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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: 2016
Dec 31, 2016

On this week's Indigenous roundtable, we look back and ahead—what were the trends and themes that defined this past year for Indigenous peoples, and what might the next 12 months bring? According to our roundtable, 2016 was a breakout year for empowering Indigenous media artistry and activism. It also ended with a bang, as heated discussions about identity fraud re-ignited after new revelations about acclaimed author Joseph Boyden. Joining us once more are Cutcha Risling Baldy, Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University, and Taté Walker, editor of Native Peoples magazine.

Dec 23, 2016

This week's podcast, a kind of holiday edition, features an interview Rick conducted back in 2011 with Ryerson University professor Christopher Powell about his then-new book, "Barbaric Civilization: A Critical Sociology of Genocide," published by McGill-Queen's University Press. The interview appears courtesy of NCI-FM, where it first aired.

Dec 17, 2016

On this week's Indigenous roundtable... Jennifer Lawrence's 'sorry' butt: the Hunger Games star has apologized after social media slammed her conduct at a sacred site in Hawai'i but critics say her mealy-mouthed words of so-called contrition only made things worse. And Cherokee choose change: a senior legal official with the tribe reverses a 9-year-old ban on same-sex marriage. We'll look into what prompted the decision and where other communities across the U-S stand on the matter.

United yet again to talk United States’ stories making headlines are Cutcha Risling Baldy, an Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University, and Taté Walker, editor of Native Peoples magazine.

Dec 9, 2016

On this week's roundtable... Return to the Rock: last episode, the future of the fight against the Dakota Access pipeline project seemed uncertain, with many opponents fearing the worst. Then on Sunday, to the surprise of many, the Army announced it would not permit construction to proceed. But will the company behind the pipeline listen? And, Looming land grab? We'll discuss a Reuters report suggesting some members of the Trump team will push the President-elect to privatize treaty lands so billions in oil and gas reserves can finally be extracted. Joining us once again are Cutcha Risling Baldy, an Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University, and Taté Walker, editor of Native Peoples magazine.

Dec 3, 2016

On this week's Indigenous roundtable...

Where do things stand with Standing Rock? The struggle in North Dakota against the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline continues to face constant pressure from federal and state authorities. With winter weather only adding to the challenges, how much longer can these thousands of activists hold out? Plus, Pixar Polynesian: the Disney-owned studio's newest animated release is earning cautious kudos for its depiction of a young girl's quest to save her people. But is Moana really a respectful representation of Indigenous life or just more cultural tourism? This week’s roundtable features Cutcha Risling Baldy is an Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University and Taté Walker, editor of Native Peoples magazine.

// Our theme is nesting by birocratic.

Nov 27, 2016

On this week's program... The all-too-brown face of child poverty in British Columbia: a new report details the frustratingly familiar reasons why and what to do, but will governments act?

Plus, the bigger picture underlying why educators on a northern First Nation have walked out over wages at a reserve high school.

Returning this week to our roundtable, Ken Williams, playwright-in-residence at the University of Saskatchewan and Patrice Mousseau, a journalist and entrepreneur.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Nov 19, 2016

On this week's show... invalidation in Val d'Or: Why have three-dozen Aboriginal accusations of police abuse in this Quebec town come up empty? Plus, smudge grudge: a BC parent is suing her children's school because she claims it forced them to take part in a religious Indigenous ceremony.

Joining us at this week's roundtable are Ken Williams, playwright-in-residence at the University of Saskatchewan and APTN News & Current Affairs director Karyn Pugliese.

// Our theme is nesting by birocratic.

Nov 13, 2016

On this week's program: Trump triumph... what could the election of this outrageously racist man mean for Indigenous peoples in the US and beyond? And, another First Nation goes to pot. That is, if the Siksika in Alberta get their way, as Canada’s first Indigenous purveyors of medical marijuana.

Joining us once again at the roundtable are Ken Williams and Patrice Mousseau.

 

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Nov 6, 2016

On this week's Indigenous roundtable…

Triggering Tension: non-Aboriginal hunters in Manitoba are upset after an Indigenous leader made no bones about bagging a bull in a no-kill zone; and, Sticker Shock: an Alberta trucker sets off a social media tsunami due to a giant decal on his rig that reads "one squaw too many."

Joining us this week are two new roundtablers: from Saskatoon, Ken Williams, playwright-in-residence at the University of Saskatchewan and a former reporter with APTN National News. And in Vancouver, Patrice Mousseau, a journalist and entrepreneur whose broadcast credits include CBC, Aboriginal Voices Radio and the anchor chair for APTN National News.

Oct 29, 2016

This week's Indigenous current affairs roundtable discusses the controversial, much-criticized, Muskrat Falls hydro project in Labrador: has an 11th-hour negotiation addressed the critics' concerns? And the Public Health Agency of Canada has shone a spotlight on the issue of family violence in its annual report, including how it impacts Indigenous families.

Joining us once again on this week’s roundtable are Colleen Simard and Conrad Prince.

 

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Oct 22, 2016

This week on our Indigenous current affairs roundtable: is Alberta all wet when it comes to Indigenous water rights? A recent story in the Globe and Mail suggests the province’s view may be skewed when it comes to whose rights take priority.

Plus, a First Nation in British Columbia says it wants to administer drug tests to all its politicians and employees as a way to combat drug abuse. Will it work?

Joining us once again are Colleen Simard and Conrad Prince.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Oct 15, 2016

This week, our Indigenous current affairs roundtable unpacks recent revelations that, despite federal bureaucrats saying the cupboard for First Nations education funding was full, the Liberals deliberately chose to delay a large chunk of it until after the next election. And, we’ll share our thoughts on an alarming report out of BC that shows First Nations kids in custody suffer alarming rates of sexual abuse. Joining us once again are Colleen Simard and Conrad Prince. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

 

Oct 7, 2016

Ottawa's police force is taking some heat after one of its own appears to have posted racist comments on a local newspaper’s website. The commentary followed a story about the tragic and untimely death of acclaimed Inuk artist Annie Pootoogook. The police are investigating, calling her death "suspicious," but won’t get into specifics. Meanwhile, members of Ottawa's Indigenous community are outraged that a police officer would even publicly comment on the case, much less dismiss the idea that Pootoogook's death deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women. Sitting at the roundtable to discuss this incident, and what it may say about the attitudes of rank and file police, are Colleen Simard and Conrad Prince.

Sep 30, 2016

A First Nation that only seems to get the spotlight when bad things happen is once again in the headlines: Shamattawa. Literally left devastated last week after a major fire destroyed key services and infrastructureincluding the reserve's only grocery storeit's all the more worrisome when you consider the northeastern Manitoba community is only accessible by plane or boat most of the year. Then there's the disturbing cause of the blaze: according to the RCMP, it was started by a group of children, most of whom aren't even 12 years old.

Shamattawa's high rates of poverty, unemployment, substance abuse and youth suicide are well-documented by news outlets. Less so are the efforts of its people to reverse these trends. Among the more determined is this week's guest: Michael Redhead Champagne, founder of Aboriginal Youth Opportunities in Winnipeg.

Sep 22, 2016

For the third time in 9 months, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has ordered the federal government to end its discriminatory practice of inequitably funding child welfare services on-reserve. The Tribunal’s initial ruling happened in January, the result of a 2007 human rights complaint. But despite Indigenous Affairs Canada being told to "immediately remove the most discriminatory aspects of [its] funding schemes" for First Nations agencies, the federal government has failed to show the Tribunal how it’s done so. Will this latest order to comply make a difference? Joining us with her observations is lawyer Maggie Wente, part of the legal team advising the Chiefs of Ontario, which has "interested party" status at these proceedings.

Sep 15, 2016

According to The Guardian, it's a discovery that "challenges the accepted history behind one of polar exploration’s deepest mysteries." This week, 168 years after it sank, a ship once captained by the famous British explorer Sir John Franklin seems to have finally been found. Known as the HMS Terror, it was one of two large crafts used by the ill-fated Franklin expedition, now the stuff of legend for both Britain and its colonial offspring, Canada. But amidst these tales of Terror's ruin and reported recovery in Arctic waters, we might ask where Arctic people fit into all of this. Our guest this episode is Kisha Supernant, an anthropological archaeologist and associate professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. // Our theme is 'nesting,' by birocratic.

Sep 9, 2016

This week: Standing up for the Standing Rock Sioux. For the US state of North Dakota, massive deposits of unconventional oil have brought much prosperity for some, great pain to others. In a bid to get even more of that oil to market, a new project is underway: the Dakota Access Pipeline. But the 1900 km, $3.8 billion project has long been opposed by local Indigenous people, the Standing Rock Sioux, who argue any spill would both devastate regional water sources and desecrate sites of spiritual significance. Pipeline proponents claim it will boost jobs, revenues, even safety, when compared to oil moved by rail or road. My guest this week has been an ardent follower of this struggle. A member of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe in neighbouring South Dakota, Taté Walker is the editor of Native Peoples magazine.

Sep 4, 2016

According to preliminary new data released this week, Indigenous people in Canada are 10 times more likely to use an emergency shelter than their non-Indigenous counterparts. That's according to the National Shelter Study, a decade-long look at the use of emergency shelter beds across the country. And for the first time ever, the study has tracked stats according to Indigenous identity. Our guest this week is Jesse Thistle, a graduate student of history who once spent much of his young adulthood in and out of homelessness and addiction. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Aug 26, 2016

If families form the bedrock of Indigenous peoples, it seems Canada has devoted decades to their fracture and fragmentation. And, as child advocate Cindy Blackstock notes, were we to label the forced institutionalization of children in faraway residential schools as 'phase one' of that fracturing, the subsequent removal of generations of kids into the homes of non-Aboriginal strangers in the 1960s could be called 'phase two.' The so-called 'Scoop' removed thousands of kids from a number of provinces. But, this week, it was an Ontario court that heard the latest phase of a class action suit seeking compensation for what survivors say Canada denied them: rightful access to "Aboriginal customs, traditions and practices." Our guest is Raven Sinclair, associate professor of social work at the University of Regina, and a Scoop survivor herself.

Aug 18, 2016

Senseless, tragic and disturbing: words that rush to mind upon hearing the news of last week’s killing of Colten Boushie. A 22-year-old resident of the Red Pheasant First Nation in western Canada, Boushie was shot to death after he and four other Indigenous young people drove onto the property of 54-year-old, non-Indigenous farmer Gerald Stanley in hopes of getting help with a flat tire.

What happened next is still under investigation, but that hasn’t stopped some from drawing and sharing their own hurtful and hateful conclusions via social media. Our guests this week both hail from Saskatchewan: Tasha Hubbard is a documentarian and assistant professor of English at the University of Saskatchewan; Chris Andersen is interim dean at the University of Alberta’s faculty of Native Studies. They share their thoughts as to what Boushie's deathand its contentious aftermathmight tell us about the state of Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations in that province and beyond. // Our theme: 'nesting' by Birocratic.

Aug 12, 2016

Will it happen again? Will someone portrayed on-screen by Aboriginal actor Adam Beach be quickly dispensed with, leaving us next to no time to really know his character? According to our guest this week, it's been something of a pattern for Mr. Beachindeed, it's a fate faced by all too many Indigenous actors in Hollywood, as they appear all too briefly in mainstream television and film productions. Cutcha Risling Baldy is an Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University. She's also the author of the 2015 blog post, "I Can't Believe You Keep Killing Off Adam Beach, NBC: Gender, Representation, Settler Colonialism and Native Cameos on Television." In the course of exploring what's at stake in how Indigenous people are represented by the major studios, we'll also discuss whether Beach's latest role as SlipKnot in the summer superhero flick, "Suicide Squad," breaks with the pattern she's described. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Aug 5, 2016

When loved ones die, there’s no question who suffers most—their families. And of those who pushed hardest for the newly-launched National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, none fought more fiercely than the relatives of these stolen sisters. Now some of those families have been left disappointed by the details of its terms of reference. Such concerns are echoed by groups like the Native Women’s Association of Canada and Pauktuutit, who say there are fundamental flaws in the Inquiry’s scale and scope. Joining us this week with her reflections is Pam Palmater, Chair in Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University in Toronto. // Our theme is 'nesting' by Birocratic.

Jul 28, 2016

According to the WHO, food security is “when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.” In Canada's north, food access and affordability are critical issues—especially for many Indigenous communitiesand government subsidies seem to only go so far. Madeleine Redfern, mayor of Iqaluit (Nunavut's capital city), discusses her territory's challenges with food insecurity and how the 'Nutrition North' subsidy program might be improved to better serve Inuit. // Our theme is 'nesting' by Birocratic.

 

Jul 23, 2016

This week on the program: Inaction on the Indian Act. Derided for decades, it’s hung in there as one of Canada’s oldest laws. Now there are hints from the federal Justice Minister that its days could be numbered... just not right away. Joining us with her thoughts on the delayed dismantling of the Act is Naomi Sayers, a law student active in legal reform and education who writes under the banner of kwetoday.com.// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Jul 15, 2016

An Indigenous broadcaster shares his personal and political perspective on police treatment of Aboriginal people, an issue he recently wrote about in his Huffington Post piece, "This Is Why People Of Colour Fear The Police." Jesse Wente is the director of Film Programmes at TIFF Bell Lightbox, and a long-time CBC Radio pop culture columnist. He joined us from Toronto. // Our theme is 'nesting' by Birocratic.

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