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the downstream people, the elders with Betty Gaedtke (ep 2, 09).

In this episode, we sit down with Betty Gaedtke, an elder of the Quapaw Nation and the only known Quapaw potter actively reviving the traditional art of her ancestors. Through her work, Betty is not only shaping clay but reclaiming history, restoring cultural identity, and ensuring that Quapaw traditions endure for future generations. She shares the deep connection between Quapaw pottery and the land, the stories embedded in each vessel, and the resilience of a people who refuse to be forgotten.

Episode Webpage:  https://www.theunderview.com/episodes/the-underview-downstream-people-quapaw-betty-gaedtke

About the underview:

The underview is an exploration of the development of our Communal Theology of Place viewed through the medium of bikes, land, and people to discover community wholeness.

Website: ⁠⁠theunderview.com⁠⁠
Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@underviewthe
Host: @mikerusch

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunderview/message

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In part three of the underview with Melissa Horner, we explore how settler colonialism continues to impact Indigenous communities today, from intergenerational trauma to systemic challenges. Melissa highlights the importance of shifting from deficit-centered narratives to celebrating the resilience, agency, and cultural beauty of Indigenous peoples. 

The discussion addresses the Vatican’s 2023 repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery and President Biden’s formal apology for the Indian boarding school era, examining the need for meaningful action to pair with these symbolic gestures. Melissa emphasizes the work still required to dismantle settler colonial frameworks and invites listeners to consider their roles in creating a more equitable and relational future.

https://www.theunderview.com/episodes/the-underview-doctrine-discovery-settler-colonialism-melissa-horner-part-2-3

About the underview:

The underview is an exploration of the development of our Communal Theology of Place viewed through the medium of bikes, land, and people to discover community wholeness.

Website: ⁠⁠theunderview.com⁠⁠
Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@underviewthe
Host: @mikerusch

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunderview/message

Send us a text

In part two of the underview with Melissa Horner, we delve into the enduring impacts of settler colonialism on relationships with land, community, and identity. Melissa contrasts Indigenous relationality, rooted in responsibility and reciprocity, with Western notions of ownership and possession. 

From historical land dispossession to modern systems like conservation, medicine, and capitalism, she unpacks how settler colonial frameworks persist today. The discussion highlights how these systems affect everyone differently, sparing no one, while offering a pathway to reframe our connections through responsibility, relationality, and equity.

https://www.theunderview.com/episodes/the-underview-doctrine-discovery-settler-colonialism-melissa-horner-part-2-3

About the underview:

The underview is an exploration of the development of our Communal Theology of Place viewed through the medium of bikes, land, and people to discover community wholeness.

Website: ⁠⁠theunderview.com⁠⁠
Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@underviewthe
Host: @mikerusch

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunderview/message

Send us a text

In this episode of the underview, Melissa Horner introduces listeners to the foundational principles of settler colonialism and its enduring impact on U.S. society. Beginning with her personal story, Melissa shares how her identity as a Métis citizen and descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa informs her work and perspective. She frames settler colonialism not as a historical event but as an ongoing framework that influences every aspect of American life, from land ownership to cultural norms. Melissa also explores the Doctrine of Discovery and its role in legitimizing colonization, alongside concepts like terra nullius, manifest destiny, and westward expansion, which reinforced settler claims and erased Indigenous sovereignty.

Throughout the conversation, Melissa details the systemic policies—such as the Indian Removal Act, the creation of reservations, and the Indian boarding school era—that systematically dispossessed Native peoples of land, culture, and community. She outlines four key components of settler colonialism: the elimination of Indigenous peoples, the imposition of property systems, the erosion of relationality, and the limiting of societal options. By weaving historical context with her own experiences, Melissa invites listeners to reconsider how these structures persist today and to begin the work of understanding their pervasive influence on both history and the present.

https://www.theunderview.com/episodes/the-underview-doctrine-discovery-settler-colonialism-melissa-horner-part-1

About the underview:

The underview is an exploration of the development of our Communal Theology of Place viewed through the medium of bikes, land, and people to discover community wholeness.

Website: ⁠⁠theunderview.com⁠⁠
Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@underviewthe
Host: @mikerusch

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunderview/message

Send us a text

the origin culture with Jazlyn Sanderson.

Episode 5 of Season 2 of the underview takes a deep dive into the story of Northwest Arkansas through the lens of art, culture, and history with Jazlyn Sanderson, Director of the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville. Jazlyn’s passion for preserving Indigenous narratives reveals how the art, tools, and traditions of the past connect to the land and its people. 

This episode is vital to Season 2's theme, “the story of Northwest Arkansas”  as it reminds us that the roots of this region go far deeper than modern development. The museum helps to bridge the the culture and art of past and present, offering insight into the identities of the Indigenous people who first called this land home. 

https://www.theunderview.com/episodes/the-underview-origin-culture-jazylyn-sanderson-monah

About the underview:

The underview is an exploration of the development of our Communal Theology of Place viewed through the medium of bikes, land, and people to discover community wholeness.

Website: ⁠⁠theunderview.com⁠⁠
Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@underviewthe
Host: @mikerusch

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunderview/message

Send us a text

the beginning with Dr. Melissa Zabecki.

Episode 4 of Season 2 of the underview takes us deep into the rich history beneath our feet with Arkansas State Archeologist Dr. Melissa Zabecki. 

From her childhood obsession with Egypt to her work uncovering the stories of Arkansas’s past, Dr. Zabecki shares how archeology reveals the vibrant lives of the people who came before us. 

She discusses the importance of preserving cultural heritage, the evolving role of Indigenous voices in archeology, and the tough balance between development and conservation. Dr. Zabecki’s insights challenge us to rethink what we value, reminding us that the land holds stories that shape our present and future.

https://www.theunderview.com/episodes/the-underview-beginning-archeologist-dr-melissa-zabecki

About the underview:

The underview is an exploration of the development of our Communal Theology of Place viewed through the medium of bikes, land, and people to discover community wholeness.

Website: ⁠⁠theunderview.com⁠⁠
Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@underviewthe
Host: @mikerusch

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunderview/message

Send us a text

the story of Northwest Arkansas with Mike Rusch

In this second season of the underview: the story of Northwest Arkansas, we trace the stories that have shaped this region, from early conflicts between Indigenous nations and European settlers to the creation of the state and the ongoing struggles for freedom, community, and belonging.

This is not just a journey into the past—it’s an exploration of Northwest Arkansas through the voices of those living today, whose lives are profoundly shaped by our shared history.

Join Mike Rusch as he invites us to remember, honor, and repair these stories, working together to create a Communal Theology of Place.

https://www.theunderview.com/episodes/the-underview-story-northwest-arkansas-mike-rusch

About the underview:

The underview is an exploration of the development of our Communal Theology of Place viewed through the medium of bikes, land, and people to discover community wholeness.

Website: ⁠⁠theunderview.com⁠⁠
Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@underviewthe
Host: @mikerusch

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunderview/message

Send us a text

In this second season of the underview: the story of Northwest Arkansas, we trace the stories that have shaped this region, from early conflicts between Indigenous nations and European settlers to the creation of the state and the ongoing struggles for freedom, community, and belonging.

This is not just a journey into the past—it’s an exploration of Northwest Arkansas through the voices of those living today, whose lives are profoundly shaped by our shared history.

Join Mike Rusch as he invites us to remember, honor, and repair these stories, working together to create a Communal Theology of Place.

https://www.theunderview.com/episodes/the-underview-season-2-introduction-mike-rusch

About the underview:

The underview is an exploration of the development of our Communal Theology of Place viewed through the medium of bikes, land, and people to discover community wholeness.

Website: ⁠⁠theunderview.com⁠⁠
Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@underviewthe
Host: @mikerusch

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunderview/message

Send us a text

In this second season of the underview: the story of Northwest Arkansas, we trace the stories that have shaped this region, from early conflicts between Indigenous nations and European settlers to the creation of the state and the ongoing struggles for freedom, community, and belonging.

This is not just a journey into the past—it’s an exploration of Northwest Arkansas through the voices of those living today, whose lives are profoundly shaped by our shared history.

Join Mike Rusch as he invites us to remember, honor, and repair these stories, working together to create a Communal Theology of Place.

https://www.theunderview.com/episodes/the-underview-season-2-introduction-mike-rusch

About the underview:

The underview is an exploration of the development of our Communal Theology of Place viewed through the medium of bikes, land, and people to discover community wholeness.

Website: ⁠⁠theunderview.com⁠⁠
Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@underviewthe
Host: @mikerusch

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunderview/message

Send us a text

the city council with Bill Burckart.

Episode 42 features Bill Burckart, the current Bentonville City Council Member for Ward 3, Position 2. We discuss his last four years in office, his accomplishments, his vision for the city, and his campaign as he seeks reelection.

https://www.theunderview.com/episodes/the-underview-bentonville-city-council-bill-burckart

About the underview:

The underview is an exploration of the development of our Communal Theology of Place viewed through the medium of bikes, land, and people to discover community wholeness.

Website: ⁠⁠theunderview.com⁠⁠
Follow us on Instagram: ⁠⁠@underviewthe
Host: @mikerusch

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theunderview/message