In this episode, I unpack the controversy around Billie Eilish’s “no one is illegal on stolen land” moment and the reaction it sparked online. I also break down the two short videos I posted and why so many people misread my point, I wasn’t doing a personal attack, I was critiquing celebrity worship and the performative nature of award show activism.

From there, we get into something deeper: why the right-wing backlash toward Billie has been unfair and ugly, and how conservatives keep recycling the same tired stereotypes to shut down conversations about Indigenous truth and displacement.

I also bring this back to the classroom. I teach college, and my students pushed this conversation forward, which is exactly what education should do. We talk Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” the power of art as a weapon, and how music can carry movements, expose violence, and force society to look at what it wants to ignore.

Most importantly, this episode is about dialogue. You don’t have to agree with me, or with Billie, or with each other, but we should be able to talk without turning people into heroes, villains, or “perfect allies.” Respecting different perspectives is how we sharpen the conversation and build something real.

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Support the work on Patreon: In this episode, I’m sharing my thoughts after watching the documentary You’re No Indian at a screening here in the Central Valley. This film is a heavy but necessary look at disenrollment and how it impacts Native families and tribal communities across the country.Disenrollment is often talked about like it’s just an administrative issue, but the reality is deeper. It can mean people being banned from their own communities, cut off from services and resources, and in some cases even evicted from their homes. The human cost is real, and it hits even harder when you personally know people involved. I know many of the individuals featured in this film, and I’ve seen firsthand how committed they’ve been to their communities.In this review, I also talk about the tension that sits at the center of this issue. I’m a firm believer in tribal sovereignty and I believe tribes have the inherent right to determine citizenship. At the same time, some disenrollment cases can feel deeply unjust, especially when due process is unclear or inconsistent. And we also have to be honest that there are two sides to these stories. It’s possible that some people seeking enrollment are doing it mainly for benefits rather than cultural connection, and it can be incredibly difficult to determine legitimacy because of complicated histories and messy records.We also get into blood quantum, why it’s a colonial tool, and how it can fracture families and be weaponized in disputes. And I address what the film argues is driving disenrollment in many cases, greed tied to casino money, per capita payments, and the consolidation of power.This is not an easy conversation, but it’s a necessary one. My hope is that we can have more healthy discussion around this topic without outsiders using it as an excuse to attack Native sovereignty.The film is not available for streaming yet and is currently being shown through limited theaters and select screenings, so if you get a chance to see it, I encourage you to go and then start a respectful conversation in your own circles.Drop your thoughts in the comments, but keep it respectful. What does justice and due process look like inside tribal sovereignty#YoureNoIndian #Disenrollment #TribalSovereignty #IndigenousRights #IndianCountry #NativeVoices #NativeJustice #BloodQuantum #Decolonize #LandBack #CentralValley #DrBTeaches

In this episode of the 7th Generation Podcast, Dr. B talks straight about the climate we’re living in right now and why so many people feel unsafe in this settler state. This is not a neat, one topic conversation. This is a jump around episode, because that’s what reality feels like right now. Different headlines, same pattern.

Dr. B starts with the DHS and ICE operations in Minnesota and the fear they’re producing in communities. Then he connects it to the harassment of Peter Yazzie, a Diné man detained despite his citizenship and documentation, and to the near deportation of a Salt River Pima Maricopa tribal citizen that was brushed off as a “clerical error.” Dr. B breaks down why these stories hit Native people differently, because we already know what it means to be treated like you do not belong on your own land.

From there, the episode turns to the rise of boarding school denialism in Canada and why denial is not “just opinion,” it’s violence. It is erasure. It is a push to make the public forget what happened to Indigenous children so the system can keep harming Indigenous people with less resistance.

Dr. B also brings in the story of Jim Thorpe to show how institutions have always been willing to strip Native people of recognition, dignity, and truth, then offer a late correction like it fixes the damage. The throughline is clear. When power feels threatened, the state tightens its grip. Enforcement escalates. History gets denied. And everyday people are left to carry the fear.

This episode is a reminder to stay informed, stay connected, protect your community, and stop acting shocked when the system shows you what it is. The mask is slipping. Pay attention.

Topics covered
DHS and ICE operations in Minnesota
Fort Snelling as a trauma site and why this hits Native communities so hard
The detention of Peter Yazzie
The near deportation of a Salt River Pima Maricopa tribal citizen
Boarding school denialism in Canada and why denial is harm
Jim Thorpe and the long history of institutions doing Native people dirty
Why people feel unsafe right now and what we do with that truth

In this 7th Generation Podcast episode, Dr. B talks about the real reason most people stay stuck. It’s not laziness. It’s the fear of looking dumb, being judged, and hearing opinions from people who aren’t building anything. Whether you’re starting jiu jitsu, changing your lifestyle, going back to school, switching careers, or finally putting yourself out there online, this episode is your reminder that growth requires being a beginner in public. Dr. B breaks down how to stop caring what spectators think, how to use criticism the right way, and how to build confidence through reps, not approval. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time or the perfect version of yourself, this is your sign. Start anyway.

In this solo episode, Dr. B breaks down the rule he lives by when life gets heavy: keep pushing forward, but don’t turn on yourself. He talks about how hard seasons hit everyone, why beating yourself up doesn’t make you stronger, and how grace is not an excuse, it’s a strategy. Dr. B shares a simple way to stay consistent even when you’re stressed, injured, overwhelmed, or not feeling like yourself, by adjusting the plan instead of abandoning the mission. This episode is a reminder that you don’t need to be at your best to make progress, you just need forward motion, one day at a time.

Support the Channel & The Podcast:If you value these conversations and the educational work I do, please consider supporting the show on Patreon. I am a one-man team, and your support keeps the research and content flowing.https://www.patreon.com/c/u40108333

Connect with Dr. B:

• Email: [email protected]

• Instagram: @7thgenpodcast

• TikTok: @mercilesssavagez

Episode Summary:In this special 17-minute "life lesson" episode, Dr. B steps away from the history books to have a candid, unscripted conversation about the hardest lessons he’s learned more than once.

We often move through life expecting that if we give 100%, we will get 100% in return. But the reality is often much harder. Dr. B discusses the vital importance of protecting your energy, finding balance in a chaotic world, and accepting that the love and effort you pour into others may not always be reciprocated and why that’s okay, as long as you take care of yourself first.

This is a raw, rambling, and authentic check-in for anyone who feels like they are pouring from an empty cup.

In This Episode:

• The Myth of Reciprocity: Realizing that what you give to others, you may not receive in return.

• Defining Balance: Why self-care isn't selfish; it's survival.

• The Hardest Lessons: Reflections on life, burnout, and resilience from Dr. B’s personal journey.

• Resource Check: A reminder to engage with the Indigenous Studies Masterclass to sharpen your mind, but to use this episode to sharpen your spirit.

Mentioned in this Episode:

• The Indigenous Studies Masterclass: If you are ready to learn, check out the full playlist on the Dr. B Teaches YouTube channel.

Hashtags:#SelfCare #LifeLessons #DrB #IndigenousWellness #MentalHealth #Burnout #RealTalk #7thGenerationPodcast #Balance

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We are officially 12 episodes deep into the Indigenous Studies Masterclass! In this episode, Dr. B pulls back the curtain on the "why" behind this series.We discuss why critical thinking and lifelong learning are revolutionary acts in a world designed to keep us distracted. Dr. B also opens up about the reality of being a "one-man band" in the content creation space sharing the research process, the books that power the Masterclass, and why independent Indigenous media needs your support to survive.If you are ready to move beyond the soundbites and deeply understand the world around you, this conversation is for you.In This Episode:The Masterclass Update: A look back at the first 12 episodes of the series.The Research: How I take dense academic texts and make them accessible for everyone.The Reality: The truth about doing this without a production team, editor, or research assistant.The Mission: Why education shouldn't be locked behind university paywalls.Support the Channel & The Research: I do not have a team. The research, filming, editing, and planning are all a solo effort. If you value this work and want to help keep it free for students and teachers, please consider joining the Patreon community. https://www.patreon.com/c/u40108333

Connect with Dr. B:Instagram: 7thgenpodcast

TikTok: mercilesssavagez #IndigenousStudies #LifelongLearning #DrB #DecolonizeEducation #IndependentMedia #Sociology #IndigenousCreators #7thGenerationPodcast

There’s a growing breed of so-called “activists” who turned community work into a clout economy.
They show up for cameras, not for the cause. They speak louder than they listen, build brands instead of movements, and profit off pain while pretending to represent the people.

In this episode, Dr. B breaks down the rise of performative activism and the difference between real leadership and the grift. He shares personal stories about fake leaders he’s crossed paths with — the charismatic manipulators who use slogans, entourages, and self-promotion to mask their greed — and how to spot them before they exploit your community.

This conversation isn’t about hate. It’s about accountability, truth, and giving flowers to the real ones out there doing the work without applause — the parents, teachers, language keepers, and organizers who move in silence but carry entire nations on their backs.

Main Themes:

• Performative activism and the social-media grift

• How trauma gets commodified for views

• Traits of fake leaders and how to spot them

• What real leadership looks like in community work

• Shout-outs to the real ones putting in work off-camera

ML&R to those moving quietly and standing tall.
The ancestors see you.

The world feels heavy right now — genocide, political chaos, and rising hate are leaving many of us feeling sad, angry, and hopeless. This episode is about finding strength and hope in dark times, drawing on Indigenous wisdom and community resilience. Our ancestors survived attempted erasure, and their lessons show us how to protect our families, nurture our minds and bodies, and raise the next generation of strong, compassionate leaders. We don’t have to participate in the harm around us — we can resist by caring for each other, staying grounded, and refusing to give up.

This conversation is a reminder to stay humble, stay strong, and keep pushing forward. There are good people out there — and together, we can create something better.

The Declaration of Independence isn’t just lofty rhetoric about liberty—it also calls Native peoples “the merciless Indian Savages.” In this 20‑minute deep dive, Dr. B rips the patriotic varnish off that line, tracing how a single slur—rooted in the Latin silvaticus (“of the forest”) and weaponized by church decrees, colonial propaganda, and Enlightenment pseudoscience—laid the legal and moral groundwork for two and a half centuries of land theft, forced removals, boarding‑school terror, and resource extraction.We start inside Independence Hall: Jefferson’s quill, the Committee of Five, the Dunlap broadside hot off the press, and the first public readings that sent the “savage” signal across the colonies. From there, the episode follows a five‑era timeline—Removal, Reservation Wars, Assimilation, Termination, Extraction—showing how each policy era recycled that founding slur to justify new violence. You’ll hear how Native diplomats, Loyalists, and frontier settlers reacted in 1776; why the “all men are created equal” clause came with a racial asterisk; and how the Doctrine of Discovery still echoes in Supreme Court rulings, school textbooks, and caricature mascots.But this isn’t just history class—it’s a call‑to‑action. Dr. B spotlights today’s Land Back campaigns, language‑revitalization schools, and MMIW organizers who flip the word “savage” on its head by surviving, resisting, and thriving. He challenges viewers to learn whose land they’re on, support Indigenous‑led organizations, and confront the myths your civics teacher skipped.Resources & LinksNative Land Digital Interactive Map – find the original Nations where you live: https://native-land.ca/Doctrine of Discovery primer (U‑N Permanent Forum): https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/Key books• Roxanne Dunbar‑Ortiz – An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States• Ned Blackhawk – The Rediscovery of America• Philip J. Deloria – Playing Indian• Jean O’Brien – Firsting and LastingSupport Indigenous‑led work• NDN Collective (Land Back projects): https://ndncollective.org/• Sovereign Bodies Institute (MMIW research & support): https://www.sovereign-bodies.org/Take the Conversation FurtherAsk one friend if they knew the Declaration uses the term “merciless Indian Savages.” Record their reaction and tag @mercilesssavagez.Drop a comment below: How does this knowledge change the way you see July 4th?Share this video before the fireworks drown out the truth.Follow Dr. BTikTok: @mercilesssavagezInstagram: @7thgenpodcastPodcast: 7th Generation Podcast (all major platforms)Subscribe, hit the bell, and help rewrite the national narrative—because the descendants of those labeled “savages” are still here, sovereign and unapologetic.#IndigenousHistory #MercilessIndianSavages #LandBack #DecolonizeNow #HiddenHistory #DoctrineOfDiscovery #MMIW #Native #DrBTeaches #7thGenerationPodcast