Media Indigena : Weekly Indigenous Current Affairs Program

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

On this week’s collected, connected conversations (the last of our summer-long series), we bring you part two of our resource resistance retrospective. Yet, as part one revealed, these issues are hardly historical. Indeed, it was only six months ago that the Royal Canadian Militarized Police—in full riot gear and armed to the teeth—raided Wet’suwet’en activist camps for the second time in as many years to enforce an injunction secured by the Coastal GasLink corporation. And though the raid signaled another setback to grassroots efforts to stop the pipeline, things seemed different this time around, both during and after the raid. // CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Headway” and “Tumult” by Kai Engel, plus the following tracks by Andy G. Cohen: “Sheffield Hall” “Space (Outro),” “Scramby Eggs,” plus “Humming and Strumming.”

This week’s collected, connected conversations (the seventh in our summer-long series) make up the first part of a double-episode look at resource resistance, inspired by a struggle too big to ignore, one punctuated by striking video of back-to-back raids by militarized police against small Indigenous encampments in what's now known as interior British Columbia. Yet these dramatic events of 2019 and 2020 in ancestral Wet’suwet’en territory are but part and parcel of a much bigger picture. Their resistance to resource extraction—pushback on a pipeline that, if built, would move 2.1 billion cubic feet of fracked natural gas per day—carries loud echoes of battles across the world, battles against a fossil-fueled climate catastrophe. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Hayden King, executive director, Yellowhead Institute at Ryerson University. • Angela Sterritt, CBC Vancouver reporter and artist • Wawmeesh Hamilton, journalist/photographer • Ken Williams, Assistant Professor of

On this episode’s collected, connected conversations (the sixth in our summer-long series): we get down with data and tight with tech, tackling topics that range from social media to social services. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta • Ken Williams, assistant professor, University of Alberta department of drama • Karyn Pugliese, Assistant Professor, School of Journalism, Ryerson University • Lisa Girbav, broadcaster and podcaster • Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the School of Journalism, Writing and Media at UBC • Jennifer Walker, Canada research chair in Indigenous Health at Laurentian University; core scientist and Indigenous lead with IC/ES North // CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Headway” and “Harbor” by Kai Engel, The Institute Laboratories and Careful now, Stalker by ROZKOL, RENDER ME

On this episode’s collected, connected conversations (the fifth in our summer-long series): navigating the harms and hopes associated with drugs. From alcohol to opioids, taxes to testing, you could say we’ve explored our fair share of substances on this show. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta • Tim Fontaine, head honcho at satirical news site Walking Eagle News • Solomon Israel, cannabis industry reporter • Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama • Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University • Patrice Mousseau, entrepreneur • Colleen Simard, freelance writer, clothing designer and filmmaker • Conrad Prince, Indigenous health and child welfare advocate • Lakota activist and communications professional, Taté Walker // CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Headway,” by Kai Engel, “No

On this week’s collage of collected, connected conversations (the fourth in our summer series): appropriation and authenticity. The second half of our extended foray into the arts, our topics range from tacky souvenirs to the endless parade of Settlers pining to play Indian, as we question the images of Indigenous people: who gets to make and profit by them, as well as what is and isn’t considered ‘authentic.’ Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta's Department of Drama • Brock Pitawanakwat, York University Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies • Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta • Taté Walker, Lakota activist and communications professional // CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Stephanie Wood and Rick Harp. Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Headway,” by Kai Engel, “Startup nation” by Anonymous 420, “On the Run” by ROZKOL, “Dead From The Beg

On this week’s collected, connected conversations (the third in our summer series), the arts take centre stage. A stage so wide, it’ll take two acts to cover it all. For our first act, we look at representation and misrepresentation, be it on-screen, on stage, or on the page. From gatekeepers to white fragility, it ain’t easy trying to be Indigenous in this industry. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Cutcha Risling Baldy, Assistant Professor and Department Chair of Native American Studies at Humboldt State University. • Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism • Kim TallBear, Associate Professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta • Brock Pitawanakwat, York University Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies • Ken Williams, University of Alberta Assistant Professor of Drama • Taté Walker, Lakota activist and communications professional • Jessica Ka'nhehsí:io Deer, a Kanien'kehá:ka journalist at CBC Indigenous // CREDITS: Thi

In our second summer series collection of connected conversations: a checkup on the state of Indigenous health. A thorough examination of how the Canadian health system can all too often operate against Indigenous well-being via ill-considered policies and practices. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Mary Jane McCallum, professor of history at University of Winnipeg • Dr. James Makokis, a Cree physician based in Alberta • Dr. Lisa Richardson, clinician-educator, University of Toronto division of general internal medicine; joint strategic lead in Indigenous Health, U of T Faculty of Medicine • Dr. Jason Pennington, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto; Scarborough General Hospital staff surgeon; joint strategic lead in Indigenous Health, U of T Faculty of Medicine • Colleen Simard, writer/designer/filmmaker • Conrad Prince, child health and welfare advocate • Pam Palmater, Chair in Indigenous Governance, Ryerson University’s department of Politics and Public Adm

Once again this year, we at MEDIA INDIGENA have dug deep into our archives to bring you a summer-long series of collected, connected conversations, on a variety of topics: from drugs to data, the arts to activism. We begin with a subject some argue has always been at the heart of the Canadian project: genocide. Once dismissed outright as an object of any serious consideration in this country, there is today a compelling case to be made that Canada's past and present actions merit the label of genocide. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Ryerson University professor Chris Powell, author of Barbaric Civilizations: A Critical Sociology of Genocide • Historian James Daschuk, author of Clearing the Plains: Disease, the Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life • Brock Pitawanakwat, associate professor of Indigenous studies at York University • Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. • Candis Callison, Associate Profes

THIS WEEK: A systemic look at media. It’s the second half of our extended conversation with our very own Candis Callison and Mary Lynn Young, co-authors of Reckoning: Journalism’s Limits and Possibilities. Published by Oxford University Press, it’s the work of former practitioners in the field who now study and teach the craft at the University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism, Writing and Media. In part one of our discussion, we covered what kind of tool journalism is, and how the field tends to idealize itself, seemingly unaware of its continual performance of white masculinity. Here in part two, we get into what Callison and Young refer to as ”systems journalism,” an approach that moves storytellers away from a disinterested, objective 'view from nowhere' to a greater self-awareness about the murky, often choppy waters of identities and interests they themselves swim in. It's a call for journalism to work harder to make more visible and legible the social, economic, political, even biological s

On this episode: part one of our extended conversation on the limits and possibilities of journalism. And these days, we hear little about the latter, a lot about the former—even before COVID-19 took its toll on the industry. Some blame media companies’ downfall on the digital: the interwebs and smartphones shredding the business model of now-obsolete oligopolies. And yet, it’s not all cause for techno-driven doom and gloom. In fact, there are those who believe digital might actually be a doorway to better journalism, especially for those audiences legacy outlets have failed to reach, much less represent. Among the hopeful: Candis Callison and Mary Lynn Young, Associate Professors at UBC's School of Journalism, Writing and Media and the co-authors of Reckoning: Journalism’s Limits and Possibilities, a book about the media moment we’re living through, a time where crisis and opportunity co-exist. // MUSIC: Our theme is ‘nesting’ by birocratic. Other music this episode: 'Clean Soul,' by Kevin MacLeod (incompet

THIS WEEK: NAISA INDIGENA. And just who or what is a “NAISA”? It’s the Native American Indigenous Studies Association. Or as they put it, a “professional organization for scholars, graduate students, independent researchers, and community members interested in all aspects of Indigenous Studies.” Many of whom gather every year to share and discuss their scholarship. And this year, that included us! And then, just like that, COVID-19 took out NAISA 2020. What’s a roundtable to do? Well, lemons do make for great lemonade, so get ready for some bittersweetness as we stage a roundtable about the roundtable. Joining host/producer Rick Harp are Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University Brock Pitawanakwat, Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC. // Our theme is 'nesting'

THIS WEEK: Food and environmental justice. Topics at the heart of a talk given back in February by Dr. Priscilla Settee, Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, and Adjunct Professor for the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba. A global educator and activist from Cumberland House Swampy Cree First Nations with a keen interest in Indigenous food sovereignty, she can now add David Suzuki Fellow to her list of accomplishments, a way to take her research deeper into the impacts of climate change on the environment and livelihoods of northern trappers. As with the other 2019/20 Weweni Indigenous Scholars Speaker Series lectures, Settee sat down immediately after her presentation—“The Impact of Climate Change and Environmental Degradation on Indigenous Knowledge Systems: What You Should Know”—to discuss her ideas further with MEDIA INDIGENA host/producer Rick Harp, an opportunity courtesy of the University of Winnipeg’s Office of Indigenous Engagement. // Our theme i

THIS WEEK: The ‘Looting’ of America. As if a pandemic wasn’t enough to contend with, disturbing video came out on social media this week of blatant police brutality against a black resident of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, video that has sparked outrage in streets across the US. Outrage met with tear gas, smoke bombs and rubber bullets. Meanwhile, as can happen in such highly-charged, volatile situations, property has been damaged, even destroyed. People vs. property: guess how the media weighed harms carried out against both in their coverage—or how well their stories convey the role and function policing plays in the everyday lives of black and brown people? Joining host/producer Rick Harp to discuss these questions and more this week were Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC, as well as Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Ind

On this week’s episode: “Indigenous Knowledge and Heavens,” the title of a talk delivered earlier this year by Inuk scholar, Dr. Karla Jessen Williamson. An Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations at the University of Saskatchewan, the Greenland-born academic is the first Inuk to be tenured at a Canadian university. Following Williamson’s lecture—the fourth in the 2019/20 Weweni Indigenous Scholars Speaker Series, organized by the University of Winnipeg’s Office of Indigenous Engagement—she sat down with MEDIA INDIGENA host/producer Rick Harp to discuss gender relations in post-colonial Greenland Inuit communities, and why she argues “genderlessness” is closer to their realities. // This episode edited by Rick Harp and Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

THIS WEEK: Weapons and exceptions. The Liberal government’s recently-announced ban on 1500 types of assault weapons is not going over well with certain gun owners. Could the exemption for, among others, Indigenous hunters make them a target? We cover which weapons the ban covers, and whether Canada always walks its talk concerning violence. Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable once again are Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, and Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University Brock Pitawanakwat. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

THIS WEEK: 21st century voting, 19th century colonialism. An Ontario First Nation feels frustrated by the fact that, just weeks away from its June election, it still hasn’t got the green light from Indigenous Services Canada to hold their own vote under their own rules. Rules that include on-line voting, a system they say is critical amid concerns of COVID-19. Joining host/producer Rick Harp to discuss the delay and whether turning democracy digital in Indian Country is a good thing or not 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: Butter blowback. With next to no fanfare, the makers of Land O’ Lakes butter have stripped their packaging of a decades-old iconic Indian maiden. Prompting pouts a-plenty from some Settlers who found the switch distasteful—a butter backlash that spread across social media. But, no surprise, #NativeTwitter was more than ready with a flurry of counter-memes. Joining host/producer Rick Harp to share some of their favorites, plus discuss some of the ambivalent history behind the box, are roundtable regulars Candis Callison, associate professor in the School of Journalism at UBC, and Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, as well as special guest Tim Fontaine, the big bird brain behind Walking Eagle News. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Patient privacy, public protection: they can feel at odds in this era of coronavirus. And yet, when it comes to the impacts of the virus on black and brown people, some say there’s not enough information being captured and communicated. But could knowing who is infected risk stigma in turn? Tackling these thorny questions and more with host/producer Rick Harp this week are Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC, as well as Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment. // Our theme is ‘nesting’ by birocratic.

THIS WEEK: Corona commiseration. It’s the topic on everyone’s mind, all the time—which itself can be a challenge, for us included. Inundated with infection information, how much might be too much for our mental health? It’s a real question: with so many media already covering Covid-19, should we? Joining host/producer Rick Harp to share their thoughts on exactly that 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. // Music: “Surreal Forest,” by Meydän; ‘nesting’ by birocratic (intro/extro theme).