Indigenous Planetary Health Podcast

HECLab University of Victoria
Indigenous Planetary Health Podcast

We’re burning down our house, and we’re in for nasty weather. But Indigenous peoples have ideas for planetary resurgence and restoration. Professors Heather Castleden and Hōkūlani Aikau bring you conversations with artists, activists, scholars, and other knowledge keepers tackling the climate crisis.

Episodes

  1. FEB 19

    Listening to the Ancestors with Dr. Tommy Happynook

    Carey Newman joins Heather for this episode to chat with ḥapinyuuk (Tommy Happynook). Tommy is čačaac̓iiʕasʔatḥ from huuʕiiʔatḥ (Huu-ay-aht First Nations). He is both ḥaw̓iiḥ (a hereditary chief) and a researcher with the Archipelagoes project. In chatting with Tommy, we learn how he prioritizes community responsibilities and in doing so how it is beneficial to his work as a researcher at the University of Victoria, instead of at odds with it. It is this balance of community member and researcher that is so rare and yet so needed.   We hear, through story, how Tommy’s work intersects with the Seedling Project, which focuses on planting western red cedar seedlings on Vancouver Island. Where red cedar trees take around 600 years to mature, the project envisions future generations and how they may interact with planetary health. This episode reminds us that our actions are not stuck in the calendar day in front of us, and we can use reciprocal practices, like the seedling project, to look forward with hopefulness. In Tommy’s words, the project “is a generational act of reclamation, revitalization, and resurgence.”  Finally, we get to hear about the magic and importance of taking the time to slow down and listen in a world where busy schedules and the written word are prioritized. When we slow our pace, ancestors have a much easier time speaking, and we have a much easier time listening.   Dr. Tommy Happynook is nuučaan̓ułatḥ from Huu-ay-aht First Nations, from the house of čaačaaciiʔasatḥ. He is also an assistant professor at the University of Victoria. His work focuses on reclaiming nuučaan̓ułatḥ knowledge, teachings, language, culture, and identity throughout his family’s ḥaḥuułi (traditional territory). In his research, Tommy views the land, the natural world, the spirit world, not as objects of inquiry, but as non-human knowledge holders and teachers.  This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production support from Cited Media. We receive additional support from the a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcihr-irsc.gc.ca%2Fe%2F193.html&data=05%7C02%7Chokulania%40uvic.ca%7Ca462fd0803d04a3d9b2a08dc801147c5%7C9c61d3779894427cb13b1d6a51662b4e%7C0%7C0%7C638526058931463892%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=KDIN0JGLsVtk6x2XyKGp3bIb4JJLA3Zgh9GLt4wTRXk%3D&reserved=0" target="_b...

    44 min

  2. FEB 5

    The Praxis of Indigenous Environmental Repossession: A conversation with Dr. Chantell Richmond and Dr. Renee Pualani Louis

    Governments and international governmental organizations’ responses to global environmental crises are failing; Indigenous environmental repossession, where it’s happening, is working. In their book, Because This Land Is Who We Are, authors Chantelle Richmond, Renee Pualani Louis, and Brad Coombes explore distinct instances of Indigenous repossession in geographically diverse locales in Canada (Anishinaabe), Hawai’i (Kanaka Maoli) and Aotearoa (Māori).   In this episode, we are joined by Chantelle and Renee to talk about their very different, but mutually reinforcing case studies, and the insights they reveal for other Indigenous communities involved in environmental repossession (i.e., Indigenous Peoples reclaiming their territories and ways of life). We learn about the similarities and differences between repossession and resurgence and how upholding Indigenous responsibilities, placed based values and ontologies, and relational practices are key to healthy lands and peoples. We also hear about how the book was created and the ways relationships between authors were formed and maintained in a good way.  Chantelle Richmond is an Anishinaabe scholar at Western University, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health and Environment. She is also a professor in the Department of Geography and Environment with a joint appointment in the Indigenous Studies program. Chantelle’s work focuses on community-centred models of research that explore the intersection of Indigenous Peoples’ health and knowledge systems within the context of global environmental change.  Renee Pualani Louis is Kanaka ʻŌiwi from the Island of Hawaii. She is an Indigenous geographer and cartographer. Renee currently teaches at the Hawaii Community College and she works with a small community Hawaiʻi based group, Kū a Kanaka. She is passionate about storied place names and their role in Hawaiʻi cartographic expressions. She is also committed to increasing awareness of Indigenous perspectives of science and promoting Indigenous research sovereignty.   This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production support from Cited Media. We receive additional support from the a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcihr-irsc.gc.ca%2Fe%2F193.html&data=05%7C02%7Chokulania%40uvic.ca%7Ca462fd0803d04a3d9b2a08dc801147c5%7C9c61d3779894427cb13b1d6a51662b4e%7C0%7C0%7C638526058931463892%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=KDIN0JGLsVtk6x2XyKGp3bIb4JJLA3Zgh9GLt4wTRXk%3D&reserve...

    57 min

  3. JAN 22

    No More Sacrifice Zones: A Conversation with Indigenous Climate Activist Eriel Tchekwie Deranger

    In this episode, Heather and Hōkū sit down with winner of the 2024 Climate Breakthrough Award, Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, a a Dënesųłiné Indigenous rights and climate activist. Eriel was raised in relation with the ecosystems across so-called Alberta and Saskatchewan, where each part of the land is understood to be a relative. Eriel discusses how the white supremacist perspective that the earth is our dominion to conquer (using the ever-expanding tar sands in her home territory as an example) is a root cause of climate change. She describes how simply reducing greenhouse gases does not reconcile the ways in which human relationships with the natural world are out of balance. She argues that humanity needs a major shift in ideology.   Eriel focuses on strategic disruption to invest deeply in alternative climate solutions that exist outside of colonialism and capitalism. She plans to use funds from her Climate Breakthrough Award to collaborate with Indigenous Peoples from around the world to amplify how Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination are true climate mitigation strategies. This episode also addresses the symbiotic relationship between people and all of Creation as key to understanding the resiliency of ecosystems and the humans within it. Eriel challenges us to resist rhetorics and policies that reproduce notions of “sacrifice zones” and to embrace the ways in which humans are intimately, physiologically, and spiritually intertwined with nature, not external to it.   Eriel is Dënesųłiné and a member of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. Eriel is also a co-founder and executive director of Indigenous Climate Action, an Indigenous led climate justice organization established by Indigenous women in so-called Canada.   This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production support from Cited Media. We are supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. You can find us at the a href="https://indigenousplanetaryhealth.

    56 min

  4. JAN 8

    Yup, we’re still Making Space for Indigenous Feminism: A conversation with Dr. Gina Starblanket

    For decades, Indigenous feminists have documented how colonization and hetero-normative patriarchy have eroded, erased, and eclipsed Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, queer, and feminine men’s contributions to land governance, cultural transmission of knowledge, and keepers of practices and protocol for living in reciprocal relationship with all of creation. We also know that within patriarchal systems, nature is conflated with the feminine as something which can be controlled and from which resources can be extracted without consent or concern for the short- and long-term impacts. Indigenous feminists have provided unequivocal evidence that we cannot solve the current climate crisis without addressing the fundamental problems of colonization and patriarchy. In this episode, Hōkū and Heather sit down with Dr. Gina Starblanket, associate professor in the School of Indigenous Governance, to talk about Making Space for Indigenous Feminisms, the third volume of this important series. As editor, Gina assumed responsibility of caring for and moving this series forward from her mentor Joyce Green. The volume is an intergenerational conversation among Indigenous feminists about the current state of the field and visions for the future. Dr. Gina Starblanket is Cree and Saulteaux and a member of the Star Blanket Cree Nation in Treaty 4 territory. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Victoria in the School of Indigenous Governance, where her work focuses on Indigenous political life, decolonization, Indigenous feminisms, treaty implementation, and relationality. This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production support from Cited Media. We are supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. You can find us at https://indigenousplanetaryhealth.ca/

    39 min

  5. 2024-12-11

    Busting the ‘Illusion of inclusion’ myth at COP29 with Climate Leader Janna Wale

    In our first episode of season two, Heather and Hōkū are thrilled to be hosting Janna Wale, a young Indigenous leader working to heal the planet through place-based, community-engaged practices. In this time of frustration with and despair about the state of local and global politics, this interview with Janna is like a booster-shot of hope. Heather and Hōkū sit down with Janna Wale to discuss the transformative potential of Indigenous youth, many of whom are considered the “seventh generation.” They discuss how young people are guiding critical conversations in climate change, sustainability, and resilience. Janna talks about the “illusion of inclusion” of Indigenous peoples in national and international strategies for mitigating and adapting to climate change. She suggests two ways to bust this myth: First, she talks about the need for more local spaces for communities to convene, share knowledge, and build relationships – localized COPs, if you will.  Second, we hear about Janna’s experience of learning from women leaders and being one herself. In spaces like COP, Indigenous women are taking up long standing leadership roles in their communities and yet they still struggle to be heard at international conventions.   Janna delivers an inspirational message of hopeful action to our listeners. She’s taught, “we must think about taking our little piece of the work as far as we can, so that it’s ready for the next generation to take up, instead of thinking we need to solve every single problem tomorrow.” In this sense, action is a cyclical, intergenerational, never-ending process.   Janna Wale is Gitxsan/Cree-Métis and is the Indigenous research and partnerships lead at Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), and worked with the Yellowhead Institute to write: Bad Forecast: The Illusion of Indigenous Inclusion and Representation in Climate Adaptation Plans in Canada.  This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production support from Cited Media. We are supported by grants from the a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcihr-irsc.gc.ca%2Fe%2F193.html&data=05%7C02%7Chokulania%40uvic.ca%7Ca462fd0803d04a3d9b2a08dc801147c5%7C9c61d3779894427cb13b1d6a51662b4e%7C0%7C0%7C638526058931463892%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=KDIN0JGLsVtk6x2XyKGp3bIb4JJLA3Zgh9GLt4w...

    42 min

  6. 2024-11-27

    EP22: Indigenous economic prosperity is part and parcel of Indigenous planetary health with Dr. Susanne Theissen

    In this episode, Heather Castleden and guest co-host Melissa Quesnelle sit down with Dr Susanne Theissen, who talks about how her life story animates the work she does with Indigenous communities. Armed with a degree in business, Dr. Theissen uses her training to decolonize western constructs of economic prosperity and explains how her approach contributes to Indigenous resurgence and planetary health. This approach is illustrated through a project she is doing with the internationally renowned knitters of Cowichan sweaters. She shares how planetary health is an intertwining of cultural strength, intergenerational strength, economic strength, and intellectual property.  Dr. Theissen’s ancestry traces itself to Haida Gwaii and Gitxsan Territory, but she grew up in Malahat and Cowichan territories. Theissen is the associate director and an assistant professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria specializing in Indigenous Community Development. As a Gitxsan/Haida scholar and practitioner she works from an Indigenous rights-based lens. Her work centers Indigenous resurgence and the decolonization of organizational structures, policy, and processes.  This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production from Cited Media. We are supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Researchand the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. You can find us at https://indigenousplanetaryhealth.ca/

    40 min

  7. 2024-11-14

    EP21: Critical Indigenous fish philosophy and Indigenous Re-Sturgeon-ce with Dr. Zoe Todd

    In this episode, Heather Castleden and guest host Carey Newman chat with Zoe Todd about Indigenous planetary health from the perspectives of fish. Zoe discusses how through critical Indigenous fish philosophy, we can view fish as more than human beings with whom we have a diplomatic responsibility. They discuss how every Nation across so called Canada has a wealth of knowledge and protocols for how to be in good relation with fish. As a species that has survived multiple mass extinctions, we have a lot to learn from fish. The discussion turns to gender and sexuality and particle physics. What may seem like a tangent, Zoe explains what light refraction, seeing through the eyes of fish, has to do with expansive understandings about gender.   Western sciences are realizing more and more what Indigenous peoples have known for a long time: Everything is interrelated. Zoe Todd is Red River Métis and a practice-led artist researcher who studies the relationships between Indigenous sovereignty and freshwater fish futures in Canada. They are an Associate Professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies at Simon Fraser University, and the co-founder of the Institute for Freshwater Fish Futures, which is a collaborative Indigenous-led initiative that is re-storying fish futures together across three continents. In 2020, she was elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production from Cited Media. We are supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Researchand the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. You can find us at https://indigenousplanetaryhealth.ca/

    38 min

  8. 2024-10-30

    “Upholding Indigenous legal commitments to our Kin” with Dr. Heidi Stark

    In this episode, Heather Castleden and guest host, Carey Newman, speak with Dr Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark. Dr Stark shares how she came into academia through a desire to learn her language and how she began to study law because her generation saw promise around the liberatory aspects of the court systems in Canada and the US. She recognizes, as well, how her generation has “stood on the shoulders of giants” of their Elders and how she and others are now clearing new pathways for the next generation to seek justice and resurgent futurities. She also engages with the Anishinaabe philosophy of Mino-Bimaadiziwin as an essential approach to planetary health. Dr. Stark is a Turtle Mountain Anishinaabekwe and an associate professor in the School of Indigenous Governance at the University of Victoria. At the time of this interview, she was the director of the Centre for Indigenous Research and Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE). Dr. Stark holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include Indigenous law and governance, Treaty rights and Indigenous political jurisdiction in the United States and Canada. Focused on both Anishinaabe and US/CA law, her recent work explores the criminalization of Indigenous sovereignty, conditions of consent, and gendered violence. To see some of Dr Stark’s recent work, check out her new co-edited book, Indigenous Resurgence in an Age of Reconciliation with co-host of this podcast, Hōkūlani K. Aikau and Aimée Craft, published with the University of Toronto Press. This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production from Cited Media. We are supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. You can find us at https://indigenousplanetaryhealth.ca/

    41 min

  9. 2024-10-16

    EP19: Inheriting the Sacred Responsibilities to Mother Earth w/Melina Laboucan-Massimo

    In this episode, Heather Castleden and Melissa Quesnelle talk with Melina Laboucan-Massimo about activism, Indigenous resurgence, and land defense, all based in love and care for land and people. Attending her first blockade at age 7, Melina describes her work not so much as protesting, but as her inheritance. Her work with energy justice and energy transition is a sacred responsibility she has inherited to care for Mother Earth. Speaking about her home community in Little Buffalo, which is impacted by one of the largest industrial projects in the world, Melina talks about the simplicity of planetary health meaning clean water, air, and lands. We hear about how art can never be excluded from Indigenous cultures, activism, or movement spaces, and how we are seeing a resurgence of Indigenous governance where decision making power is shared with all genders. Respect for the feminine, in whatever way that shows up in any body, is being rebalanced. Melina Laboucan-Massimo is Lubicon Cree from Northern Alberta. She is the Founder of Sacred Earth Solar and Co-Founder and Senior Director at Indigenous Climate Action. Melina is the inaugural fellow at the David Suzuki Foundation where her research focused on Climate Change, Indigenous Knowledge and Renewable Energy. She is the host of a TV docu-series “Power to the People,” which profiles renewable energy in Indigenous communities across the country. Melina holds a master’s degree in Indigenous Governance from the University of Victoria with a focus on Renewable Energy. This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production from Cited Media. We are supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Researchand the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. You can find us at https://indigenousplanetaryhealth.ca/

    47 min

  10. 2024-10-02

    EP 18: The calm and beauty of co-creating Indigenous operatic planetary health with Marion Newman

    In this episode, Heather Castleden and Carey Newman speak with critically acclaimed and award-winning mezzo-soprano Marion Newman (Carey’s sister!) about the nuances of Indigenous identity, the transformative power of music, and the deconstruction of hierarchal and patriarchal structures in the arts community. Marion discusses a new opera she is developing called Namwayut, meaning ‘We Are All One’, asserting how important it is to understand how we are all related to each other and all living beings. Not only is the content of the opera unique and important, Marion also “flipped the script” of how operas conventionally come together in siloes; she describes how she centered equality, consensus, and humanness and we learn how governance and leadership can be decolonial. We also get a teaser of the beautiful opera story in development, which focuses on what’s possible when we connect with each other, past and present, and all our relations, showcasing how the performing arts can teach us and touch our hearts. Marion Newman is Kwagiulth and Stó:lō First Nations with English, Irish and Scottish heritage, and was born in Bella Coola and grew up in Sooke, BC, immersed in and embraced by her community and culture. She has a Canada wide tour of Ancestral Voices with the Vancouver Symphony, and hosts CBC’s Saturday afternoon at the Opera. This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production from Cited Media. We are supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Researchand the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. You can find us at https://indigenousplanetaryhealth.ca/

    41 min
  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

We’re burning down our house, and we’re in for nasty weather. But Indigenous peoples have ideas for planetary resurgence and restoration. Professors Heather Castleden and Hōkūlani Aikau bring you conversations with artists, activists, scholars, and other knowledge keepers tackling the climate crisis.

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