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In this feature segment of asPERusual, guest listener and patient partner Kathy Smith offers a short recap and her key takeaways from last week's episode of asPERusual focused on Building capacity with the SPOR IMAGINE Network. Tune in to this short (~10 minute) episode, regardless of whether you want to compare reflections or get the Coles notes of the full SPOR IMAGINE Network episode.Episode Transcript:Anna:Hi everyone! Welcome to Season 3's first episode of onePERspective. As a reminder, this is a tri-weekly segment in which patient partner Kathy Smith shares a synopsis and key reflections from the previous week's episode of asPERusual -- a podcast for practical patient engagement. My name is Anna Chudyk and I am asPERusual's host. Before I turn things over to Kathy to provide a recap of Season 3 Episode 1, I want to do a huge shout out to her. Kathy, you faced huge tech related barriers that would have made most other people peace out on making this episode a reality. But you kept trying all week and persevering and here we finally are. Something you kept saying was, I don't want to let you down. But the thing is, I don't think you could ever let me down if you tried. Our long-standing bond grew out of and transcends or working relationship, and that's what patient engagement is all about. So thank you so much, Kathy, for loving this labor of love of a podcast as much as I do. And now let me turn it over to you for your onePERspective.Kathy Smith:Thank you Anna and hello everyone. First off, I would like to gratefully acknowledge the ancestral keepers of the beautiful and bountiful land upon which my city of Thunder Bay was built about a quarter of a century ago. We are at the epicenter of Canada, at the head of the greatest, deepest and cleanest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior, the mighty Gitche Gumee. This area is the traditional territory and homeland of the Anishinaabe People, which includes the Ojibwa/Chippewa of Fort William First Nation, signatories to the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850. My father's family migrated from Sweden to Turtle Island (Canada) in the late 1800s. They all settled in Minnesota, but only my grandfather preferred to live and work in Canada as a lumberjack. My mother's family also first migrated to America way back in the early 1700s. A family joke is that they told the Mayflower where to land. They moved first up to New Brunswick, as United Empire Loyalists, with some settling here to work in the forest building and serving the railway. Both families chose to live and thrive here in pristine northwestern Ontario, and they gratefully spoke often of the huge debt we owed to its original land keepers. Whether as a child in the family car on a Sunday drive to nowhere, or as a mom camping everywhere with my own four children, or now just meandering with my hubby along the majestic woodland trails, I am in awe of the breathtaking, balance, and restoring beauty of our natural surroundings. I respect the ancestral stewards for their profound spiritual connection to Mother Earth and all the living things that guided them to practice reverence, humility and reciprocity with her gifts of pure air, clean water, mineral rich soil, and abundant flora and fauna. I am very grateful also for the significant contributions made by the Metis Peoples, both past and present. Miigwech!Thank you to our Building Capacity with SPOR IMAGINE guests Aida Fernandes (executive director), along with Dr. Deborah Marshall and Sandra Zelinsky, co-leads of the Patient Engagement Subcommittee. You all wear different hats with your lived and work experience backgrounds, but you are all laser focused on partnering to better manage inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Your IMAGINE network is shedding some much needed light on these puzzling and troubling chronic disorders. I have seen a close friend's partner struggle and stumble with Crohn's disease, one of the inflammatory bowel diseases. Needing to be hyper vigilant with what he eats and ever mindful of maintaining a work life balance is difficult. And he pretty much had to learn by trial and error. He recently passed away from pancreatic cancer, but I know he would be extremely delighted to see that the Mind And Gut Interactions Cohort (MAGIC) Study focuses on more proactive and preventative strategies than on reactive treatment regimes. WOWZA! Almost 8000 subjects were recruited into the pan-Canadian MAGIC study by the IMAGINE network. Participants were retained in the study in high numbers even though they had to submit quarterly blood, stool, and urine samples. How did IMAGINE accomplish this incredible feat? With the aid of a very strong, very engaged, very well trained and supported patient partner group. 40 patient peer-to-peer mentors conducted face-to-face and/or online virtual contacts with the participants in the study to encourage and support them. The patients engaged as partners in the research had flexibility in how and when they could contribute to the study. The IMAGINE network met patient partners where they were at and what they were comfortable with contributing. Anna compared this to Roger Stoddard's choosing patient engagement tasks from a menu analogy, because appetites are all different when it comes to the amount of engagement one can or will want to do. Patient engagement was kept strong by relying on this flexibility, plus good support, plus capacity building and first and foremost, once again, respectful relationship building. The unique but equally valuable voices and perspectives of the 4 Ls that Linxi Mytkolli told us about in asPERusual's Diabetes Action Canada podcast delivers the lived, the lovers, the learners (so the academic leads) and the laborers (all the clinicians) blended together to make this one strong, patient centric study. Patients and providers also had access to tools necessary to support their preferred level and type of engagement. Anna has posted a really good list of these resources recommended by today's guests. In particular, they highlighted the free online patient and community engagement research (PaCER) program, a one year certificated course from the University of Calgary. It teaches patient research partners how to create, conduct, and even lead a research project. In fact, that's the requirement for the certificate. Another way patient engagement was supported reached beyond taking part in the research study process. IMAGINE empowered patients to share their lived experience stories. Having just completed this task myself, I sure wish I had access to that training with the help from patient mentors like Sandra. Storytelling is harder than it looks. All in all, this is a very strong study with a very strong network of networks and a very strong method of patient engagement. I wish the team much success. Miigwech. PERsonally SpeakingMy three big takeaways will sound pretty familiar. The secret sauce to any successful patient engagement in research platform is to overcommunicate at the start. Make friends. Take all the time at the start to develop the bidirectional relationships needed to build a strong team of friends. Teamwork makes the dream work. Know the end game goal. List the tasks needed to get there, and then collaborate as a team to “match the hat to the task.” Impressed IMAGINE seems to have no power differential barrier at play. Regular feedback and ongoing evaluation can help maintain a productive and respectful partnership. If we focus research funding on lived experience patient priorities like MAGIC's mind-gut biome connection study, it not only enriches the research process, but also ensures that the outcomes are more relevant and beneficial to those who need them the most. Patients are the alpha and the omega of health care. Thank you to SPOR Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research for all your resource allocation for studies that bridge the gap between science and experience. Working together, maybe we will get more proactive strategies to better self-manage many chronic diseases. I'm very optimistic MAGIC will make some magic happen for patients with IBD and IBS.Anna:Thanks so much Kathy for sharing your onePERspective. I think this is my favorite one yet. Something that really also stood out for me about IMAGINE was the pivotal role that patient research partners play in shaping research within the network and throughout the research cycle. The MAGIC study is such an impressive undertaking, having enrolled almost 8000 patients in a Pan-Canadian longitudinal venture. To see meaningful and active engagement interwoven into it is beyond heartening and definitely something we can all stand to learn from. If you haven't checked the original episode out, it is Season 3 Episode 1 of asPERusual and can be accessed through visiting our website asperusual.substack.com or wherever it is that you download your other podcast episodes from. If you do visit the website, be sure to check out the interactive transcript from this, and other episodes, as well as to subscribe to the podcast's newsletter! As always, you can reach me by emailing anna.asperusual@gmail.com or by adding me to LinkedIn by searching Anna M. Chudyk – CHUDYK.In two weeks I'll be releasing Season 3 Episode 2 of asPERusual, where I sit down with Melanie Talson and Cathy Woods from the Canadians Seeking Solutions and Innovations to Overcome Chronic Kidney Disease (Can-SOLVE CKD) network. Be sure to tune in if you want to learn about their systemic approach to patient engagement, including ways in which the six R's ( Respect, Responsibility, Reciprocity, Relevance, Relationships, and being Real) permeate all aspects of the network's work, and the role of the network's Indigenous Peoples' Engagement and Research Council (IPERC) in shaping engagement and care for Indigenous Peoples and communities across Canada.Until next time, thanks again for tuning in and let's keep working together to make patient engagement the standard, or asPERusual. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit asperusual.substack.com
Meredith Kennedy- Fisher is the executive director of Miigwech, Inc., an organization that aims to increase voting among tribal citizens this election year. She talked with host April Baer about what tribal voters care about in the upcoming election, some barriers for members who really want to vote, and a guide for every tribal ID that exists in Michigan. Kennedy-Fischer says people don't realize that there are 12 federally recognized tribes that exist in Michigan. "Now, a lot of that has to do with the fact that there is a lack of education within Michigan curriculum about Native people," said Kennedy-Fischer. "We're always in the past. We're never in the present or the future." Listen to the full conversation on today's podcast. GUEST: Meredith Kennedy- Fisher, executive director of Miigwech, Inc.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week I'm talking with Waubgeshig Rice about his new novel MOON OF THE TURNING LEAVES, which came out in Canada last fall and was just published in the United States, and how he was inspired by Cormac McCarthy's 1985 novel BLOOD MERIDIAN to craft a narrative in which the land guides the story. BOOKSPO/Pickle Me This is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Waub talks about why he thinks BLOOD MERIDIAN is a post-apocalyptic novel, what he thinks of McCarthy's representation of Indigenous characters, what he's most proud of having accomplished in his latest book, and how Emily St. John Mandel's STATION ELEVEN helped inspire him too. Miigwech to Waub for this excellent conversation! About MOON OF THE TURNING LEAVES:In the years since a mysterious cataclysm caused a permanent blackout that toppled infrastructure and thrust the world into anarchy, Evan Whitesky has led his community in remote northern Canada off the rez and into the bush, where they've been rekindling their Anishinaabe traditions, isolated from the outside world. As new generations are born, and others come of age in a world after everything, Evan's people are stronger than ever. But resources around their new settlement are drying up, and elders warn that they cannot stay indefinitely.Evan and his teenaged daughter, Nangohns, are chosen to lead a scouting party on a months-long trip down to their traditional home on the shores of Lake Huron—to seek new beginnings, and discover what kind of life—and what danger—still exists in the lands to the south.Waubgeshig Rice's exhilarating return to the world first explored in Moon of the Crusted Snow is a brooding story of survival, resilience, Indigenous identity, and rebirth.WAUBGESHIG RICE grew up in Wasauksing First Nation on the shores of Georgian Bay, in the southeast of Robinson-Huron Treaty territory. He's a writer, listener, speaker, language learner, and a martial artist, holding a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is the author of the short story collection Midnight Sweatlodge (2011), and the novels Legacy (2014) and Moon of the Crusted Snow (2018). He appreciates loud music and the four seasons. He lives in N'Swakamok—also known as Sudbury, Ontario—with his wife and three sons. Get full access to Pickle Me This at kerryreads.substack.com/subscribe
Today, Leah and Cole chat with Tony Drews (first-generation direct descendent of Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe), a lifelong student of Ojibwe culture and language. As president and founder of Nashke Native Games, Drews talks about his background in education and how he has found ways to better engage native students in their culture. He describes how excited the students are with these games that not only teach language, but the meaning and history behind the words. Drews is also the program coordinator for the American Indian Family Empowerment Fund at the Tiwahe Foundation. Miigwech, Tony, for sharing your story!
Today, Leah and Cole chat with artist Shaun Chosa. Shaun's art boldly blends Indigenous heritage, counterculture, and pop culture influences, echoing his self-described nomadic upbringing. Currently, his pieces are on display at the Friedli Gallery through October 2023, where he weaves Indigenous traditions into the fabric of popular culture. Shaun shares captivating stories from his travels across Indian country, offers unique insights into Indigenous representation in pop culture, and his journey as an artist. Miigwech, Shaun, for sharing your journey! Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineNative Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community. Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota's Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/
Boozhoo!This is a grass roots podcast about our family of 5 including our rez pup. We are raising our family in an Immersive Anishinaabemowin household. We are anxious to try and share our lives with you again. This time hopefully with more audible content. This episode is updates on where we are now, how English has entered our lives and what we've done to try and combat lifes tribulations while reclaiming our language on our own land - Mshiikenh Mnising (Turtle Island). #LandBack #EveryChildMatters #LanguageBack linktr.ee/enweying.oursoundMany people have reached out to ask where they can donate or support revitalization efforts. This link leads to our Link Tree which has a Patreon as well as "Buy me a Coffee" where you can donate to our families cause and initiatives we do to support learning in the home and across our communities. Miigwech
This week, Leah and Cole chat with Tashia Hart (Red Lake Nation), a culinary ethnobotanist, artist, photographer, award-winning author, and cook. As a multifaceted artist, Tashia's art reflects the stages of her life, connections to nature and food. She shares about the making of her most recent work, Native Love Jams, a “sweet” romance that explores the relationships of love and food. Tashia also shares how adversity from publishers led to the creation of her publishing company (Not) Too Far Removed Press and how connecting to plants and nature has helped her along her path. Miigwech to Tashia for chatting! Tashia has a collection of food and love-themed illustrations on display at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) titled “Indigenous Expressions Love Culture and Reinvention” – a co-presentation with artist Sam Zimmerman and bead artist Chenoa Williams. In addition to Native Love Jams, Tashia has authored Girl Unreserved, Gidjie and the Wolves, and The Good Berry Cookbook.
Cole and Leah meet and chat with high school basketball coach John Villebrun (Bois Forte Band). John coaches girls' basketball at Mountain Iron-Buhl High School on the Iron Range. The team was recently crowned the Minnesota Class A State Girls' Basketball Champions, and John received the honor of Assistant Coach of the Year! Now as a decorated coach, John remains modest and continues to lead with perseverance and determination, setting an example for the next generation. Miigwech to John for chatting with us! Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community. Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota's Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/
What role does youth engagement play in leadership development? What role does it play in building relationships and meaningful careers? Host Sam Bird speaks with veteran youth engagement expert Jocelyn Formsma, CEO of the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) about how her extensive experience on youth councils led to her on path to leading a national organization. In addition to leading the NAFC, Jocelyn is a Board Member of the Indigenous Bar Association, Advisor to the Ontario Indigenous Youth Partnership Project and on the Board of Trustees for the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. Our theme music is from Minou-Pimatiswen by Nigel Irwin and the Chippewa Travellers. Supplemental music provided by Nagamo Publishing. If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love for you to share it with others and give it a five-star rating. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and sign-up to our newsletter to be notified about our next podcast series. Miigwech for joining us on this journey. Young People Know is a co-production between Indigenous 150+ and the Mastercard Foundation EleV program. To learn more about the Mastercard Foundation EleV Program, and the voices and visions of Indigenous young people visit their website EleV: Taking Flight Together and sign up for their newsletter. You can also follow EleV on their socials: Instagram Facebook Twitter Linked In To learn more about Indigenous 150+ and the Indigeous 150+ media training opportunities please visit our website and sign up for our newsletter. New announcements coming soon! You can also follow Indigeous 150+ on our socials: Instagram Facebook Twitter Linked In Don't forget to subscribe and be notified when we drop our next series! A transcription of Episode 5 is available here. Baamaapii!
What role does youth engagement play in leadership development? What role does it play in building relationships and meaningful careers? Host Sam Bird speaks with veteran youth engagement expert Jocelyn Formsma, CEO of the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) about how her extensive experience on youth councils led to her on path to leading a national organization. In addition to leading the NAFC, Jocelyn is a Board Member of the Indigenous Bar Association, Advisor to the Ontario Indigenous Youth Partnership Project and on the Board of Trustees for the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. Our theme music is from Minou-Pimatiswen by Nigel Irwin and the Chippewa Travellers. Supplemental music provided by Nagamo Publishing. If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love for you to share it with others and give it a five-star rating. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and sign-up to our newsletter to be notified about our next podcast series. Miigwech for joining us on this journey. Young People Know is a co-production between Indigenous 150+ and the Mastercard Foundation EleV program. To learn more about the Mastercard Foundation EleV Program, and the voices and visions of Indigenous young people visit our website EleV: Taking Flight Together and sign up for our newsletter. You can also follow EleV on our socials: Instagram Facebook Twitter Linked In To learn more about Indigenous 150+ and the Indigeous 150+ media training opportunities please visit their website and sign up for their newsletter. You can also follow Indigeous 150+ on their their socials: Instagram Facebook Twitter Linked In Don't forget to subscribe and be notified when we drop our next series! A transcription of Episode 5 is available here. Baamaapii!
What role does identity and culture play in the lives of Indigenous youth? How is one's sense of identity impacted when representing the voices of Indigenous youth to a larger institution? What is required for youth to fully engage? Our host Sam Bird explores these questions through conversations with: Brian Pottle (Former President of the National Inuit Youth Council) Christine Tootoo (National Inuit Youth Council Representative for Kivalliq) Tutchone Dunfield (former member of the Provisional Youth Council for the Metis Nation of Alberta. Young People Know is a co-production between Indigenous 150+ and the Mastercard Foundation EleV program. Our theme music is from Minou-Pimatiswen by Nigel Irwin and the Chippewa Travellers. Supplemental music provided by Nagamo Publishing and Andrea Menard. Other featured artists include GR Gritt, Chris Derksen & Silla, Justin Delorme, Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie, Mimi O'Bonsawin. If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love for you to share it with others and give it a five-star rating. To learn more about Indigenous 150+ and the Indigeous 150+ media training opportunities please visit our website and sign up for our newsletter. You can also follow us on our socials: Instagram Facebook Twitter Linked In You can follow Host Sam Bird on Linked In. A transcript of Episode 1 is available here: Miigwech!
What role does identity and culture play in the lives of Indigenous youth? How is one's sense of identity impacted when representing the voices of Indigenous youth to a larger institution? What is required for youth to fully engage? Our host Sam Bird explores these questions through conversations with: Brian Pottle (Former President of the National Inuit Youth Council) Christine Tootoo (National Inuit Youth Council Representative for Kivalliq) Tutchone Dunfield (former member of the Provisional Youth Council for the Metis Nation of Alberta. Young People Know is a co-production between Indigenous 150+ and the Mastercard Foundation EleV program. Our theme music is from Minou-Pimatiswen by Nigel Irwin and the Chippewa Travellers. Supplemental music provided by Nagamo Publishing and Andrea Menard. Other featured artists include GR Gritt, Chris Derksen & Silla, Justin Delorme, Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie, Mimi O'Bonsawin. If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love for you to share it with others and give it a five-star rating. To learn more about the Mastercard Foundation EleV Program, and the voices and visions of Indigenous young people visit our website EleV: Taking Flight Together and sign up for our newsletter. You can also follow us on our socials: Instagram Facebook Twitter Linked In A transcription of Episode 1 is available here. Miigwech!
Leah and Cole chat with Tabitha Chilton, a White Earth Nation member who serves as Sanford Health's Native American patient advocate in Bemidji, Minnesota. Tabitha's focus on outpatient care at the Joe Lueken Cancer Center helps Native communities access healthcare throughout Northern Minnesota. She works with Tribal communities to help build trust and understanding in the healthcare system and emphasizes the need for preventative care and primary care. Tabitha chats with us about her current position at Sanford Health, helping youth through trauma-informed care and her path to serving communities.Miigwech to Tabitha for sharing about what has led her along the path of advocating for Native Americans in Healthcare systems!Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineNative Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota's Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/
Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community. Rebekah Fineday's Gift for Building Trust in Healthcare Systems & Native Communities Today, we're speaking with Rebekah Fineday, a Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and Air Force veteran who serves as Sanford Health's Native American community advocate in Bemidji, Minnesota. She is also a Registered Nurse and has worked at Indian Health Service (IHS) in Cass Lake and Red Lake for more than a decade. Through her work, she's been advocating to improve health care in Native American communities which include community-minded patient relations, building relationships with other tribal health groups, and in-person patient advocacy. She shares a little about her time in the Air Force, working in Indian Health Services, and the importance of community and culture in the health care system. Miigwech to Rebekah for sharing about what has led her along the path of advocating for Native Americans in Healthcare systems! Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota's Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineNative Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community. Amber Annis: Nurturing & Protecting Authentic Narratives Today Leah and Cole chat with Amber Annis, a Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe citizen who is currently the director of Native American Initiative at the Minnesota Historical Society. Amber has a long history not only as a public historian, but as an educator, tribal nation liaison, community engagement specialist and collaborator. She also talks about her experience teaching “Topics in Contemporary Native North America” at Metro State University; the process behind reframing historical archives of Indigenous people; and how her and the Minnesota Historical Society are helping reframing how K-12 teach the history of Minnesota. Pidamayaye and Miigwech to Amber for sharing with us today! Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine. Native Lights is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at MinnesotaNativeNews.org/NativeLights
We're taking a different approach to this month's episode and releasing it a day early to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. We've informally curated a list of books that focus on the residential school experience and the resilience of survivors. We encourage listeners to seek out novels, memoirs, poetry, plays, and more beyond what we've discussed in this episode, and to support survivors however possible. Miigwech/thanks for listening.Some of the books and works discussed in Season 2 Episode 10:Burning in this Midnight Dream by Louise Bernice HalfeFive Little Indians by Michelle GoodIndian Horse by Richard WagameseThe Marrow Thieves by Cherie DimalineI Lost My Talk by Rita JoeThey Called Me Number One by Bev SellarsCalling Down the Sky by Rosanna DeerchildCall Me Indian by Fred SasakamooseResidential School Survivor Support Line: 1-866-925-4419More reading:https://www.cbc.ca/books/48-books-by-indigenous-writers-to-read-to-understand-residential-schools-1.6056204https://www.torontomu.ca/content/dam/aec/pdfs/TRC_reading_and_film_list.pdfhttps://bookriot.com/indian-residential-schools-books/
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio ShowNative Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.Native Lights – Barb Fabre's Gift for Empowering Native Families and ChildrenOn today's show, we talk with Barbara Fabre (White Earth Ojibwe). For decades, Barb has been an advocate for Native families and children. She's the President of All Nations Rise and the CEO of Indigenous Visioning.She talks about how culture leads the work she does and how Native teachings help empower, educate, and mentor Native families, children, and childcare providers. Barb has led numerous projects that aim to improve childcare systems throughout Indian country. You can find more about her work at https://www.indigenousvisioning.com/Miigwech to Barb Fabre for the informative conversation!Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota's Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio ShowNative Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.Native Lights –Sequoia Hauck's Gift for Decolonizing the Process of Art-MakingOn today's show, we talk with Sequoia Hauck (they/them), a Native (Anishinaabe/Hupa) queer multidisciplinary artist based in the Twin Cities. Sequoia's art-making includes theater, filmmaking, poetry, and performance art, with all of it centered on a decolonized creative process.Sequoia shares details of their upcoming art installation, which is happening as the closing event of Northern Spark. Their project is a large-scale installation of two cloth rivers that span what is now Raspberry Island in Imnížaska Othúŋwe/Ashkibagi-ziibiing (St. Paul). The cloth rivers are replicas of Ȟaȟáwakpa/Gichi-ziibi (Mississippi River) and Mnísota Wakpá/Ashkibagi-ziibi (Minnesota River).Miigwech, Sequoia! We loved hearing about your passion for connecting to ancestors, building community through performance art, and finding healing and resiliency through our relationship to water and its movement and stillness.Northern Spark is happening on Saturday, June 11th from 9p through 5:30a.http://northern.lights.mn/platform/northern-spark-2022/https://2022.northernspark.org/art-and-events/Sequoia Hauck's website is here: https://www.sequoiahauck.com/Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota's Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/
Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.Native Lights – Honoring the Life and Legacy AIM Co-Founder Clyde Bellecourt (1938-2022) – Part 1Today, the first of two special editions of our show, honoring the life and legacy of NeeGawNwayWeeDun, The Thunder Before the Storm, who was known by his colonial name Clyde Bellecourt. Bellecourt passed away in his Minneapolis home on January 11th, 2022. He was 85.Clyde Bellecourt was a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and was a long-time civil rights advocate and co-founded the American Indian Movement in 1968. Throughout his many decades of activism, Bellecourt and AIM leaders sought solutions to police brutality, treaty rights, housing discrimination, and the loss of Indian children. He fought to create culturally specific education, innovative job programs, against sports mascots, and for human rights for Indigenous people here and around the world. His work was revolutionary and sometimes controversial. Today we honor NeeGawNwayWeeDun, by hearing from community members who knew him well, and who share stories and shed light on the impact and legacy of Clyde Bellecourt.** We also want to acknowledge the passing of Peggy Bellcourt on March 16, 2022 – Peggy co-founded the American Indian Movement alongside her husband Clyde. They were married for 56 years. Clyde said in his 2016 autobiography that his life with Peggy was inseparable from the Movement… and it was her strength and support that made his work in the Movement possible.Miigwech to the folks who have shared their stories in these shows: Dr. Kate Beane (Flandreau Santee Dakota and Muskogee Creek), Dr. Brenda J. Child Ph.D. (Red Lake Nation), Dr. Antony Stately Ph.D. (Ojibwe and Oneida), Robert Pilot (Ho-Chunk Nation), Bob Rice (White Earth Nation), Steve Premo (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe), and Bob Blake (Red Lake Nation). Originally published as Episode S3 E50 Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota's Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/
Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.Native Lights – Honoring the Life and Legacy AIM Co-Founder Clyde Bellecourt (1938-2022) – Part 1Today, the first of two special editions of our show, honoring the life and legacy of NeeGawNwayWeeDun, The Thunder Before the Storm, who was known by his colonial name Clyde Bellecourt. Bellecourt passed away in his Minneapolis home on January 11th, 2022. He was 85.Clyde Bellecourt was a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and was a long-time civil rights advocate and co-founded the American Indian Movement in 1968. Throughout his many decades of activism, Bellecourt and AIM leaders sought solutions to police brutality, treaty rights, housing discrimination, and the loss of Indian children. He fought to create culturally specific education, innovative job programs, against sports mascots, and for human rights for Indigenous people here and around the world. His work was revolutionary and sometimes controversial. Today we honor NeeGawNwayWeeDun, by hearing from community members who knew him well, and who share stories and shed light on the impact and legacy of Clyde Bellecourt.Miigwech to the folks who have shared their stories in these shows: Dr. Kate Beane (Flandreau Santee Dakota and Muskogee Creek), Dr. Brenda J. Child Ph.D. (Red Lake Nation), Dr. Antony Stately Ph.D. (Ojibwe and Oneida), Robert Pilot (Ho-Chunk Nation), Bob Rice (White Earth Nation), Steve Premo (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe), and Bob Blake (Red Lake Nation). Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota's Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/
MARIE:This week on Minnesota Native News, the Minnesota Vikings recently hosted the 2021 Indigenous Bowl. Two all Indigenous football teams competed in front of friends and family. Here's Diego Luke with the story…[Soundbite of the Little Earth Singers]Announcer: Welcome to the 2021 Indigenous Bowl here at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings.Diego: On Sunday, December 5th, the Minnesota Vikings partnered with the 7G foundation to host the 2021 Annual Indigenous Bowl. This was the fourth year of the Indigenous Bowl, the first being held in 2017. According to their website, “[t]he Bowl is open to High School Seniors of American Indian descent who have not yet enrolled full-time in college. The event is an opportunity for young, Native athletes to showcase their talent on the football field, work with coaches and mentors, and develop the skills necessary to move to the next level of competition.”This Bowl is aimed at exposing these young Native athletes to recruiters, with the hopes of being recruited to the collegiate scene. The Bowl opened with a drum line from Little Earth, filling the arena with music. This was followed by a man standing in front of the crowd, with both teams behind him, giving an Anishnawbe welcome prayerSpeaker: It's an honour to have representation of our Anishnawbe youth, our Indigenous youth to put a face on what we're doing and I ask for a blessing for them, for their walk in life, to protect them and help them out in all their endeavors, as well as all of us here. To protect us and bless us for this gathering today. Miigwech. Thank you for listening, ahow!Diego: And then went straight into each teams line upsAnnouncer: First off we have Wakiyan Cuny, Lakota, running back. Beau Big Crow, Oglala Lakota Sioux, linebacker. Number three, Zaiden Bernie, Yankton Sioux, quarterback. Number four, Joe Demontiney, Chippewa Cree…Diego: What makes this event unique, is that these are not just tribes from Minnesota and the Midwest, but from all over the country. Many athletes apply and are nominated by coaches to participate in the event, but not all of them are accepted. This year, the teams were divided into the Purple War Chiefs and the Gold Golden Boys. While each team was assigned uniforms, each individual player wore their high school helmet, representing the various schools and tribes across the country. The coin to decide who received the ball for the first half also had special meaning to it.Ref: I've got a coin today from the National Museum of the American Indian celebrating their National Native Americans Veterans Memorial. The Thunderbird is the head, the Memorial is the tails.D: The game was played in front of hundreds. Filled with family, friends, recruiters and football fans alike.[Game sound of fumble]D: The War Chiefs scored first, taking a 6-0 lead, but the Golden Boys would respond with three touchdowns in a row, to take an 18-6 lead into half time. [Game sound]The halftime show was a dance and drum line, with some in the crowd dancing along as well.There were also interviews with the players, broadcasted on the jumbotron about what this event meant to them and their community.Player one: It means everything, uh, for the community to bring in Indigenous kids for their own benefit. I think it's a unique opportunity so take advantage of it.Player two: I'm looking at it right now, this game's everything to me. Not only to me playing at the next level, but I feel like, not only do I got my town behind me but my whole country behind me and I gotta represent.Player three: I'm just here for this opportunity, ya know not much people from my reservation ya know, get this opportunity to go out and do stuff like this so I'm just here to represent my reservation right now.Player four: I thought it was my last time playing football, and uh, I just think this bowl is just like really good. I get to see other Natives like, playing and succeeding.D: For some of these players, this might have been the last time they were putting on the pads and taking the field. And they left it all on the field.The game ended with a final score of the War Chiefs 14 and the Golden Boys 18.The closing ceremony was filled with music from the Little Earth Singers as the crowd rushed the field celebrating both teams, with families and friends embracing.The plan is to continue this Bowl with the support of the Vikings and tribes around the country, as well as people like you.To learn more about the bowl, you can visit their website, Indigenousbowl.com, or the 7Gfoundation.com.For Minnesota Native News, I'm Diego LukeMARIE: Minnesota Native News is produced by Ampers- diverse radio for Minnesota's communities. Made possible by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
'Welcome back to the History of 2021 in Canada seminar. We're going to conclude our case study today of the 2nd season of the conscient podcast.'Claude Schryerou can listen to part one here. This is the conclusion!The setting is an undergraduate university history seminar course called ‘History of 2021 in Canada'. I want to thank my son Riel for the idea. It is set in the distant future, where a professor is presenting a ‘case study' based on the second season of the conscient podcast as part of a class on art in 2021. There are four people in the class: the teacher played by myself, a young male student is played by my son Riel Schryer, a young female student, who is online, is played by my daughter Clara Schryer and a female adult student is played by my wife Sabrina Mathews. I want to thank the cast. A reminder that most of the narration is in English, but there are elements and excerpts of the interviews that are in French and some of the narrations as well. Episode 64 features excerpt from the following episodes in season 2 (in order of appearance):e19 reality (1m05s) (Claude Schryer reading Catherine Ingram)e43 haley (2m29s)e58 huddart (3m55s)e19 reality (5m27s) (Claude Schryer reading Britt Wray)e33 toscano (8m13s)e19 reality (9m53s) (Claude Schryer reading Richard Wagamese)e30m maggs (11m09s)e36 fanconi (13m07s)é37 lebeau (15m08s)e43 haley (16m36s) (second excerpt)e59 pearl (20m00s)e19 reality (21m51s) (Claude Schryer reading Todd Dufresne)e52 mahtani (23m05s)e22 westerkamp (23m58s)e54 garrett (25m19s)e41 rae (27m03s)e67 wanna be an ally (29m47)Screen grab of Reaper software edit of e64Recording cast : Sabrina Mathews (adult student), Claude Schryer (professor) and Riel Schryer (male student): September 2021, OttawaRecording cast : Clara Schryer (female student): September 2021, OttawaScriptNote: Some of the script has been slightly modified during the recording through improvisation and is not captured in this text.(Sounds of students chatting, arriving in class and sitting down)Teacher: Hello students. Let's start the class. Welcome back to the History of 2021 in Canada seminar. Last time we had to disrupt the class because of the air pollution alarm but now the air quality is acceptable, and we can breathe again so hopefully the alarm won't go off again. Let's pick it up where we left off last week. I see we have the same group as last week. a few students in class and one online. Je vous rappelle que c'est une classe bilingue. A quick reminder that we're going to conclude our case study today of the second season of the conscient podcast, which produced by an Ottawa based sound artist, Claude Schryer and at the end the last class he was reading a quote from a dharma teacher Catherine Ingram. I think we'll start by playing that again so that you remember what that was about. Despite our having caused so much destruction, it is important to also consider the wide spectrum of possibilities that make up a human life. Yes, on one end of that spectrum is greed, cruelty, and ignorance; on the other end is kindness, compassion, and wisdom. We are imbued with great creativity, brilliant communication, and extraordinary appreciation of and talent for music and other forms of art. … There is no other known creature whose spectrum of consciousness is as wide and varied as our own.Teacher: Alright. Let's talk about art. One of the key moments in the 2020s was when society started to understand that climate change was a cultural issue and that the role of art was not so much to provide solutions, even though they are important, but to ask hard questions and to help people overcome barriers to action. Here is excerpt that I really like a lot from British ecological artist David Haley. It's fromepisode 43:Climate change is actually a cultural issue, not a scientific issue. Science has been extremely good at identifying the symptoms and looking at the way in which it has manifest itself, but it hasn't really addressed any of the issues in terms of the causes. It has tried to use what you might call techno fix solution focused problem-based approaches to the situation, rather than actually asking deep questions and listening.Adult student: The 2020s sure were a strange time. I heard that some said it was the most exciting time to be alive, but I think it would have been terrifying to live back then and … Teacher (interrupting): You're right and that they were tough times, but they were also a time of possibilities, and some people saw how the arts could step up to the plate and play a much larger role. One of these was Stephen Huddart who was the CEO of a foundation called the JW McConnell Family Foundation based in Montreal. Let's listen to him in episode 58 talk about the crisis and the role of the arts. This is now an existential crisis, and we have in a way, a conceptual crisis, but just understanding we are and what this is, this moment, all of history is behind us: every book you've ever read, every battle, every empire, all of that is just there, right, just right behind us. And now we, we are in this position of emerging awareness that in order to have this civilization, in some form, continue we have to move quickly, and the arts can help us do that by giving us a shared sense of this moment and its gravity, but also what's possible and how quickly that tipping point could be reached.Male student: They keep talking about tipping points. What's a tipping point?Teacher: Ah. Right, sorry about that. I should have filled you in about that. Let me find a quote from episode 19 where Schryer actually refers to an expert on this (sound of typing). Here it is. It's from Canadian writer Britt Wray in an article called Climate tipping points: the ones we actually want. Again, this is Schryer reading that quote. Oh, and you'll notice in this one the sound of a coocoo clock in this one. Schryer liked to insert soundscape compositions in between his interviews in season 2. Here is Britt Wray: When a small change in a complex system produces an enormous shift, that new pathway gets reinforced by positive feedback loops, which lock in all that change. That's why tipping points are irreversible. You can't go back to where you were before. A tipping point that flips non-linearly could be the thing that does us in, but it could also be the thing that allows us to heal our broken systems and better sustain ourselves. Adult student: So, they knew back in the 2020's that they were on the verge of irreversible collapse due to climate change and yet they did nothing to heal their broken systems? Teacher: It's not that they did nothing but rather that they did not do enough, quickly enough. it's easy to look back and be critical but that's why we're looking at this history and trying to understand what happened back then and what it means to us now. You are students of history, and you know how significant it can be. There were so many theories and great writing about the need for radical change back then by authors such as Richard Heinberg, Jeremy Lent, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Naomi Klein,Michael E. Mann, and so many more, and there were also great podcasts like Green Dreamer and For the Wild that provided words of warning, interviewed brilliant people and alternatives paths forward, it was all there – but at first it did little to mobilise the population. People were pretty comfortable in their lifestyle and mostly lived in a kind of denial about the climate emergency. People only really started changing their behaviour when climate change affected them directly, like a fire or flood in their backyard, and this is when it became clear that the arts had a role to play in shaping the narrative of change and changing the culture. I'll give you an example, performance artist and podcaster Peterson Toscanotalksabout the power of storytelling and the idea of touching people hearts and minds. This is from episode 33:It's artists who not only can craft a good story, but also, we can tell the story that's the hardest to tell and that is the story about the impacts of climate solutions. So, it's really not too hard to talk about the impacts of climate change, and I see people when they speak, they go through the laundry list of all the horrors that are upon us and they don't realize it, but they're actually closing people's minds, closing people down because they're getting overwhelmed. And not that we shouldn't talk about the impacts, but it's so helpful to talk about a single impact, maybe how it affects people locally, but then talk about how the world will be different when we enact these changes. And how do you tell a story that gets to that? Because that gets people engaged and excited because you're then telling this story about what we're fighting for, not what we're fighting against. And that is where the energy is in a story.Female student: Right, so something as simple as a story could change a person's behaviour? Teacher: Yes, it could, because humans are much more likely to understand an issue through a narrative, image or allegory than through raw scientific data. In fact, we need all of it, we need scientists working with artists and other sectors to effect change. People have to work together. As I was listening to episode 19 this next quote struck me as a really good way to talk about the power of words to affect change. It's by Indigenous writer Richard Wagamese in episode 19 :To use the act of breathing to shape air into sounds that take on the context of language that lifts and transports those who hear it, takes them beyond what they think and know and feel and empowers them to think and feel and know even more. We're storytellers, really. That's what we do. That is our power as human beings.Teacher: How is everyone doing? Need a break? No, ok, well, let's take a look at arts policy in 2021 now. Cultural theorist and musician Dr. David Maggs, wrote a paper in 2021 called Art and the World After This that was commissioned by the Metcalf Foundation. In this excerpt from episode 30, Dr. Maggs explains the unique value proposition of the arts and how the arts sector basically needed to, at the time, reinvent itself: Complexity is the world built of relationships and it's a very different thing to engage what is true or real in a complexity framework than it is to engage in it, in what is a modernist Western enlightenment ambition, to identify the absolute objective properties that are intrinsic in any given thing. Everyone is grappling with the fact that the world is exhibiting itself so much in these entanglements of relationships. The arts are completely at home in that world. And so, we've been sort of under the thumb of the old world. We've always been a kind of second-class citizen in an enlightenment rationalist society. But once we move out of that world and we move into a complexity framework, suddenly the arts are entirely at home, and we have capacity in that world that a lot of other sectors don't have. What I've been trying to do with this report is articulate the way in which these different disruptions are putting us in a very different reality and it's a reality in which we go from being a kind of secondary entertaining class to, maybe, having a capacity to sit at the heart of a lot of really critical problem-solving challenges.Adult student: We studied this report in an art history class. It's a good piece of writing. I think it had 3 modes of engagement: greening the sector, raising the profile :Teacher: … and I think it was reauthoring the world if I remember correctly. It's interesting to note how the arts community were thinking about how to create ecological artworks as well as theoretical frameworks and how does that happen. I'll give you a couple of examples. First, an environmental theatre company in Vancouver called The Only Animal. Let's listen to their artistic director Kendra Fanconi inepisode 36:Ben Twist at Creative Carbon Scotland talks about the transformation from a culture of consumerism to a culture of stewardship and we are the culture makers so isn't that our job right now to make a new culture and it will take all of us as artists together to do that? … It's not enough to do carbon neutral work. We want to do carbon positive work. We want our artwork to be involved with ecological restoration. What does that mean? I've been thinking a lot about that. What is theatre practice that actually gives back, that makes something more sustainable? That is carbon positive. I guess that's a conversation that I'm hoping to have in the future with other theatre makers who have that vision.Teacher: This actually happened. The arts community did develop carbon positive arts works. To be realistic the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere was probably minimal but the impact on audiences and the public at large was large. At the time and still today, it gets people motivated and open the door to change. People started creating their own carbon positive projects Female student: (interrupting) Amazing! I just found a video of their work on You Tube…Teacher: Please share the link in the chat. It's always good to see what the work looked like. The other example I would give is in Montreal with a group called Écoscéno, which was a circular economy project that recycled theatre sets. Now this one is in French, so let me explain that what Anne-Catherine Lebeau, the ED of that organization is saying. She suggests that the arts community should look at everything it has as a common good, praises the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in England for their work on circular economies and she underlines the need to create art that is regenerative…Let's listen to Anne-Catherine Lebeau in episode 37:. Pour moi, c'est sûr que ça passe par plus de collaboration. C'est ça qui est intéressant aussi. Vraiment passer du modèle ‘Take Make Waste' à ‘Care Dare Share'. Pour moi, ça dit tellement de choses. Je pense qu'on doit considérer tout ce qu'on a dans le domaine artistique comme un bien commun dont on doit collectivement prendre soin. Souvent, au début, on parlait en termes de faire le moins de tort possible à l'environnement, ne pas nuire, c'est souvent comme ça que l'on présente le développement durable, puis en faisant des recherches, et en m'inspirant, entre autres, de ce qui se fait à la Fondation Ellen MacArthur en Angleterre, en économie circulaire, je me suis rendu compte qu'eux demandent comment faire en sorte de nourrir une nouvelle réalité. Comment créer de l'art qui soit régénératif? Qui nourrisse quelque chose.Male student (interrupting) Sorry, wait, regenerative art was a new thing back then? Teacher: Actually, regenerative art had been around for a while, since the 1960 through the ecological art, or eco art movement that David Haley, who we heard from earlier in this class. he and other eco artists did work with the environment and ecosystems. Let's listen to another excerpt from David Haley from episode 43:What I have learned to do, and this is my practice, is to focus on making space. This became clear to me when I read, Lila : An inquiry into morals by Robert Pirsig. Towards the end of the book, he suggests that the most moral act of all, is to create the space for life to move onwards and it was one of those sentences that just rang true with me, and I've held onto that ever since and pursued the making of space, not the filling of it. When I say I work with ecology, I try to work with whole systems, ecosystems. The things within an ecosystem are the elements with which I try to work. I try not to introduce anything other than what is already there. In other words, making the space as habitat for new ways of thinking, habitat for biodiversity to enrich itself, habitat for other ways of approaching things. I mean, there's an old scientific adage about nature abhors a vacuum, and that vacuum is the space as I see it.Teacher : So eco art was an important movement but it did not become mainstream until the 2020s when natural resources on earth were drying up and people started looking at art forms that were about ecological balance and a harmonious relationship with nature. . Now, fortunately, many artists had tested these models over the years so there was a body of work that already existed about this... Btw there's a great book about eco art that came out in 2022 called Ecoart in Action: Activities, Case Studies, and Provocations for Classrooms and Communities. I'll put it on the reading list for you so that you can get it form the library. All of this to say that in retrospect, we can see that 2021 was the beginning of the end of capitalism that Dr. Todd Dufresne predicted, and the arts were at the heart of this transformation because they had the ability to us metaphor, imagery, illusion, fantasy, and storytelling to move people's hearts and presented a new vision of the world. So, I think you're starting to see how things were unfolding in the arts community in 2021. What was missing was coordination and some kind of strategic structure to move things along in an organized way now this was happening in the Uk with Julie's Bicycle and Creative Carbon Scotland and similar organizations, but we did not have that in Canada. I want you to listen to an excerpt of Schryer's conversation with Judi Pearl, who ended up being a very important figure in the arts in the 2020's because she was a co- founder with Anjali Appadurai, Anthony Garoufalis-Auger, Kendra Fanconi, Mhiran Faraday, Howard Jang, Tanya Kalmanovitch, David Maggs, Robin Sokoloski and Schryer himself of an organization called SCALE, which I mentioned earlier. Here is Judi Pearl who explains what SCALE was about in episode 59:It's a national round table for the arts and culture sector to mobilize around the climate emergency. A few months ago, you and I, and a few others were all having the same realization that while there was a lot of important work and projects happening at the intersection of arts and sustainability in Canada, there lacked some kind of structure to bring this work together, to align activities, to develop a national strategy, and to deeply, deeply question the role of arts and culture in the climate emergency and activate the leadership of the sector in terms of the mobilization that needs to happen in wider society. SCALE is really trying to become that gathering place that will engender that high level collaboration, which hopefully will create those positive tipping points.Teacher: OK, time is passing quickly here. there are many other examples in season 2 of the role of the arts, about community-engaged arts, immersive systems, activist art, ritual based art, etc. but in the interests of time, I suggest we move to the notion of hope now. There were so many amazing books and podcasts about hope during this time. Schryer mentions that he enjoyed the book by Thomas Homer-Dixon's Commanding Hope, Eslin Kelsey's Hope Matters, Joanna Macy's and Chris Johnstone's classic from 2010, Active Hope but there were many others. The thing about hope back then is that it was aspirational. Indeed, andthere were many different forms of hope. Let's start with Schryer reading a quote from Dr. Todd Dufresne in episode 19:We're all being “radicalized by reality.” It's just that for some people it takes a personal experience of fire, landslide, or hurricane to get their attention. I'm afraid it takes mass death and extinction. … Whoever survives these experiences will have a renewed appreciation for nature, for the external world, and for the necessity of collectivism in the face of mass extinction. There's hope in this — although I admit it's wrapped in ugliness.Teacher: And it is very ugly, isn't it...? Here's another take on hope from composer Dr. Annie Mahtani in episode 52. Annie was director of a electroacoustic music festival in the UK where the focus of the 2021 was on listening and how listening could us better understand our environment. If we can find ways to encourage people to listen, that can help them to build a connection, even if it's to a small plot of land near them. By helping them to have a new relationship with that, which will then expand and help hopefully savour a deeper and more meaningful relationship with our natural world, and small steps like that, even if it's only a couple of people at a time, that could spread. I think that nobody, no one person, is going to be able to change the world, but that doesn't mean we should give up.Female student: I love the focus on listening. I think Schryer was a specialist in acoustic ecology, if I remember correctly.Teacher: Yes. On a similar wavelength, here's excerpt from soundscape composer Hildegard Westerkamp from episode 22:We need toallow for time to pass without any action, without any solutions and to just experience it. I think that a slowdown is an absolute… If there is any chance to survive, that kind of slowing down through listening and meditation and through not doing so much. I think there's some hope in that.Teacher: Thankfully, we did survive, and we did develop the capacity to listen and slow down as Westerkamp suggests. She was quite prescient in this way. But the notion of hope was elusive, because science keep telling us that they were headed for catastrophe, and there was good reason to be concerned about this and this created massive tension. Male Student: How did they manage that? Teacher: They just kept going in spite of the uncertainty and the grim prospect... As I mentioned earlier, no-one knew if was possible to stop the destruction of the planet, but they kept going on and they use art not only to change systems abut also to keep up morale. Let's listen to this excerpt from episode 54 with theatre artistIan Garrett: I don't want to confuse the end of an ecologically unsustainable, untenable way of civilization working in this moment with a complete guarantee of extinction. There is a future. It may look very different and sometimes I think the inability to see exactly what that future is – and our plan for it - can be confused for there not being one. I'm sort of okay with that uncertainty, and in the meantime, all one can really do is the work to try and make whatever it ends up being more positive. There's a sense of biophilia about it.Male student: OK, they knew that there would be trouble ahead but what about adaptation and preparedness in the arts community. How did they prepare and adapt to the changing environment? Did they not see it coming?Adult Student: It's one thing to raise awareness through art but how did art actually help people deal with the reality of fires, floods, climate refugees and all of that?Teacher: Remember that art had the ability to touch people emotions and motivate them to change their attitudes and lifestyles, but it was also a way to teach people how to adapt while continuing to enjoy the things around them. Artist-researcher and educator Jen Rae is a good example. Rae and her colleagues in Australia did a lot of work in the 2020's to develop tools and resources that call upon art to reduce harm during emergencies. The notion of preparedness. This is from episode 41:The thing about a preparedness mindset is that you are thinking into the future and so if one of those scenarios happens, you've already mentally prepared in some sort of way for it, so you're not dealing with the shock. That's a place as an artist that I feel has a lot of potential for engagement and for communication and bringing audiences along. When you're talking about realities, accepting that reality, has the potential to push us to do other things. It's great to hear about Canada Council changing different ways around enabling the arts and building capacity in the arts in the context of the climate emergency. It'll be interesting to see how artists step up.Teacher: Online student, you have a question. Please go ahead. Female student: Did artists step up? Teacher: Yes, they did. For example, in 2021, there were the Green Sessions organized by SoulPepper Theatrecompany and the Artists for Real Climate Action (ARCA), a really great collective of artists who did all kinds of activist art projects that set the tone for years to come. Some of the most impactful art works were the ones that directly addressed the culture of exploitation and the disconnection from nature that caused the ecological crisis in the first place, so it was not observations but also critique of the root of the issues that humanity was facing at the time. There was also a body work by Indigenous artists, writers, curators and educators that was extremely important and transformative. A good example is Towards Braiding, a collaborative process developed by Elwood Jimmy and Vanessa Andreotti, developed in collaboration with Sharon Stein, in 2020 that opened the door to new ways of working with indigenous communities in cultural institutions and all kinds of settings. It was very impactful. I found an episode from conscient podcast episode 67 from season 3 called ‘wanna be an ally' where Schryer talks about this book and reads the poem called ‘wanna be an ally' from Towards Braiding and I think it's worth listening to the whole thing. It's really important to understand these perspectives. conscient podcast, episode 67, ‘wanna be an ally'? I've been thinking about decolonization and reconciliation and other issues in our relations with indigenous communities. I was reading a text the other day that really affected me positively but also emotionally and I wanted to read it to you. If you remember last episode, I talked about the idea of radical listening. Well, this is a type of radical listening in the sense that each of these words are, I think very meaningful and important for us all to consider. It's from a document called Towards Braiding by Elwood Jimmy and Vanessa. Andreotti written in collaboration with Sharon Stein and it's published by the Musagetes Foundation. I'd like to start by thanking them all for this a very important document that essentially talks about how to, or proposes how to engage indigenous and non-indigenous relations in an institutional setting and, principles and methods, to consider. It's very well-written and I recommend a strongly as something to read and something to do, but for now, I'll just read this poem, on page 39 of the document and, and leave it at that for today because, it's already a lot to consider and as we listen more radically, that means just sitting back and listening with our full attention and openness of mind. So here it is.don't do it for charity, for feeling good, for looking good, or for showing others that you are doing good don't do it in exchange for redemption from guilt, for increasing your virtue, for appeasing your shame, for a vanity award don't put it on your CV, or on Facebook, or in your thesis, don't make it part of your brand, don't use it for self-promotion don't do it as an excuse to keep your privileges, to justify your position, to do everything except what would be actually needed to change the terms of our relationship do it only if you feel that our pasts, presents and futures are intertwined, and our bodies and spirits entangled do it only if you sense that we are one metabolism that is sick, and what happens to me also happens to you do it recognizing that you have the luxury of choice to participate or not, to stand or not, to give up your weekend or not, whereas others don't get to decide don't try to “mould” me, or to “help” me, or to make me say and do what is convenient for you don't weaponize me (“I couldn't possibly be racist”) don't instrumentalize me (“my marginalized friend says”) don't speak for me (“I know what you really mean”)don't infantilize me (“I am doing this for you”) don't make your actions contingent on me confiding in you, telling you my traumas, recounting my traditions, practicing your idea of “right” politics, or performing the role of a victim to be saved by you or a revolutionary that can save you and expect it to be, at times, incoherent, messy, uncomfortable, difficult, deceptive, paradoxical, repetitive, frustrating, incomprehensible, infuriating, boring and painful — and prepare for your heart to break and be stretched do you still want to do it? then share the burdens placed on my back, the unique medicines you bring, and the benefits you have earned from this violent and lethal disease co-create the space where I am able to do the work that only I can and need to do for all of us take a step back from the centre, the frontline from visibility relinquish the authority of your interpretations, your choice, your entitlements, surrender that which you are most praised and rewarded for don't try to teach, to lead, to organize, to mentor, to control, to theorize, or to determine where we should go, how to get there and why offer your energy to peel potatoes, to wash the dishes, to scrub the toilets, to drive the truck, to care for the babies, to separate the trash, to do the laundry, to feed the elders, to clean the mess, to buy the food, to fill the tank, to write the grant proposal, to pay the tab and the bail to do and support things you can't and won't understand,and do what is needed, instead of what you want to do, without judgment, or sense of martyrdom or expectation for gratitude, or for any kind of recognitionthen you will be ready to sit with me through the storm with the anger, the pain, the frustration, the losses, the fears, and the longing for better times with each other and you will be able to cry with me, to mourn with me, to laugh with me, to “heart” with me, as we face our shadows, and find other joys, in earthing, breathing, braiding, growing, cooking and eating, sharing, healing, and thriving side by side so that we might learn to be ourselves, but also something else, something that is also you and me, and you in me, and neither you nor me Teacher: We need to wrap this class up soon, but I think you've noticed that Schryer was deeply influenced by indigenous writers and knowledge keepers of his time. He published a blog in September 2021 that quotes Australian academic and researcher Dr. Tyson Yunkaporta from episode 321 of the Green Dreamer podcast. I'll read a short excerpt now but encourage you to listen to the entire interview if you get a chance. Teacher:The most damaged people on the planet are going to have to set aside their IOUs, set aside any kind of justice, or hope for justice or karma, or anything else, and carry the load for another thousand years to keep everything alive. And it's going to be hard just to forgive and then hand over all this wealth of knowledge and relationship and everything else to the people who are still holding the capital from the last great heist and are not going to give it up or share it anyway. The only way that's going to save the entire planet is to bring everybody back under the law of the land, and be very generous with our social systems, open them up and bring everybody back in. And that's going to be really hard, because at the same time, people are going to be trying to extract from that, corrupt that and everything else. Adult student: That's interesting. It kind of brings us back to the notion of reality and grief, but Yunkaporta doesn't even mention art in that quote so how do we connect the dots with the arts here?Teacher (interrupting): It's a good point but the presence of arts and culture is implied through the notion of the transfer of knowledge and through relationships with humans and the natural world. I think art is there he just did not use the word. Most indigenous cultures at that time did not consider art as separate activity from day-to-day life. It's interesting to observe Yunkaporta's prophesy is essentially what is happening in our world today, isn't it? We're slowly returning to the natural laws of the land, at least in the habitable parts of the planet, and our social systems are being transformed by the knowledge and expertise of Indigenous peoples, right? It's true that we had to go through a tremendous amount of suffering to get there – and we still are - but we seem to be on the other side of that elusive just transition that Anjali Appadurai spoke about in episode 23. So that's why 2021 in the arts in Canada is such an interesting topic and that's why we spent two classes on it as part of this course on Canada in the year 2021. The arts essentially planted seeds for massive transformation that came later. Artists and cultural workers at the time guided the way for that transformation. Unfortunately, we're almost out of time for today's class and my voice is getting tired... I suggest we end the class with another quote from that same blog by Schryer. I've just put it in the chat. I suggest we read it out loud as a group, OK? I'll start and then point to the next person to read out loud. I'll begin. Now that season 2 is complete, I've been thinking about I can be most useful to the ecological crisis. Is it by sharing more knowledge about art and climate through podcasts like this one? Is it by engaging in more activist and protest art? Or is it by developing more green policies for the arts sector? All of these will likely help, but I think the most useful thing for me to do is to listen radically. Let me explain what I mean by listening radically. Male Student: Listening radically is about listening deeply without passing judgment. Listening radically is about knowing the truth and filtering out the noise. Listening radically is about opening attention to reality and responding to what needs to be done.Female Student: I conclude this blog with a quote that I used at the end of episode 1 of this podcast by Indigenous writer Richard Wagamese, from his novel, For Joshua. ‘We may not relight the fires that used to burn in our villages, but we carry the embers from those fires in our hearts and learn to light new fires in a new world.'Adult Student: ‘We can recreate the spirit of community we had, of kinship, of relationship to all things, of union with the land, harmony with the universe, balance in living, humility, honesty, truth, and wisdom in all of our dealings with each other.'Teacher: OK. We'll continue with more about Canada in 2021 next week. Thanks so much for being such an engaged and fun group today. Merci. Miigwech.(speaking softly under the professor, improvised)Male Student: Thanks Prof. I'm really exhausted but I learned a lot. Female Student: Moi aussi. Merci pour cette classe. Aurevoir 2021. Adult Student: Yup, I learned a lot, but I'm bushed. Does anyone want to go for coffee? *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHere is a link for more information on season 5. Please note that, in parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays for those frightened by the ecological crisis'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also. please note that a complete transcript of conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 4 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on April 2, 2024
In this final episode of Season 1, of “Enweying - Our Sound” we reflect on our families' journey since creating the podcast the feedback we have received since creating it and the emotions brought on with this podcast moving across Turtle Island through this “big spiders web.” We share some moments we are grateful for as we created this podcast and how it has helped us for the better moving forward as a family in our Anishinaabemowin Immersion household journey.In saying this, by episode 6 we feel we finally have the audio down pat BUT in doing so LISTEN AT YOUR OWN WILL because Mshkogaabwid Kwe's LAUGH will blow your eardrums out/may break speakers. We caution you at: 5:45, 12:30, 18:40, 21:38, 37:40, 50:40 minute marks.PSA: If you do not wish to listen to us speak Anishinaabemowin, skip to 6 minutes.Follow us on Instagram @oursound.enweyinglinktr.ee/enweying.oursoundMany people have reached out to ask where they can donate or support revitalization efforts. This link leads to our Link Tree which has a Patreon as well as "Buy me a Coffee" where you can donate to our families cause and initiatives we do to support learning in the home and across our communities. Miigwech
FULL Interview with Kate Adach from CBC. 18 Minutes of this interview was broadcasted on CBC's Program: Unreserved, as well as through CBC Indigenous. In this 53 min interview solely with Mshkogaabwid Kwe (Emmaline) hear the more in-depth answers Emmaline shares and digs deeper into her and Ozaawaa's (Monty) backstory as a couple. We speak on normal challenges we face as a family, facing a pandemic as well as raising our children in a Anishinaabemowin-Immersion household. Mshkogaabwid Kwe opens up about moments that make it difficult, being isolated as Second Language learning parents, and how the pandemic has changed dynamics of this journey, and what it is the drives her and her family to keep going. Listen in if you'd like to hear her take on her families' journey to revitalize the language and preserve it. **** I also want to apologize to those I may have offended when I referred to “Moana goes on in Hawaiian” I know I was really referring to Te reo Maori language. It was not an ignorance thing but a slip of the tongue being nervous. I apologize again as I am very aware these languages are not the same. Both languages and their many dialects and sub dialects are so beautiful and unique. I want to acknowledge this. ****Follow Enweying on Instagram: @oursound.enweyinglinktr.ee/enweying.oursoundMany people have reached out to ask where they can donate or support revitalization efforts. This link leads to our Link Tree which has a Patreon as well as "Buy me a Coffee" where you can donate to our families cause and initiatives we do to support learning in the home and across our communities. Miigwech
Host Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) is back exploring how Indian Country in MN is responding and adapting to the current pandemic health crisis.On today’s show, Leah talks with Mariah Norwood (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) who is the Infectious Disease American Indian Liaison at the Minnesota Department of Health. Mariah Norwood is also a J.D. Candidate at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and she has her Master’s in Health Administration from the University of Oklahoma. Mariah explains how her passion for decolonizing public health, advancing health equity, promoting Tribal data sovereignty, makes her a fervent advocate for community-led change in the health system. In our conversation, Mariah offers examples of how Tribal approaches have led the way in caring for communities and confronting the health crisis brought on by the pandemic. Mariah’s enthusiasm is inspiring, as she makes the case for why this all matters, and how Indigenous perspectives and practices can positively impact public health care systems for Native and non-Native people and communities. Miigwech, Mariah!Listen to past COVID-19 Community Conversations here: https://minnesotanativenews.org/category/community-conversations/
Host Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) is back exploring how Indian Country in MN is responding and adapting to the current pandemic health crisis.On today’s show, Leah talks with Mariah Norwood (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) who is the Infectious Disease American Indian Liaison at the Minnesota Department of Health. Mariah Norwood is also a J.D. Candidate at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and she has her Master’s in Health Administration from the University of Oklahoma. Mariah explains how her passion for decolonizing public health, advancing health equity, promoting Tribal data sovereignty, makes her a fervent advocate for community-led change in the health system. In our conversation, Mariah offers examples of how Tribal approaches have led the way in caring for communities and confronting the health crisis brought on by the pandemic. Mariah’s enthusiasm is inspiring, as she makes the case for why this all matters, and how Indigenous perspectives and practices can positively impact public health care systems for Native and non-Native people and communities. Miigwech, Mariah! Listen to past COVID-19 Community Conversations here: https://minnesotanativenews.org/category/community-conversations/
This episode we opened up a bit more about our past and our family dynamics. We discuss what it was that drove us to have this life, how our families felt about it, barriers we face connecting with Anishinaabemowin First Speakers, and being noticed within community while speaking. We cover sharing our journeys with our families, how we maintain immersion in an English world, tips and stories, and who has impacted us along the way. A lot of laughs and cries in this episode. Grab a tissue if you're passionate!PSA: If you do not wish to listen to us speak Anishinaabemowin, skip to 7 minutes 50 sec.Follow us on Instagram @oursound.enweyinglinktr.ee/enweying.oursoundMany people have reached out to ask where they can donate or support revitalization efforts. This link leads to our Link Tree which has a Patreon as well as "Buy me a Coffee" where you can donate to our families cause and initiatives we do to support learning in the home and across our communities. Miigwech
In this episode, we talk about why children should learn grammar...kind of. We give our reasons in how and why children and adults need to learn the grammatical aspects of the language. We also discuss why adults need to know the more technical aspects of Anishinaabemowin and how we share our knowledge of 'grammar patterns' with our children. We talk about the importance of us as learners, reading to our children. We debunk an aspect of the language learning myth that 'children and adults learn (or acquire) language the same way'!PSA: If you don't want to listen to the Anishinaabemowin dialogue of the podcast, skip to 5 min 10 sec.Follow us on Instagram @oursound.enweying linktr.ee/enweying.oursoundMany people have reached out to ask where they can donate or support revitalization efforts. This link leads to our Link Tree which has a Patreon as well as "Buy me a Coffee" where you can donate to our families cause and initiatives we do to support learning in the home and across our communities. Miigwech
During this episode we touch on times we have struggled trying to stay motivated and encouraged while parenting in an Anishinaabemowin Immersion household. We also speak on times of things that we found were obstacles to get over in our own personal learning journeys as we learned Anishinaabemowin as adults.PSA: If you do not wish to listen to our Anishinaabemowin dialogue skip to 6min 25 sec.Follow us on Instagram @oursound.enweyinglinktr.ee/enweying.oursoundMany people have reached out to ask where they can donate or support revitalization efforts. This link leads to our Link Tree which has a Patreon as well as "Buy me a Coffee" where you can donate to our families cause and initiatives we do to support learning in the home and across our communities. Miigwech
On today’s show, Leah meets two dynamic education innovators who are helping bolster math skills for students, by drawing on Indigenous language and history, and creating fun and engaging digital games.Leah talks with CEO Maria Burns Ortiz and Juliana Taken Alive (Hunkpapa/Mnicoujou Lakota and Standing Rock Nation) who is Director of Regional Partnerships for 7 Generation Games. Maria Burns Ortiz co-founded the company back in 2013. Since then, 7 Generation Games has been braiding math, language, and Indigenous history into educational games for students and schools across the country.In November of 2020, the company was awarded a one-million-dollar COVID-19 Rapid Response grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, aimed at creating more resources to help meet the challenges in education during the pandemic, especially for students in Indigenous, Latino, underserved, and rural communities.The popularity of these 7 Generation Games has grown swiftly among students, parents, and educators as everyone strives to keep young people engaged and learning through all the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Maria and Juliana explain how the company has sought counsel from elders and students to meet multiple goals: to increase learning about historical and contemporary Indigenous culture and to demonstrate measurable improvement in math skills among students playing the games.Miigwech to Maria and Juliana for your creative innovation, even during the pandemic! Check out 7 Generation Games here: https://www.7generationgames.com/
Host Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) is back exploring how Indian Country in MN is responding and adapting to the current pandemic health crisis. On today’s show, Leah meets two dynamic education innovators who are helping bolster math skills for students, by drawing on Indigenous language and history, and creating fun and engaging digital games. Leah talks with CEO Maria Burns Ortiz and Juliana Taken Alive (Hunkpapa/Mnicoujou Lakota and Standing Rock Nation) who is Director of Regional Partnerships for 7 Generation Games. Maria Burns Ortiz co-founded the company back in 2013. Since then, 7 Generation Games has been braiding math, language, and Indigenous history into educational games for students and schools across the country. In November of 2020, the company was awarded a one-million-dollar COVID-19 Rapid Response grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, aimed at creating more resources to help meet the challenges in education during the pandemic, especially for students in Indigenous, Latino, underserved, and rural communities. The popularity of these 7 Generation Games has grown swiftly among students, parents, and educators as everyone strives to keep young people engaged and learning through all the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Maria and Juliana explain how the company has sought counsel from elders and students to meet multiple goals: to increase learning about historical and contemporary Indigenous culture and to demonstrate measurable improvement in math skills among students playing the games. Miigwech to Maria and Juliana for your creative innovation, even during the pandemic! Check out 7 Generation Games here: https://www.7generationgames.com/ Listen to past COVID-19 Community Conversations here: https://minnesotanativenews.org/category/community-conversations/
In this episode we touch on times that we have laughed while learning, times we have learned a lot and why, and times we felt rewarded in the home teaching our children the language. PSA: If you do not wish to listen to us speaking Anishinaabemowin skip to 13 minFollow us on Instagram @oursound.enweyinglinktr.ee/enweying.oursoundMany people have reached out to ask where they can donate or support revitalization efforts. This link leads to our Link Tree which has a Patreon as well as "Buy me a Coffee" where you can donate to our families cause and initiatives we do to support learning in the home and across our communities. Miigwech
Boozhoo! Hello!An introduction to our family. Ozaawaa Giizhigo Ginew & Mshkogaabwid Kwe speak in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway) and English to explain our families journey as we raise our children in Anishinaabemowin as Second Language Learners. Get to know us as we share times we have spent learning the language we which found enjoyable and fun in this episode! Join us on our journey as we discuss resources, tips, advice, stories, triumphs, dissapointments, realities, laughs and guests as we walk on this road to Anishinaabemowin fluency. Chi-Miigwech! Thank you so much!Follow us on Instagram @oursound.enweyingWhat is Anishinaabemowin? The 'Ojibway' language, known as Anishinaabemowin (ah-nish-in-nah-bay-mo-win) is the language of the Anishinaabeg. The original peoples of Turtle Island (otherwise known as North America) The language is currently at risk of being lost due to colonization but with the efforts of elders/speakers, ancestors, spirit and community we hope to revitalize it and give it back to our children. This is our families dedication and story of how we will try and manifest this in our lifetime. linktr.ee/enweying.oursoundMany people have reached out to ask where they can donate or support revitalization efforts. This link leads to our Link Tree which has a Patreon as well as "Buy me a Coffee" where you can donate to our families cause and initiatives we do to support learning in the home and across our communities. Miigwech
Miigwech: an Ojibwe/Chippewa expression of gratitude. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
This week on the Minnesota Native News health report, the Red Lake Nation in northern Minnesota shows why getting COVID-19 vaccine is important, especially with elders. I'm Marie Rock. Dalton Walker reports on the latest developments.It's simple, yet powerful. It's a social media campaign explaining why Red Lake tribal citizens and others should receive the COVID-19 vaccine. A series of YouTube videos by tribal health officials offer safety tips, testing information and the impact of the vaccine has on citizens. Hereditary Chief and elder Greeting Spears and others were part of a recent “Will you do it for me?” video. Audio voice over with song in background: Will you do it for me (Spears)? Will you do it for me (child)? Will you do it for me (tee n)? Will you do it for me (health worker)? A covid vaccine is coming, will you do it for me?25 secondsVideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuZr48vBp6sThe campaign has been successful. The tribe has held multiple vaccine drives since February. Health officials have posted more than a dozen photos of people holding a sheet of paper with the words, “I did it for” with participants writing in why they got the shot. Some said it was for their family, the community and many merely put, “you.”For 27-year-old Serena Graves, once she was eligible for the vaccine in Red Lake, she made it a priority to get the shot. She recently received the recommended second dose and posted on her social media thanking the tribe and health officials for making it a seamless process.Graves is an Ojibwe culturalist at Red Lake schools and a lead in an Ojibwe language immersion program. Graves: Within those roles, typically we have a lot of contact with students, first language speakers and a lot of second language speakers, and so I felt like getting the COVID19 vaccine was the best way we could begin building up some immunity to the virus within our Red Lake Nation community, specifically in the Ojibwe language community on the Red Lake Indian Reservation where I'm doing a lot of work right now for the adult immersion program and with our students with the Red Lake School District.0:53-1:23 = 30Graves has encouraged others in Red Lake to get the vaccine, but she also knows the historical trauma many have when it comes to trusting federal health care.Graves: I think as Native people we understand kind of both sides of the fence where we've been historically treated very, very badly by a lot of the Westernized medicines that have been used against us for so many years, and like a vaccine, right, the flipside is that this is kind of needed to end this horrific pandemic era, but also I understand their perception of why they're nervous, or might question it, or kind of be a little reluctant to the whole concept.”2:39-3:12 = 23Still, Graves advocates for the vaccine because no more need to die. Audio voice over outro with song in background: We are a nation of people, a community, a family. Together we are our strength. I encourage all of you to get your vaccinations for the increased health and protection of all of our people, and future generations. Miigwech miniwaa gizha (two other Ojibwe words)0:19-34 = 15 For Minnesota Native News health report, I'm Dalton Walker
Land Acknowledgment 3 [00:00:00]: Thank you for being here. I acknowledge that the City of Hamilton, where I record this podcast is situated upon the traditional First Nations territories of the Erie, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Mississaugas and the Chonodon of the so-called 'Neutral tribes'. [00:00:17] Hamilton is also directly adjacent to the Haldimand Treaty territory. [00:00:21] This land is covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which extends between Montreal and Fort Erie. It was an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and the Anishinaabe. [00:00:35] That Wampum uses the symbolism of a dish to represent the territory and one spoon to represent the people that are to share the resources of the land and only take what they need. [00:00:47] Hamilton is home to many Indigenous Peoples from across Turtle Island. And this Land Acknowledgment is a small gesture to recognize the rich history of this land. And so that I can better understand my role as a settler, as well as neighbor, partner and caretaker. I stand in solidarity with all those that fight for justice on behalf of the murdered and missing indigenous women, girls, LGBTQ + , and two spirited people. [00:01:18] I grieve the generational trauma created by the residential school system and the 60's Scoop. I grieve the children and childhoods lost through ignorance and racism. [00:01:31] Miigwech. Thank you. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
MINNESOTA NATIVE NEWS: AMERICAN INDIAN MONTH KICKS OFF IN THE STATE, SHIFTS EVENTS DUE TO PANDEMICThis week on Minnesota Native News, it's May, and the 51st American Indian Month has kicked off in Minnesota! But this year… things are going to be celebrated a bit differently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's reporter Cole Premo with how the month will be celebrated this year -- and more.ROBERT (:30): “It is an honor to welcome you all to the Indian Month celebration”That's White Earth Ojibwe Nation's Robert Lilligren, the CEO of the Native American Community Development Institute, or NACDI… NACDI has helped organize past parades celebrating the month, typically held on May 1 in Minneapolis. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic changed that.Instead, Lilligren kicked off a month of celebration with a live Facebook video on May 1.ROBERT (0:40): “Our theme this year is, ‘We are still here -- honor life.' And things are very different this year then they've been in the past...we only care about what we look like from the waist up.”American Indian Month in Minnesota goes back to 1969, when it was just a week-long event. It began as an effort from the native community to change the way native history was taught in school.ROBERT: 2:10 “This year, we'll be celebrating in different ways… we'll be online.”Minnesota's Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan also helped kick off the month on May 1, echoing the month's theme and reminding those of another important issue at hand.PEGGY (0:42): “Native people are here and will be here… it's important as ever to make sure we're counted by taking part in the census…chi-miigwech.”As NACDI's Robert Lilligren said earlier, many activities have shifted online this year and a full month of events are planned. Part of those online events are being facilitated with Twin Cities community radio station KFAI. I spoke with KFAI personality and Leech Laker, Melissa Olson, who talked to me about the special programming and how plans shifted due to the pandemic.MELISSA: (03:23) it was a shift for us too, because usually we just covered parade on May 1st. We have one entire day of programming. Right. We do it from like eight until midnight. Well, obviously we can't cover the parade. It's not happening. Um, so Kathy, I contact committee, um, just you know, out a month ago, I said, what if we spread programming throughout the month?Things are getting planned and situated still, but special programming will run on Mondays and Saturdays during the afternoons. On Mondays, part of the focus will be “open houses”... basically giving native organizations who would have normally held an open house during the month… to have a voice on radio and online that day. Some of the participants will be the Minesota Fund and Dream of Wild Health.Saturdays will be more focused on current affairs, as well as arts and culture. Topics will include census mobilization, health issues.. And on May 23rd, there'll be a “memorial program.”MELISSA: (07:50)“Talk about, um, relatives we've lost during the pandemic and to the pandemic. Um, and the idea is that because people can't gather for wakes and funerals, but it might be appropriate to memorialize, um, family members and relatives that have been lost during this time so that people, um, are able to memorialize in their own ways at home if they listen.”On the same day, the 23rd of May, they'll feature an “All My Relations” panel for artists who were going to showcase their work at the All My Relations gallery… that has been canceled due to the pandemic. The talk will also include, according to Melissa Olson…MELISSA: “To some degree on how cancellation due to COVID-19 impacts artists.”A lot of information on events happening during American Indian Month in Minnesota can be found on Facebook. Check out the American Indian Month in MN 2020 Facebook page AND the American Indian Month on KFAI Facebook page for the latest events happening during the month.MELISSA :“I think it's how native people lead in this moment, right? … ”So, I asked Melissa Olson, and yes, these radio events will be live streamed on Facebook, too, if you'd like to get involved, leave comments and connect with the presenters -- that's there for ya.BIIDAAPI MUSIC PLAYSAND…. before this Minnesota Native News episode concludes, I'd like to remind listeners that Minnesota Native News has a new podcast series, called Native Lights: Biidaapi. My sister, Leah Lemm, and I catch up with those in the native community… finding connection during these social/physical distancing times. We've spoke with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Ojibwe Word of the Day's James Vukelich, author Marcie Rendon, and many, many more great individuals already, and we're keeping it going during the pandemic. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts.Not only that… we also recently released the second season of Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine. We're so excited. Our second season is filled with amazing guests, telling their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community. These are stories of joy, strength, history, and change from Native people who are shaping the future and honoring those who came before them.Check that out AND Native Lights: Biidaapi. Go ahead, binge it! We won't judge.Miigwech. I'm Cole Premo.