RAIR Digital Dialogues RAIR Collective

Stephanie Morningstar (Kanien’kehá:ka, Wakeniáhten, Mohawk, Turtle clan; She/Her, They/Them) is an herbalist, earth worker, and educator, as well as the executive director and relationships and reciprocity co-director of the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust. In today’s episode, we are very grateful to Stephanie for sharing her knowledge about reclaiming relationships, land rematriation, responsibilities, reparations, and many more interconnected themes.

Melissa West-Morrison is ‘Namgis and Chinese with a passion for growing culturally-relevant food and making medicines on her life-long journey of learning the language of plants. She is the Nursery Coordinator at the Coast Salish Plant Nursery at Maplewood Flats, a community artist, UBC alumni, and recent graduate of the Tsawwassen First Nation Farm School. In today’s episode we are so grateful to Melissa for sharing her journey as a matriarch in training. She talks about the power of plants, ancestral connections, language revitalization, seed sovereignty, and showing up with love.

In this episode we speak with Beze Gray. Beze is an Anishinaabe water protector and land defender from Aamjiwnaang First Nation and has been an active voice in the movement against environmental racism and in support of decolonization from a young age. Along with their ongoing activism, Beze has also been doing land-based work and learning Ojibwe in their own effort to revitalise the language. Beze’s work and activism are varied and pull from their experiences as a Two Spirit youth. We hope you enjoy this conversation! Music by Aysanabee.

Tiffany Traverse is a Secwepmec land and seed steward, farmer and advocate for Indigenous food and seed sovereignty. She recently began a new role as Seed Collection Lead for Aski Reclamation. In this podcast, Tiffany shares her knowledge and experience with Indigenous-led seed projects and her reflections on rematriation, caretaking seed-ancestors, mentorship and many other themes. We loved this discussion with Tiffany and we know you will too! Music by Aysanabee.

In this episode we speak with Alivia Moore and Kessi Kimball from Eastern Woodlands Rematriation Collective -- a grassroots organization aiming to restore Indigenous food and kinship systems and the spiritual foundation of Indigenous livelihoods. Alivia Moore is a member of the Penobscot nation and the two-spirit community. They are a mother, child welfare advocate and co-founder of EWR focused on food systems in tribal communities across the US north-east. Kessie Kimball is a food provider from the Listuguj First Nations Mi'kmaq. Growing and sharing food in the community is the backbone of what she loves and what helps her build relationships for food sovereignty. Please check out more about Eastern Woodlands Rematriation collective online. They are an incredible group of caretakers, and we’re very grateful to Alivia and Kessie for sharing their experiences with us.

In this episode we speak with Amy Seesequasis and Dr. Emily Eaton about The Treaty Land Sharing Network's efforts to bring together a group of farmers, ranchers, and other landholders to begin the crucial work of honouring Treaties. Amy and Emily offer important and timely perspectives and experiences that farmers and other landholders can draw from to support First Nations and Métis people seeking safe access to land to practice their ways of life. We hope you enjoy this conversation! Music by Aysanabee.