MEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairs

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).

THIS WEEK: Post-secondary plunder. Cornell, MIT, Rutgers—can you guess what these prestigious U.S. centers of higher learning have in common? Well, together with scores of schools just like them, they all owe their existence and persistence to the systematic theft of Indigenous lands. Dating back to the late 1800s, this heartless campaign of dispossession has just been documented in agonizing detail by an Indigenous-led team of journalists at High Country News. Back at the roundtable with host/producer Rick Harp to discuss the report's findings are 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. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

After hosting back-to-back episodes of special guest appearances concerning COVID-19, this time we re-connect with two of our regular roundtablers, both to see how they’re faring in this new era of "the rona" and which virus-related stories and developments they think will especially impact Indigenous people and communities. Back at the table with host/producer Rick Harp 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: Could the benefits of hindsight foreshadow the costs to come? As we discussed last episode, the collision of colonialism and COVID-19 carries additional layers of risk for remote and urban Indigenous populations. Among those already impacted, dozens of confirmed cases on the Navajo Nation in the American southwest and two presumptive cases on a northern Saskatchewan First Nation including a nurse who tested positive after travel abroad. The kind of scenario that’s prompted multiple First Nations and tribes to restrict access to their communities. Could history be repeating itself? We hear from Indigenous health historian Mary Jane McCallum, a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous People, History and Archives and University of Winnipeg history professor. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

THIS WEEK: Flattening the curve, feeling the gap. COVID-19, the virus that first popped up in Wuhan, China, is now officially a global pandemic. And even though the vast majority of people who get COVID-19 will ultimately suffer either mild or even no symptoms, it’s the most vulnerable among us that we need to worry about and look out for. So far in Canada, that’s largely meant promoting hand hygiene and social isolation. The goal: to stop a huge spike in cases to keep the healthcare system from being overwhelmed. But as governments work to keep Canadians’ demands on the system on a long, low curve, all too many Indigenous people could find they’re trapped in a gap. Multiple public health gaps, in fact, which, taken together, could compound the challenges facing prevention, treatment and containment of the virus among First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations. Joining host/producer Rick Harp to discuss this gap, including what some are doing to mitigate it, are two returning guests: Dr. Lisa Richardson, clinician-educator with the University of Toronto's division of general internal medicine, and Dr. Jason Pennington, a staff surgeon at Scarborough General Hospital and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Together, they serve as strategic leads in Indigenous Health with the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic

When a company in one country is linked to human rights abuses in another, should they be held responsible for that abuse back home? According to Canada’s Supreme Court, yes! Which means a Canadian mining company operating in northeast Africa could stand trial for alleged violations of human-rights in the state of Eritrea. In this episode, host/producer Rick Harp is joined by Candis Callison, associate professor in UBC's Graduate School of Journalism, and Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, as they dig deep into what broadening liability might mean for other Canadian companies extracting billions in resources from Indigenous territories across the globe. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic