MEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairs

Pollution is Colonialism Part Two: fresh off part one, host/producer Rick Harp and MI regular Candis Callison once again sit down with author, artist and marine scientist Max Liboiron. And in the back half of this extended conversation, we find out why Land is not so much a noun as it is a verb, and why anti-colonial is not the same as de-colonial, especially when it comes to methods for pollution science, methods which foreground values of humility, equity, and good land relations. // CREDITS: ‘Smoke Factory,’ by Jahzzar (CC BY 3.0); our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Pollution is Colonialism: the straight-to-the-point title of a brand new book by Max Liboiron, Assistant Professor of Geography and Associate Vice-President of Indigenous Research at Memorial University, as well as the Director of CLEAR, or Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research. Among the book's core arguments: that any effort looking to resist environmental harms must trace them back to their ultimate source—the violence of colonial land relations. A violence, the author argues, even well-intentioned environmental science and activism can reproduce. In this first of two episodes featuring the author, we discuss how the world became awash in plastics, with part two dedicated to how we might better grasp and grapple with the larger forces producing this toxic legacy. Appearing alongside Dr. Liboiron, host/producer Rick Harp and MI regular Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC. // CREDITS: 'Quiet Outro' by ROZKOL (CC BY 3.0); Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week: redress, compensation and restitution. In short, Cash Back! It's the second half of our effort to put meat on the bones of this call for First Nations economic justice issued in the latest Red Paper of the Yellowhead Institute—viewable at cashback.yellowheadinstitute.org—as we run through the 'Top 10' ways to actually get that cash back from Canada. Joining host/producer Rick Harp once again are Tim Thompson and Naiomi Metallic of the Yellowhead Institute. // Our musical theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

From Wealth to Welfare. Just how did Canada’s economy end up among the world's largest, anyway? Was it the sheer pioneering pluck of can-do Canucks? A steely determination tempered by visionary imagination and innovation? Exactly what has Canada done to amass, command and enjoy such wealth? Well, according to a hot-off-the-presses report from the Yellowhead Institute, they stole it. Entitled Cash Back: A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper, the report impressively details what can only be described as a colossal, colonial theft, the proceeds of which Canada continues to exploit and extract. Adding insult to imperial injury, not only has this country built itself up via the "transformation of Indigenous lands and waterways into corporate profit and national power," the report's authors argue it's forced "a cradle-to-grave bureaucracy" upon First Nations in the process, placing a "stranglehold on [their] each and every need." The result: a zero-sum economic game, a game Canada’s rigged in its favour to the ongoing detriment of First Nations. Joining host/producer Rick Harp for part one of this extended conversation about the report are two of its contributors: co-author and board member Naiomi Metallic, as well as Yellowhead Research Fellow Karihwakè:ron aka Tim Thompson. // CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

DILEMMA INDIGENA: For Indigenous peoples living under settler colonialism today, there are few choices that aren’t constrained, a predicament at the heart of a discussion in the brand new book, Regime of Obstruction: How Corporate Power Blocks Energy Democracy. Just published by Athabasca University Press, its 30-plus contributors include this week’s special guest, Clifford Atleo, an Assistant Professor of Resource & Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University, who joins us to discuss his chapter, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Canada’s Carbon Economy and Indigenous Ambivalence.” // CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Northern education rooted in the north: for many, it's a vision at the very heart of Laurentian University, a northern Ontario school that today is in turmoil. Administrators now pursuing a dramatic—some say draconian—process of retrenchment and austerity, cutting dozens of programs and positions. Seen as a tricultural hub serving the region’s English, French and Indigenous populations, the institution has not only shared a campus with the University of Sudbury (among others), it’s shared funding. Now that too will end. Putting the fate of the U of S Indigenous Studies program—among Canada’s oldest—up in the air. But as some try to make sense of all the slashing, critics allege the process remains shrouded in secrecy. Prompting some to wonder whether larger agendas and larger forces may be at play. Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable this week are MI regular Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, as well as special guest Celeste Pedri-Spade, an Associate Professor and Queen's National Scholar in Indigenous Studies at Queen’s University. // CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic. SFX: “ding” by tim.kahn (CC BY 3.0)

It’s the second half of our conversation with artist Chief Lady Bird about her decision to design a beer can label in support of Indigenous women’s causes. In part one, we learned about how it all came to be and some of the reaction that’s poured forth in its wake. This time, we go deeper into popular misunderstandings and misrepresentations of drugs and addiction, drawing on the insights of a neuroscientist who not only studies drugs but unapologetically enjoys them too. Joining host/producer Rick Harp for even more social lubrication are Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment, Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC, and our special guest, artist Okimaa Kwe Bihness, also known as Chief Lady Bird. // CREDITS: “Tree Tenants,” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

It was meant as a gesture in support of Indigenous women. A one of a kind design by an Indigenous artist known for her bold, provocative imagery. But when it comes to her latest work, it’s not what her art shows that’s sparked strife so much as where it’s shown—wrapped around a cold can of beer. Cue the beer can backlash, with some slamming the artist for supposedly glorifying or at least trivializing a substance many blame for violence against and among Indigenous people. This week, the first half of an extended conversation with Chippewa/Potawatomi artist Chief Lady Bird to learn more about the origins of her collaboration with the brewery, the outrage it tapped into, and why this topic can be so touchy to talk about—for us included. Also joining host/producer Rick Harp: MI regulars Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC. // CREDITS: Our theme is ‘nesting’ by birocratic.

Canine colonial. Is it apt to draw parallels between the worst ills of mainstream child welfare systems and those of animal welfare? It’s the potentially provocative thesis of the Vancouver Humane Society, a thesis they soon hope to put into practice. Joining host/producer Rick Harp for a decolonial discussion on dogs on and off the rez are MI regulars Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, and Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment. // CREDITS: Episode edited by Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

They’re one of Canada’s oldest political parties. Heck, they gave the country its first ever prime minister back in 1867. Today, the Conservative Party of Canada hopes to form the next federal government. They may get their chance: rumours of a summer election abound. Making the party’s recent policy convention—and the associated keynote speech of leader Erin O’Toole—possible windows into what another Conservative government might hold in store for Indigenous interests. Joining host/producer Rick Harp to parse the party's policies and pronouncements are Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC. CREDITS: “Disco High” by UltraCat (CC BY 3.0)