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MEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairs

Current affairs roundtable focusing on Indigenous issues and events in Canada and beyond. Hosted by Rick Harp.
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MEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairs
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Now displaying: 2019
Dec 31, 2019

If you’re active on Twitter maybe you’ve seen it—the fuss some have kicked up over Donald Trump’s recent use of the phrase “Indian Country” in a tweet. But look carefully among those the most fussed: what you won’t find are many, if any, “Indians.” On this week’s Indigenous roundtable, we climb into this cross-cultural chasm of criticism, and discuss why even those ever-vigilant #NativeTwitter types feel there’s way bigger fish to fry.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp for the final show of the decade are Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism, and Kim TallBear, University of Alberta associate professor of Native Studies.

// CREDITS: ‘nesting’ by birocratic (opening/closing theme); ‘Ukulele Song,’ by Rafael Krux (orchestralis.net)

Dec 26, 2019

Did you know it’s been roughly four years since Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued its final report? If all you follow is mainstream media, likely not: which is odd, because the work of the TRC very much remains open in the form of its 94 Calls to Actionfew of which are anywhere near complete.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp to share their assessment of where Canada stands on those Calls are Ryerson University's Eva Jewell (Assistant Professor of Sociology) and Ian Mosby (Assistant Professor of History). An assessment recently published by the Yellowhead Institute in its brief, “Calls To Action Accountability: A Status Update On Reconciliation.”

CREDITS: Opening/closing theme is 'nesting,' by birocratic; interstitial is 'Holiday Gift' by Kai Engel (CC BY 4.0).

Dec 24, 2019

On this week’s Indigenous roundtable: Taking control, taking stock. How a First Nation in Ontario decided the only way they’re going to find images of Indigenous people that don’t rely on stereotypes is to make their own catalogue of stock photography.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp to discuss how literally owning your own depictions is key to cultural self-determination are Kim TallBear (University of Alberta associate professor of Native Studies) and Candis Callison (Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism).

CREDITS: This episode of the podcast was edited by Anya Zoledziowski; hosted and produced by Rick Harp. Our theme is nesting by birocratic.

Dec 15, 2019

THIS WEEK: The Bureaucrats’ Burden. Could there be any job tougher than running Indian Affairs? Sources at Indian Affairs say “No!” According to a recent Global News story, senior officials at Indigenous Services Canada wish Canadians better understood all the great work they do, something they say has been "difficult" to communicate "effectively" thanks to obstacles like... Twitter bots?

Joining host/producer Rick Harp this week to discuss this departmentaI dismay (and diagnosis) 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.

CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; SFX: Robot;  Broken Telephone Circuit

Nov 29, 2019

This week: Bringing blood home. Over a half-century after their removal, a large cluster of blood samples from Indigenous islanders in Australia have been returned to whence they came. The result of direct negotiations with the affected community, the move has been held up as historic for the country. But if Australia’s on the bleeding edge of repatriation, what about the rest of the world? From skin to saliva, blood to bones, do we even know how much Indigenous material has been banked across the globe? And should we put repatriation under the banner of reconciliation?

Joining host/producer Rick Harp to take the pulse of these and other questions are University of Alberta associate professor of Native Studies Kim TallBear, as well as Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Nov 25, 2019

“What was CBC North management thinking?” A question fresh on the mind of CBC audiences and CBC staff this week, shocked and dismayed at the decision to combine three territorial morning newscasts into one. A decision that proved short-lived, however: even before the ink was dry, CBC brass buckled under the backlash and reversed course.

In this discussion, host/producer Rick Harp is joined by Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, as well as Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism as they try to parse out the ‘logic’ behind the move, what it tells us about how well CBC gets the north, as well as what it would take—and who—to make things right going forward.

// CREDITS: This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski; our theme is nesting by birocratic.

Nov 18, 2019

This week, class dismissedor should we say class denied? A North Carolina advisory board has rejected a proposed Native charter school on the grounds its curriculum would be too radical. Of course, that’s all in the eyes of the beholder, but with funding all in the hands of the state, could this be a textbook case of education discrimination? And nearly a half century after the 1970s rallying cry “Indian Control of Indian Education,” how close is anyone to realizing that vision?

Joining host/producer Rick Harp on the roundtable this week are Ken Williams, an assistant professor with the department of drama at the University of Alberta, and U of A associate professor of Native Studies Kim TallBear.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Nov 11, 2019

It’s a dilemma that confronts much of Indigenous media: with so much of our time spent working to counter, correct and contextualize mainstream misinformation, do we not risk becoming “This Week in Settler Colonialism”? Does routinely responding to routine violations of our lands and lives see us become all-consumed by what the State does and doesn’t do? How do we resist that pull of a Settler center of gravity, and stop merely critiquing, and start actually creating outside of its orbit?

Questions on our minds a lot these days as we begin a conversation on where else we might invest our attention and intentions, to build on our original mission as an Indigenous reality check on the misrepresentations of Settler-oriented media.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp this week are Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism, and Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University.

CREDITS: This episode of the podcast was edited by Anya Zoledziowski; hosted and produced by Rick Harp. Our theme is nesting by birocratic.

Oct 30, 2019
This week, the back half of our post-Canadian-election post-mortem, featuring the Yellowhead Institute’s Hayden King and Vanessa Watts. In part one of our discussion, we compared the relative prominence of so-called Indigenous issues this election versus the one before. Here in part two, we more concretely explore the likely machinations of a minority Parliament and how Indigenous interests might shake out. We also go deeper into Indigenous electoral participation: be it as voters or vote-getters, is it worth the return on investment?
 
CREDITS // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski; hosted and produced by Rick Harp. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.
Oct 25, 2019

Barely 3 days after the Liberals' return to power -- only this time, as a minority government -- we wonder what that could mean for Indigenous peoples going forward. Did Indigenous issues make a difference this election? Did Indigenous voters?

Joining us this week to tackle these questions and more are two members of the Yellowhead Institute, a First Nation-led research centre based in the Faculty of Arts at Ryerson University: Executive Director Hayden King as well as Research Fellow Vanessa Watts. 

CREDITS: This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski; produced and hosted by Rick Harp. Special thanks to our friends at the Ryerson School of Journalism, whose support made this live event possible. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Oct 14, 2019

It's been quite the week for the bottom-line of Canadian colonialism. First, a blunt assessment of what the lives of First Nations' kids are worth as the Liberals push to quash compensation for damage done by the child welfare system. Then, as part of an election scrum, a reporter casually suggests that covering the cost of access to safe, clean drinking water on-reserve amounts to writing a "blank cheque."

So how is it that resolving a basic necessity and a fundamental inequity can both be framed as, if not implausible, at least impractical for a so-called developed economy? What do we make of a mainstream mindset that bristles at the cost of making either of these situations right? And under such a colonial calculus, is it any wonder who ultimately pays the price? Joining host/producer Rick Harp this week to crunch the numbers are Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism.

CREDITS // This episode was edited by Anya Zoledziowski; our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Oct 8, 2019

This week, grousing over Greta. Even though millions recently took to the streets as part of world-wide Climate Strikes, the media still seems to reserve most of its spotlight for the teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. And yet, not everyone’s a fan: from Maxime Bernier to Vladimir Putin, she seems to irk white cis male politicians in particular. But the idolatry of Thunberg has also received pushback from parts of Native Twitter, frustrated at how she seemingly gets all the accolades while Indigenous youth and youth of colour toil in relative obscurity.

On this week's live-audience edition of MEDIA INDIGENArecorded in Edmonton as part of LitFest's 'Author Pods' event serieswe get into these Greta grumbles as a springboard into a larger discussion about allyship, white saviourism and the pros and cons of personifying and celebrifying a people’s movement.

On stage with host/producer Rick Harp were Ken Williams, an assistant professor with the department of drama at the University of Alberta, and U of A associate professor of Native Studies, Kim TallBear.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Sep 29, 2019
This week: taking the measure of data about Indigenous peoples. It's a bit of a departure from our usual roundtable formatthe first of our live audience discussions connected to the annual Weweni Indigenous Scholars Speakers Series, sponsored by the University of Winnipeg’s Office of Indigenous Affairs. Starting us off is Dr. Jennifer Walker, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health at Laurentian University and Scientist and Indigenous Lead with IC/ES North.
 
 
// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.
Sep 18, 2019

Who’da thunk it? For once, we at MEDIA INDIGENA are happy to be wrong—right out of the gate at the first leaders debate, Indigenous issues are on the radar of Canada’s federal election. But will they continue to enjoy that spotlight? And among those leaders who did take part in that first to-and-fro, who got it right and who got it left when it comes to 'Indigenous affairs'? Sharing their thoughts this week with host/producer Rick Harp are Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism.

CREDITS:

Phone hangup SFX: https://freesound.org/s/189727/

Music: 'Cup of Wine,' by Ilya Truhanov from Fugue; 'nesting' by birocratic

Sep 15, 2019

This week: the not-so-amazing race to form Canada's next government! That’s right: it's federal election time from now until October 21. But will Indigenous interests factor much if at all into this election? We discuss the recent efforts by the Assembly of First Nations to make sure that happens. Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable 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. 


// CREDITS: Music: 'nesting' by birocratic (theme), 'Cup of Wine' by Ilya Truhanov from Fugue. Phone hangup SFX: https://freesound.org/s/189727/

Sep 8, 2019

From the second it hit social media, the new ad campaign for the House of Dior’s so-called 'Sauvage' cologne kicked up a stink. In fact, as soon as Native Twitter got wind of the new video—starring the notorious Johnny Depp—the blowback was fast, furious and less than fragrant. In our return to all-new episodes, we try to make 'scents' of why Indian Country’s collective nose is so out of joint.

Back at the roundtable are Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism and Kim TallBear, Associate Professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic

Aug 28, 2019

On this week’s collected, connected conversations—the last in our Summer Series—the serious business of self-Indigenization. On its face, Indigenous identity would seem like it would be simple to understand who is and who isn’t First Nations, Inuit or Metis. That is, if you choose to look past the colonial elephant in the room. And yet, complicated and confusing as colonialism can make the identification process, it all comes down to knowing not only who claims which Nation or People—but which People or Nation claims them.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): Writer, blogger and educator Cutcha Risling Baldy and Lakota activist and communications professional, Taté Walker; Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and writer Terese Mailhot; CBC broadcaster and writer Waubgeshig Rice, and sports business columnist Jason Notte; Ken Williams, assistant professor, University of Alberta Department of Drama, and Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University; Adam Gaudry, Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Darryl Leroux, Associate Professor, Social Justice & Community Studies, Saint Mary’s University.

This podcast was edited and produced by Anya Zoledziowski and Rick Harp.

 

CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes the following works by Kevin MacLeod: "Awkward Meeting," "Upbeat Forever," "Western Streets," "The Show Must Be Go" and "Beauty Flow." It also includes "Heimweh" by Sascha Ende and "Crown" by KuzzzoLearn more about MacLeod and Ende at incompetech.com and filmmusic.ioKuzzzo at Fugue. Our intro music comes courtesy of BenevolentBadger.com

Aug 19, 2019

On this week’s collected, connected conversations (number eight in our Summer Series): comprehending and combating Climate Change. And as our current crisis continues to heat up the planet, it’s also lit a fire under MEDIA INDIGENA. That’s partly because we know that climate change disproportionately impacts Indigenous peoples—despite Indigenous knowledges offering critical clues to how to help combat imminent climate disaster.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): Russ Diabo, publisher/editor of the First Nations Strategic Bulletin; Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism, and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta; as well as Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta's department of drama.

This episode was produced and edited by Anya Zoledziowski and Rick Harp. 

CREDITS // Creative Commons music in this episode includes the following works by Sascha Ende: "Mystery Of Dandela (instrumental)," "Flucht (Romeos Erbe)," “Image film 033,” "Chord Guitar 002" and "Dreamsphere 8." We also featured the track "Beauty Flow" by Kevin MacLeod. Hear more of both artists’ work at incompetech.com and filmmusic.io. Our intro music comes courtesy of BenevolentBadger.com

Aug 12, 2019

On this week’s collected, connected conversations (the seventh in our Summer Series): the other half of our two-part look at remaking the Indigenous family. Last episode, we got into the colonial principles of Settler family forms and norms. This episode, we lay out how they are applied in practice, with Indigenous people often on the receiving end. And if the expression “What you believe in, you budget” holds true here, it would seem the Canadian state has never been one to believe in either Indigenous children or their families.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance) Sarah de Leeuw, Research Associate with the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH); Kenn Richard, founder and former Executive Director, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto; Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University, along with journalist and photographer Wawmeesh Hamilton; Indigenous homelessness researcher Jesse Thistle; and Ken Williams, assistant professor, University of Alberta's department of drama.

This episode was produced and edited by Rick Harp.

CREDITS // Creative Commons music in this episode includes works by Sascha Ende and Kevin MacLeod; learn more about their work at incompetech.com and filmmusic.io. We also featured songs by Stanislav Vdovin and Ilya Marfin; hear more by them on Fugue. Our intro music comes via BenevolentBadger.com.

Aug 5, 2019

On this episode’s collected, connected conversations (the sixth in this Summer Series): Part One of “Re-making the Indigenous Family.” Said to be among society’s most sacrosanct institutions, 'The Family' is a core site and source of social reproduction. But is the Settler family form the only way to organize human relations? Does it matter that this dominant, mainstream form differs from those of Indigenous peoples? The answers to these questions are critical, for they are at the heart of why Canada’s child and family welfare systems have failed Indigenous children and families. And yet, as you’ll hear in this episode, what is a failure to some is of benefit to others, on a truly massive scale.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): 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; Commentator and entrepreneur Robert Jago plus lawyer and international Indigenous rights advocate Danika Billie Littlechild.

CREDITS // Creative Commons music in this episode includes the track "Beauty Flow" by Kevin MacLeod. Learn more about MacLeod’s work at incompetech.com and filmmusic.io.
Our intro music comes via BenevolentBadger.com

This episode was produced and edited by Rick Harp.

 

Jul 28, 2019

On this week’s collected, connected conversations (the fifth of our summertime shows): how core concepts of Christianity continue to inspire and infuse the laws, attitudes and actions of supposedly secular Settler states toward Indigenous peoples.

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; Lakota activist and communications professional Taté Walker.

This podcast was edited and produced by Anya Zoledziowski and Rick Harp. 

CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes the following works by Kevin MacLeod: "Rising", "Mirage", "Space 1990," "Agnus Dei X", "Comfortable Mystery 2", "Dirt Rhodes", and "Beauty Flow." Learn more about the artist at incompetech.com and filmmusic.io. Our intro music comes via BenevolentBadger.com.

Jul 21, 2019

On this week’s collected, connected conversations (the fourth in our Summer Series shows): reckoning with Reconciliation.

But what is 'Reconciliation'? How should it happen? Questions that arise time and time again on our podcast. Questions that are essential to confront for any Settler colonial state like Canada—or at least would be if Canada was serious about moving away from a foundation built upon Indigenous dispossession, disjuncture and dislocation.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): Anishinaabe comedian, writer, media maker & community activator Ryan McMahon; Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s Department of Drama, and Brock Pitawanakwat, Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University; Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Candis Callison, Associate Professor at UBC's Graduate School of Journalism; and writer/educator Hayden King.

CREDITS: Creative Commons music in this episode includes the following works by Kevin MacLeod: "White Lotus," "Thinking Music," "Celebration," "The Way Out," "Private Reflection," "Unanswered Questions," 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.

Jul 13, 2019

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.

Jul 5, 2019

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

 

 

Jun 27, 2019

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.

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