MEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairs

On this week’s collected, connected conversations (the third in our Summer Series), we head to the lab to put Science under the microscope. From archaeology to genetics to the ethics of biological research, Indigenous people are commonly subjects of study. Studies that often get us wrong or worse, just flat-out deny the worth of our own forms of inquiry and knowledge. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism; plus, Lakota activist and communications professional Taté Walker. CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes the following works by Kevin MacLeod: "Magic Scout Cottages", "On the Ground", “With a Creation,” and "Beauty Flow." Learn more about the artist at incompetech.com and filmmusic.io. Our intro music comes via BenevolentBadger.com. This episode was edited and produced by Rick Harp.

This week’s collected, connected conversations, the second in our Summer Series, feature a focus on the media. From blatant double-standards, to persistent narratives of First Nations ‘failure,’ to victim-blaming, Canadian media has long misrepresented Indigenous peoples, which is why we've so often reported on the reporters. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism; Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s Department of Drama and Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University; Michael Redhead Champagne, community organizer; author and journalist Waubgeshig Rice and writer/educator Hayden King. This episode was edited and produced by Rick Harp. CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes the following works by Kevin MacLeod: "New Direction" "Heartbreaking," “Crowd Hammer,” "Come Play with Me", "Amazing Plan: Distressed", and "Beauty Flow." Learn more about the artist at incompetech.com and filmmusic.io. Our intro music comes via BenevolentBadger.com    

Given how all of our Summer Series shows dig deep into our archives, perhaps it’s only fitting that our first episode of the season explores history and heroes. Although, as you’ll hear, what constitutes the latter is certainly in the eye of the beholder. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): Kisha Supernant, anthropological archaeologist and associate professor at the University of Alberta; Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s Department of Drama and Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University; Lakota activist and communications professional Taté Walker and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta; Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism.  This episode was edited and produced by Rick Harp. CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes the following works by Kevin MacLeod: "Wholesome," "Inspired," "Fluidscape" and "Beauty Flow" as well as "Sleepers" by Sascha Ende. Learn more about both artists at incompetech.com and filmmusic.io. Our intro music comes courtesy of Benevolent Badger.

THIS WEEK: Vetting the V-word. 'Victims' and 'victimhood'—it's controversial conceptual territory for many, and depending on your vantage point, distressing for different reasons. In this, our third and final look at reactions stirred up by the report of the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, we get into when the word works for us or potentially works against us, a larger conversation prompted in part by this comment from Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew: "I have no interest in my sons seeing themselves as the victims or survivors of genocide." // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

What’s in a word? Well, when that word is "genocide" and you’re part of Canada’s mostly-white, mostly-male commentariat, nothing, apparently. And if you’re like the Prime Minister, the word supposedly matters much less than the vague actions we should focus on going forward. In part two of our extended look at the report of the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, we examine the steaming pile of hot takes that have come in its wake, including those of Settler media makers who've been at great pains to declare that 'Canadian genocide' is just not a thing, and that using the G word somehow threatens Canada's international reputation. // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.    

This episode, we discuss reaction to the final report of Canada's National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. This week marks the official release of that report, just days after details of a leaked copy were circulated by the media. But did publishing that "unauthorized document" compromise the core messages of the report? More importantly, did it risk further traumatizing families and friends of the murdered and missing? Joining host/producer Rick Harp to discuss these questions 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. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week: State of Alienation. It was a country that didn’t even exist 120 years ago. Yet, today, authorities in Australia are convinced they’re somehow justified in declaring certain Indigenous people to be illegal 'aliens,' individuals the state feels it has the right to kick off the continent despite their connection to cultures which have occupied that continent for tens of thousands of years. Joining host/producer Rick Harp back at the roundtable this week are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

THIS WEEK: Raising (and removing) red flags in Saskatchewan. A small Prairie village suddenly finds itself at the centre of a storm after one of its residents publicly displays flags long associated with hate. Now a First Nations man is being investigated by police after taking it upon himself to take down those symbols. Joining host/producer Rick Harp back at the roundtable this week are Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

THIS WEEK: Earth’s bio-diversity death spiral—can we change course? A new United Nations study paints a dark picture of the future, a future pretty much guaranteed if we as a planet continue to follow a path of economic, political and ecological auto-asphyxiation. We discuss why some feel our greatest hope lies in the collective example set by many Indigenous peoples. Joining host/producer Rick Harp this week are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week: How a lake in the States lost its Indigenous name, re-gained it, only to potentially lose it again because of a Minnesota court decision. Join us as we dive into the details of the Dakota waters known as Bde Maka Ska (aka Lake Calhoun). Sitting with host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable this week are Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. // // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.