This week: when culture and commerce collide. Three underground art rings producing hundreds if not thousands of fake artworks worth as much as $100 million: some mind-boggling numbers shared by police during recently-announced arrests of eight people on 40 charges for allegedly forging the work of the late Norval Morrisseau. Known for his bright, bold colours and dramatic composition, Morrisseau’s work vividly conveyed the cosmology of his people. But where some saw something profound, others saw only profit, on both sides of the sale. 

Drawing on the in-depth documentary which helped propel the police invesitigation—There Are No Fakes—our roundtable explores the cultural disconnect that got us here, who’s hurt most by it all, and whether all of those charged—a relative of Morrisseau’s among them—deserve an equal share of the blame. Joining host/producer Rick Harp this episode 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.

Indigenous owned + operated, our podcast is 100%-audience-funded. Learn how you can support our work so we can keep our content free for all to access. 

// CREDITS: "Fern Music (Extended)" by Danny Bale (CC BY 4.0); Our theme is "nesting" by birocratic.

Can a reserve’s chronically unsafe drinking water be associated with a greater risk of suicide for its residents? That’s the lethal link hypothesized in newly-released research entitled “Is Suicide a Water Justice Issue? Investigating Long-Term Drinking Water Advisories and Suicide in First Nations in Canada.” Co-authored by scholars Jeffrey Ansloos and Annelies Cooper, their investigative framework connects the colonial dots between relentless indignities inflicted upon Indigenous communities with the criminally disproportionate rates of premature Indigenous death. 

An Associate Professor and the Canada Research Chair in Critical Studies in Indigenous Health and Social Action on Suicide at the University of Toronto, Dr. Ansloos joins host/producer Rick Harp and MI regular Candis Callison (Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the Graduate School of Journalism at UBC) to discuss the wider implications of this study. 

NOTE: The Hope for Wellness Helpline is available 24/7 at 1-855-242-3310, its online chat option at hopeforwellness.ca

A wholly Indigenous owned and operated podcast, MEDIA INDIGENA is 100% audience funded. Learn how you can support our work so we may keep our content free for all to access. 

// CREDITS: Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week: our second, long-overdue MINI INDIGENA of the season features regulars Trina Roache (Rogers Chair in Journalism at the University of King’s College) and Kim TallBear (professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta) as they join host/producer Rick Harp to discuss:

•  Why we don’t necessarily love the idea of a First Nations person as Canada’s next top cop

•  How a few Winnipeggers ain't lovin' some newly-proposed Indigenous names for city streets

•  Why Kim hates the idea of “Native heritage” as used by settlers

•  Monthly Patreon podcast supporter Raven asks: “What's your thoughts on the term ‘descendian’ (someone with distant Indigenous ancestry or connection) vs. ‘pretendian’? 

>> CREDITS: “Apoplēssein” by Wax Lyricist; “Love is Chemical,” by Steve Combs (CC BY); “arborescence_ex-vitro” by Koi-discovery