Media Indigena : Weekly Indigenous Current Affairs Program

This episode, we discuss reaction to the final report of Canada's National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. This week marks the official release of that report, just days after details of a leaked copy were circulated by the media. But did publishing that "unauthorized document" compromise the core messages of the report? More importantly, did it risk further traumatizing families and friends of the murdered and missing? Joining host/producer Rick Harp to discuss these questions and more are Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, and Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week: State of Alienation. It was a country that didn’t even exist 120 years ago. Yet, today, authorities in Australia are convinced they’re somehow justified in declaring certain Indigenous people to be illegal 'aliens,' individuals the state feels it has the right to kick off the continent despite their connection to cultures which have occupied that continent for tens of thousands of years. Joining host/producer Rick Harp back at the roundtable this week are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

THIS WEEK: Raising (and removing) red flags in Saskatchewan. A small Prairie village suddenly finds itself at the centre of a storm after one of its residents publicly displays flags long associated with hate. Now a First Nations man is being investigated by police after taking it upon himself to take down those symbols. Joining host/producer Rick Harp back at the roundtable this week are Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

THIS WEEK: Earth’s bio-diversity death spiral—can we change course? A new United Nations study paints a dark picture of the future, a future pretty much guaranteed if we as a planet continue to follow a path of economic, political and ecological auto-asphyxiation. We discuss why some feel our greatest hope lies in the collective example set by many Indigenous peoples. Joining host/producer Rick Harp this week are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week: How a lake in the States lost its Indigenous name, re-gained it, only to potentially lose it again because of a Minnesota court decision. Join us as we dive into the details of the Dakota waters known as Bde Maka Ska (aka Lake Calhoun). Sitting with host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable this week are Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. // // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Picking up where last week’s round table left off, this week is the second half of our deep dive into the dark response to the Notre Dame Cathedral fire, as we explore whether the spiritual schism triggered by its destruction might actually contain ingredients of a “teachable moment” for non-Indigenous people. Back with host/producer Rick Harp at the round table are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. Links referenced these past two episodes: Red Man Laughing, 'The Mourning Place' All My Relations, 'Sacred is Sacred' // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week: the Indigenous 'grief gap' over Notre Dame. We'll react to the reaction that flooded social media over footage of the fire that ripped through France's Notre Dame cathedral. What do we make of the apparent lack of sympathy displayed by some Indigenous meme-makers and their fans? Joining host/producer Rick Harp back at the roundtable this week are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University, and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week: Sonic sovereignty? With Inuit widely credited as creators of a distinctive form of throat-singing, does it follow that they alone should get to perform it? We’ll discuss the increasingly vocal fallout over the fact that a Cree throat-singer is up for an Indigenous Music Award. Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable once again are Brock Pitawanakwat, associate professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week: Crashing the Liberal party. After an advocate interrupts a recent partisan fundraiser to implore Canada’s prime minister to do right by a First Nation ravaged by industrial pollution, Justin Trudeau thought it'd be funny to thank her for her 'donation' as security escorted her out. Caught on video, the glib comment hit a nerve on social media, prompting some to wonder if it could cost Liberals at the ballot box this fall, thereby prompting retaliation by Liberal supporters in turn. Joining host/producer Rick Harp once again at the roundtable this week are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University, and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

What happens when you reverse the lens and try to unpack what it means to be a Settler? What’s the difference between Settler colonialism and white supremacy—is it one of kind or degree? And can we ever hope to solve “The Settler Problem”? Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable this week are Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, Brock Pitawanakwat, and Chris Powell, Associate Professor of Sociology at Ryerson University and the author of Barbaric Civilization: A Critical Sociology of Genocide. // This episode edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

It's being called a reconciliatory move: a new Liberal budget forgiving interest charges on loans taken out by First Nations to cover the costs of treaty negotiations in British Columbia. But just how grateful should anyone be to a country that imposed such loans in the first place? Back at the roundtable with host/producer Rick Harp this week are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University, and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week, another stolen generation, another class action. Three billion dollars, thousands upon thousands of children. These are the stakes of a potential class action alleging the federal government knowingly and "systematically" underfunded child and family services on-reserve, a neglect that's led to the widespread removal of First Nations children from their homes. Negligence that now has legal teams seeking compensation on behalf of those who've suffered the consequences.   Back with host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable are Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta's department of drama. // This episode edited by Anya Zoledziowski; our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.   

On this week’s Indigenous roundtable: high-tech treaty rights. According to Māori in New Zealand, their treaty rights don’t just extend to resources of the land and sea, they also include a fair share of the radio spectrum known as 3G, 4G and (soon) 5G, that set of telecommunication frequencies our wireless devices depend on. But the reception from the Settler state so far has been anything but great. Joining host/producer at the roundtable this week are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University, and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic. This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski.

THIS WEEK: A headdress head scratcher. What exactly did the premier of Alberta—a province hell-bent on hydrocarbon exploitation, come what may—do to deserve the honour of a Blackfoot headdress? Then again, could it be that, as non-Blackfoot, it’s none of our goddam business? So what do we make of those Blackfoot who do seem to hate the idea? Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable this time: Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week, a battle over boundaries in the state of Utah. We discuss the simmering split in San Juan County, where a majority Indigenous population now has an Indigenous majority representing it on the region’s top decision making body. And while some celebrate this new democratic era for the county, others agitate for its division. Back at the roundtable this week are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University, and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. // Our theme music is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Back from our brief hiatus, this week's show speaks frankly about why the Liberal government's proposed Indigenous Languages Act is mostly notable for what it doesn't say. Joining us this week is special return guest Lorena Fontaine, Indigenous academic lead and associate professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Winnipeg. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week... Another BC battlefront: Why Wet'suwet'en resistance to the Coastal Gas Link pipeline project is—and isn’t—so complicated to understand. Revitalizing MEDIA INDIGENA: Why us taking a break after 147 consecutive weeks is the best guarantee of many more episodes to come. Learn more on our website. Joining us for this special episode—recorded as a livestream with our supporters on Patreon—are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University, Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the U of A’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week, the second installment in our two-part conversation with Darrel McLeod, author of Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age. Winner of the 2018 Governor-General’s award for non-fiction, Mamaskatch has been lauded for its raw, revealing portrait of McLeod’s early years. Covering just over three decades, the book’s proven inspiring to many who have faced similar hardships. That includes host Rick Harp's mother, Jane Glennon, who once again joins in on the discussion. Last time out, we delved into Darrel’s rocky relationship with his mother, his gender fluidity and the special role birds have occupied throughout his life. This time round, we begin with a discussion of Darrel's arc as a writer, his up and down experiences with education, his resolve to share the truth come what may, and how Darrel struggled at times with his Cree identity. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week, we present part one of our two-part conversation with Darrel McLeod, whose memoir recently won this year's Governor-General’s award for non-fiction. Also joining host/producer Rick Harp for this special edition of the roundtable: Rick's mom, Jane Glennon (née McCallum). According to the jury that awarded McLeod the $25,000 prize, "MAMASKATCH: A Cree Coming of Age dares to immerse readers in provocative contemporary issues including gender fluidity, familial violence, and transcultural hybridity. A fast-moving, intimate memoir of dreams and nightmares—[it is] lyrical and gritty, raw and vulnerable, told without pity, but with phoenix-like strength." Earlier this month, we three Cree sat in Sooke, BC together to reflect on Darrel's life stories, their often tumultuous trajectory, and what eventually brought them into being on the printed page.

Policing the police: A new review of Thunder Bay law enforcement finds the quality of their investigations so flawed many need to be re-opened; Fighting fakery: How a BC media outlet is trying to tackle inauthentic 'Indigenous' art; Off track: Why is Mexico’s new president pushing for a railroad no one seems to want, least of all indigenous peoples whose lands would be threatened by it? Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable once again are Brock Pitawanakwat, assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic Note: The 'Horn Honk' sound effect (by Mike Koenig) featured in this episode appears under a CC 3.0 license.