Calling All Kin

Calling All Kin
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Calling All Kin is a podcast about the changing landscape of Indigenous child welfare in British Columbia, and the people and approaches that help keep Indigenous families together in systems designed to pull them apart. This seven episode mini-series features Indigenous child welfare change-makers—advocates, activists, lawyers, service providers, leaders and Elders—who have ‘answered the call’ to protect children and uphold Indigenous determination. Interviews cover practices, policies, and perspectives that place kin and community at the centre of child welfare decision-making.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Episode #5 Children for the Land, Land for the Children with Kanahus Freedom Manuel

    When Kanahus Manuel gave birth to her first child, she refused to register them with the state and its colonial institutions. Instead, she opted to raise them according to traditional practices, including Indigenous ways of schooling, healing, hunting, and gathering. Kanahus Manuel is a Secwepemc and Ktunaxa activist, birth keeper, land-defender and founder of the “Freedom Babies” movement. In this episode, Kanahus discusses building the Freedom Babies movement and how it offers an alternative vision for protecting the next generation from the harms of assimilation. Additional resources: Learn more about Kanahus’ grandfather, George Manuel,  here, here, or check out his book The Fourth World: An Indian Reality Learn more about Indigenous birth work, Indigenous midwifery, and Indigenous reproductive justice in Canada here, here, here, and here To learn more about the Tiny House Warriors movement see here, here, and here Purchase the documentary Freedom Babies directed by Doreen Manuel. Watch the trailer here Read more about Kanahus’ perspective on land defense in this article Kanahus mentions the work of economist Joseph Stiglitz. Explore how he applies his economic theories in service of Indigenous communities in Canada here  Follow Kanahus on Instagram @Kanahus.tattoos

  2. Oct 21

    Episode #4: Bringing Indigenous Children Home with Kirsten Barnes

    Kirsten Barnes successfully fought to bring a Gitxsan girl back to her family after she had been in care for six years in a non-Indigenous home. Barnes, a former elected Chief of Gitanmaax and the Indigenous Justice Centre Clinical Director at the BC First Nations Justice Council, is unapologetic in her fight for her nation to assume control over child welfare service delivery. For her, Gitxsan child welfare is not just a “program,” but a “way of life.”  Note: At the time of recording, Kirsten still held her role at the BC First Nations Justice Council but since then, starting September 2026, she has pivoted to a new role as Associate Lawyer at Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, Canada’s largest law firm serving Indigenous clients. Congratulations, Kirsten, on your new position! Check out her bio page at OKT here. Additional readings: To learn about the life and legacy of Indigenous law professor Perry Shawana, read the UNBC announcement here To explore the landmark Delgamuukw v. British Columbia decision on Aboriginal title and Indigenous rights, go here. For case notes, see this To learn more about the The Federal Act and “Coordination Agreements” as described within the Act, see An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (S.C. 2019, c. 24) To watch the news report on the Gitanmaax Band and hereditary chiefs standing together to protect a child in care, view the Global News report here To read about An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families and the legal recognition of Indigenous jurisdiction, go here  To learn about the Powley decision and the “Powley test” used to officially confirm/recognize Metis identity, see here. To explore academic critiques/explorations of the Powley Test, as well as its applicability in the BC context, see here and here and here To read “Stories of Contemporary Metis Identity in BC” see here Read the Canadian Bar Association’s Toolkit around Indigenous children’s rights in Canada Read this CBC article about the “controversial rise of the eastern Metis” To further explore the prioritization of “permanency” over “cultural connection/belonging” in Indigenous child welfare disputes, see here, here, here, here and here to see how this issue is taken up outside of the Canadian context To learn more about Metis Nation BC see here To learn more about 92.1 Agreements see here To learn more about the Indigenous Services Canada FNCFS Program (funding for prevention, protection, band rep, post-majority, infrastructure, etc) see here To learn about applying for federal funding to establish a Band Representative position in First Nations communities, go to the Band Support Funding page Reach out to OKT Law (where Kirsten now works). OKT Law provides CFS and Band Rep support. If you want more information about how to establish your own band rep program or your nation wants to pursue jurisdiction feel free to reach out to Kirsten directly at K.barnes@oktlaw.com  To read more about Chief Kirsten Barnes and the Gitanmaax Chief and Council, explore the Gitanmaax Council page here To learn more about “roots workers” and the important role they play in connecting children in care to their families/communities-of-origin see this article If you’re looking to connect with a roots worker, try connecting with your local/closest child welfare office, or your local/closest Native Friendship Centre. If there isn’t someone in an official role, they may be able to connect you to someone in the community who holds this kind of genealogical knowledge/memory and plays this role in an unofficial capacity. See here for an example of how roots work is done at the community level to help members find their way home

  3. Oct 14

    Episode #3: Prevention over Punishment with Katharina Stocker

    For 15 years, Haida auntie-advocate Katharina Stocker served as Executive Director of NIȽTU,O Child and Family Services Society, championing a simple philosophy: prevention, not punishment. The NIȽTU,O Child and Family Services Society provides families with the support they need, so their children are not removed. And it works! Over a five-year period, not a single child from her member nations was taken into provincial care. In this episode, Katharina offers a masterclass in culturally-appropriate, trauma-informed care that truly centers children and families. Note: Though we refer several times to “Delegated Aboriginal Agencies” in this episode, these agencies no longer go by that name and are now referred to as “Indigenous Child and Family Service Agencies” (ICFSA) to reflect Indigenous jurisdiction over child welfare. See here for a description of how ICFSAs function. Additional resources:  To learn more about NIȽ TU,O Child and Family Services Society, visit https://niltuo.ca/  To learn more about the Sweet Dreams Safe Sleep Program, see here Read more about the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) ruling, which found the federal government discriminatory in its funding of child welfare on reserves  For context on the ongoing reforms to the First Nations Child and Family Services Program, specifically the redirection of prevention funding directly to First Nations communities, view the official government information here To learn more about what Katharina’s refers to as “malicious reports” (also known as “malicious referrals”) see this source and this source (specifically Chapter 3, Section that begins on page 121: “Nothing to Hide: Anonymous Reporting as Colonial Accountability” which discusses both “malicious referrals” weighed against the “duty to report” in community and in child welfare service delivery)  On how to deal with a false/malicious report, see this guide here

  4. Oct 7

    Episode #2: Breathing Life into Indigenous Law with Tara Williamson

    Tara Williamson was nearly taken in the ‘sixties scoop,’ but now she navigates the child welfare system as an adoptee, a parent, and legal expert. A member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation and the Co-Research Director at the Indigenous Law Research Unit, Tara partners with First Nations to revitalize and articulate their own family laws under Bill C-92. Williamson shares why it’s important to “breathe life” back into Indigenous laws around children and families, and what’s at stake when we talk about keeping children at the center of child welfare decision making. Music Credits: Little Star is Written and performed by Tara Williamson; produced by Jim Bryson; recorded at Fixed Hinge Studio in Stittsville, Ontario by Jim Bryson; mixed by Jim Bryson at Fixed Hinge Studio; and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova at Bova Lab Studio in Ottawa, Ontario.  Available on Bandcamp and other major streaming platforms. Album art is by Michael Dudeck. Additional Resources:  Landmark Reports, legislation and more:  To learn about the Kimelman Report (“No Quiet Place”), a 1985 landmark child welfare review, read the report via the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society To be informed about The Indian Act, find the full text via the Department of Justice Bill C-92 & Indigenous Jurisdiction:  An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (Bill C-92) To  review the Yellowhead Institute Critique on Bill C-92, see this and this.  Indigenous Law Research Unit (ILRU) Reports include Nawendiwin: The Art of Being Related – Anishinaabeg Kinship-Centred Governance and Family Law and in the BC context, The Coast Salish Laws Relating to Child and Caregiver Nurturance & Safety Toolkit Sixties Scoop & Historical Context: Read Tara’s reflections on the Sixties Scoop in her 2017 article: Just What Was the Sixties Scoop? Raven Sinclair’s work on the Sixties Scoop (Identity lost and found: Lessons from the sixties scoop) CBC’s Report on FN Children in the Sixties Scoop: Indigenous children for sale: The money behind the Sixties Scoop On Indigenous family reunification in the wake of Sixties Scoop removals, see Reunification as Refusal: Kin-Making and Unmaking in the Aftermath of Indigenous Child Removal “Finding Cleo” (CBC Podcast) Read up on the MMIW Report: Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Check out the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) Archives for residential school documentation. Family Policing & Birth Alerts: To read about family policing read Dorothy Roberts’ Torn Apart,  and for legal and family support, reach out to West Coast LEAF For education regarding the practice of birth alerts and subsequent abolition efforts, read up on this lawsuit and this resource

  5. Sep 30

    Episode #1: Hopping on the Caravan with Kukpi7 Wayne M Christian

    In 1980, a 25-year-old Wayne Christian led the historic Indian Child Caravan to Vancouver, a thousand-person march that successfully clawed back jurisdictional control over Indigenous children. That march paved the way for the landmark Bill C-92, which recognizes the jurisdiction of Indigenous nations to enact their own child welfare laws, policies, and approaches to child and family service delivery. In this episode, Chief Wayne discusses the Caravan’s enduring legacy, and his lifelong commitment to those he set out to march for: children.  Additional Resources: To read about the Indian Child Caravan, the political movement to confront the state’s removal of Indigenous children and the subsequent victory for First Nations jurisdiction, explore the history here and here.  Find here the foundational political work of George Manuel through his seminal book, The Fourth World: An Indian Reality, and the Declaration of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (often referred to as the “Red Paper”). For more information on the federal framework for Indigenous jurisdiction over child welfare: Bill C-92, view the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (Bill C-92). Visit the UBC Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) for resources on the history and legacy of residential schools in Canada. To learn about Jordan’s Principle – the legal rule ensuring First Nations children have equitable access to government-funded services, regardless of jurisdictional disputes – you can find more information from the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society. Note on terminology: For help understanding the choice to use “Indigenous” versus “First Nations” in this series, see here For an (unfinished) history of Indigenous refusal to systematic child removal in BC see also Chapter 2 of Erika’s dissertation Making Kin / Unmaking the Colony: Indigenous Refusal in the Era of Colonial Child Removal

  6. Sep 24

    Calling all Kin Series Trailer

    Calling All Kin launches Wednesday, September 30th, 2026, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Listen to our trailer and subscribe today. This podcast is about the changing landscape of Indigenous child welfare in British Columbia, and the people and approaches that help keep Indigenous families together in systems designed to pull them apart. This seven episode mini-series features Indigenous child welfare change-makers—advocates, activists, lawyers, service providers, leaders and Elders—who have ‘answered the call’ to protect children and uphold Indigenous determination. Interviews cover practices, policies, and perspectives that place kin and community at the centre of child welfare decision-making.

  • 6 Episodes

About

Calling All Kin is a podcast about the changing landscape of Indigenous child welfare in British Columbia, and the people and approaches that help keep Indigenous families together in systems designed to pull them apart. This seven episode mini-series features Indigenous child welfare change-makers—advocates, activists, lawyers, service providers, leaders and Elders—who have ‘answered the call’ to protect children and uphold Indigenous determination. Interviews cover practices, policies, and perspectives that place kin and community at the centre of child welfare decision-making.

Information

  • Creator
    Calling All Kin
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Calling All Kin
  • Show Website
    Calling All Kin

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