Her book "No Rainbow" was published in 2018, featuring sensual poetry and prose about love, longing and identity that spans earthly, spirit and human form. In 2022 and 2023, Laura had the honour of serving as a Final Juror for The City of Hamilton Arts Awards. Laura worked for many years in the urban Indigenous community and is a passionate advocate and public educator. Laura is in 3rd year of the Bachelor of Arts in Onkwehonwe Language at Six Nations Polytechnic.

AUNTIE: Wa'tkwanonhweráton. Greetings, love, and respect from me to all of you. On this edition of The Aunties Dandelion we're visiting with Dr. Kahente Horn-Miller, a formidable Bear Clan educator from our Kanyenkehà:ka territory of Kahnawake. Kahente's name means she walks ahead - and she's the first Indigenous woman to receive a 3M National Teaching Fellowship – Canada's most prestigious recognition in educational leadership and teaching at the post-secondary level. It's actually Kahente's criticism of existing education systems that led to her win the 2023 3M prize. In order to fully engage her students at Carleton University, she's introduced Rotinonhsyón:ni teachings like consensus-based decision making and live performance of our traditional stories into her classrooms. KAHENTE: Beyond the skill of writing, beyond the skill of citing properly doing research, I think that one of the main skills our students need to learn coming out of institutions is how to talk to each other. Indigenous and non-Indigenous. You know why? Because of climate change. We are facing an uncertain future, right? And Indigenous folks and Indigenous communities – we have a lot of the answers. AUNTIE: Kahente's entire family makes it their business to walk ahead. Her mom, model and activist Kahentinetha Horn and her sisters were deeply involved in the 1990 Kanasatáke Resistance – also known as the Oka Crisis - and her sisters are Olympian Waneek Horn-Miller, actress Kahnietiio Horn, and Dr. Ojistoh Horn, a medical practitioner in Akwesasne. This familial, matriarchal power - along with the family's grounding in language and longhouse led Kahente to focus on her own community in her scholarship - which most academics shy away from. KAHENTE: Everything I did I wrote about my own people. So this was something that I learned how to do on my own in order to get through that system. AUNTIE: I'm Kahstoserakwathe and we are Yéthi Nihsténha ne Tekarónyakénare. The Aunties Dandelion. We're focused on revitalizing our communities through stories of land, language, and relationships. And we want to say Nyá:wenkò:wa – or big thanks – to Canada's Indigenous Screen Office – teyonhkiwihstekénha – for making this podcast possible through their New Media fund. It helps us a LOT if you share this episode with your friends, follow us on your favorite podcast channel and give us a review. As always, we're happy you are here to listen to your Aunties.

Host OtsistohkwÍ:yo or Melissa Elliott is Kanyen'kehá:ka (Mohawk) from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. She is a mother, auntie, teacher and second language Kanyen'keha/mohawk speaker, storyteller and artist. She is currently working in efforts to decolonize education and language revitalization - working in her 7th year as the Ken Nikanenhá:sas (Little Seeds) Kindergarten Teacher and Kanen'shón:'a (Many types of seeds) Early Years Faculty Co-Chair at Skaronhyase'kó:wa Everlasting Tree School. Otsistohkwiyo is a trained Waldorf Early years teacher and New Adult Educator (NAE) with over 8 years of experience teaching young children and families through traditional Haudenosaunee and Waldorf pedagogical approaches. In her spare time, Otsisohkwi:yo offers training and mentoring on storytelling and utilizing the Waldorf pedagogy to create new forms of holistic, earth based, traditional Onkwehonwe (Indigenous) education. She sits on the Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa Board of Directors and on the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN) Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Committee. She is passionate about Kanyen'kéha (Mohawk language), grassroots community building, traditional storytelling, puppetry, parenting, holistic healing, and land-based practices. For more information you can contact Otsistohkwí:yo at otsistohkwiyo@gmail.comTehota'kerá:ton, Dr. Jeremy D. Green, is Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk), wolf clan and from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. As both a scholar and Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT) of Indigenous language learning and acquisition in adult and youth learners over the past 25 years, Dr. Green's transformative research and teaching is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that Canadian Indigenous languages and traditional cultures not only survive but thrive.Tehota'kerá:tons completed research to date has focused on diverse localized language acquisition and status planning for indigenous language proficiency development for Rotinonhsión:ni (Six Nations) and other indigenous nations and communities. Tehota'kerá:ton also provides training and information to support these localized indigenous language acquisition planning efforts to create new speakers of indigenous languages focusing primarily on strategic planning for teaching, learning, assessment, evaluation, language use and conversational and ceremonial language and dynamic cultural practices.  

Follow Katsitsionni on InstagramCheck out her website: Two Row ProductionsWatch her Without a Whisper movie

Indigenous Design and Planning Institute

Contact Gerd's publisher to find her book in English: gollegiella@online.noHere is the website for Gerd's book: https://samiskbibliotektjeneste.tromsfylke.no/2019/10/23/gerd-mikalsen-fathers-new-mother-tongue/

AUNTIE: Wa'tkwanonhweráton Sewakwékon. On this edition of The Aunties Dandelion we visit with Danis Goulet – a Cree-Metis, award-winning director and screenwriter who is best known for her 2021 film Night Raiders which is set in a dystopian future. The widely popular movie had the highest budget of any Indigenous-led Canadian film and stars Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers as a mother who joins a resistance movement to save her daughter. In Night Raiders – as in all of her films – Danis focuses on how Indigenous worldview can bring new insight and practice to an industry largely devoid of human care and community. DANIS: The film industry was built to exploit and so if you want to work in the film industry. So if you want to go into the film industry how do we do this in a way that is driven by values and then obviously in Indigenous production you'd be looking at what are your values that come from your community or your specific culture that can inform the film process.  AUNTIE: Danis spent years advocating for Indigenous creators in the film industry and co-authored a 2013 report for Telefilm with Kerry Swanson that helped lay the ground work for funding, offices and initiatives that now support Native filmmakers – including The Aunties Dandelion – Nya:wen. Danis is a passionate visual storyteller who creates strong matriarchal characters and weaves her own Cree language into her productions as a spiritual guide. DANIS: It is good for the spirit and any time there is a chance to put it on screen its like those are my favourite things to shoot to hear it. To commit it to screen where you know it is going to live on through this medium.  AUNTIE: I'm Kahstoserakwathe and we are Yéthi Nihsténha ne Tekarónyakénare. The Aunties Dandelion. We're focused on revitalizing our communities through stories of land, language, and relationships. And we want to say Nyá:wenkò:wa – or big thanks – to Canada's Indigenous Screen Office – teyonhkiwihstekénha – for making this podcast possible through their New Media fund.  We make space here for real conversations to unfold like when we visit in our communities. So take a breath, make some tea –  and listen to your Aunties. And when you are done – please follow us, provide some feedback, and share these visits with others. It helps us continue these visits together.    

Everything Cornhusk Facebook PageArticle: Exploring the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession through Rotinonhsyón:ni Art.

Dr. Chief's Indigenous Resilience Center - “The Indigenous Resilience Center is the University of Arizona's commitment to giving back to local tribes who have stewarded this land for millennia. Tribes have endured and sacrificed so much in terms of land loss and social and environmental impacts, much at the hand of the United States. Universities have benefited from this through their physical infrastructure and have a responsibility to be a bridge — to ethically address the challenges those communities face in ways that build trust and transparency.” - Dr. Karletta ChiefNative FEWS Alliance (Food, Water, Energy Systems) - "The dual vision of the Native FEWS Alliance (the Alliance) is to build a highly skilled Native American (NA) STEM workforce at the nexus of Food, Energy and Water and to co-innovate and deploy Indigenous place-based FEWS education and community partnerships."Dr. Karletta Chief Bio

AUNTIE: Wa'tkwanonhweráton Sewakwé:kon – on this episode of The Aunties Dandelion we visit with Lori Campbell a formidable justice warrior, Intergenerational residential school survivor, Indigiqueer Auntie… she's scholar and and recent contender on the reality show Canada's Ultimate Challenge. Lori is a member of Montreal Lake First Nation Treaty 6 Territory and spent decades on a quest to piece her family back together after she and her siblings were taken from her mom by Canada's government. It's estimated 20 thousand Indigenous children suffered the same fate as the Campbells in what's known as Canada's Sixties Scoop. Lori walks us through the details of her grueling journey which eventually let the assurance she encountered when she finally met her birth family. LORI: All those times that I was sitting wondering if anybody thought of me. You know I would say to anybody out there who has been separated from their family never doubt that our people don't think of us. That they are not longing for us and missing us and loving us and wanting the best for us. AUNTIE: Lori takes her Auntie role seriously and she competed in Canada's Ultimate Challenge in order to reveal a more complete narrative of Indigenous people than the media typicall shows us. LORI: People weren't just seeing me but they were seeing… our people and the strength that we bring right? Not our victimhood. But our strength. AUNTIE: Despite suffering a devastating injury – Lori made us all proud and amazed with her determination. So make sure you keep listening. We are Yéthi Nihsténha ne Tekarónyakénare. The Aunties Dandelion. We're focused on revitalizing our communities through stories of land, language, and relationships. And we want to say Nyá:wenkò:wa – or big thanks – to Canada's Indigenous Screen Office – teyonhkiwihstekénha – for making this podcast possible through their New Media fund. We make space here for real conversations to unfold like we're visiting in our communities. So take a breath, make some tea – and listen to your Aunties. And when you are done – please follow us, provide some feedback, and share these visits with others. It helps us continue these visits together.

Here is Chandra Maracle's Ted Talk on renaming post-partum depressionKanikonnríyo - The good mind Kahkwa'ónwe - Original FoodSkaronhyasekò:wa - The Everlasting Tree School on Six Nations of the Grand River Rotinonhsyón:ni Territory

Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa adult Kanyen'kéha language immersion websiteBack on the Rez - 1997 book written by Brian Maracle Crazy Water: Native Voices on Addiction and Recovery - 1994 book written by Brian MaracleThe Canadian Encyclopedia entry on Owennatekha Brian Maracle The Canadian Encyclopedia entry on Kanyen'kéha (Mohawk) language written by Tehota'kará:ton Jeremy Green 

AUNTIE: Wa'tkwanonhweráton Sewakwékon. On this edition of The Aunties Dandelion we visit with Emergent Auntie Nikaronhyá'a Dawn Martin who is Kanyen'kehà:ka (or Mohawk) from Six Nations of the Grand River Rotinonhsón:ni Territory and who recently won the title of Miss Six Nations. Nikaronhyá'a is a two-spirit culture and language carrier, a teacher, and a farmer who honors the foundation of the feminine. NIKARONHYA'A: The way I translate it is… that's my power… that is my power. My mother is my power, my mother is my strength – that is where I get – all the will to live comes from her and that could be Mother Earth or my birth mother, right? AUNTIE: During our visit we discuss Nikaronhya'a's relationship with the beauty and trauma of her community and family and how the power of our Mohawk language - through her father's influence - has become her support and guide. NIKARONHYA'A: He said it's about the voices of your ancestors. It's not even about a word. And that's what he would talk about is vibration and energy. That that word don't live on the paper. That word don't live in the text book. That word only lives with us in our being and our energy and our voice and our breath to make it come into existence. AUNTIE: We are Yethi Nihsténha ne Tekaronyakánere – the Aunties Dandelion. We're a media collective focused on revitalizing our communities through stories of land, language, and relationships. We are thrilled today to say “nyá:wen” which means “thank you” in Mohawk to the our friends at the Indigenous Screen Office of Canada onkak teyonhkiwihstekénha who are funding our podcast for the coming year. So make some tea, get comfortable and take some time to… listen to your Aunties.

Jeremy Dutcher and world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma collaborate on the Mi'kmaw Honor SongMore background on Jeremy Dutcher from the Hamilton PhilharmonicJeremy Dutcher and his mother, Lisa Perley-Dutcher, talk about collaborating on a series of fundraising concerts across the country to support the first Wolastoqey immersion school

Jeremy Dutcher's WebsiteJeremy's collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma

On this edition of The Aunties Dandelion we visit with language keepers, scholars and horsewomen Katygene and Kayla Jackson, - Diné sisters from Round Rock, AZ. We talk about balancing skills and passions in Indigenous traditional and Western worlds. And at the end - they SING!

Rematriation MagazineRuth Bader Ginsburg, the Doctrine of Discovery and the Oneida CaseCenter for Art, Humor and Soul 

LeAndra's Not Invisible podcast.Red House Series website  

Click here for Remaining Native websiteShe Carries Her House Instagram Paige featured on Indian Country TodayNew York Times article about Ku Stevens

Terry Jones' website - Torn Jersey MediaHaudenosaunee Micro-Short Film Festival - Micro Mania Film FestivalArticle about Terry giving commencement speech at Syracuse University"Seneca Wolf Clan filmmaker Terry Jones, a Haudenosaunee Promise Scholar, Udall Scholar and Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship recipient was the Syracuse graduation commencement speaker Friday at the Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).In addition to those awards, Jones was also awarded the highest honor given at Syracuse University, the University Scholarship, which is only awarded to 12 students."

Click here for The Pueblo Resurgents website.Click here for Pueblo Resurgents IGFor more information about Isleta Pueblo click hereOur promo features Radicle Narrative podcast - check out their website here. 

Here is Mohawk Seedkeepers Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/846377065399516

Click here for the Facebook link to Skaronhya:se'kó:wa - Everlasting Tree SchoolHere is the Wikipedia link describing Waldorf Education.This is the website for the Mohawk language immersion program Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa at Six Nations of the Grand RiverClick here for the link to A Mind Spread Out on the Ground - the book about Otsistohkwí:yo's family written by her sister Alicia Elliott.  

Black Speculative Arts Movement CanadaOctavia Butler 

Kenhté:ke Seed Sanctuary: https://kenhtekeseedsanctuary.comMohawks of the Bay of Quinte (Tyendinaga Territory) https://mbq-tmt.org

Saray Argumedo is a fronteriza born in South Los Angeles and raised in the borderland of El Paso Texas and Ciudad Juárez Chihuahua, Mexico. Her family originates from the mountains and cornfields of Saín Alto Zacatecas and Hidalgo del Parral Chihuahua. On this episode of The Aunties Dandelion, Saray takes the time to revisit the detailed stories of her mother - and of her mentor as she explains her influences on her own journey back and forth across borderlands. "Hearing about the migration.. all of those little trips.. it makes so much sense to me why I feel also the need of kind of moving around," Saray says. "Migration is in my blood." Argumedo received her Masters in Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico and during his time, Argumedo had the privilege of working with farmworkers and Indigenous communities throughout Mexico, New Mexico and now at Ysleta del Sur Pueblo. Today, she is a first-year doctoral student at The University of Texas at El Paso and serves as the Program Analyst for the Department of Tribal Empowerment at Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, where she has created and implementing decolonizing-participatory methodologies to help support the Pueblo's educational programs.

"You are not alone. And you are loved." Yakwatonáhare! We are excited to premiere The Aunties Emergent - our new sub-series of The Aunties Dandelion - featuring emergent Auntie/Scholar Jasmine Neosh, Menominee Nation interviewing her friends and collaborators about being Indigenous, scholars, women and Aunties Emergent. (I love and cried a little when they were calling each other Auntie-Doctors!) Jasmine Neosh (Menominee) is a student in the Public Administration program at the College of Menominee Nation, where she also obtained an Associate degree in Natural Resources in 2019. Jasmine is a writer, student researcher, and advocate for environmental justice, Indigenous sovereignty, climate change education and culturally-informed, place-based sustainability. She is the author of Rezilience, a Tribal College Journal blog which focuses on stories of sustainability in Indian Country. In August 2021, Jasmine was awarded the prestigious Forge Fellowship “to support established and emerging Indigenous leaders in the land justice, education, and cultural fields with financial support and a residency.” https://indiancountrytoday.com/lifestyle/forge-fellowship-awards-25000-to-four-native-notables?fbclid=IwAR3BMp1Jzrpmj3kGm9q7zQvTjCIf0AgFeXYOrt6E4dyQWuJtjP87mikdAAs Other Emergent Aunties featured in the podcast: Paulette Blanchard (Absentee Shawnee citizen, Kickapoo descent) - PhD Candidate in Geography from University of Kansas Michelle Montgomery (enrolled Haliwa Saponi, descendant Eastern Band Cherokee) - MA MPP PhD*** Hōkūlani Rivera (Kanaka Maoli) - AmeriCorps VISTA #listentoyouraunties

Welcome to The Aunties Dandelion – I'm Dr. Karenna'onwe Karen Hill. Today we continue to celebrate the beautiful life and ongoing influence of our Lakota Auntie – Germaine Tremmel – known as Lady Seen by Her Nation. Auntie Germaine was a direct descendant of Sitting Bull, a UN lawyer, Army veteran, a Buffalo bone carver, a city planner, a water and land protector and someone who knew how to honor her elders. In Part One of this series - a group of us who knew Germaine gathered to remember her and tell stories about her. In this companion episode – you can listen to long takes of her own stories. Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore and Rebecca Kemble featured Germaine at Standing Rock in the 2018 film The Eagle and The Condor and then sat with her and recorded her final stories as she made her journey back to the stars in December 2019. When you hear her humor, wisdom and passion - you'll understand why we're always saying - listen to your aunties.

Click here for The Eagle and The Condor which features Auntie Germaine Tremmel. And here is Auntie's obituary:  Tahoyate Wiyaŋgapi Win(Lady Seen By Her Nation)Germaine Marlo Tremmel February 27, 1957 - December 2, 2019 Germaine Marlo Tremmel transitioned to the stars in her sacred He Sapa at Fort Meade on December 2, 2019 in Sturgis, SD due to complications following her bone marrow cancer. She was 62. She was a water and land protector, UN attorney, Akicita, her people's advocate, women's drum leader, language and traditional knowledge keeper. Ms. Tremmel was born on February 27, 1957 in Sitting Bull Camp, Standing Rock, SD to her parents, Mathew Tremmel and Margaret “One Bull” Tremmel. She is the direct lineal granddaughter of Chief Sitting Bull, Chief Red Thunder, and Chief Rain in the Face. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Law and later graduated with her Masters in International Law from the University of Cambridge, England. She worked tirelessly for her Oyate locally and abroad at the United Nations in Geneva and Brussels.  She was a Professor of West Virginia and the founder of the Tetuwan Oyate Treaty Council at the United Nations. Ms. Tremmel was also a recipient of the Indigenous United Nations Peacemaker Award and was a judge with the U.N. International Genocide Commission and International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. Inspiring creativity and dedication in others was one of her life-long goals; the other, was the nationhood of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ as her elders placed her in this mission.  Ms. Tremmel served the United States military in 82nd Airborne for 13 years and was awarded the Purple Heart. She was a member of the Red Feather Society. Ms. Tremmel also worked in Bismarck/Mandan as a Riding Officer and was a Rapid City Police Officer and in later years worked at the B.I.A. (Aberdeen, SD) with the Department of Land Management.Germaine was a patient and supportive teacher of the Dakota Language and created a “Grow Your Own” program utilizing traditional knowledge and was based out of Inhanktuwan Nation. Today there are over 30 fluent Dakota speakers who are now teaching the language.  She was also the Founder of the Black Hills Pow-Wow along with Randy Ross & Melvin Miner. She had a great passion for traditional literacy and the arts and was a renown buffalo bone jewelry designer utilizing traditional practices taught by her elders. She sang and sat in many drum circles and was part of the Red Drum Society. Ms. Tremmel is survived by her 2 daughters, son, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Matthew Tremmel and Margaret “One Bull”; her natural parents, Owen Jefferson Young, Jr. (Rosebud Sicangu Oyate) and Evelyn Blanche Thompson (Hunkpapa Standing Rock/Canada); and her grandparents, John Thompson and Jennie Amy Crowghost.Ms. Tremmel will be buried at the Black Hills National Cemetery on December 5, 2019 at 12:30PM. A wake will take place on December 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the Gym, 113 Comanche Rd., Fort Meade, SD as she counts coup on Custer one last time. All are welcome to attend, celebrate and honour Ms. Tremmel's remarkable life.

On this edition of The Aunties Dandelion - our final of three interviews with Kanyenkeha:ka culture and language carrier Tehahenteh Frank Miller. As local officials continue aggression toward our Six Nations land protectors at 1492 Landback Lane - Tehahenteh and Karenna'onwe share their options for resolution in no uncertain terms. "This is not a negotiation," says Tehahenteh. "This is not a land claim. There is no surrender.""It is about how we are relating to that land and what is happening on that land that is good not only for us as Onkwehonwe people, but for the newcomers that are here as well," says Karenna'onwe. 

On this episode of The Aunties Dandelion - Part 2 of our conversation with Kanyen'keha:ka (also known as Mohawk) language and cultural carrier Tehahenteh Frank Miller. Tehahenteh lifts up our considerable strengths as Rotinonhson:ni people through his own family's story of restoring Kanyen'keha. And he reminds us that unity within our Confederacy is key to living our teachings into the future. "And so what do we do? We start strengthening that because where understanding where we belong, who we are, how do we feel good about ourselves? And what do we do when it doesn't feel good? We have options - all of this is all laid out for us - it is just reactivating it."

On this episode of The Aunties Dandelion - We're talking with Tehahenteh Frank Miller a treasured Kanyen'kehà:ka (also known as Mohawk) language speaker, scholar - and holder of the wisdom of our Six Nations Confederacy. As our Rotinonhson:ni people struggle to resist a violent over culture in order to protect our land and water - Tehahenteh reminds us of the abundance and protection inherent in our language and the natural world.

On this episode of The Aunties Dandelion: Santee Smith is a Six Nations Kanyenkeha:ka dancer, artist and an award-winning owner of the Kaha:wi Dance Theater. As as her dance company celebrates 15 years in existence – she was recently named the first Indigenous woman Chancellor of McMaster University. We talked to Santee about how dance and creativity grounds us in a world out of balance – and offers powerful pathways to heal our communities and mitigate the trauma of racism and residential schools.