In this live episode, recorded before an audience in October 2023 at Paul O'Regan Hall in Kjiupuktuk, shalan joudry, Trina Roache, and Rebecca Thomas, along with Stephanie Domet and Sue Goyette, explore what it means to live in a modern Mi'kma'ki. Our theme music is by Raymond Sewell from the original soundtrack of the film You Can Call Me Roger, produced and directed by Jon Mann and available to stream now. Our cover art is by Jordan Bennett. Our transcript for this episode was prepared by Tyra Denny, who included anglicized versions of Mi'kmaw words as they were spoken throughout. This podcast is supported by a grant from the Nova Scotia Department of Culture, Communities, Tourism, and Heritage, and it's sponsored by ABO Energy. Find more at https://www.afterwordsliteraryfestival.com/modern-mikmaki Tell us what you thought by emailing info@afterwordsliteraryfestival.com. And consider leaving us a review—your review helps other listeners decide to press play on a Modern Mi'kma'ki Transcript Rebecca Thomas (00:02): 'Ku-way, Neen Del-louise-si Rebecca Thomas, del-lay-ah-we G-book-tuk, Me-ga-ma-ki Wet-ta-bec-si, Lenox Island, Ay-bu-kwet. Hi, my name is Rebecca Thomas. I live here in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and my family is rooted in Lennox Island First Nation, Prince Edward Island, shalan joudry (00:17): Del-louise-si Shalan Joudry. Neen Ah-tu-gu-ay ah-k ke-ku-na-ma-si wu-la sis-ga-muk. We-ki Oh-suk-kuk I'm Shalan Joudry. I'm a storyteller and an ecologist, and I live in Elsetkuk, first Nation Trina Roache (00:33): Ku-way Del-louise-si Trina Roach del-lay-ah-we Gloosecap, First Nation. Hi, I'm Trina Roach. I belong to the Gloosecap First Nation. A Mic-maw community here in what we now call Nova Scotia. I'm a journalist and I worked for APTN, the Aboriginal People's Television Network for many years. Now, I teach journalism at the University of King's College here in Ok-gi-book-tuk. More and more I find myself asking the question, "how can media decolonize the way we tell stories in a modern Mi-k-ma-ki?" Sue Goyette (01:39): Hi, my name is Sue Goyette. I'm a poet and educator and I live in G-book-tuk, Halifax Nova Scotia. Stephanie Domet (01:45): And I'm Stephanie Domet. I'm the co-founder and co-executive director of the Afterwards Literary Festival in G-book-tuk Mi-k-ma-ki. And this is a modern Mi-k-ma-ki. a four-part podcast in which we're asking questions about what it might feel like, look like and be like to live in a modern Mi-k-ma-ki today and in the future. So, what you'll hear in this first episode is a live conversation that we recorded in October, 2023 in front of an audience at Paulo Regan Hall in Halifax Central Library. On stage that night were Shalan Joudry, Trina Roach and Rebecca Thomas. Whose voices you'll hear in conversation throughout these four episodes. You'll hear me too asking questions. Also, on stage with us then and in our subsequent conversations was the poet, Sue Goyette. Who contributed warm energy and companionship and the listening and learning ear of a white settler. You won't often hear her voice in these conversations, but her presence with us was vital and we were glad of it. (02:48) So, we began the night with a poem from Rita Joe called "My River Runs Free". Suppose you were I and you accepted everything in resignation. Bending to all of the wishes since discovery. Supposing I were you and I worked on your spirit to do my bidding. Like the river's rush of overflowing banks, carrying the debris across the land. The waste, desecrating the beauty that is supposed to be there. The beginning of our contact, marred by oppression for so long. But we are not trading places. We are who we are. And you still acting like the overflowing river, creating a turmoil where it is supposed to run smooth. I am a native of this beautiful land still bending to your wishes. My children read of your heroes not mine. Reading of your heroes who put a bounty on my head putting salt on my wounds every time their names are mentioned. (03:52) Do you not think it is about time we compromised? I am a native of this land. Let us trade places this time. You see my side of the story. Maybe, we may reach others who do not see. Opening their eyes against the ignorance of racism. A broken record of willpower gone wrong. Where else can this river flow? How high the banks? the seed has to land somewhere. Why not here? Canada, Canada let us not be backward, but go ahead. Discrimination does not suit the land. Our rivers run free. We educate, we practise, we tell, we love, we love. I should know I have worn your moccasin for so long. Today I want to wear mine. My story told in the schools. Today I share "My River Runs Free". Stephanie Domet (05:08): Ku-way, neen del-louise-si Stephanie Domat. Neen Del-lay-ya-way G-Book-Tuk. I'm the co-founder and co-executive director along with Ryan Turner of the Afterwards Literary Festival. We are thrilled to have you with us here tonight and we do all our festival work in G-Book-Tuk, in beautiful Mig-ma-ki where we're so fortunate to live. This beautiful place is the traditional and unseated territory of the Mig-ma people past, present, and future. I'm standing on this land tonight with a lot of gratitude. For the waterkeepers, the language keepers, the story keepers, the knowledge keepers. I'm thinking about the uncertain future we're always heading into and how indigenous ways of knowing and understanding are the ones I want at the fore leading us. Stephanie Domet (05:57): Because those ways are informed by relationship. And I'm really grateful to the writers of the ones who will be here tonight and many others. And the thinkers and storytellers and activists who are letting me learn from and with them. So, I think of a land acknowledgement as an invitation. To consider how and where I'm standing and what my responsibility is to this place. And to everything and everyone I'm in relationship with. And then to do my best to be a better cousin today than I was yesterday and a better cousin tomorrow than I am today. Maybe you see that invitation too. So this is a live recording of for all intents and purposes, the first episode of a new podcast called "A Modern Mi'kma'ki". (06:41) The idea for this podcast arose out of an ongoing conversation that Shalan Joudry and I have been having over the last several years. And we started by talking about language reclamation. And one day Shalan observed that a learner can pick up all the vocabulary words they want. But ultimately, to learn to speak Mig-ma requires a kind of paradigm shift. A cultural shift in thought. And at some point in that conversation, she dropped the phrase a "Modern Mi-kma-ki". And I said "what's that?" And she said "I don't know." And I said "well, I want to live there. How can I live there? What do I have to do to live there?" And, so basically here we are. Ready to begin the public conversations that might move us closer to living in a Modern Mi-kma-ki. So, over the last six or so months, Shalan and I expanded our conversation to include Trina Roach and Rebecca Thomas along with Sue Goyette. And I'm going to invite Shalan, Trina, Rebecca, and Sue to join us here on stage. What I really want to do is throw it open to conversation with the kind of a central question. Shalan, and it's one that I posed to you all those months ago "what is a Modern Mi-kma-ki?" (07:58) Take it away, Shalan. shalan joudry (08:02): I will spell it out for you. No, no. This is the ongoing quest and vision. So, you know. When we say that our elders have taught us to vision forward many, many generations. For example, Seven Generations or more. I mean, how many of us have actually tried to do that? And I have. And so when I think about not just the future, but, as it ripples back to me. What is my role in my very short lifetime in looking back and honouring our past. And then trying to do what I need to do in order to be a good ancestor. What are the things that I need to do? And we all know that we no longer live in the same ecosystem or society that our ancestors lived. And every single day I feel like many of us wrestle with, "okay then what are we bringing with us from so many generations ago?" (09:13) What are we trying to reclaim from so many generations ago? What are we trying to keep alive from so many generations ago? What of those things are still part of our lives today? Because not all of them are. So what are the things that I still want to be alive and for me to be living and passing on to my kids? And then I feel like we just have so many conversations about that. So, because I think about that, then that's why it comes up in conversation. Well, what is not only the Modern Mi-kma-ki today. But what is the Modern Mi-kma-ki that I can dream up? The best case scenario and that dream, that vision is what I want to head towards. Those are the dreams that get me out of bed in the morning because there's so many disaster stories. And there was one time we were on conversation, I was like, "I'm having a bad day ah ha people". There's so much negativity. And so, how can we brush enough aside to say, "but I still have enough hope to launch me into action" as well. And not feel like it's all futile. And so these are the things that I feel like we've been speaking about. So I'd like to keep passing that on. Rebecca Thomas (10:35): Well, I mean I'm writing notes as you're talking. It always gives me ideas to think about. Like "how do it be a good ancestor?". And I also think about we seek and we try so hard to preserve because we have so much of our culture. We have that dubious honour of being the first contacted here in North America. And I feel sometimes, a lot of times people speak about what was lost or the thread bareness that is culture here on the east coast. But I also hope that while we seek to repair and to reclaim. That we also push for flexib
