RAVEN (De)Briefs

Right now, across Turtle Island, we are experiencing a flowering of anti-racist activism. On the other hand, we still contend with a system where Indigneous Peoples make up 5% of the country’s population but more than 30% of the prison population. As an organization dedicated to seeking justice, RAVEN is joining the conversation about those gross inequalities.  Music by Snotty Nose Rez Kids.

For the RAVEN (De)Briefs podcast “Indigenous Foodways” series, we spoke with celebrated author, distinguished professor emeritus and outstanding botanist Nancy Turner. She shared her perspectives from the decades of work she’s done travelling around the Canadian west, writing dozens of books and articles and, most importantly, cultivating friendships with Indigenous knowledge keepers. 

Turner combines a botanists’ understanding of classification and an ethnographers’ attunement to human culture. Here, she  reveals the intricacies of interspecies dynamics that form the basis of Indigenous People’s deep affinity to the lands and waters. 

Part 2 of our series on Indigenous foodways and features Ed Jensen of Secwepemc Nation in south central British Columbia. 

Just as his Nation embarks on an historic Title Action to assert Indigenous sovereignty over traditional territories that were never ceded through treaty, Jensen is involved in practicing, teaching and breathing life into Secwepemc hunting traditions. Grounded in Secwepemc laws that were taught to him by his uncles and grandfather, Jensen is bringing those traditions forward by teaching new generations of Indigenous - and non-indigenous - people about  stewardship practices grounded in reciprocity and respect. 

The type of knowledge that Ed Jensen speaks about as a hunting guide and carrier of Secwepmec traditions is part of the evidence being gathered to form the basis of the Title case: proving that aboriginal ownership of, and jurisdiction over, lands and waters pre-dates colonization relies on oral histories like the ones Jensen is carrying. 

Jensen’s work involves not only carrying and passing knowledge, but in creating artistic and functional hunting tools based on the designs of his ancestors. He’s one of the world’s pre-eminent flint-snappers; his studio in Kamloops is full of beautifully wrought spears, arrowheads, and bone-handled knives that are made entirely from natural materials. Another way that Jensen shares his knowledge is through mentorship - just as his own uncles did with him, Ed is bringing up a new generation of Secwepmec hunters, and working to change the culture of hunting from the collection of trophies, which is what it has become in mainstream, colonial society, to a practice that is about deep attunement with the land and deep relationship with the animals themselves. 

For Part 1 in our series on Indigenous Foodways, we’re talking with Jess Housty, executive director of Q'qs Society,  from her kitchen in Bella Bella. Jess shares with us the story of her community’s Granny’s Gardens: an Indigenous food sovereignty project that is rooted within the traditions of Heiltsuk Nation on British Columbia’s central coast. 

Our guest on this episode is pioneering human rights lawyer and trailblazer on the path to Indigenous sovereignty, Dr. Judith Sayers. We spoke with Judith just as her community was reeling from the violent murder of Chantal Moore at the hands of police. Hear from participants in the Indigenous Justice Summit who gathered in the wake of Chantal Moore’s killing.

Sayers also shares her perspectives on Indigenous power generation; as President of Clean Energy BC, she is leading the wave of Indigenous solar, wind and run-of-river producers in the province.

For more on Indigenous justice, visit https://raventrust.com

On this episode, we took a walk with the  director of the world’s first Joint Degree Program in Indigenous and Common Law, Val Napoleon, and her colleague Rebecca Johnson. Meet Julianna Alexander, a Secwepmec elder and research partner with the Indigenous Law Research Unit, and soon-to-be-lawyer and student researcher Carolyn Belleau.

Chief Ross presided over one of the most tumultuous - and triumphant - periods of modern Indigenous sovereignty assertion.

Stepping into office at the height of the nation’s battle against Taseko mines, whose Prosperity Mine New Prosperity mine projects necessitated a 10 year legal battle - funded with support from RAVEN - Chief Ross also jumped into the Supreme Court challenge that ultimately led to the declaration of Aboriginal Title for Tsilhqotin - the first in the country and a groundbreaking victory that is setting the stage for a new form of Indigenous governance and relationship with Canada. 

Chief Russ Myers Ross saw his Nation through one of the most historic periods of the past century. Elected chief at just 30 years old, Ross  illuminates the struggles and joys of working for his community at a time when Indigenous sovereignty is on the rise. A must-listen: be inspired by Ross’s vision to lift people up while keeping grounded in ancestral customs and laws. 

Nikki Iyolo Sanchez has been a wilderness guide and environmental educator in the Nuu-chah-nulth territory of Clayoquot Sound for over 10 years, and  is currently overseeing the first ever Indigenous Storyteller edition with Telus STORYHIVE; a project to provide funding and mentorship for  emerging Indigenous filmmakers in BC and Alberta. All of this while she pursues a PhD with a research focus on emerging visual media technology as it relates to Indigenous ontology.

This week we have a  live recording of the “We Are the Stronghold” benefit concert at Toronto’s Great Hall with Serena Ryder, Chantal Kreviazuk, Cris Derksen, and many more luminaries. Get a glimpse of the strength, unity and power that underlies the Indigenous resurgence that is challenging oppressive systems and remaking Canada.

Immerse yourself in the poetic worldview of Canada Research Chair, Dr. John Borrows. His discourse on the intersection of Indigenous and colonial law is richly adorned with the shapeshifting sounds of Jeremy Dutcher, a classically trained musician who takes 100 year old wax cylinder recordings of his Wolastoq ancestors, and sets them to soaring strings and vocals.  Enjoy a special Earth Day edition of RAVEN (De)Briefs - an affirming podcast that's sure to open hearts and arouse minds.