Unreserved

In November 2012, a remarkable movement began. Indigenous people across Canada pledged that they’d be Idle No More.

It was in response to proposed legislation that many believed would take the relationship between Indigenous people and Canada backwards. Bill C-45 would affect the Indian Act, the Navigable Waters Protection Act and the Environmental Protection Act. Thousands of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people took action. They used teach-ins, flash mob round dances and rallies to try and stop the bill. It was a resistance movement that shook a nation. And this year Idle No More is 10 years old.

This week on Unreserved, we talk to those who were part of the movement to find out how the drum beat of Idle No More continues to reverberate in our hearts, our communities and around the world.

Sylvia McAdam and Sheelah McLean are two of the founders of Idle No More. Along with Nina Wilson and Jessica Wilson, the four Saskatchewan women began to spread the word through social media and used teach-ins to educate people about the 400-page omnibus bill. Soon, the movement spread across the country and eventually around the world.

Idle No More called out to Indigenous people to rise and Widia Larivière answered that call. In the early days, the enthusiasm she saw sweeping the country hadn’t quite reached Quebec. So Widia set out to organize the first rally in that province and it lit a fire in her that continues in her work today with Mikana, an organization that educates the public about Indigenous realities and experiences.

On December 22, 2012, bustling Christmas shoppers at Winnipeg’s Polo Park Mall were met with a 4000-strong Idle No More round dance. People wearing ribbon shirts, skirts and regalia replaced the winter clad crowd. Drum beats overtook the carols being played over the intercom and soon both levels were lined with dancing people. Aiden Todd brought her then 6-year-old daughter Ryleigh to the round dance that day to make sure her daughter felt the strength and resistance of her community.

This week on Unreserved, Indigenous people who are decolonizing the sky!

Pilot and entrepreneur Teara Fraser’s entire career has been about the sky. The Métis woman began as a pilot. Then she started an aerial photography company. But it wasn’t long before she aimed even higher, by being the first Indigenous woman to launch an airline in Canada – Iskwew Air. Now she is a leader in her efforts to rematriate the aviation industry.

We fly all the way to coastal Labrador to meet Zoie Michelin. She is a First Officer on Air Borealis, a crucial link within Nunatsiavut. They fly everything from passengers to cargo to and from isolated communities. But the airline based in Goose Bay is also breaking gender and language barriers with its first all-female Inuit flight crew.

CEO of Indigenous Aerospace Jacob Taylor uses the sky as a highway. Jacob is teaching community members in Moose Cree First Nation how to use drones to transport goods like medicine and food into hard-to-reach communities. But he says the sky's the limit on where First Nations could take drone technology.

November is when we don our red poppies and remember our veterans, those who fought for Canada in war time. While November 11th is Remembrance Day across our country, November 8th is National Indigenous Veterans Day.

Sargent Tommy Prince is one of Canada’s most decorated Indigenous soldiers. We visited Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Manitoba to learn more about the hero and the man. Students Kash Thompson, Micah Sinclair and Kendrick Bear give us an enthusiastic tour around and show us the humble monuments that bear this local hero’s story. Gertrude and Bill Ballantyne regale us with stories about Sargent Prince's generosity and humour and his son Tommy Prince Junior shares his fondest memories of his dad.

Even though Indigenous people across Canada were being denied rights as citizens during the great wars, many still chose to stand with the Crown. John Moses knows the minds and hearts of Indigenous soldiers on a personal and historical level. He served with the Canadian Armed Forces for five years and co-authored a Commemorative History of Aboriginal People in the Canadian Military. He discusses Indigenous soldiers' many motivations for enlisting and the impact their service had on their home communities.

After decades lying in unmarked graves – the names of eight Indigenous veterans are now etched in stone. Earlier this year, The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte found and marked their resting places. Chief Donald Maracle of Tyendinaga Mohawk Council says they are taking action to make sure the soldiers are never forgotten again.

Francis Pegahmagabow was one of the most highly decorated Indigenous soldiers. “Peggy,” as many called him, was from Wasauksing First Nation near Parry Sound, Ontario. He served as a marksman in the First World War and had over 300 enemy kills and captured 300 more. But back home, the Canadian government and its Indian agents made life difficult for Peggy. Decades after Pegahmagabow made history, a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people decided to tell his story through music. That group included Armand Garnet Ruffo, an Ojibway poet and professor at Queen’s University and Brian McInnes, the war hero’s great-grandson and the author of a book about his great-grandfather’s life. Together they created Sounding Thunder: The Song of Francis Pegahmagabow, which debuted at Parry Sound’s Festival of the Sound in 2018.

It started with daily phone calls with his grandfather during the early days of the pandemic.

Evan Pang was living in Toronto and he wanted to make sure his grandpa up in Thunder Bay was doing ok.

But pretty soon, those conversations got deeper. His grandfather shared stories about his years as a child at McIntosh Residential School, the love-story between him and his wife, and the journey of the family name. Evan began to record their chats and the seeds for personal discovery and a creative project were planted.

Two years later, those conversations have evolved into an album, Watin, named after his beloved grandfather. Evan is now Aysanabee, after reclaiming the family name. He was signed by an all-Indigenous label, Ishkōdé Records, and he quit his day job to pursue his dream of becoming a musician.

Ayasanabee’s debut album Watin was just released November 4th. This week, Unreserved host Rosanna Deerchild speaks to him about his musical journey that began with a phone call.

It’s the spooky season! Time for jack-o-lanterns, tons of candy and stories to terrify. Indigenous people have told scary stories for generations to pass on important lessons.

Tlicho Dene author, Richard Van Camp loves nothing more than hearing ghost stories around a campfire and he grew up watching 80's horror movies. Richard is working on a graphic novel about a deadly monster called Wheetago, one of the many creatures that’s tormented Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island since before anyone can remember. He loves the creepy, the chilling and what these eerie stories teach us.

Anishinaabe storyteller, artist and musician Isaac Murdoch shares a Wendigo story that will scare the wits out of you!

Julie Pellissier-Lush is Prince Edward Island’s current poet laureate. When the Mi'kmaq storyteller is not creating poetry, she explores the paranormal. She is working on a book about the spirits that remain after death, still wandering the shores of PEI, including the witch of Port-La-Joye.

Who you gonna call when you hear a bump in the night? Six Nations Investigating Paranormal Encounters, or SNIPE of course. These ghost hunters live for a good scare! But Haudenosaunee group member Artie Martin’s first night out with SNIPE at the Mohawk Institute Residential School left him with chills.

For Dan SaSuweh Jones, a writer and artist from the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, places like cemeteries are haunted for a reason and the stories we tell about them can serve some surprising purposes. He visited Indigenous communities across the United States and gathered stories about their ghosts, witches and supernatural beings.

Sacheen Littlefeather, activist, actor and healer passed away on October 2, 2022 from breast cancer. She was 75 years old. Littlefeather is iconic for a moment at the 1973 Academy Awards when she stole the spotlight – rejecting Marlon Brando’s Oscar – and shined it on how Native American people were depicted in film and television, as well as the Wounded Knee Occupation. Fifty years later, the Academy apologized to her for the abuse she suffered during and after the broadcast.

Just a few weeks before her passing, Unreserved host Rosanna Deerchild had the honour of speaking with Littlefeather. They talked about that moment on the international stage and how it all started with a letter. But there was so much more that didn’t make it into the original broadcast.

This week on Unreserved, we bring you Part 2 of their conversation. It's the story of what happened after the Oscars: how Sacheen was ‘pushed out’ of Hollywood and ‘pushed into’ a lifetime of activism, teaching and healing.

These ‘tiny horses with giant spirits’ once lived alongside Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island. But after contact with Europeans, they were culled to near extinction. Now the small but hearty breed is making a comeback, thanks to a growing number of Indigenous people.

Artist and knowledge keeper Rhonda Snow was a small girl when she overheard some elders talking about the Ojibwe Spirit Horse and was captivated. She has dedicated her life to recovering and reclaiming the spirit horse and making sure the little ponies thrive.

Madahoki Farm is an Indigenous tourism and gathering space in Ottawa and home to Stanjii, Kita, Sweetgrass, and Cedar. Trina Mather-Simard is the executive director and helps look after the spirit horses there.

Ken MacDonald raises his Ojibwe Spirit Horses under a wide-open Manitoba sky. When he’s not caring for his ponies, Ken plays French horn for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Ken teamed up with Rhonda Snow, Cree composer Andrew Balfour and Anishinaabe hand drummer Jodi Contin and they created The Spirit Horse Returns. Jodi Contin shares what inspired her compositions in The Spirit Horse Returns and explains how her community of Wasauksing First Nation lived and worked with the ponies many years ago.

Darcy Whitecrow and his partner Kimberlee Campbell brought the horses back to Seine River First Nation and opened Grey Raven Ranch. There, they run a program for youth that shows Ojibwe Spirit Horses still hold the important role of teacher and helper for the Anishinaabe.

Her powerhouse presence in music, education and cultural reclamation left an indelible mark on an entire generation of Indigenous people. Her music stretches over six decades, she has spoken up for Indigenous people during countless interviews, taught us on Sesame Street and won an Academy Award.

In this intimate conversation, Buffy Sainte-Marie shares what it takes to stay on the map when others erase you, how to teach tough truths with kindness, and what living in the circle really means.

As we gather for the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we find out where we are on the journey and hear from people walking the reconciliation talk.

Each year, the Yellowhead Institute writes a report on how many of the TRC's 94 Calls to Action have been completed. Eva Jewell is the research director at the Yellowhead Institute and co-author of the report. Find out why she says Canada is way behind on the reconciliation journey and why September 30th is more than just another stat holiday.

Kayla Littlepoplar is the first ever official Indigenous Youth Leader at BGC Canada (formerly Boys and Girls Club). The teen from Sweetgrass First Nation has been sharing Indigenous culture and language with kids in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. But this new national platform means the 17-year-old leader-in-the-making will reach even more people.

And Indigenous people from coast to coast tell us what they'll be doing on September 30th, what the NDTR means to them, and how they think non-Indigenous people can contribute to a better shared future.

This week on Unreserved: Indigenous people across Turtle Island conserving, preserving and caring for Mother Earth.

You'll meet Rick Beaver, an ecologist who is working to protect the black oak savannah in his home community of Alderville First Nation. He uses an interesting tool - fire.

We take you to the Manitoba wilderness where you'll meet Kenton Sangster, Blaze Head, Neepin Cook, Shaquiell Beardy and other Indigenous youth building and maintaining part of the Trans Canada Trail in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. They're participating in a six-week program that connects them with Indigenous knowledge keepers, gives them hands-on skills, and opens the door to a career outdoors.

And in southwestern BC, Aq'am community leader Bonnie Harvey shares how Elders are sharing their knowledge about the land with young people and helping them become the next generation of "guardians".