In this episode of the Red Man Laughing podcast we're proud to roll out the show's very first featured chats. We're honoured and privileged to present Mohawk scholar, writer and professor, Taiaiake Alfred. As one of the world's leading Indigenous scholars, Taiaiake is an integral part of the new wave of Indigenous Academia, leading a movement of young Indigenous learners into the mainstream with a firm understanding of the past to lead us into the future. We talk about the reclaimation of cultural identity, forming and reforming our relationship with Canada, Taiaiake breaks down the power that the land gives us AND we even bridge the subject of a "Monty Python-esque Fish Slap" to a certain leader of a certain country.

Connect With Taiaiake Alfred

http://twitter.com/taiaiake

http://taiaiake.posterous.com/

Gerald Taiaiake Alfred is a Full Professor in IGOV and in the Department of Political Science at the University of Victoria. He specializes in studies of traditional governance, the restoration of land-based cultural practices, and decolonization strategies. He is a prominent Indigenous intellectual and advisor to many First Nation governments and organizations. He has been awarded a Canada Research Chair, a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the field of education, and the Native American Journalists Association award for best column writing.