Introducing the first in our four-part series for Summer 2026! Collected, connected conversations drawn from our decade-deep archive, it's a mini-series that falls smack dab in the middle of our mega-series, Beyond Fires & Floods: Indigenous Narratives in an Era of Extremes, our co-convened gathering of climate journalists, scholars and experts. Which is why we thought it only makes sense to make these compilations climate-compatible with the overarching theme of 'Petrostate Pushback': Indigenous resistance to the political, cultural and economic forces driving resource extraction and exploitation—the costs of which fall disproportionately on Indigenous lands, waters and those who depend on them. And with BFF rooted in the realm of media, what better place for us to start, as we banter on 'both sides' binaries, bitumen bias, and bravery as viewed via the myopic lens of mainstream news.

Featured voices this podcast include (in order of appearance):

• Terese Mailhot, author and Visiting Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Sweet Briar College in Virginia

• Kim TallBear, Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities

• Clifford Atleo Jr., Professor, Senior Advisor and Associate Vice-President of Indigenous Affairs at the University of British Columbia

• Regan Boychuk, co-founder of Reclaim Alberta and the Alberta Liability Disclosure Project

• Candis Callison, BFF co-convenor, Professor with the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies and the School for Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia

• Kwame Mckenzie, practicing psychiatrist, CEO of Wellesley Institute

• David Suzuki, award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster

• Michael Redhead Champagne, Ininew advocate, speaker and author

// CREDITS: Creative Commons music this episode includes: 'When Time Called Me Darling,' 'Mercury' and 'Jupiter' by HoliznaCC0; 'JMHBM' by Thumper; and, 'She Walked in and Changed Nothing' by smallertide. Our series' opening theme is "Ice Temple" by HoliznaCC0; its closing theme is "Upstream Color" by Mark Wilson X. This episode was hosted/produced/edited by Rick Harp.

ON THIS EPISODE… Part 12 of BFF: Beyond Fires and Floods, our extended climate series based on a three-day gathering of Indigenous journalists, scholars and experts we co-convened last fall at UBC. And at the tail-end of BFF's second day, we set aside time for participants to pause and reflect on all they'd heard to that point, a session we entitled 'Synthesis.'

Kickstarting it all last episode, invited respondents Alice Te Punga Somerville and Kim TallBear, whose opening insights last episode set the stage for the responses to follow, including those of fellow BFF attendees Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, Pasang Sherpa, Renae Watchman, Kaila Jefferd-Moore, Cutcha Risling Baldy, and Eriel Tchekwie Deranger.

// CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Cloud Seven' by Joseph Sacco (CC-BY). SFX: 'Dropping the mic' by freesound_community from Pixabay.

ON THIS EPISODE: Part 11 of BFF: Beyond Fires and Floods, our extended series on Indigenous climate narratives, based on conversations we co-convened over 3 days last fall at UBC. And with a lot of ground covered those first two days, we thought it best to end day two with a session for reflection, an open-ended exchange we entitled 'Synthesis.' (So, if by chance this is your very first foray into BFF, it's recommended you start from the start, to get the most out of all this episode's call-backs and references.)

Kicking things off, respondents Alice Te Punga Somerville and Kim TallBear, who offered their observations before co-moderators Candis Callison and Rick Harp would throw it to the floor for wider discussion.

// CREDITS: Intro theme 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Torches and Pitchforks' by Gagmesharkoff (CC-BY); 'Cloud Seven' by Joseph Sacco (CC-BY); 'fairitale 2' by Ondrosik (CC-BY).

ON THIS EPISODE: the tenth takeaway from BFF: Beyond Fires and Floods, our extended series on Indigenous climate narratives, collecting close to 40 journalists, scholars and experts last fall at UBC. This time 'round, the closing portion of "Taking on Water," which, if you caught the first half, got a little 'fishy' as we went along. Proving perhaps that everything and everyone is connected at some point in time and space, including our panelists Tara Atleo, Shannon Waters, Tristan Ahtone and Zoe Todd, as we continued to interweave waters' well-being with that of fish and humans, supplemented by the thoughts of fellow BFF attendee Ozzy Michelin.

// CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Cloud Seven' by Joseph Sacco (CC-BY).

ON THIS EPISODE: The ninth instalment of BFF: Beyond Fires & Floods—our extended series on Indigenous climate narratives—presents the beginning of "Taking on Water," the fourth session of our gathering's second day, encapsulated as follows:

Oceans cover some two-thirds of the planet; watersheds traverse and transcend human borders. Water is literally everywhere, yet that hasn't stopped colonial governments from trying to control and contain its movements, along with the lives of those it sustains. From rivers and lakes, to oceans and ice, this session looks at how Indigenous narratives work to convey the upstream sources and downstream consequences of melting glaciers, rising sea levels, floods, and droughts, both for aquatic life and the Indigenous lifeways dependent on them. Meanwhile, with bodies like wide-ranging watersheds complicating any formulation of climate-related problems and solutions, what does that imply for the structure and scope of our storytelling?

Joining MI host/producer Rick Harp are panelists Tristan Ahtone (sitting in for Grist-mate Anita Hofschneider), Tara Atleo, Zoe Todd, and Shannon Waters.

🕮 Learn more about BFF, including our core sponsors, at mediaindigena.com/BFF

// CREDITS: Intro/extro theme 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Cloud Seven' by Joseph Sacco (CC-BY); 'Seen from the Unseen' by Ondrosik (CC-BY).

ON THIS EPISODE: The eighth instalment of BFF: Beyond Fires & Floods—our extended series on Indigenous climate narratives—presents the back half of "Reframing Fire & Forests," recorded at day two's third session. Moderated by UBC Professor (and MI regular) Candis Callison, she re-joins panelists Warren Cardinal McTeague, Keara Lightning, Leonard Linklater, and Bernard Perley, with follow-up responses by fellow BFF attendees Matteo Cimellaro and Olga Ulturgasheva.

Learn more about BFF, including our core sponsors, at mediaindigena.com/BFF

// CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Cloud Seven' by Joseph Sacco (CC-BY).

ON THIS EPISODE: Part seven of BFF: Beyond Fires and Floods, where we go beyond mainstream infatuation with crisis and catastrophe to instead dive deep into Indigenous climate narratives. Recorded at a 3-day gathering of nearly 40 journalists, scholars and experts last fall at UBC, "Reframing Fire & Forests" was day two's third session, encapsulated as follows:

With extreme fire events monopolizing our attention in the daily news cycle, long-standing Indigenous-led practices of forest care, stewardship and prevention have only begun to make their way into public consciousness and policy. Yet as fires only intensify in an ever-changing climate, one might ask just how 'wild' wildfires are to begin with. Drawing on our discussion of acute events as sites or intersections of larger systems and institutions, panelists will discuss how they make sense of landscapes still reeling from colonialism, and the specific and profound challenges Indigenous communities face as they actively respond to, mitigate, and plan for climate change. Specific attention will also be paid to the role Indigenous languages—another casualty of colonialism many now seek to repair—could play to enable enriched climate coverage.

Moderated by Candis Callison—a jointly-appointed Professor in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, and the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies at UBC—she sat together with panelists Warren Cardinal McTeague, Keara Lightning, Leonard Linklater, and Bernard Perley.

Learn more about BFF, including our core sponsors, at mediaindigena.com/BFF

// CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Cloud Seven' by Joseph Sacco (CC-BY); 'Dream Diary' by Pamela Yuen (CC-BY)

ON THIS EPISODE: the sixth instalment of BFF: Beyond Fires & Floods—our extended series on Indigenous climate narratives—in which we bring you the back half of "Storying Systems vs. Symptoms," day two's second session.

Returning for the remainder of this conversation, moderator Candis Callison picks things up with panelists Michelle Cyca, Tiara R Naputi, Jeffrey Ansloos, and Gina Starblanket. We also hear the thoughts of fellow BFF attendees Savannah Ridley, Stephanie Papik and Eriel Tchekwie Deranger.

Learn more about BFF, including our core sponsors, at mediaindigena.com/BFF

// CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Cloud Seven' by Joseph Sacco (CC-BY).

ON THIS EPISODE: Part five of BFF: Beyond Fires & Floods, in which we bring you the first half of 'Storying Systems vs. Symptoms,' the second session of the second day of climate conversations we co-convened with dozens of Indigenous scholars, journalists and experts last October at the University of British Columbia.

Moderated by long-time MEDIA INDIGENA roundtabler Candis Callison—a jointly-appointed Professor in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, and the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies at UBC—she was joined at the panel by Jeffrey Ansloos, Michelle Cyca, Tiara R Naputi, and Gina Starblanket, which was described as follows:

According to scholar Adam Hanieh, transforming our current climate trajectory means confronting 'the multiple logics of a social system that has served to center oil throughout all aspects of our lives, and we cannot extricate ourselves from oil's pervasiveness, certainly not at a pace necessary to halt runaway climate change, while remaining within this social system.' Can seeing climate change as symptomatic of systems and structures shed greater light on the impacts of ongoing colonial policies and institutions?

In this session, we ask how we can move beyond event-centric journalistic practices to reflect underlying structural problems, system change, and long-term solutions. Relatedly, we also unpack what Candis Callison calls 'crisis-talk,' where the only allowable discourse is 'what must be done now,' foreclosing larger questions of how we got here or what led up to such crises."

✪ 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 at UBC ✪

// CREDITS: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Cloud Seven' by Joseph Sacco (CC-BY); 'Leverage,' by 1000 Handz (CC BY)

ON THIS EPISODE: BFF: Beyond Fires & Floods—part four, featuring the back half of "Storytellers Without Borders," the lead-off session on BFF's second day, where close to 40 scholars, journalists and experts gathered to discuss Indigenous climate narratives last October at UBC.

Returning with their thoughts are panelists Tristan Ahtone, Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, Deborah McGregor and Stephanie Wood, along with contributions by fellow BFF attendees Mark Trahant, Gina Starblanket, Cutcha Risling Baldy, and Eriel Tchekwie Deranger.

✪ 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: Our intro/extro theme is 'nesting' by birocratic; 'Cloud Seven' by Joseph Sacco (CC-BY).