Matriarch Movement

Jessica Matten is of Red River Metis-Cree descent and is directly a descendant of Cuthbert Grant, the first rebel Metis leader famously known for the Battle of the Seven Oaks in Canada. Most recently, Jessica is set to star in Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) and Graham Roland's produced "Dark Winds" television series opposite Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon for the AMC Network this Fall 2021. You can find Jessica on 3 Canadian Screen Award nominated and winning shows: Frontier, Blackstone and Mohawk Girls. She has also developed a small cult following in North America for her performance in the starring role of ElleMaija Tailfeather's short film, "A Red Girl's Reasoning".

Besides acting, Jessica runs an Indigenous wellness and fitness company with her family called Lemon Cree where which has helped thousands of Indigenous people achieve their fitness, wellness and health goals. She also runs the viral campaign #N8Vgirls to help spread awareness globally on the issue of murdered and missing Indigenous women in Canada.

Listen to this episode to hear Shayla and Jessica discuss the similarities in their upbringings, using privilege to uplift other Indigenous people in the film industry, fitness and how Jessica does her own stunts, the unglamorous side of acting, Jessica's friendship with Jason Mamoa, how limited resources are on reserves, and missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit—along with why this cause hits so close to home for Jessica.

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Aly Bear (Tatanka Ska Win) is a proud mother and descendant of Dakota, Anishinaabe and Nehiyaw heritage. She is a member of the Whitecap Dakota First Nation where her father, Darcy Bear, currently serves as the Nation's Chief. Aly has worked tirelessly to advance her education while balancing her duties as a single parent. She obtained her juris doctor from the University of Saskatchewan, College of Law, in 2020. Since, Aly worked on a wide range of files, including corporate commercial, labour and employment, civil litigation and intellectual property. However, her passion and primary focus as a lawyer has been, and continues to be, revitalizing and implementing traditional Indigenous laws and finding expression for these laws in modern-day Indigenous governance structures. One of the highlights of Aly's legal career to date has been the opportunity to work on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation's Self Government and Dakota Treaty files.

After much thought and careful consideration, Aly has decided to run for third Vice-Chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. Aly is passionate about her roots, and connecting to her identity through ceremony.

In this episode, Aly talks about being from Saskatchewan, what law school was like as a single mother, why she went into law, how reclaiming the Indigenous governance systems with the 7 sacred teachings, rather than the western governance systems, is so crucial, the negative effects of western law's fragmented systems, the need for sacred Indigenous ceremonial space in public settings, and the RCMP in Canada.

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This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by Nicole McLaren. Nicole is a mother, wife and entrepreneur at heart. Her steady search for opportunities, combined with her enterprising, Indigenous roots led her to launch Raven Reads – a subscription box featuring literature and goods from Indigenous authors and entrepreneurs across North America. Nicole is also the Founder and Chair of the Indigenous Women’s Business Network, an expanding non-profit network that provides support for other Indigenous women looking to start or grow their own businesses.

In this episode, the duo discusses Nicole's journey to entrepreneurship, the grassroots origins of Raven Reads, how Nicole's commute laid the groundwork for Raven Reads, what it's like to be an Indigenous Entrepreneur and the challenges she has surmounted as a result, being a mother, how a Raven Reads box is curated, creating a safe space for non-Indigenous people to learn about Indigenous people, being Metis and feeling disconnected from her heritage, and some tips for Indigenous entrepreneurs.

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This week on the podcast, we welcome two very impressive women. Chelsea Vowel is a Métis writer and educator from manitowsâkahikan (Lac Ste. Anne) Alberta, residing in amiskwacîwâskihikan (Edmonton). She is a Cree language instructor at the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and author of Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada. She and her co-host Molly Swain produce the Indigenous feminist sci-fi podcast Métis in Space. Sandra Lamouche is Chelsea's mentee. Located in Fort MacLeod, Sandra works in fiction and poetry. She is a Nehiyaw Iskwew wife and mother and member of the Bigstone Cree Nation. She is a champion hoop dancer, award-winning Indigenous Educational Leader, and a two-time TEDx speaker.

Listen to this episode to hear about mentorship, their journey to writing that was very motivated by the lack of representation of Indigenous people, how the landscape of writing is changing, Indigenous vs. western storytelling, and the true meaning of decolonization.

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This week on the podcast, a fan favourite is back for round two! This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined once again by Caitlyn Kasper. Caitlyn is an Anishinaabek woman from the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation. She holds an Honours Specialist in Political Science from the University of Toronto and a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall. She is currently a candidate for a Master of Laws at Osgoode Hall, with a specialization in Constitutional Law. In 2014, Caitlyn joined Aboriginal Legal Services as legal counsel in Toronto, Ontario. Her legal expertise is in appellate court law reform and test case litigation in criminal, child welfare and civil rights. Her work for Indigenous people centres on police violence, investigation of sudden death, inquest, and victim advocacy. Caitlyn has represented clients at every level of court within the country, including the Supreme Court of Canada, always advocating for recognition of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspective and representation on issues that most impact Indigenous people in Canadian law.

In this episode, the two talk about knowing your rights as Indigenous people, how to deal with police if stopped as Indigenous people, the prison system and how the child welfare system is almost a new version of the residential school system, defunding the police and the Land Back movement from a legal perspective.

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This week, host Shayla Oullette Stronechild is joined by Chelsey Luger. Chelsey is a Writer and Wellness Advocate, originally from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Born and raised in North Dakota, she was educated on the East Coast and is now based in Arizona with her husband and two daughters. Chelsey's writing and broadcast work has been published by dozens of internationally recognized publications. She is a trainer/facilitator for the Native Wellness Institute and is the co-founder and editor of Well For Culture, an Indigenous wellness initiative, and media platform. Her wellness work is rooted in Indigenous knowledge and focuses on reclaiming wellbeing in Native American communities.

In this episode, the duo talk wellness, what matriarchy means to her as a new mom, the origins of wellness practices from Indigenous peoples, the whiteness of the wellness industry that has caused her to come face-to-face with discrimination, cultural appropriation, and more, how being Lakota and Anishnaabe has informed her wellness practices and career, and finally Chelsey gives advice on having a strong and healthy relationship based on her own relationship experience.

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Christi Belcourt is a Michif (Métis) visual artist and author living and working in Canada with a deep respect for Mother Earth, the traditions, and the knowledge of her people. Belcourt's work often focuses on questions around identity, culture, place, and divisions within communities. In addition to her paintings, she is also known as a community-based artist, environmentalist, and advocate for the lands, waters, and Indigenous peoples. She is currently a lead organizer for the Onaman Collective which focuses on the resurgence of language and land-based practices. She is also the lead coordinator for Walking With Our Sisters, a community-driven project that honours murdered or missing Indigenous women.

Christi was named the Aboriginal Arts Laureate by the Ontario Arts Council in 2015. In 2016 she won a Governor General’s Innovation Award and was named the winner of the 2016 Premier’s Awards in the Arts. Christi’s work is found within the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Gabriel Dumont Institute, the Indian and Inuit Art Collection, Parliament Hill, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery and Canadian Museum of Civilization, First People’s Hall.

Listen to this episode to hear an insightful conversation about the earth, and how Christi's love for the earth and life fuel and inspire her art, the importance of Indigenous languages, how we all need to work together to fight for the future, being Metis, and how why she doesn't subscribe to colonial labels.

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This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by none other than Kelly Boutsalis. Kelly is a writer and journalist, based in Toronto. She is Mohawk, and from the Six Nations reserve. Her words have appeared in the Toronto Star, CBC, Elle Canada, Fashion, Flare, and more. This episode is for anyone who wants to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes as a journalist. Listen to how Kelly got her start in writing, how she sometimes needs to bends the rules with certain publications when faced with any sort of censorship, often in order to protect people she interviews, going to university as an Indigenous person, how it can be difficult when you are one of the few Indigenous people, the evolution of the industry, the network of female writers who help and lift each other up, the importance of Indigenous people telling their own stories, and how important representation is, and how good and accurate representation of Indigenous people is hard to come by.

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Meet Leah Gazan, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre. Leah is a member of Wood Mountain Lakota Nation, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory. Leah's lineage has played a big role in her fight, she credits a lot of her inspiration to her mother, a Chinese Lakota and her father, a Jewish Holocaust survivor. Currently the NDP Critic for Children, Families, and Social Development, as well as the Deputy Critic for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, Leah is a champion in the fight for a permanent guaranteed livable basic income in Canada. Earlier this year, she was named to Maclean's 2021 Power List. She was a prominent Winnipeg lead during Idle No More and co-founded the #WeCare campaign aimed at ending violence against Indigenous women and girls. In June, Leah brought forward a unanimous consent in the House of Commons to recognize Canada's Indian Residential Schools as an act of genocide. Listen to this episode to hear about Leah's love for her community, Winnipeg center, the definition of genocide and Canada's role in it, her family origins, and the power of matriarchy.

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This week's episode is about finding self-love and learning to love yourself. Adeline Bird is an Afro-Anishnabe Author, Filmmaker, and Producer. She grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, but is a proud member of Treaty #4 Rolling River First Nations. Adeline currently works as a writer and freelance producer, producing segments for daytime television hit shows such as CTV's The Social & Etalk. A graduate of the National Screen Institute's CBC New Indigenous Voices program, Adeline made her directorial debut with the short film Nappy Hair and Eagle Feather, now featured on CBC Gem. Adeline was one of the 2018 ImagiNative-APTN pitch winners, with her web series entitled iNdigiThreads (currently in pre-development), and part of the 2019 cohort of Telefilm Canada's Talent To Watch. She wrote her first book in 2016, Be Unapologetically You: A Self-Love Guide for Women of Color and currently sits in the Visioning Committee of BIPOC TV & Film, and is a regular speaker for various organizations, as an advocate and thought leader on the ongoing discussions on equity & inclusion in the Canadian media industry.

Listen to this episode to hear Adeline speak of the power of Indigenous women, how people treat her and label her as intimidating, about the white gaze and how media often tells BIPOC stories through a white lens, her hometown of Winnipeg, performative activism, and how quickly our society commodifies Indigenous and Black trauma.

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