Matriarch Movement

On this episode of the Matriarch Movement Podcast, Shayla Stonechild sits down with Jaime Black-Morsette, the artist whose work gave this country Red Dress Day.

Jaime is a Red River Métis multidisciplinary artist and activist of Anishinaabe and Finnish descent, with family scrip signed in the community of St. Andrews, Manitoba. She lives and works on her home territory near the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. In 2009 she founded the REDress Project, an installation of empty red dresses responding to the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S+). It has travelled across Canada and internationally and inspired Red Dress Day, the national day of awareness held every May 5th. Her practice spans installation, photography, performance art and immersive film and video, and explores memory, identity, place and resistance.

While working with and through trauma, Jaime’s art turned toward healing. Her work moved into the body and into the lands, waters and circles of women, through pieces like her 2017 photographic series Conversations with the Land. Her latest work centres water as a living entity that holds and nurtures all of life.

In this conversation, Jaime shares the moment in Colombia that changed the course of her life, the vision that first showed her red dresses filling the country, and how a project about violence became a path back to women’s power and presence. We also talk about the land as co-creator, water as memory and rebirth, caring for yourself while carrying your community’s stories, lateral violence and discernment, and what’s next as the REDress Project grows into a non-profit.

This season, Indigenous Voices of This Generation, is created in partnership with the Indigenous Screen Office and YouTube Canada. Recorded on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

⏱ CHAPTERS 

00:00 Welcome & introducing Jaime Black-Morsette 

02:14 Jaime’s intro & the long line of matriarchs 

03:04 Where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet 

05:38 The land as co-creator: working with water & fire 

06:46 Where her drive for advocacy began 

07:59 The dream behind the Matriarch Movement 

09:20 Where the REDress Project seed began 

10:09 The Colombia performance that changed everything 

12:21 What the red dress symbolizes 

13:38 The Book of Jessica & the empty red dress 

14:14 Watching the vision become Red Dress Day 

15:26 How allies can support: the 231 Calls for Justice 

17:47 Self-care while carrying community stories 

19:45 Healing through art, writing, singing & lakes 

21:30 Finding a voice she didn’t know was silenced 

22:12 Growing up in a creative Métis family 

23:33 How people have responded to the REDress Project 

24:06 What “matriarch” means to Jaime & the Sky Woman story 

26:05 What happens in the body when we heal on the land 

27:35 Water as the womb: coming out new 

28:17 Nibi: the teaching of women & water 

30:16 What the water remembers 

31:30 Advice for young Indigenous women & girls 

33:11 Lateral violence & choosing distance 

34:48 Discernment as a life’s work 

35:39 What’s next: the REDress Project non-profit 

36:08 Where to find & support Jaime 

37:15 Closing

🔴 SUPPORT JAIME  REDress Project: redressproject.com  Artist website: jaimeblackartist.com  Book: REDress: Art, Action and the Power of Presence

📖 LEARN MORE  National Inquiry into MMIWG Final Report & the 231 Calls for Justice: mmiwg-ffada.ca

If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a comment telling us what the water has taught you. 💧

#RedDressDay #MMIWG #MMIWG2S #IndigenousWomen #MatriarchMovement #REDressProject #IndigenousArt #Métis

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This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild sits down in Treaty 13 territory in Tkaronto with the powerhouse duo behind North of North — Stacey Aglok MacDonald (writer/producer, Qanurli, co-founder of Red Marrow Media) and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (filmmaker behind Angry Inuk and Tunniit: Retracing the Lines). Together, the two Inuit creators built Red Marrow Media, produced The Grizzlies, and co-created North of North — the CBC, APTN, and Netflix comedy that broke into Netflix's global top 10 and is now filming its highly anticipated second season.

Stacey and Alethea open up about growing up in Nunavut, the matriarchs who shaped them, and what "matriarchy" really means when leadership in Inuit communities has always been fluid and situational rather than a single figurehead. They trace their creative partnership back twenty years — including the story of how Stacey "found" Alethea on Google before they ever met — and get candid about the real emotional and logistical weight of following the heavy, important work of The Grizzlies with something joyful, funny, and unapologetically commercial.

This conversation covers the wild specifics of building a global show from the Arctic: pitching networks who'd never seen anything like it, budgeting for real Inuit-designed high fashion (no knockoffs allowed), filming in -40°C, working with an intimacy coordinator on that Season one kiss, and watching their communities go from skeptical to fiercely proud. They also dig into resilience essentials — handling criticism, repairing conflict, and why "no regrets" collaborations are built on trust, not just talent. A rich, funny, moving conversation about matriarchal leadership, Indigenous storytelling, and building something the industry never expected.

00:00 Welcome and meet the guests

01:59 Growing up in Iqaluit

03:10 One word for Season 2: mastery

03:59 Stacey's roots and her badass mom

06:39 What matriarchy means to them

09:43 How they met

11:48 Where their love of storytelling began

15:49 Separate paths, sealskin shorts and building skills

19:55 Teaching themselves to produce

23:18 Making film in the North

25:20 The Grizzlies and deciding to co-produce

29:34 Where North of North began: choosing joy

33:29 Pitching a bold, contemporary Arctic show

37:48 That infamous kiss scene

40:05 What's coming in Season 2

43:39 Acting in -40°

44:50 How Nunavut responded to the show

49:34 Real Inuit fashion on screen

53:18 Advice for emerging filmmakers

56:47 The future of Inuit film

59:03 Being a power couple and taking criticism

01:03:10 Walking into the writing room, and where to watch

01:04:41 Follow the guests, and will there be Season 3?

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This week on Matriarch Movement, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild sits down with Anna Lambe — an Inuk actress, host, and emerging filmmaker from Iqaluit, Nunavut, and one of the most compelling Indigenous voices in film and television today. Anna first broke onto the international stage with The Grizzlies, earning a Canadian Screen Award nomination, and followed it with a second nomination for her role as Sarah in Trickster. She now leads the APTN, CBC, and Netflix co-production North of North, which earned her nominations for a Gotham Award and an Independent Spirit Award and won her Best Lead Performer in a Comedy Series at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards.

In this conversation, Anna opens up about her rapid rise in the industry, the pressure of being seen as a spokesperson for her entire community, and what she's learned about herself through playing Siaja. She shares what it was really like filming Season 2 on Arctic sea ice in temperatures below -50°C, why she believes Indigenous stories deserve to center joy instead of trauma, and what matriarchy means to her as an Inuk woman. She closes with powerful advice for the next generation of young Inuk women dreaming of a life in film.

Follow Anna Lambe: Instagram @anna.r.b.lambe

Watch North of North Season 2: streaming on CBC, APTN, and Netflix

This episode is part of Season 6 of Matriarch Movement, Indigenous Voices of This Generation, proudly sponsored by Indigenous Screen Office and YouTube Canada. Thank you to both organizations for supporting this season and helping amplify Indigenous storytellers across Turtle Island.

00:14 – Introduction to Anna Lambe and the episode

01:33 – Anna introduces herself

02:26 – From Trickster and The Grizzlies to leading North of North

03:52 – Following intuition instead of a traditional acting path06:19 – The pressure of representing an entire community

10:51 – Who is Siaja, and how she differs from Anna

13:23 – Filming Season 2 in -50°C on Arctic sea ice

15:54 – Community reception: from embarrassment to being seen as Siaja

18:31 – The future of Indigenous storytelling: centering joy over trauma

22:24 – What matriarchy means to Anna

23:52 – Advice to young Inuk women pursuing film and TV

26:16 – Where to follow Anna + where to watch Season 2

26:31 – Thank you to Indigenous Screen Office and YouTube Canada

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Matriarch Movement Podcast — Season 6: Indigenous Voices of This Generation

This episode, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild, sits down with Daniela Riojas — a medicine keeper, educator, musician, and artist whose roots stretch from the Coahuiltecan lands on the Texas-Mexico border to the Peruvian Amazon, where she trained under Shipibo and Ashaninka lineage holders and was initiated into ceremonial plant medicine work. Daniela is the founder of Indígena Medicina, creating sacred containers for healing rooted in Indigenous knowledge, plant medicine, and ceremony.

Daniela and Shayla trace her path from growing up "siphoned" between two identities on the border, to activism in San Antonio, to the grief and long search that led her to her teachers in Peru. She opens up about her mother's passing and the ancestral womb work that initiated her deeper into her medicine path, what a dieta actually involves, and how Icaros - the songs of the plants - become a living technology for healing in ceremony. The conversation also turns practical: how to responsibly vet a ceremony facilitator amid the current plant-medicine boom, how she stays grounded through physical discipline and nutrition, and her advice for anyone trying to reconnect with lineage, land, or spirit when the elders and acces s aren't there.

They close on matriarchy -Daniela's mother, her sisters, and the mentors who shaped how she leads with what she calls "heart-led advocacy."

01:11 — Guest introduction: Daniela Riojas, medicine keeper and founder of Indígena Medicina

Follow Daniela Riojas at Intikhana for details on her mentorship, retreats, and upcoming tours.

@danielariojas

https://www.intikhana.com/

https://linktr.ee/danielariojas

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Matriarch Movement Podcast — Season 6: Indigenous Voices of This Generation

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter Aysanabee joins Shayla Oulette Stonechild on the Matriarch Movement podcast for a conversation that moves from a trailer with no electricity in rural Ontario to the Juno Awards stage.

Aysanabee opens up about growing up between Sandy Lake First Nation and a series of small northern communities, teaching himself guitar in the forest as a kid, and working in remote mining camps from age 12 - including two near-death experiences with a bear, a wolf pack, and falling through frozen ice, a moment that pushed him to finally commit to music.

He shares the story behind his Polaris-shortlisted, Juno Award–winning debut album - a project born from daily pandemic phone calls with his grandfather, a residential school survivor, that turned into recorded interviews and ultimately an album that helped his grandfather find peace before he passed. Aysanabee also talks about the $40 application fee that led to a record deal over a socially-distanced "Zoom dinner," playing 184 shows in a single year, the emotional weight of representing a national reckoning around residential schools, and his recent trip to Taiwan, where he discovered strikingly similar songs, dances, and reclamation journeys among Indigenous communities on the other side of the world.

The conversation closes with his hopes for the future of Indigenous music including his dream of seeing a global Indigenous pop star and a preview of what's next as he heads into the mountains to write his follow-up to his latest release, Edge of the Earth.

@_aysanabee_

https://www.aysanabee.com

https://www.tiktok.com/@aysanabee

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Season 6: Indigenous Voices of This Generation

In this episode of the Matriarch Movement Podcast's Indigenous Voices of This Generation season, host Shayla sits down with the daughter and successor of Talaysay Tours' founder, — an Indigenous entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and keynote speaker whose work bridges culture, sustainability, tourism, and economic reconciliation.

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Season 6: Indigenous Voices of This Generation

In this powerful episode of the Matriarch Movement Podcast, host Shayla Oulette-Stonechild sits down with Rueben George — writer, activist, Sundance Chief, and grandson of the legendary Chief Dan George. A member of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, Rueben spent over a decade leading the fight against the Trans Mountain Pipeline on his nation’s unceded territory, a journey documented in his national bestseller It Stops Here: Standing Up for Our Lands, Our Waters, and Our People, co-written with Michael Simpson.

This conversation moves through Rueben’s family legacy and the intergenerational trauma of residential schools, his path to sobriety at 25 through ceremony, and the spiritual framework — enlightenment, reciprocity, and responsibility — that grounds his activism. He speaks candidly about building the Tsleil-Waututh Sacred Trust’s legal case against Kinder Morgan, his philosophy on economic sovereignty and choosing business partners, and his belief that colonization succeeds by disconnecting people from spirit.

The episode closes with a rare, honest conversation about his psychedelic healing work — including his collaboration with Dr. Gabor Maté — and how his team has guided hundreds of residential school survivors and community members through ceremonial healing, bringing ancient teachings and modern medicine together to address trauma “as it happens.”

A conversation about land defense, sobriety, lineage, and the spirit that connects them all.

Rueben's book: https://www.amazon.ca/Stops-Here-Standing-Waters-People/dp/0735242801

Medicine Movie: https://medicine.movie

@ruebengeorge4

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Hosted by Shayla Oulette Stonechild, founder of Matriarch Movement, this season celebrates the Indigenous leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, knowledge keepers, and healers who are transforming industries while remaining deeply rooted in culture, community, and ancestral teachings. 

Across bi-weekly conversations filmed on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, as well as with guests from across Turtle Island, we'll explore what it means to lead with identity, creativity, wellness, and relational responsibility. 

Rooted in the Cree teachings of wâhkôhtowin (kinship) and manâchitowin (mutual respect), Matriarch Movement, exists to amplify Indigenous voices and create spaces where healing, storytelling, and community come together. Each episode bridges generations, honours Indigenous knowledge systems, and reminds us that language, land, culture, and story are inseparable. 

Whether you're Indigenous, reconnecting to your roots, or joining us as an ally, these conversations invite you to imagine a future grounded in Indigenous brilliance, joy, and collective healing.

Welcome to The Matriarch Movement. Let's begin.

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Host Shayla Oulette Stonechild interviews Sean Rayland Boubar, the founder of Red Rebel Armour, an Indigenous-owned streetwear brand and social justice business. Sean shares his transformative journey from being a gang member to becoming an entrepreneur focused on social impact. He discusses the importance of mentorship, cultural identity, and the challenges he faced while building his business. He highlights the the mission of Red Rebel Armour to create employment opportunities and reduce recidivism, while also addressing systemic barriers that affect Indigenous individuals. Sean envisions a hopeful future for Indigenous communities, where traditional values are integrated into modern life, fostering a sense of belonging and support.

More about Sean Rayland:

Sean Rayland (he/him) is the owner of Red Rebel Armour, an Indigenous-led streetwear brand with a social mission. It aims to reduce recidivism by offering paid on-the-job training to those reentering the community from the criminal justice system. This initiative has significantly aided formerly incarcerated individuals in rebuilding their lives, fostering healing and empowerment.

Red Rebel Armour integrates Anishinaabe culture into contemporary streetwear, forming a unique and impactful style that celebrates Indigenous identity and pride. The brand not only focuses on fashion but also on social impact, helping community members overcoming barriers to employment post-incarceration. It appeals to those who value Indigenous culture, authenticity, social responsibility, and artistic expression.Offering a diverse clothing line that fuses Anishinaabe motifs with streetwear designs, Red

Rebel Armour collaborates with Indigenous artists, designers, and activists. These collaborations result in limited-edition collections that elevate Indigenous voices and generate economic opportunities within Indigenous communities.

⁠https://redrebelarmour.ca/⁠

Thanks for checking out this episode of the Matriarch Movement podcast! If you enjoyed the conversation, please leave a comment and thumbs-up on YouTube, or leave a five star review on your favourite podcast app!

Find Shayla Oulette Stonechild on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/shayla0h/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find more about Matriarch Movement at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matriarchmovement.ca/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This season is produced by Yaletown Podcast Studio.

This podcast is distributed by Women in Media Network

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.womeninmedia.network/show/matriarch-movement/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Shayla Oulette Stonechild interviews Sean Rayland Boubar, the founder of Red Rebel Armour, an Indigenous-owned streetwear brand and social justice business. Sean shares his transformative journey from being a gang member to becoming an entrepreneur focused on social impact. He discusses the importance of mentorship, cultural identity, and the challenges he faced while building his business. He highlights the the mission of Red Rebel Armour to create employment opportunities and reduce recidivism, while also addressing systemic barriers that affect Indigenous individuals. Sean envisions a hopeful future for Indigenous communities, where traditional values are integrated into modern life, fostering a sense of belonging and support.

More about Sean Rayland:

Sean Rayland (he/him) is the owner of Red Rebel Armour, an Indigenous-led streetwear brand with a social mission. It aims to reduce recidivism by offering paid on-the-job training to those reentering the community from the criminal justice system. This initiative has significantly aided formerly incarcerated individuals in rebuilding their lives, fostering healing and empowerment.

Red Rebel Armour integrates Anishinaabe culture into contemporary streetwear, forming a unique and impactful style that celebrates Indigenous identity and pride. The brand not only focuses on fashion but also on social impact, helping community members overcoming barriers to employment post-incarceration. It appeals to those who value Indigenous culture, authenticity, social responsibility, and artistic expression.Offering a diverse clothing line that fuses Anishinaabe motifs with streetwear designs, Red

Rebel Armour collaborates with Indigenous artists, designers, and activists. These collaborations result in limited-edition collections that elevate Indigenous voices and generate economic opportunities within Indigenous communities.

https://redrebelarmour.ca/

Thanks for checking out this episode of the Matriarch Movement podcast! If you enjoyed the conversation, please leave a comment and thumbs-up on YouTube, or leave a five star review on your favourite podcast app!

Find Shayla Oulette Stonechild on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/shayla0h/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find more about Matriarch Movement at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matriarchmovement.ca/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is produced by Women in Media Network

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.womeninmedia.network/show/matriarch-movement/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices