MEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairs

For the fourth instalment in our Summer '22 series of collected, connected conversations: freedom of speech. From censorship to libel, press access and accountability, there are many facets to free speech, and we’ve sounded off on many of them. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Ken Williams, Assistant Professor with the University of Alberta's Department of Drama • Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University • Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC • Kim TallBear, Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment // CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes “Beat 1” and “Beat 3” by James Hammond, “When You See Me Now Inst” by holiznaRAPS, and “10 bucks guitar and dental floss strings #1” by Monplaisir. Our opening theme is “Bad Nostalgia (Instrumental)” by Anthem of Rain; our closing theme is “Garden Tiger” by Pictures of the Floating World. This episode was hosted/produced/edited by Rick Harp; production assistance by Courteney Morin.

On the third instalment in our Summer '22 series: weaponized words. The first of two shows sounding off on speech, we've stitched together a variety of verbiage, from all about threats to speech in part two to all about threats via speech here in part one. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): Ken Williams, Assistant Professor with the University of Alberta's Department of Drama Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University Kim TallBear, Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment Tristan Ahtone, Editor at Large with Grist.org Leilani Rania Ganser, Chamoru and Kānaka Maoli writer, storyteller, and organizer // CREDITS: Creative Commons music this episode includes “Purpur” by Misha Dioxin, “Billy Gomberg remix” by Billy Gomberg, “If You’re Ther” by Nicola Ratti, “Snowfall” by Steinbruchel, “She Walked in and Changed Nothing” by smallertide, and “Inescapable” by Soft and Furious. Our opening theme is “Bad Nostalgia (Instrumental)” by Anthem of Rain; our closing theme is “Garden Tiger” by Pictures of the Floating World. This episode was hosted/produced/edited by Rick Harp; production assistance by Courteney Morin.

On the second instalment in our Summer '22 series: the battle over belonging. The back half of our investigation into inclusion—or is that excursion into exclusion? They're kind of two sides of the same coin to be honest, minted at our expense. Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC • Kim TallBear, Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment • Jacqueline Keeler, journalist and author • Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University • Ken Williams, Assistant Professor with the University of Alberta's Department of Drama // CREDITS: Creative Commons music this episode includes “I care” by Loyalty Freak Music, “Hoist” and “Land Legs” by Andy G. Cohen, and “Bitcoin Day” by Anonymous420. Our opening theme is “Bad Nostalgia (Instrumental)” by Anthem of Rain; our closing theme is “Garden Tiger” by Pictures of the Floating World. This episode was hosted/produced/edited by Rick Harp; production assistance by Courteney Morin. 

Our season-ender is all about Discord: no, not some disagreement or friction somewhere, but Discord the digital platform, one which lets creators connect more directly and responsively with their audiences, free of all the ickiness of sites operated by huge social media corporations. A platform we’ll soon adapt and adopt as part of our podcast! And not only do we introduce you to the exciting world of Discord and a bit of how we plan to deploy it, you’ll also get to meet the person behind it: Courteney Morin, a new member of the MEDIA INDIGENA team thanks to our new partnership with the University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism, Writing, & Media. More specifically, its Global Journalism Innovation Lab, a project supported in part by funding from SSHRC, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. // CREDITS: Our opening/closing theme is ‘nesting’ by birocratic. Other music featured this episode: 'Up & At Em' by James Hammond.

Summer is back and so is MEDIA INDIGENA's Summer Series, our compendia of conversations collected and connected from over the past six years, coming up on 300 episodes of the podcast. Our first two shows of the summer are all about belonging, a subject neither dull nor academic for Indigenous peoples. After all, the Canadian state has worked so very hard to break the bonds that bind us.    Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Pam Palmater, Chair in Indigenous Governance at Toronto Metropolitan University, and the author of Beyond Blood: Rethinking Indigenous Identity • Paul Seeseequasis, writer/journalist behind the Indigenous Archival Photo Project • Damien Lee, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Toronto Metropolitan University and Canada Research Chair in Biskaabiiyang and Indigenous Political Resurgence • Kim TallBear, 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 • Taté Walker, award-winning Two Spirit storyteller • Cutcha Risling Baldy, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Native American Studies at Cal Poly Humboldt // CREDITS: Creative Commons music this episode includes “Kite Fly High” by Adeline Yeo (HP), “Tree of Tears” by Kevin Hartnell, “Ronin” by EXETEXE, and “Acrylic on Canvas” by Audionautix. Our opening theme is “Bad Nostalgia (Instrumental)” by Anthem of Rain; our closing theme is “Garden Tiger” by Pictures of the Floating World. This episode was hosted/produced/edited by Rick Harp; production assistance by Courteney Morin.

For our eleventh 'MINI' INDIGENA of the season, we try something a little different this time ‘round: a face-to-face-to-face discussion recorded Friday, June 24 in Winnipeg! Joining host/producer Rick Harp this episode are MI regular Kim TallBear (University of Alberta professor in the Faculty of Native Studies) plus special guest Tasha Hubbard (Associate Professor, U of A Faculty of Native Studies, writer and filmmaker), as they discuss: • a recent poll which claims “millions” of Canadians believe in 'White Replacement Theory' • the struggle to stay focused, present and attentive against the constant pull of our digital devices • how ribbon skirts have apparently become mandatory for women • monthly Patreon podcast supporter Veronica asks what we think of the B.C. government suspending a $789 million rebuild of the Royal B.C. Museum after First Nations complained it's failed to repatriate items from its collection. >> CREDITS: Co-edited by host/producer Rick Harp and Courteney Morin, this episode featured the tracks ‘Bahn Song,’ ‘What,’ and ‘Tic Tac’ by PCxTC (CC BY 4.0).    

THIS WEEK: Return to Restoule—the back half of our conversation about the Restoule case, the litigation some say has advanced a re-consideration and re-interpretation of the 1850 Robinson treaties. In part one (ep. 291), we discussed the principle behind the treaties' unique annuity clause: an annual payment by the Crown to the Anishnabek Nation that would only rise as resource revenues did. An economic treaty right that bakes in a fair share of an expanding pie made with entirely Indigenous ingredients. A right the Crown’s refused to respect for decades, loss after loss in court has now brought them to the negotiating table, a possibly telling indication of what they think the Supreme Court of Canada will do with their request to appeal. And as the Court weighs that request, the Anishinabek side weighs their options for what the principle of a fair share might look like in practice, including how to remedy its breach. Options host/producer Rick Harp explores with the help of our returning guests Christina Gray and Hayden King, two of the driving forces behind the Yellowhead Institute report, “Treaty Interpretation in the Age of Restoule,” co-produced with JFK Law. // CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Our tenth 'MINI' INDIGENA of the season runs the gamut as usual, with MEDIA INDIGENA regulars Ken Williams (assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama) and Kim TallBear (U of A professor in the Faculty of Native Studies) joining host/producer Rick Harp Saturday, June 11 via the Callin app to discuss... • Riffing off “an African sense of western gender discourses” (as detailed in the book The Invention of Women by Oyeronke Oyewumi), Kim wants to know what Rick and Ken’s dating dealbreakers are; • Ken delves into the story of Cree/Métis scholar Réal Carrière, who told CBC he was rejected for a job by higher-ups at the University of Saskatchewan—despite the wishes of a mostly Indigenous hiring committee—due to a lack of documentation; • Boardgaming nerd Rick shares news sent his way about Ezhishin, the “first-ever conference on Native North American typography” set for this November; • monthly Patreon podcast supporter Mark asks us to discuss Bill 96, the new Quebec language law which will effectively require English-schooled students “of Kanien’kehá:ka, Cree, Inuit and Algonquin ancestry … to master two colonial languages to attain a college degree”  

This week: Billions in back rent? A pair of treaties covering a territory roughly the size of France are at the heart of a legal fight for a fair share of its resource revenues. Known as the 1850 Robinson Treaties, together they span the north shores of both Lake Huron and Lake Superior, ancestral homelands of the Anishnabek Nation. A Nation forced to sue settler governments over a special section of these treaties, known as an annuity 'augmentation' clause—a yearly payment that’s supposed to grow in step with the staggering amount of wealth extracted annually from Anishnabek lands. And, while the Crown’s failure to honour its end of the bargain may not come as a surprise, what might is the success so far of Anishinaabe litigation, blazing a path that may have only one place left to go—the Supreme Court of Canada. How did we get here? Where might this all lead? And, just how do you make good on a debt amassed over some fifteen decades? The kind of mind-boggling, multi-million-dollar questions very much on the mind of our friends at the Yellowhead Institute, thoroughly explored in their new special report, Treaty Implementation in the Age of Restoule, co-produced with JFK Law. Joining host/producer Rick Harp this week for the first in a two-part discussion about the report: Christina Gray (Ts’msyen and Dene Research Fellow at the Yellowhead Institute and Associate at JFK Law, among the legal counsel taking part in the Restoule case's third stage) plus Hayden King (Anishinaabe from Beausoleil First Nation on Gchi’mnissing, executive director of Yellowhead at Toronto Metropolitan University). >> CREDITS: Our opening/closing theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week, it's another 'MINI' INDIGENA, where we pack in sizzling-hot takes on a flurry of items via social audio. Joining host/producer Rick Harp on Friday, May 20 via the Callin app were MI regulars Ken Williams (assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama) and Trina Roache (Rogers Chair in Journalism at the University of King’s College) as they discussed: • Might more and more settlers in Australia be finally taking climate change a tad more seriously now that it's made some of their homes effectively uninsurable? • Did mainstream media really just victim-blame a gunned-down Métis hunter? • How a Reuters / Globe and Mail article ("Indigenous Canadians [sic] make a painful plea on eve of British royal visit") triggered many of Trina's pet peeves about reportage on Indigenous peoples; • monthly Patreon podcast supporter Courtney asks: "Should local First Nations hold approval/veto power over urban planning and land use decisions on their traditional territories?" >> CREDITS: 'Blueprint' by Jahzzar (CC BY-SA 4.0); ‘In Shadows’ by William Ross Chernoff's Nomads (CC-BY); ‘Feeling Like A Delicate Cookie’ by Captive Portal (CC BY-SA 4.0)