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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: 2020
Jun 21, 2020

On this episode: part one of our extended conversation on the limits and possibilities of journalism. And these days, we hear little about the latter, a lot about the former—even before COVID-19 took its toll on the industry.

Some blame media companies’ downfall on the digital: the interwebs and smartphones shredding the business model of now-obsolete oligopolies.

And yet, it’s not all cause for techno-driven doom and gloom. In fact, there are those who believe digital might actually be a doorway to better journalism, especially for those audiences legacy outlets have failed to reach, much less represent. Among the hopeful: Candis Callison and Mary Lynn Young, Associate Professors at UBC's School of Journalism, Writing and Media and the co-authors of Reckoning: Journalism’s Limits and Possibilities, a book about the media moment we’re living through, a time where crisis and opportunity co-exist.

// MUSIC: Our theme is ‘nesting’ by birocratic. Other music this episode: 'Clean Soul,' by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Jun 12, 2020

THIS WEEK: NAISA INDIGENA. And just who or what is a “NAISA”? It’s the Native American Indigenous Studies Association. Or as they put it, a “professional organization for scholars, graduate students, independent researchers, and community members interested in all aspects of Indigenous Studies.” Many of whom gather every year to share and discuss their scholarship. And this year, that included us! And then, just like that, COVID-19 took out NAISA 2020. What’s a roundtable to do? Well, lemons do make for great lemonade, so get ready for some bittersweetness as we stage a roundtable about the roundtable.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp are Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at York University Brock Pitawanakwat, Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Jun 6, 2020

THIS WEEK: Food and environmental justice. Topics at the heart of a talk given back in February by Dr. Priscilla Settee, Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, and Adjunct Professor for the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba.

A global educator and activist from Cumberland House Swampy Cree First Nations with a keen interest in Indigenous food sovereignty, she can now add David Suzuki Fellow to her list of accomplishments, a way to take her research deeper into the impacts of climate change on the environment and livelihoods of northern trappers.

As with the other 2019/20 Weweni Indigenous Scholars Speaker Series lectures, Settee sat down immediately after her presentation—“The Impact of Climate Change and Environmental Degradation on Indigenous Knowledge Systems: What You Should Know”—to discuss her ideas further with MEDIA INDIGENA host/producer Rick Harp, an opportunity courtesy of the University of Winnipeg’s Office of Indigenous Engagement.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

May 30, 2020

THIS WEEK: The ‘Looting’ of America. As if a pandemic wasn’t enough to contend with, disturbing video came out on social media this week of blatant police brutality against a black resident of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, video that has sparked outrage in streets across the US. Outrage met with tear gas, smoke bombs and rubber bullets. Meanwhile, as can happen in such highly-charged, volatile situations, property has been damaged, even destroyed. People vs. property: guess how the media weighed harms carried out against both in their coverage—or how well their stories convey the role and function policing plays in the everyday lives of black and brown people? Joining host/producer Rick Harp to discuss these questions and more this week were Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC, as well as Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

May 26, 2020

On this week’s episode: “Indigenous Knowledge and Heavens,” the title of a talk delivered earlier this year by Inuk scholar, Dr. Karla Jessen Williamson.

An Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations at the University of Saskatchewan, the Greenland-born academic is the first Inuk to be tenured at a Canadian university.

Following Williamson’s lecture—the fourth in the 2019/20 Weweni Indigenous Scholars Speaker Series, organized by the University of Winnipeg’s Office of Indigenous Engagement—she sat down with MEDIA INDIGENA host/producer Rick Harp to discuss gender relations in post-colonial Greenland Inuit communities, and why she argues “genderlessness” is closer to their realities.

// This episode edited by Rick Harp and Stephanie Wood. Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

May 23, 2020

THIS WEEK: Weapons and exceptions. The Liberal government’s recently-announced ban on 1500 types of assault weapons is not going over well with certain gun owners. Could the exemption for, among others, Indigenous hunters make them a target? We cover which weapons the ban covers, and whether Canada always walks its talk concerning violence.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable once again 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.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

May 10, 2020

THIS WEEK: 21st century voting, 19th century colonialism. An Ontario First Nation feels frustrated by the fact that, just weeks away from its June election, it still hasn’t got the green light from Indigenous Services Canada to hold their own vote under their own rules. Rules that include on-line voting, a system they say is critical amid concerns of COVID-19.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp to discuss the delay and whether turning democracy digital in Indian Country is a good thing or not 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.

Apr 30, 2020

THIS WEEK: Butter blowback. With next to no fanfare, the makers of Land O’ Lakes butter have stripped their packaging of a decades-old iconic Indian maiden. Prompting pouts a-plenty from some Settlers who found the switch distasteful—a butter backlash that spread across social media. But, no surprise, #NativeTwitter was more than ready with a flurry of counter-memes. Joining host/producer Rick Harp to share some of their favorites, plus discuss some of the ambivalent history behind the box, are roundtable regulars Candis Callison, associate professor in the School of Journalism at UBC, and Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, as well as special guest Tim Fontaine, the big bird brain behind Walking Eagle News.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Apr 27, 2020

Patient privacy, public protection: they can feel at odds in this era of coronavirus. And yet, when it comes to the impacts of the virus on black and brown people, some say there’s not enough information being captured and communicated. But could knowing who is infected risk stigma in turn?

Tackling these thorny questions and more with host/producer Rick Harp this week are Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC, as well as Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment.

// Our theme is ‘nesting’ by birocratic.

Apr 17, 2020

THIS WEEK: Corona commiseration. It’s the topic on everyone’s mind, all the time—which itself can be a challenge, for us included. Inundated with infection information, how much might be too much for our mental health? It’s a real question: with so many media already covering Covid-19, should we? Joining host/producer Rick Harp to share their thoughts on exactly that 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.

// Music: “Surreal Forest,” by Meydän; ‘nesting’ by birocratic (intro/extro theme).

Apr 9, 2020

THIS WEEK: Post-secondary plunder. Cornell, MIT, Rutgerscan you guess what these prestigious U.S. centers of higher learning have in common? Well, together with scores of schools just like them, they all owe their existence and persistence to the systematic theft of Indigenous lands. Dating back to the late 1800s, this heartless campaign of dispossession has just been documented in agonizing detail by an Indigenous-led team of journalists at High Country News.

Back at the roundtable with host/producer Rick Harp to discuss the report's findings are Candis Callison, associate professor in the School of Journalism at UBC, and Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Apr 1, 2020

After hosting back-to-back episodes of special guest appearances concerning COVID-19, this time we re-connect with two of our regular roundtablers, both to see how they’re faring in this new era of "the rona" and which virus-related stories and developments they think will especially impact Indigenous people and communities.

Back at the table with host/producer Rick Harp 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.

Mar 28, 2020

THIS WEEK: Could the benefits of hindsight foreshadow the costs to come? As we discussed last episode, the collision of colonialism and COVID-19 carries additional layers of risk for remote and urban Indigenous populations. Among those already impacted, dozens of confirmed cases on the Navajo Nation in the American southwest and two presumptive cases on a northern Saskatchewan First Nation including a nurse who tested positive after travel abroad. The kind of scenario that’s prompted multiple First Nations and tribes to restrict access to their communities.

Could history be repeating itself? We hear from Indigenous health historian Mary Jane McCallum, a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous People, History and Archives and University of Winnipeg history professor.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Mar 19, 2020

THIS WEEK: Flattening the curve, feeling the gap. COVID-19, the virus that first popped up in Wuhan, China, is now officially a global pandemic. And even though the vast majority of people who get COVID-19 will ultimately suffer either mild or even no symptoms, it’s the most vulnerable among us that we need to worry about and look out for. So far in Canada, that’s largely meant promoting hand hygiene and social isolation. The goal: to stop a huge spike in cases to keep the healthcare system from being overwhelmed. But as governments work to keep Canadians’ demands on the system on a long, low curve, all too many Indigenous people could find they’re trapped in a gap. Multiple public health gaps, in fact, which, taken together, could compound the challenges facing prevention, treatment and containment of the virus among First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp to discuss this gap, including what some are doing to mitigate it, are two returning guests: Dr. Lisa Richardson, clinician-educator with the University of Toronto's division of general internal medicine, and Dr. Jason Pennington, a staff surgeon at Scarborough General Hospital and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Together, they serve as strategic leads in Indigenous Health with the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic

Mar 10, 2020

When a company in one country is linked to human rights abuses in another, should they be held responsible for that abuse back home? According to Canada’s Supreme Court, yes! Which means a Canadian mining company operating in northeast Africa could stand trial for alleged violations of human-rights in the state of Eritrea.

In this episode, host/producer Rick Harp is joined by Candis Callison, associate professor in UBC's Graduate School of Journalism, and Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, as they dig deep into what broadening liability might mean for other Canadian companies extracting billions in resources from Indigenous territories across the globe.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic

Mar 1, 2020

THIS WEEK: Is Alberta becoming a police-state? At least one critic thinks so, after the province’s recent introduction of Bill 1. Labelled the “Critical Infrastructure Defence Act," the bill will, in the words of the Premier, create new “stiff penalties for anyone who riots on or seeks to impair critical economic infrastructure.” Penalties he says are necessary in light of the “general atmosphere of lawlessness” created by recent Wet'suwet'en solidarity actions across the country.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp this week to discuss the bill and why some fear its repercussions for activism (not least, Indigenous activism) 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.

Feb 24, 2020

This week: Choosing our words carefully. When discussing those who oppose resource extraction, how important is it to call them protectors rather than protesters? And when it comes to the members of a dominant society horny for such extraction, how vital is it that they be called Settlers? Judging by the dust these debates still kick up, a lot! And wouldn’t you know it, among those kicking was our own Candis Callison, associate professor in the School of Journalism at UBC. Also at the roundtable this week with host/producer Rick Harp is Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Feb 16, 2020

Tired of how the media has covered its event in recent years, an all-Indigenous basketball tournament in BC has decided it's had enough of 'negative press.' With one exception—a First Nations radio station that broadcasts the games live—other media hoping to cover the event have been denied access. Meanwhile, a Toronto playwright has made a point of discouraging non-Indigenous critics from reviewing her work. In this episode, we’ll discuss what these two attempts to influence who says what about whom may (or may not) have in common.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp at the roundtable this time around are University of Alberta Department of Drama Assistant Professor Ken Williams and at York University Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies Brock Pitawanakwat.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Feb 10, 2020

THIS WEEK: Wet'suwet'en Redux. It’s an ever-changing story, yet all-too-reminiscent of other Indigenous struggles—and that’s just in supposedly pro-UNDRIP British Columbia. With #ShutCanadaDown solidarity rallies and blockades going up in different parts of Canada and beyond, we look at how police actions this time around compare to last year’s RCMP raid of the anti-pipeline, pro-sovereignty encampments in ancestral Wet'suwet'en territory.

Joining host/producer Rick Harp this week are Candis Callison, associate professor in the School of Journalism at UBC, and Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Jan 31, 2020

THIS WEEK: Part 2 of our discussion on APTN’s new retrospective docuseries, “The Power Was With Us: Idle No More.” Picking up where Kim, Candis and Rick left off last episode—when they discussed the movement’s genesis—this time ‘round, Ken Williams (assistant professor, University of Alberta department of drama) and Brock Pitawanakwat (York University Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies) join Rick to explore the various crossroads confronting the different parties active at the time—and the consequences of their choices. To watch the series (co-directed and co-produced for APTN National News by Mr. Harp and Tim Fontaine), stream it via APTN’s Lumi service. To do so, visit aptnlumi.ca.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Jan 30, 2020

This week, the emergence of Idle No More, the Indigenous-led movement that’s arguably changed Canada forever. Now its arrival on the Canadian political scene is the subject of a major APTN National News retrospective docuseries, co-directed and co-produced by Rick Harp and Tim Fontaine.

Entitled “The Power Was With Us: Idle No More,” the first of the two-part series is now available exclusively on LUMI—the streaming service of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (aptnlumi.ca).

Joining Rick with their reflections are Candis Callison, associate professor in the School of Journalism at UBC and now with the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, as well as Kim TallBear, associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Jan 24, 2020

Once again, our podcast features a conversation based on our partnership with the Weweni Indigenous Scholars Speakers Series, a series made possible by the University of Winnipeg’s Office of Indigenous Affairs. This time, we hear from Dr. Karyn Recollet, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto’s Women & Gender Studies Institute, and a Cree woman originally from the Sturgeon Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan. The title of her talk: “Quilted Glyphs: Theories of Speculative Landings for Indians on the Move.”

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Jan 12, 2020

On this week’s program: awakening ancestral languages. Our very first episode of 2020 sees us return to our partnership with the Weweni Indigenous Scholars Speakers Series, sponsored by the University of Winnipeg’s Office of Indigenous Affairs. This time around, we’ll hear from Dr. Margaret Noodin, Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and director of the Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education. She’s also a poet and passionate advocate for Anishnaabemowin language revitalization.

// Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

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