In this episode, Yotakahron chats with fellow medical student Santanna Hernandez. Santanna is Dene from the Liidlii Kue Nation who was raised on Sto:lo traditional territory. She is mother of 4 kiddos, a first-year medical student at the University of Calgary, and an advisor on the ii'taa'poh'to'p student advisory circle. Together they discuss Santanna's journey towards medical school, the barriers put in place and the traumatic experiences of being an Indigenous learner in medicine.  

If you're wanting to reach out, you can find Santanna on twitter at @SMHernande and Yotakahron at @yotakahron. 

You can find more information about Heartberry Podcast at their website: www.heartberrypodcast.com and be sure to check them out on Twitter at @heartberrypod and Instagram at @heartberrypodcast! If you want to email them, they can be reached at [email protected]. 

Original artwork: Shanna Peltier
Producer: Yotakahron Jonathan
Mixing: Logie Bradley

In this episode, Yotakahron catches up with her friend Daniel Hayden over Zoom (*note the sound quality). Daniel is from the Comanche Nation and is a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies plant pathology. Daniel’s work recognizes the highly diverse cropping systems of Indigenous Peoples and he seeks to use his research to help aid Indigenous growers in their crop production for food sovereignty initiatives. They discuss problems in academia, studying plants is like, how COVID has changed things, and a few other tangents.

If you're interested in looking at the list of land grant institutions that Daniel was discussing, here is a list: www.landgrabu.org

You can find more information about Heartberry Podcast at their website: www.heartberrypodcast.com and be sure to check them out on Twitter at @heartberrypod and Instagram at @heartberrypodcast! If you want to email them, they can be reached at [email protected]. 

Original artwork: Shanna Peltier
Producer: Yotakahron Jonathan
Mixing: Logie Bradley 

In this episode, Yotakahron has a conversation with the trail-blazing Dr. Donna May Kimmaliarjduk, the first Inuk cardiac surgeon in Canada and a cardiac surgery fellow at The Cleveland Clinic. They discuss Dr. K's journey throughout medicine, being an Indigenous woman in medicine, and lessons learned along the way. Yotakahron was asked to write this feature which highlighted and celebrated Dr. K during International Women's Day 2020. As we go through a shift with the Podcast, we were able to pull this episode from our records and edit it for you all to listen (almost a full year later). We hope you enjoy! 

You can find more information about Heartberry Podcast at their website: www.heartberrypodcast.com and be sure to check them out on Twitter at @heartberrypod and Instagram at @heartberrypodcast! If you want to email them, they can be reached at [email protected]

Original artwork: Shanna Peltier
Producer: Yotakahron Jonathan
Mixing: Logie Bradley 

In this episode, Yotakahron chats on the phone with her friend Alana Sayers, who is from the Hupačasath (Nuu-Chah-Nulth) and Alexander (Cree, Treaty 6) First Nations. Alana grew up on the Hupačasath reserve and went to Haahuuyayak school. She is a PhD candidate in the Department of English at the University of Victoria. In her dissertation, she is creating a place-based Indigenous methodology to study Indigenous literature in both structure and content, what she calls ‘Nuu-Chah-Nulth literary transformations,’ to move beyond the limitations of the page. She is also a poet and meme maker. In this episode, they chat about Alana's research, some experiences of combatting racism in academia, and what it takes to carve out space.

We mentioned a contest for our theme song last month and wanted to announce the winner: Logie Bradley! We will be working together to ensure that this is incorporated into our future episodes. Thanks to everyone who applied!

You can find more information about Heartberry Podcast at their website: www.heartberrypodcast.com and be sure to check them out on Twitter at @heartberrypod and Instagram at @heartberrypodcast! If you want to email them, they can be reached at [email protected]. 

We would like to thank OIYPP for their continued support of our second season.  

Original artwork: Shanna Peltier
Producer: Yotakahron Jonathan

CW: suicide

SOTR: Shanna is on the road interviewing her supervisor Dr. Jeffrey Ansloos who is Nehiyaw (Cree) and English, and is a member of Fisher River Cree Nation (Ochekwi-Sipi; Treaty 5). He grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Treaty 1), and currently resides in Toronto (Tkaronto)!

Dr. Ansloos’ research focuses on Indigenous health, social policy, and in particular suicide and suicide prevention. He also examines community-based and systems-level change processes needed to advance social and health equity within Canada, with a particular focus on Indigenous rights.

As the first professor we have interviewed, we are incredibly excited that he took the time to be on our podcast and provide his wisdom and reflections on his schooling journey!  Shanna and Dr. Ansloos discuss various topics such as his graduate school experiences, his research interests, and his approach to mentoring/supervising students.

We would like to thank OIYPP for their continued support of our second season. This episode is also supported by IEN at OISE. 

You can find more information about Heartberry Podcast at their website: www.heartberrypodcast.com and be sure to check them out on Twitter at @heartberrypod and Instagram at @heartberrypodcast! If you want to email them, they can be reached at [email protected]

Original artwork: Shanna Peltier
Producer: Yotakahron Jonathan

We still exist! Welcome to season two. We start this season with Yotakahron and Shanna talking about life updates: what happened during the summer, surviving cornteen, the joy of online school, and the continuous struggle of colonial violence in institutions.

Calling all Indigenous Youth! If you are musically inclined, we are having a contest for our new intro/outro music. Contest opens now and goes until November 30th, 2020. You can win $500. Make sure to check out our social media pages for more info.

We would like to thank OIYPP for their continued support of our second season.

You can find more information about Heartberry Podcast at their website: www.heartberrypodcast.com and be sure to check them out on Twitter at @heartberrypod and Instagram at @heartberrypodcast! If you want to email them, they can be reached at [email protected]

Original artwork: Shanna Peltier
Producer: Yotakahron Jonathan

This episode is sponsored by the Indigenous Education Network at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/ien/). Chi-Miigwech, Niawen'ko:wa!

In this episode, Shanna and Yotakahron do their first interview together, with the incredible Jennifer Sylvester. Jennifer is an Anishnaabe Kwe who is entering her second year as a Ph.D. student in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto – Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). She is an advocate for Indigenous social issues, but more importantly, equity, protection and inclusion of Indigenous women. She is also a single parent to a 14-year-old young man.

In between the healing shared laughter of Indigenous women, they exchange post-secondary stories (one that includes Bob Rae) and discuss how we can better support mature students.

You can find more information about Heartberry Podcast at their website: www.heartberrypodcast.com and be sure to check them out on Twitter at @heartberrypod and Instagram at @heartberrypodcast! If you want to email them, they can be reached at [email protected]

Original artwork by Shanna Peltier
Mixing by Liam Taylor

In this episode of Yotakahron On The Road (YOTR), Yotakahron talks to Ari Thompson who is of Ngaiterangi and Waikato descent in Aotearoa. With a background in law, her expertise sits at the intersection of Indigenous rights, genomics, and innovation. They discuss forms of colonial resistance, exchanging cultural stories and histories, and the windy paths of post secondary education for Indigenous learners. 

You can find more information about Heartberry Podcast at their website: www.heartberrypodcast.com and be sure to check them out on Twitter at @heartberrypod and Instagram at @heartberrypodcast! If you want to email them, they can be reached at [email protected]

Original artwork by Shanna Peltier
Mixing by Liam Taylor

In this episode of Yotakahron on the Road (YOTR), Yotakahron chats on a beach with Justin Lund (Diné) in Aotearoa. Justin is a PhD Candidate at the University of Oklahoma in the Department of Anthropology. He studies genetics and bioethics focusing on Native American communities. They chat about his research, being native in genomics, encountering racism, and finding the good. 

Please donate if you can to any of the numerous #BlackLivesMatter movement campaigns. There’s also campaigns for land defenders. More information can be found on where to donate and how to educate yourself online. Ensure you are doing the work to unpack and re-educate yourself. Yotakahron has complied some of these resources here: https://linktr.ee/yotakahron 

You can find more information about Heartberry Podcast at their website: www.heartberrypodcast.com and be sure to check them out on Twitter at @heartberrypod and Instagram at @heartberrypodcast! If you want to email them, they can be reached at [email protected]

Original artwork by Shanna Peltier
Mixing by Liam Taylor

In this episode, Shanna and Yotakahron attempt to record virtually (forgive the Rez wifi cutting out a few times)! Due to the pandemic, they’re both living back in their communities of Wikwemikong and Six Nations. They wanted to share their experiences being back home for quarantine, what their communities are doing in response to COVID-19, and how they’re trying to take care of themselves during this time. Remember: Wash Your Hands, Practice Social Distancing, Stay Home and Stay Safe! 

This episode is in collaboration with Yellowhead Institute which is based out of Ryerson University. We are so grateful for their support! They have a Call for Collaboration for creators, researchers and artists to use whatever medium is most comfortable to discuss Indigenous policy during COVID-19. You can find more information about it here: https://yellowheadinstitute.org/call-for-collaboration/

You can find more information about Heartberry Podcast at their website: www.heartberrypodcast.com and be sure to check them out on Twitter at @heartberrypod and Instagram at @heartberrypodcast! If you want to email in, they can be reached at [email protected]

Original artwork by Shanna Peltier 
Mixing by Liam Taylor