Media Indigena : Weekly Indigenous Current Affairs Program

What made 2017 a year of Indigenous significance? What might be in store for 2018? This week's show assembles the fulsome foursome for this year-end exercise, one that will take two episodes to manage. Joining host Rick Harp for all this heavy lifting are Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama, fellow U of A scholar Kim TallBear (associate professor of Native Studies), and Brock Pitawanakwat, assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury. // Our theme is nesting by birocratic.  

Vote vice: we scrutinize the story of a Saskatchewan First Nation politician accused of buying votes with drugs, and muse over how media framing of stories about Indigenous corruption compares to coverage of mainstream political shenanigans; Harm reduction on the rez: we explore the promise of a public health approach to drug addiction; 'Hawks hoax: will an online prank about the name of Washington’s football team score with its intended audience? Back at the table this week: Brock Pitawanakwat, assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama.

Monumental fight: US President Trump announces he'll significantly shrink the boundaries of two protected areas in the state of Utah, despite their deep significance to multiple tribes. Urban plot: How Indigenous women in one California city hope to use a non-profit land trust to re-take territory, one piece at a time. Getting reproductive rights reductively wrong? A politician hoping to lead Saskatchewan’s governing party flat out claims “First Nations don’t believe in abortion.” Back at the roundtable are Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Terese Mailhot, author and Tecumseh Postdoctoral Fellow at Purdue University.

Make BC 'Site C' free: A new summary of research into the mega-hydro project produces a flood of arguments against its completion. Will British Columbia's coalition government listen? Home is where the hurt is: Rules preventing non-Indigenous people from residing on the Kahnawake reserve are now being challenged in court by some of its Mohawk members. Absent audience: Canada’s auditor general claims politicians are basically ignoring his reports on indigenous issues. Returning are Brock Pitawanakwat, assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury, and Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

1. We pore over a poll showing Native Americans who live in "majority-Native areas" in the U.S. face greater mistreatment than anyone else. 2. Pro-development = anti-Indian, or the other way around? We mine recent media narratives that declare environmentalists and First Nations at odds over resource extraction. 3. Breaking the boys club: we discuss musician and poet Joy Harjo speaking out on her struggles as a female Indigenous artist in male-dominated circles. At the roundtable this week are Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Terese Mailhot, writer and Tecumseh Postdoctoral Fellow in English at Purdue University.

This week, an extended conversation with Sarah de Leeuw, co-author of the recent paper, Turning a new page: cultural safety, critical creative literary interventions, truth and reconciliation, and the crisis of child welfare. Written with Margo Greenwood, the paper was produced as part of their work at the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, where Sarah is a Research Associate, Margo the Academic Lead. Over the course of this discussion, we explore de Leeuw and Greenwood's argument that the ongoing crisis of Indigenous child apprehensions must be viewed in their historical and cultural contexts. That is, as an extension of long-standing violent discourses that validate the 'rights' of settler-colonial state powers like Canada to intervene into the lives of Indigenous families and communities with impunity. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

1. Downhill and out: Canada’s highest court rules against an Indigenous sacred site in favour of a ski resort. 2. White Hot: Conservative Twitter goes ballistic over a white professor’s claims that the white nuclear family reproduces white supremacy. 3. Re-Con: We check in on the second-ever Indigenous Comic Convention. Returning to the roundtable are Lakota activist and communications professional, Taté Walker, and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta.  // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

1. No joke: Why some racist Halloween stunts have people at one Alberta university upset (if not all that surprised). 2. Re-definition: Can expanding and enriching what homelessness means for Indigenous people help yield better responses? 3. Storm clouds: Why has an award-winning video game about a Thunderbird sparked some political rumblings? Back at the table this week are Brock Pitawanakwat, an assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury, and Ken Williams, an assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama.

1. Hatin’ on Halloween? Why a non-native writer feels her 4-year-old was cheated of the chance to dress up as "a native princess." 2. Beothuk babble: Is an east coast Indigenous people reducible to their DNA? Some archaeologists and journalists seem to think so. 3. Another meal of seal: We’ll digest your comments about our earlier chat regarding one restaurant’s traditional menu. Back at the roundtable are Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Lakota activist and communications professional, Taté Walker. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

1. In name only: How did an Ontario city manage to strike up an Indigenous working group—minus any Indigenous people? 2. Ciao, chief! As a gesture of what it calls reconciliation, a school board decides it needs to drop the word “chief” from all of its employees’ job titles. 3. Book bind: After a number of contributors pull out of an Aboriginal anthology over the inclusion of an author convicted of domestic assault, the author asks the publisher to remove his work instead. We’ll discuss whether this sequence of events has made new room to discuss Indigenous male violence. Back at the roundtable are Brock Pitawanakwat, an assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury, and Ken Williams, an assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

1. Taste Testy: How the introduction of traditional foods in mainstream settings have inspired some, and incited others; 2. Bad Optics? A massive telescope gets the green light on the island of Hawai'i over the objections of local Indigenous people; 3. Settlement for Survivors: Canada offers $800 million to victims of the Sixties Scoop, but critics claim it’s inadequate in more ways than one. Returning to the roundtable are Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Taté Walker, Lakota activist and communications professional. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

1. Unfair Share: A group of First Nations take Canada and Ontario to court for not honouring a 167-year-old promise to top up treaty payments as resource revenues rise. 2. CAP Kerfuffle: Is the leader of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples even Aboriginal? 3. Shameful or Shameless? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tells the United Nations that the "failure of successive Canadian governments to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples… is our great shame." But do his deeds even remotely match his words? Returning to the roundtable are Brock Pitawanakwat, an assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury, and Ken Williams, an assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Has there been a media "witch-hunt" of Wab Kinew? A high-profile supporter has sounded a resounding 'yes.' But does the critique imply some Indigenous women are part of the pile-on? Multiple choice, singularly stupid: A BC parent is outraged after her 14-year old is assigned a test asking students to select the correct slur for an Aboriginal woman. Fashion fabrication: Yet another non-Indigenous designer stands accused of inappropriate appropriation. We’ll hear how Versace vexes the critics and share an example of how to design right. Returning to the roundtable are Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Lakota activist and communications professional, Taté Walker. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.  

This week... Kinew Conundrum: will old assault charges against the new leader of Manitoba’s New Democratic Party divide the Indigenous community? TB Plea: HIV/AIDS advocate Stephen Lewis issues a passionate call for the feds to step up their response to tuberculosis among Inuit. Unhappy Anniversary: a recent national magazine article suggests that, one year on, the missing and murdered women’s inquiry is imploding. Returning are Ken Williams, assistant professor with the University of Alberta’s department of drama and Brock Pitawanakwat, assistant professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury.

Fight of the Freedmen: Has a court victory for the descendants of ex-slaves of the Cherokee guaranteed the return of their citizenship? Casting controversy: Why Adam Beach wants other Aboriginal actors to boycott a new television series. Out of Print: why it looks very much like there’s no tomorrow for Indian Country Today. Joining host/producer Rick Harp are Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, and Lakota activist and communications professional, Taté Walker. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.  

This week's Indigenous roundtable gets up close and personal with the people behind the show. As long-time listeners know, we at the podcast have brought you a wealth of voices on a variety of topics, week after week. But, as of this very episode, we’re pleased to announce a shift to a more permanent roster: joining host/producer Rick Harp are Brock Pitawanakwat, Ken Williams, Kim Tallbear and Taté Walker. So, exactly who are these people? And if they’re gonna be roundtable regulars, shouldn’t we know a bit more about them first? Answering those questions is what this episode is all about. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Double the fun or double trouble? Seemingly out of nowhere, the federal Liberals have decided to re-arrange the political furniture as part of a late summer shuffle of their Cabinet. What is now Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada will be cleaved in two—in future, First Nations will have to deal with the department of "Crown-Indigenous relations and Northern Affairs" and the department of "Indigenous Services." But will INAC be cleaved so much as cloned? What does this ostensible re-org actually, concretely mean? In light of this unexpected shift, we’re doing a shift of our own this week to go as deep as possible on exactly these questions with special guests Russ Diabo, a Kahnawake Mohawk analyst, writer and activist, and Peter Di Gangi, a land rights researcher and analyst with Sicani Research. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

Ottawa gets a new, Indigenous-only courtroom, but does the evidence support the move? Why critics say electronic welfare cards are being used to police the behaviour of recipients in Australia. How Iqaluit’s new beer and wine store hopes to keep a damper on drinking by customers. Rounding out this week’s Indigenous roundtable are host/producer Rick Harp along with the University of Alberta's Kim TallBear (Native Studies) and Ken Williams (Drama). // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

This week... Why Indigenous people totally relate to recent violence over icons of intolerance in Charlottesville, Virginia; we get into Guam, a strategic US island colony that found itself smack dab in the middle of nuclear brinkmanship with North Korea; and, Inuk singer Tanya Tagaq adds her voice to calls for the Edmonton Eskimos to change their team’s name. Returning to the roundtable are Lakota activist/communicator Taté Walker, and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

This week's Indigenous roundtable: a new study seems to solidify the link between homelessness and contact with the child welfare system; new data reveals a disproportionate number of Indigenous deaths due to overdose in British Columbia; and, with the big Santa Fe Indian Art market around the corner, we discuss its approach to the perennial debate over "authentic" Indigenous art. Joining us are Lakota activist and communications professional Taté Walker and Kim TallBear, associate professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. // Our theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.