MEDIA INDIGENA : Indigenous current affairs

On this episode, the formal kick-off to our extended series, Beyond Fires & Floods (BFF): Indigenous Narratives in an Era of Extremes, beginning with the first half of a panel recorded last October before a live audience in the Great Hall of the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. The opening, public component of a 3-day gathering of journalists, scholars and others focused on Indigenous narratives of climate change, the panel assembled four seasoned storytellers embodying decades of experience, a wide-ranging conversation which served as a microcosm of the overall event—co-convened by MI host/producer Rick Harp and Candis Callison, UBC Professor and long-time MI roundtabler. ** GRATITUDE ** Special thanks to Mitiana Arbon, Pacific Curator at MOA—one of BFF's four core sponsors, alongside the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, the Global Journalism Innovation Lab, and the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. // CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

ON THIS EPISODE: Part 0 of "Beyond Fires and Floods: Indigenous Narratives in an Era of Extremes." Otherwise known as "BFF," it's the name of a three-day gathering we co-convened last October on Musqueam Lands, home to the campus of UBC. Assembling close to 40 participants from media, academia and more, BFF fostered connections and conversations on Indigenous experiences and expertise with climate change. An extensive set of dialogues to be released on MEDIA INDIGENA in the weeks and months to come, we thought we'd first ground it with an overview of BFF's origins, contents, and objectives. "We" meaning co-convenors Rick Harp (MI host/producer) and Candis Callison, UBC Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the School for Public Policy and Global Affairs, and, of course, long-time MI roundtabler. *** BFF: Beyond Fires & Floods is sponsored by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, the Global Journalism Innovation Lab, UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, and the Museum of Anthropology. *** // CREDITS: Creative Commons music this episode includes 'Cloud Seven' by Joseph Sacco (CC-BY); 'Growth' by 1000 Handz (CC BY); 'Sorta Satie Op 1 Nostalgia' by Lopkerjo (CC BY). Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic.

On this episode: the last of our five-part series on the seminar, "Sovereignty First: Tackling the White Possessive in an Era of 'Collaboration,'" where we jump into genomics, a realm rife with racialized thinking and practice according to population scientist and Princeton graduate anthropology student Noah Collins. Yet despite challenges to Indigenous-led research in terms of access to financial and human resources, Collins notes that hasn't stopped their projects from prioritizing community over commerce. Returning to the table with host/producer Rick Harp to discuss Collin's presentation in depth are Kim TallBear (Professor of American Indian Studies at University of Minnesota–Twin Cities) and Candis Callison (Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and School for Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia). CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Magnetic' by 1000 Handz (CC BY).

ON THIS EPISODE: part four of 'the White Possessive,' the latest in our five-part series on the seminar, "Sovereignty First: Tackling the White Possessive in an Era of 'Collaboration.'" Based on a presentation about pretendianism by Kim TallBear (Professor of American Indian Studies at University of Minnesota–Twin Cities), she joins fellow MI roundtabler Candis Callison (Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and School for Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia) and host/producer Rick Harp to discuss what makes settler self-indigenization—where colonial cosplay works to both emulate and eliminate the Indian—arguably the final frontier of white possessiveness. CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Slow Me Down' by Jangwa; 'Magnetic' by 1000 Handz (CC BY).

ON THIS EPISODE: part three of 'the White Possessive,' the latest in our five-part series on the seminar, "Sovereignty First: Tackling the White Possessive in an Era of 'Collaboration.'" This time around, the property in question is intellectual. Rooted in a talk by Olga Ulturgasheva (Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester), we digest and discuss her account of how unscrupulous colleagues misappropriated and misrepresented her personal stories and observations, a case study in what she calls "epistemological extractivism." Returning to the roundtable with host/producer Rick Harp are MI regulars Kim TallBear (Professor of American Indian Studies at University of Minnesota–Twin Cities) and Candis Callison (Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and School for Public Policy and Global Affairs at UBC). CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Magnetic' by 1000 Handz (CC BY).

ON THIS EPISODE: Part two of 'the White Possessive.' And back in part one, we brought you the basics of this analytical framework as articulated by Aileen Moreton-Robinson, an analysis at the heart of the event, "Sovereignty First: Tackling the White Possessive in an Era of 'Collaboration.'" Featuring five presentations, the first was by none other than MI's Candis Callison (Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and School for Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia), applying her lens as a media scholar. Here in our second engagement with the ways whiteness works to possess every last thing, we see how that possessiveness seemingly knows no bounds—right down to the extraction of our bodies' most minute material. Drawing on a presentation by Jennifer Brown (Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Alaska Native Studies at the University of Alaska-Southeast) on how that's played out in Alaska in some dubious public health research and reportage, host/producer Rick Harp is joined once again by Candis and fellow MI regular Kim TallBear (Professor of American Indian Studies at University of Minnesota–Twin Cities) to reflect further on Brown's talk. CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Magnetic' by 1000 Handz (CC BY).

ON THIS EPISODE: Interrogating 'the white possessive.' And according to Indigenous scholar Aileen Moreton-Robinson, countries like Canada, Australia and the U.S. are best understood as 'white possessions'—possessions which take a great deal of work and resources to maintain, a relentless reproduction of "the nation-state's ownership, control and domination" over stolen Indigenous lands and waters. But, of course, the machinations of white possessiveness can also be less overt. Secure in their belief in a colonial status quo, states now promote Indigenous 'inclusion' within socioeconomic systems predicated on their dispossession and disappearance. Gestures at 'collaboration' that are more confabulation, a 'reconciliation' that's really about recuperation. The kind of contradictions discussed extensively at "Sovereignty First: Tackling the White Possessive in an Era of 'Collaboration'"—an October 2024 panel inspired by Moreton-Robinson's insights into whiteness, race and the state—a series of presentations we'll reflect on over the next few episodes. Sitting with host/producer Rick Harp, MI regulars Kim TallBear, Professor of American Indian Studies at University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, and Candis Callison, Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and School for Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia. CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Magnetic' by 1000 Handz (CC BY).

On this episode: the back half of the all-Indigenous panel MI host/producer Rick Harp moderated at "Reimagining Political Journalism: Perils, Possibilities & What Comes Next"—convened last November by Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communication in Ottawa—in which the audience joins in with their thoughts and questions for our all-star panelists: Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the School for Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia Veldon Coburn, faculty chair of McGill University's Indigenous Relations Initiative and assistant professor at the Institute of Canadian and Aboriginal Studies at the University of Ottawa Brett Forester, a reporter and broadcaster with CBC Indigenous in Ottawa Pam Palmater, podcaster, professor and chair of Indigenous Governance at Toronto Metropolitan University Niigaan Sinclair, media commentator, Faculty of Arts Professorship in Indigenous Knowledge and Aesthetics at University of Manitoba's Department of Indigenous Studies CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'relaxed days,' by snoozy beat (CC BY).

On this episode: Reimagining Political Journalism, the title of a three-day November 2024 event at Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communication in Ottawa, it included a formidable panel of Indigenous practitioners, moderated by MI's own Rick Harp! Sub-titled "Perils, Possibilities & What Comes Next," our all-Indigenous panel delved into all three over our 90-minute conversation—shared here as the first of two parts—a frank and freewheeling exchange on power, politics, and journalism in Canada, featuring: Candis Callison, Associate Professor in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the School for Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia Veldon Coburn, faculty chair of McGill University's Indigenous Relations Initiative and assistant professor at the Institute of Canadian and Aboriginal Studies at the University of Ottawa Brett Forester, a reporter and broadcaster with CBC Indigenous in Ottawa Pam Palmater, podcaster, professor and chair of Indigenous Governance at Toronto Metropolitan University Niigaan Sinclair is a frequent media commentator (including his regular Winnipeg Free Press column), and holds the Faculty of Arts Professorship in Indigenous Knowledge and Aesthetics at University of Manitoba's Department of Indigenous Studies. His latest book is Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'relaxed days,' by snoozy beat (CC BY).

On this week's collected, connected conversations, our three-part pile of political pontifications concludes its campaign—as does our Summer 2024 Series as a whole—with a comparison of activism versus access: in the pursuit of mainstream political influence, is it better to be in the room or out on the streets? Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance): • Brock Pitawanakwat, associate professor of Indigenous Studies at York University • Ken Williams, playwright and associate professor with the University of Alberta department of drama • Michael Redhead Champagne, a Winnipeg-based community leader, helper, author, and public speaker • Lisa Monchalin, criminology lecturer at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in B.C. • Trina Roache, assistant professor of journalism at the University of King's College • Brett Forester, Ottawa-based reporter with CBC Indigenous // CREDITS: Creative Commons music this episode includes 'Expanding Cycle' and 'Up + Up (reprise/arise)' by Correspondence (CC BY); 'rye' by Tea K Pea (CC BY); 'Deep Dive' by James Hammond.