All My Relations Podcast

This bonus episode explores the impacts of Covid-19 in tribal communities. Even though tribal nations are most at risk, Indigenous voices have been widely left out of mainstream news coverage. Nationally, health experts and tribal leaders are sounding the alarm that Native Americans are particularly vulnerable to the spread of Covid-19. During this time of crisis, it is critically important to hear from national leadership. Listen in to hear conversation between Matika and New Mexico’s First District US Congresswoman, Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo); Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Band of Ojibwe); President of The National Congress of The American Indian, Fawn Sharp (Quinalt); Director of Urban Indian Health Institute, Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee); President & CEO of Black Hills Center for American Indian Health, Dr. Jeff Henderson (Cheyenne River Sioux);  Indigenous Environment Network Organizer, Dallas Goldtooth (Mdewakanton Dakota and Dine); Nutritionist Valerie Segrest (Muckleshoot); Ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk (Catawba); and Medical Doctors Dr. Edi Chu and Dr. David Price.  Each speaks to crisis from their own perspective and offers insight. +++This work was supported by the National Geographic Society’s Emergency Fund for Journalists. Learn more:  @InsideNatGeo+++Special thanks to the team of people that put this episode together:Sound Engineer, Editing and Scoring: Teo ShantzProducer and Host: Matika WilburOriginal Episode Art: Ciara SanaMusic Composition: Alex Chadsey, Teo Shantz and Greg KramerProduction Assistance: Kristin Bolan+++Sending love to all our relatives at this time. We'd love to hear from you. Email us at allmyrelationspodcast@gmail.com, follow us on Instagram, or contribute to our patreon. Text us your thoughts!Support the showFollow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.

Hundreds of years ago when colonizers instituted the idea of “blood quantum” as a means of reducing the Native population, our Native ancestors probably did not envision a modern Indigenous world of Tinder, multi-billion dollar tribal enterprises and per cap payments, or a world where who we love might determine if our children are considered Indigenous at all. Last episode we talked about Blood Quantum through history, law, science, and policy. In this episode, we’ll approach the topic on a more personal level--how does it affect our love lives? Join Matika and Adrienne as they talk with our production team members Brooke and Nita about how we’ve navigated finding partners, racist federal/tribal policy, and how we’ve had no choice but to consider how blood quantum affects our children, our families, and our nations.This is an emotional episode, we talk about a lot of really hard and personal things things--from enrollment and belonging, to cancer and to sexual assault. So we want to give you a heads up that this might be an episode you need to be emotionally ready for, and might want to give yourself the space to smudge or decompress after. But it’s also us--so we promise to maintain the chuckle.We’re also at the end of Season One! We’d especially like to thank Brooke and Nita for weighing in on this episode, and for all of their hard work on Season One. This couldn’t and wouldn’t be possible without the help of our good friend Teo Shantz, who does all the production, engineering, and editing for this project. Also Ciara Sana, who creates the most beautiful episode art for us. We also want to thank the amazing Katherine Paul aka Black Belt Eagle Scout for the music on this episode, and we especially want to thank you. Thank you for listening. We love you! We’ll be back soon.Text us your thoughts!Support the showFollow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.

The podcast dives into the myths surrounding Columbus and advocates for celebrating Indigenous Peoples instead. It highlights how the romanticized narrative of 1492 erases the rich histories and suffering of Indigenous communities. The hosts discuss resistance to changing Columbus Day and the role of institutional inertia. They emphasize the importance of acknowledging historical violence and reframing the narrative to uplift contemporary Native stories. Listeners are encouraged to support movements that replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.

Blood quantum. The percentage of Native “blood” one possesses, the fraction listed on Certificates of Degree of Indian Blood, and a fraught concept that has its defenders and dissenters in our communities. Despite its colonial origins, many tribes still use blood quantum as a requirement for tribal enrollment, and these fictional fractions carry huge weight in the lives of Indigenous Peoples. In this episode we hope to parse out some of these complications around the topic of blood quantum—legally and interpersonally, as well as the ways these metaphors of blood have moved into genetic science. Many of our Native nations are at a crisis point when it comes to thinking about enrollment, and notions of blood and belonging are at the center of that. Knowing all of this, where do we go from here? Join Matika and Adrienne as they discuss blood, enrollment, law, genetics and belonging with Charlotte Logan (Akwesasne Mohawk) a genetic researcher debunking blood quantum theory, Gabe Galanda (Round Valley Indian Tribes of California, descending from the Nomlaki and Concow Tribes), a prolific Seattle attorney fighting disenrollment cases, Tommy Miller (Colville), attorney and author of law review article “Beyond Blood Quantum: The legal and political implications of expanding tribal enrollment”, and Professor David Wilkins (Lumbee), legal scholar and co-author of “Dismembered: Native Disenrollement and the Battle for Human Rights”.Guest Bios:Charlotte Logan is Akwesasne Mohawk and a molecular biologist working in upstate new york.  Charlotte has a Masters in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Brandeis University and has spent a decade specializing in the field of small RNA and mRNA Processing. She recently made a life altering choice by stepping away from her career and enrolling in the Onondaga Language  Program, where she spent two years studying the Onandoga language. Then returned to biochemistry and molecular biology as a senior research support specialist, and now is a graduate student in linguistics.Gabe Galanda belongs to the Round Valley Indian Tribes of California, descending from the Nomlaki and Concow Tribes. As a partner at Galanda Broadman, Gabe is an attorney whose legal practice represents tribal governments, businesses and citizens often working on complex, multi-party litigation and crisis management. Gabe is a prolific writer on  tribal litigation and sovereignty and Indian civil rights issues, having been published over 100 times in national periodicals like The National Law Journal, and Business Law Today. Tommy Miller is a Citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and his Seattle law practice focuses on litigation, Indian Law, government contracts and procurement, which touch on a wide variety of issues including treaty rights.  He received his JD and bachelor’s degrees from Harvard University.  In 2014, he published in the American Indian Law Journal: “Beyond Blood Quantum: The Legal and Political Implications of Expanding Tribal Enrollment.” David E. Wilkins is a citizen of the Lumbee Nation of North Carolina and a Professor at the University of Richmond. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from the UText us your thoughts!Support the showFollow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.

On this episode we tackle a huge topic: the importance and power of our Indigenous languages, and the work that's being done to revitalize and promote Native languages. It was too much to fit in with just one guest, so we collected stories from throughout Indian Country, talking to Thelma Whiskers from Southern Ute, Harry Oosahwee from Cherokee Nation, Henrietta Mann from Cheyenne Nation, Amber Heywood and Archie Cantrell from Puyallup, and Tia Averett Pocknett and Sola Santos from Mashpee Wampanoag. Every one of our nations and communities has suffered language loss due to colonial policies, but despite the statistics and very real threats to our languages, there are also so many incredible stories of hope and resurgence. We hope you'll feel inspired to use your language today and every day, even in small ways. Your ancestors will hear you. UN Declaration of 2019 as "International Year of Indigenous Languages": https://en.iyil2019.org/Thank you to  Siobhan (Vonnie) Brown, Sola Santos, Adeline & Wesley Greendeer, Eliana Ruzzo, and Jenn Weston from Mukayuhsak Weekuw and all of the other incredible folks we talked to whose voices didn't make it into the episode, you're amazing.This episode we’re super thrilled to have music by Sicangu Lakota rapper and composer Frank Waln! We’re also as always grateful for all of the team that worked on this episode, editor Teo Shantz, PA Juanita Christine, Production by Brooke Swaney, and episode art by Ciara Sana. We’re also in the process of trying to find funding for season two. If you have any resources, grants, or funding that you think we should look into, please let us know! Remember to like, comment, share, and subscribe on iTunes!  We’re on instagram @amrpodcast, and our website is allmyrelationspodcast.com. GvGeyu! Love you! Text us your thoughts!Support the showFollow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.

All My Relations talks story with two of our favorite fashionable friends: artist extraordinaire Jamie Okuma (Lisueño and Shoshone Bannock) and scholar/fashion entrepreneur Dr. Jessica Metcalfe (Turtle Mountain Chippewa). Listen in as we venture into their journeys through the Native fashion world and what it means to them to represent for their communities through fashion and design. Jessica often says, “Our ancestors were stylish,” so what are the ways we can represent our identities through what we choose to wear? Beyond Buckskin Boutique: shop.beyondbuckskin.comJamie Okuma: Jokuma.comText us your thoughts!Support the showFollow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.

Bonus Episode: Sacred is Sacred! +In light of recent tragedy at Notre Dame, Adrienne and Matika discuss the indigenous response from our communities from a social justice perspective, while also considering our humanity. +This is our first “bonus episode”! We thought that it might be powerful to interject indigenous perspective into the national dialogue. What do you think? Text us your thoughts!Support the showFollow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.

In this episode, All My Relations explores the topic of cultural appropriation—it’s become such a buzzword, but what is it, really? Adrienne and Matika care deeply about Native representation, and talk constantly about this subject. Here, you'll have the opportunity to listen into that conversation, as we reveal our feelings about the infamous white savior photographer Edward S. Curtis, Halloween, answer listener questions, and more.  Appropriators beware. Resources: Adrienne’s blog: Nativeappropriations.com (300+ posts to help with the appropriation convos)“Why Tonto Matters”: https://nativeappropriations.com/2012/03/why-tonto-matters.htmlMatika’s Edward Curtis post: https://lrinspire.com/2018/05/08/edward-s-curtis-again-by-matika-wilbur/Send us a voicemail of how you say “All My Relations” in your language! https://www.allmyrelationspodcast.com/contactText us your thoughts!Support the showFollow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.

We join forces with two amazing Indigenous writers and scholars who are making waves in the literary scene with their poetry, prose, and fiction. They weave words and worlds to help us see and understand queer indigenous identities and bodies, the ways that settler colonialism has disrupted and distorted our relationships, and the power of asserting voice in spaces not meant for us. We discuss their writing practice, academia, living in racialized bodies. We close  with Joshua and Billy reciting some of their work for us. Enjoy! If you love this, please subscribe, share, and consider  our Patreon. +++++++++++Joshua Whitehead is Ojibwe & Cree from the Peguis First Nation, located in Treaty 1 territory, and is Two Spirit IndigiQueer. You can find him at the University of Calgary in Treaty 7 territory, obtaining his PhD in English. Joshua is a poet and a writer, but most importantly, Joshua is a storyteller. The power of his storytelling launched him into the forefront of the literary scene.  His poetry collection, “Full Metal Indigequeer”  is indeed, as he says, “a viral song, is a round dance, is a jingle dress, is medicine.”  His debut novel, Johnny Appleseed, braids together human experience into a tight understanding of Indigeneity and queerness. +++++++++++Billy-Ray Belcourt is from the Driftpile Cree Nation and is a PhD student in the Department of English & Film Studies at the University of Alberta. As a Rhodes Scholar, Billy-Ray went to the Colonizers land to obtain his Master’s in Women’s Studies which highlighted “the role of Indigenous Women in Social Resistance Movements .” His work has been widely published and acclaimed in magazines across Canada. His debut poetry book, This Wound is A World, splits the self wide open and merges into space and place and Indian Time. His forthcoming work, NDN Coping Mechanisms, Notes from the field, is synesthesia made into polyphonic poetry, prose and digital art.Text us your thoughts!Support the showFollow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.

Join us for a second discussion with Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Dr. Kim Tallbear on All My Relations. We'll explore Kim's “life project” of critical polyamory, her journey through feminism, her processes of writing in, with, and for community, and Kim treats us with some of her poetry, the “Critical polyamorist 100s”.AMR so far has explored our relationships between community, land, food, and kin. Now we have a chance to dive into what it means to be in good relation with other humans (on a sexual and non sexual level), while maintaining and balancing our responsibilities to our other relations, and questioning a hierarchy that places human relations first. Kim is never “single,” she is always in committed relationships with human and non-human relations.Follow us!Kim's Twitter.Matika's Twitter and Instagram.Adrienne's Twitter and Instagram.If you'd like to send us a voicemail visit www.allmyrelationspodcast.com to be featured on our upcoming episodes!Text us your thoughts!Support the showFollow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.