MEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairs

Back from our brief hiatus, this week's show speaks frankly about why the Liberal government's proposed Indigenous Languages Act is mostly notable for what it doesn't say. Joining us this week is special return guest Lorena Fontaine, Indigenous academic lead and associate professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Winnipeg. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week... Another BC battlefront: Why Wet'suwet'en resistance to the Coastal Gas Link pipeline project is—and isn’t—so complicated to understand. Revitalizing MEDIA INDIGENA: Why us taking a break after 147 consecutive weeks is the best guarantee of many more episodes to come. Learn more on our website. Joining us for this special episode—recorded as a livestream with our supporters on Patreon—are Candis Callison, Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Princeton University, Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the U of A’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week, the second installment in our two-part conversation with Darrel McLeod, author of Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age. Winner of the 2018 Governor-General’s award for non-fiction, Mamaskatch has been lauded for its raw, revealing portrait of McLeod’s early years. Covering just over three decades, the book’s proven inspiring to many who have faced similar hardships. That includes host Rick Harp's mother, Jane Glennon, who once again joins in on the discussion. Last time out, we delved into Darrel’s rocky relationship with his mother, his gender fluidity and the special role birds have occupied throughout his life. This time round, we begin with a discussion of Darrel's arc as a writer, his up and down experiences with education, his resolve to share the truth come what may, and how Darrel struggled at times with his Cree identity. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week, we present part one of our two-part conversation with Darrel McLeod, whose memoir recently won this year's Governor-General’s award for non-fiction. Also joining host/producer Rick Harp for this special edition of the roundtable: Rick's mom, Jane Glennon (née McCallum). According to the jury that awarded McLeod the $25,000 prize, "MAMASKATCH: A Cree Coming of Age dares to immerse readers in provocative contemporary issues including gender fluidity, familial violence, and transcultural hybridity. A fast-moving, intimate memoir of dreams and nightmares—[it is] lyrical and gritty, raw and vulnerable, told without pity, but with phoenix-like strength." Earlier this month, we three Cree sat in Sooke, BC together to reflect on Darrel's life stories, their often tumultuous trajectory, and what eventually brought them into being on the printed page.

Policing the police: A new review of Thunder Bay law enforcement finds the quality of their investigations so flawed many need to be re-opened; Fighting fakery: How a BC media outlet is trying to tackle inauthentic 'Indigenous' art; Off track: Why is Mexico’s new president pushing for a railroad no one seems to want, least of all indigenous peoples whose lands would be threatened by it? Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable once again are Brock Pitawanakwat, assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic Note: The 'Horn Honk' sound effect (by Mike Koenig) featured in this episode appears under a CC 3.0 license.

This week, we share two presentations delivered on day two of the International Symposium on Indigenous Communities and Climate Change, hosted this December 6th and 7th by Princeton University in New Jersey. Part of a line-up featuring nine speakers in all, we share talks by MEDIA INDIGENA roundtablers Candis Callison (“Communal Lives and Climate Change: Convening spaces for Indigenous publics, narratives, and knowledge”) and Rick Harp (”Indigenous Independents: Navigating the Challenges of Indie Media Making”). For more on the event, visit https://www.princetonisiccc.com/schedule

1. How to deal with denial? Can links be drawn between minimizing the intent and impacts of residential schools of the not-so-distant past with the contemporary practice of forced/coerced sterilization of Indigenous women in Canada? A question top of mind this week for roundtabler Ken Williams as he contemplates the implications of the story of a Canadian imprisoned in Germany for Holocaust denial. Does arguably comparable commentary regarding anti-Indigenous atrocities in Canada merit the same 'nip it in the bud' approach? 2. Murder of a missionary: An American met his end after trying to convert an isolated tribe in India. But if you’re looking for sympathy from Indigenous pockets of social media, best look elsewhere. Back at the roundtable with host/producer Rick Harp this week are Brock Pitawanakwat, assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic

1. Fighting fire with fire? Why some say the massive blazes ripping across parts of California did not have to be so furious or fatal, if only the state would listen more to Indigenous peoples. 2. Cultural linchpin or not-so-scenic buzzkill? Why some Ontario cottagers ain’t so 'wild' about the return of rice to the region. 3. Media muzzle? A southern U.S. tribe suddenly takes back the press protections it had only put in place three years prior. Joining host/producer Rick Harp 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.

1. Child and family fraud? How a potential class action lawsuit against one B.C. social worker has exposed some gaping vulnerabilities in a system supposedly set up to care for kids. 2. Lodging complaints: What the mainstream media missed in its coverage of how a convicted child-killer ended up at an Indigenous-based correctional facility (though she's been subsequently removed). 3. Libellous or frivolous? An Alberta First Nation launches a million dollar lawsuit against one of its own over comments she posted to Facebook. Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable once again are Brock Pitawanakwat, assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

THIS WEEK... What’s in a name? Everything, for Indigenous families hoping to reclaim their people's traditional naming practices. What gives with philanthropy? The author of a new book on the subject says it’s time to decolonize the sector. Grief over Greyhound: What will First Nations who once relied on the bus service do now that it's ceased operations in western Canada? Host/producer Rick Harp is joined once again by 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.