Media Indigena : Weekly Indigenous Current Affairs Program

This week: another one bites the dust? Who is the real Mary-Ellen Turpel-Lafond? A question very much on the minds of Indigenous people in Canada these days, still digesting the exhaustive and explosive CBC News investigation into her public and private life—not least, her repeated claims to being a treaty Indian as a daughter of a Cree man from a northern First Nation in Manitoba. A man the CBC could only verify as the B.C.-born settler son of settler parents of Euro-American ancestry. Just some of the troubling discrepancies documented by an exposé that’s thrown virtually everything about Turpel-Lafond’s life story into question. A narrative that, ‘til now, presented her rapid rise to influence as a remarkable journey against the odds. One the CBC seems to show goes largely against the facts. Joining host/producer Rick Harp to take a deep dive into what’s apparently only one of many such scandals of late, MI roundtable regulars Kim TallBear (professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Al

On our last Summer '22 episode of collected, connected conversations: settler election fever! In this back half of our political retrospective on Election 2019 and more, we revisit the 2019 campaign's first debate, an infamous campaign scrum, and whether the real solution to our political woes might be an all-Indigenous party.   Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Hayden King, Executive Director of the Yellowhead Institute based at Toronto Metropolitan University • Vanessa Watts, Yellowhead fellow and Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies and Sociology at McMaster University • Kim TallBear, Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience and Society • Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC • Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University • Ken Williams, Assistan

In this set of collected, connected conversations (the penultimate episode in our Summer '22 series): Neech the Vote! Was it really a year ago that Canada held its last federal election? A contest we didn’t much concern ourselves with, to be frank; after all, we’d gone hard on the election two years prior. But, looking back, maybe that 2019 campaign taught us all we needed to know about how Indigenous interests fare in such settler exercises.   Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Hayden King, Executive Director of the Yellowhead Institute based at Toronto Metropolitan University • Vanessa Watts, Yellowhead fellow and Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies and Sociology at McMaster University • Kim TallBear, Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience and Society • Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University • Ken Williams, Assistant Professor with

On this week's collected, connected conversations (the sixth in our Summer '22 series): Settlerology. That’s right: our chance to turn that gaze around, to peer deep into the soul of settler society! Heck, who better to lead a course on colonial culture than Indigenous people?   Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University • Christohper Powell, Associate Professor of Sociology at Toronto Metropolitan University • Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC • Kim TallBear, Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience and Society // CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Little Green (Alt Take)” by Wax Lyricist and “Mr Paillettes Theme” by Komiku. Our opening theme is “Bad Nostalgia (Instrumental)” by Anthem of Rain

For the fifth instalment in our Summer '22 series, we burrow into bureaucracy, the Canadian civil service which administers every aspect of Indian life from cradle to grave via the technocratic tentacles of Indian Affairs.   Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Shiri Pasternak, Assistant Professor in Criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University and co-founder at the Yellowhead Institute • Danika Billie Littlechild, lawyer and international Indigenous rights advocate • Robert Jago, writer/entrepreneur • Peter Di Gangi, land rights researcher and analyst with Sicani Research • Russ Diabo, Kahnawá:ke Mohawk analyst, writer, and activist • Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University • Ken Williams, Assistant Professor with the University of Alberta's Department of Drama // CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “earthwork” by Hinterheim, “Adios” by Stenifer, “Je vous ai menti” by BG du 72, as well as “The Wind” and “Ambian

For the fourth instalment in our Summer '22 series of collected, connected conversations: freedom of speech. From censorship to libel, press access and accountability, there are many facets to free speech, and we’ve sounded off on many of them. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Ken Williams, Assistant Professor with the University of Alberta's Department of Drama • Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University • Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC • Kim TallBear, Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment // CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Beat 1” and “Beat 3” by James Hammond, “When You See Me Now Inst” by holiznaRAPS, and “10 bucks guitar and dental floss strings #1” by Monplaisir. Our opening theme is “Bad Nos

On the third instalment in our Summer '22 series: weaponized words. The first of two shows sounding off on speech, we've stitched together a variety of verbiage, from all about threats to speech in part two to all about threats via speech here in part one. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): Ken Williams, Assistant Professor with the University of Alberta's Department of Drama Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University Kim TallBear, Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment Tristan Ahtone, Editor at Large with Grist.org Leilani Rania Ganser, Chamoru and Kānaka Maoli writer, storyteller, and organizer // CREDITS: Creative Commons music this episode includes “Purpur” by Misha Dioxin, “Billy Gomberg remix” by Billy Gomberg, “If You’re Ther” by Nicola Ratti, “Snowfall” by Steinbruchel, “She Walked in and Changed Nothing” by smallertide

On the second instalment in our Summer '22 series: the battle over belonging. The back half of our investigation into inclusion—or is that excursion into exclusion? They're kind of two sides of the same coin to be honest, minted at our expense. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC • Kim TallBear, Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment • Jacqueline Keeler, journalist and author • Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University • Ken Williams, Assistant Professor with the University of Alberta's Department of Drama // CREDITS: Creative Commons music this episode includes “I care” by Loyalty Freak Music, “Hoist” and “Land Legs” by Andy G. Cohen, and “Bitcoin Day” by Anonymous420. Our opening theme is “Bad

Our season-ender is all about Discord: no, not some disagreement or friction somewhere, but Discord the digital platform, one which lets creators connect more directly and responsively with their audiences, free of all the ickiness of sites operated by huge social media corporations. A platform we’ll soon adapt and adopt as part of our podcast! And not only do we introduce you to the exciting world of Discord and a bit of how we plan to deploy it, you’ll also get to meet the person behind it: Courteney Morin, a new member of the MEDIA INDIGENA team thanks to our new partnership with the University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism, Writing, & Media. More specifically, its Global Journalism Innovation Lab, a project supported in part by funding from SSHRC, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. // CREDITS: Our opening/closing theme is ‘nesting’ by birocratic. Other music featured this episode: 'Up & At Em' by James Hammond.

Summer is back and so is MEDIA INDIGENA's Summer Series, our compendia of conversations collected and connected from over the past six years, coming up on 300 episodes of the podcast. Our first two shows of the summer are all about belonging, a subject neither dull nor academic for Indigenous peoples. After all, the Canadian state has worked so very hard to break the bonds that bind us.    Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Pam Palmater, Chair in Indigenous Governance at Toronto Metropolitan University, and the author of Beyond Blood: Rethinking Indigenous Identity • Paul Seeseequasis, writer/journalist behind the Indigenous Archival Photo Project • Damien Lee, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Toronto Metropolitan University and Canada Research Chair in Biskaabiiyang and Indigenous Political Resurgence • Kim TallBear, Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment • C

For our eleventh 'MINI' INDIGENA of the season, we try something a little different this time ‘round: a face-to-face-to-face discussion recorded Friday, June 24 in Winnipeg! Joining host/producer Rick Harp this episode are MI regular Kim TallBear (University of Alberta professor in the Faculty of Native Studies) plus special guest Tasha Hubbard (Associate Professor, U of A Faculty of Native Studies, writer and filmmaker), as they discuss: • a recent poll which claims “millions” of Canadians believe in 'White Replacement Theory' • the struggle to stay focused, present and attentive against the constant pull of our digital devices • how ribbon skirts have apparently become mandatory for women • monthly Patreon podcast supporter Veronica asks what we think of the B.C. government suspending a $789 million rebuild of the Royal B.C. Museum after First Nations complained it's failed to repatriate items from its collection. >> CREDITS: Co-edited by host/producer Rick Harp and Courteney Morin, this episode featured th

THIS WEEK: Return to Restoule—the back half of our conversation about the Restoule case, the litigation some say has advanced a re-consideration and re-interpretation of the 1850 Robinson treaties. In part one (ep. 291), we discussed the principle behind the treaties' unique annuity clause: an annual payment by the Crown to the Anishnabek Nation that would only rise as resource revenues did. An economic treaty right that bakes in a fair share of an expanding pie made with entirely Indigenous ingredients. A right the Crown’s refused to respect for decades, loss after loss in court has now brought them to the negotiating table, a possibly telling indication of what they think the Supreme Court of Canada will do with their request to appeal. And as the Court weighs that request, the Anishinabek side weighs their options for what the principle of a fair share might look like in practice, including how to remedy its breach. Options host/producer Rick Harp explores with the help of our returning guests Christina Gr

Our tenth 'MINI' INDIGENA of the season runs the gamut as usual, with MEDIA INDIGENA regulars Ken Williams (assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama) and Kim TallBear (U of A professor in the Faculty of Native Studies) joining host/producer Rick Harp Saturday, June 11 via the Callin app to discuss... • Riffing off “an African sense of western gender discourses” (as detailed in the book The Invention of Women by Oyeronke Oyewumi), Kim wants to know what Rick and Ken’s dating dealbreakers are; • Ken delves into the story of Cree/Métis scholar Réal Carrière, who told CBC he was rejected for a job by higher-ups at the University of Saskatchewan—despite the wishes of a mostly Indigenous hiring committee—due to a lack of documentation; • Boardgaming nerd Rick shares news sent his way about Ezhishin, the “first-ever conference on Native North American typography” set for this November; • monthly Patreon podcast supporter Mark asks us to discuss Bill 96, the new Quebec language law whi

This week: Billions in back rent? A pair of treaties covering a territory roughly the size of France are at the heart of a legal fight for a fair share of its resource revenues. Known as the 1850 Robinson Treaties, together they span the north shores of both Lake Huron and Lake Superior, ancestral homelands of the Anishnabek Nation. A Nation forced to sue settler governments over a special section of these treaties, known as an annuity 'augmentation' clause—a yearly payment that’s supposed to grow in step with the staggering amount of wealth extracted annually from Anishnabek lands. And, while the Crown’s failure to honour its end of the bargain may not come as a surprise, what might is the success so far of Anishinaabe litigation, blazing a path that may have only one place left to go—the Supreme Court of Canada. How did we get here? Where might this all lead? And, just how do you make good on a debt amassed over some fifteen decades? The kind of mind-boggling, multi-million-dollar questions very much on the

This week, it's another 'MINI' INDIGENA, where we pack in sizzling-hot takes on a flurry of items via social audio. Joining host/producer Rick Harp on Friday, May 20 via the Callin app were MI regulars Ken Williams (assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama) and Trina Roache (Rogers Chair in Journalism at the University of King’s College) as they discussed: • Might more and more settlers in Australia be finally taking climate change a tad more seriously now that it's made some of their homes effectively uninsurable? • Did mainstream media really just victim-blame a gunned-down Métis hunter? • How a Reuters / Globe and Mail article ("Indigenous Canadians [sic] make a painful plea on eve of British royal visit") triggered many of Trina's pet peeves about reportage on Indigenous peoples; • monthly Patreon podcast supporter Courtney asks: "Should local First Nations hold approval/veto power over urban planning and land use decisions on their traditional territories?" >> CREDITS: 'Bl

For our eighth 'MINI' INDIGENA of the season, MI regular Kim TallBear (professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta) and special guest January Rogers (Mohawk/Tuscarora poet, author, and media producer from Six Nations of the Grand River) join host/producer Rick Harp via the Callin app to discuss: i) Jacqueline Keeler’s recent piece, “Striking Down Roe v. Wade Leaves Native Women and Girls Even More Vulnerable”; ii) why the time may be right for a Mister Indian World competition; iii) how the pro sports team that brought us the ‘Tomahawk Chop’ took it upon themselves to add their voice to National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day; iv) intersections between forced sterilization and criminalizing abortion >> CREDITS: 'Microship' by CavalloPazzo (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Gift or grift? When it comes to the spoils of colonialism, perhaps none have been more spoiled than the Hudson’s Bay Company. A 17th century creature of empire which drove a global fur trade, HBC would go on to make itself synonymous with Canada, blanketed in the country’s foundational myths. Along the way, exploiting and extracting all it could from Indigenous lands, waters and peoples. These days, such nationalist nostalgia has taken a bit of a hit, it seems; so too, The Bay’s days of department store dominance. Which may help explain the company’s recent embrace of a novel way to launder its reputation: by handing over one of its most iconic buildings to a First Nations organization. But can this present make up for its past? Will this ultimate fixer-upper help renovate the Relationship—or just expose the gargantuan cracks in its foundations? Joining host/producer Rick Harp to construct an answer to these questions and more are roundtable regular Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alb

Another week, another 'MINI' INDIGENA (our seventh of the season), where host/producer Rick Harp is joined by yet another pairing of APTN National News alumni, Trina Roache (Rogers Chair in Journalism, University of King’s College) and special guest Tim Fontaine (Editor-in-Grand-Chief of Walking Eagle News) as they all discuss: i) how a brutal editorial cartoon out of Simcoe County, Ontario about the Pope’s so-called 'apology' regarding residential schools has itself prompted not one but two apologies ii) whether anyone's got a decent working definition of decolonization iii) whether 'Reconciliation' is on the brink, if not outright over the edge, of becoming little more than a catch-phrase for Canadians iv) the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe's use of ancient DNA to try and support its claim for federal recognition by the U.S. government // CREDITS: 'Make Love' and 'Everything You Ever Dreamed' by Holizna; 'Clouds' by Lucien Kemper x Fachhochschule Dortmund

For our sixth-ever 'MINI' INDIGENA, host/producer Rick Harp is joined by roundtable regulars—and fellow APTN National News alumni—Ken Williams (assistant professor, University of Alberta’s department of drama) and Trina Roache (Rogers Chair in Journalism, University of King’s College) to discuss: i) how some in Maine fear tribes potentially regaining some measure of sovereignty means they'll ‘flex their muscle’ on environmental, fish and wildlife, and economic development; ii) whether the recent haul of hardware by Indigenous creatives at the Canadian Screen Awards means we can now get rid of special ‘Indigenous’ categories; iii) how rampant and illegal poaching threatens wild white sage in California; iv) whether those who toppled the controversial ‘Gassy Jack’ statue in downtown Vancouver were out of line for not first checking with regional Indigenous people >> CREDITS: 'Blueprint' by Jahzzar (CC BY-SA 4.0); ‘In Shadows’ by William Ross Chernoff's Nomads (CC-BY); ‘Feeling Like A Delicate Cookie’ by Captive

Hardly a day goes by it seems without news of some ‘revolutionary’ A.I.-driven tool ushering in a brave new world. Less said is who’ll be left out or left behind. Which is why, when it comes to Indigenous content, some fear much of artificial intelligence remains superficial ignorance. But can ‘The Cloud’ incorporate culture? Can we Indigenize as we digitize? And can the digital be made relational? Joining host/producer Rick Harp to tangle with these tricky, trippy questions and more are Kim TallBear, professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Trina Roache, Rogers Chair in Journalism at the University of King’s College. // CREDITS: Our opening/closing theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.