I didn’t know this history of Canada at all and at points in this conversation I’m genuinely speechless. In this episode of The David Watson Podcast, I’m joined by Angie Elita Newell, an Indigenous historian and author, to talk about the part of Canadian history many people outside Canada (and even inside Canada) were never properly taught: residential schools, forced assimilation policies, and why these stories aren’t just “the past” for Indigenous communities. Angie shares her own family experience, explains how government policies evolved over time, and why it matters to talk about history in a way that’s honest, nuanced, and human. We also explore what gets simplified in mainstream history, how stereotypes form, and how we move forward without erasing what happened. This is a conversation about Canada, Indigenous history, and the reality that modern history can still be living history. In this conversation: • What residential schools were, and why they lasted so long • The shift from removing children to placing them in non-Indigenous homes (Sixties Scoop) • Why Indigenous history in North America is complex, not black and white • The long shadow of colonial policy in modern life • How to talk about history without becoming trapped in bitterness • Why learning the truth changes how you see the present Angie online: Website: www.angieelitanewell.com/all-i-see-is-violence Chapters: 00:00 Intro: “I didn’t know this history” 01:31 Angie’s background and becoming a historian 02:43 Residential schools explained 03:58 Family impact and child removal policies 06:19 “This is recent” (70s, 80s, 90s) 09:21 Why Indigenous history is “Swiss cheese” and deeply nuanced 10:40 Making history accessible, not just academic 14:31 Why these policies still matter today 15:41 Acknowledging history instead of “separating” it 17:01 Stereotypes vs reality of Indigenous civilizations 18:12 “Most people in the UK don’t know this exists” 21:53 Museums, archaeology, and what gets taken 22:45 Stonehenge, Avebury, and layered history 24:35 The colonial blueprint isn’t new 26:04 The “apocalypse” framing and what gets lost 30:19 Death before dishonour and last stands 32:50 Female warriors written out of history 35:18 “This is still in the 21st century” 36:23 Modern harms and why it hits like a punch 39:51 Governments, hypocrisy, and denial 41:58 Arrests for resisting school removal 43:01 Reservations, rations, dependency, and urban relocation 45:09 American Indian Movement and Wounded Knee 46:14 How England changed Angie’s opportunities 48:26 Middle ground vs extremes 50:10 “There isn’t a right answer, only what we do next” 51:23 Letting history inform tomorrow, not poison it 52:12 Tangible history and living memory 55:24 Custer, contradiction, and the tragedy of Little Bighorn 57:08 Oral history, archives, and building the novel 59:05 The Guernsey/Jersey film example and complexity 1:02:07 Where to find Angie and the book 1:03:10 Time machine question: DeLorean, Chichester, Led Zeppelin 1:04:25 Closing reflections
