Love, Land & Spirit
Love, Land & Spirit is a podcast series about connection, community, culture, and Indigeneity. Written and hosted by a team of four Indigenous youth, Love, Land & Spirit aims to create discussion between youth and knowledge holders about interconnected topics in their lives – in conversation and celebration of Indigenous joy and excellence.
This project underscores the importance of encouraging Indigenous youth to share their unique stories and perspectives. The lasting impacts of the Residential School system and other colonial policies in Canada take on many forms, with fallout experienced by Intergenerational Survivors. Giving youth agency over the telling of their truths is both empowering for the participants and supports healing for the collective community.
Love, Land, & Spirit was produced on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.
Episode 1: LGBTQ2S+ and Indigiqueer Identities “We are the Main Characters”
Guests: Billy-Ray Belcourt and Deadly Nim
In this episode, host Niibin and co-host Shawn explore the topic of LGBTQ2S+ and Indigiqueer identities with: Billy-Ray Belcourt, an author, scholar and poet from the Driftpile Cree nation; and Nim, an Indigenous Tik-Tok content creator (aka DeadlyNim) from Treaty Six territory.
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Episode 2: Repatriation “Coming Home”
Guests: Irene Mills, Lucy Bell, Nika Collison, and Jill Baird
In this episode, host Amelia and co-host Stadskun explore the topic of Repatriation with: Irene Mills, who has been involved in the repatriation movements of the Haida Nation; Sdaahl Ḵ’awaas (Lucy Bell) of the Haida nation, who has been involved in repatriation since 1996 and is now a PhD candidate in Haida museology at Simon Fraser University; Jisgang Nika Collison, of the Ts’aahl Eagle Clan of the Haida nation, currently the Executive Director of the Haida Gwaii museum at Skidegate and a chair of the Haida repatriation committee; and Dr. Jill Baird, the curator of education at the Museum of Anthropology.
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Left: Photo by Karolina Turek
Episode 3: Art is Ceremony and Ceremony is Art
Guests: Jules Koostachin, Casey Desjarlais and Dakota Bear
In this episode, host Stadskun and co-host Niibin explore the topic of Arts & Culture with: Dr. Jules Koostachin, an award winning Cree Filmmaker from Attawapiskat; and Casey Desjarlais, Nehiyaw and Saulteaux from Treaty 4, and Dakota Bear, Nehiyaw from Treaty 6, the owners of Decolonial Clothing.
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Episode 4: Food, Connection, and Sovereignty “Food as Medicine”
Guests: Inez Cook and Jess H̓áust̓i
In this episode, host Amelia and co-host Niibin explore the topic of food and how culture is a medicine for healing with: Inez Cook, a proud member of the Nuxalk Nation in Bella Coola, the owner of Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro and the author of The Sixties Scoop, a children’s book, and Jess H̓áust̓i, a Haíɫzaqv mother, writer, and land-based educator.
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Episode 5: LGBTQ2S+ Youth Navigating the Child Welfare and Education System “For the Youth”
Guests: Lynn Wainwright and Valeen Jules
In this episode, Shawn and Stadskun explore the topic of LGBTQ2S+ youth navigating the Child Welfare System and Education System with: Lynn Wainwright, who is Anishinaabe, a retired teacher, and now works as a teacher-consultant for Indigenous education; and Valeen Jules, who is from the Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwakwaka’wakw nations, a radio producer, youth outreach worker, spoken-word artist, community organizer, workshop facilitator, filmmaker and doula with a passion for nation building and QTBIPOC liberation.
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Episode 6: Indigenous Story-Telling
Guests: Robina Thomas
In this episode, all the hosts of Love, Land and Spirit come together in a roundtable to discuss the topic of Indigenous story-telling and reflect on the first season of the podcast series with Qwul’sih’yah’maht Robina Thomas. Robina is a member of Lyackson First Nation and has Snuy’ney’muxw and Sto:lo ancestry through her grandparents. She is the Associate Vice-President Indigenous and holds a faculty position in the School of Social Work at UVIC. Robina was the inaugural Director and Executive Director of the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement. Her research focuses extensively on Indigenous women, children, Residential Schools, storytelling, and anti-colonial/anti-racist practices as a way of life. Her Master’s thesis focused on Kuper Island Residential School and her PhD. dissertation, “Protecting the Sacred Cycle: Indigenous Women and Leadership,” focuses on Indigenous Women and Leadership.
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Credits
Hosted and written by: Shawn (Gitxsan), Niibin (Anishinaabe), SJ Longtaile (Haida/Cowichan) and Amelia/Gudangee Xahl Kil (Haida)
Centre Coordinator: Jess Boon
Centre Researcher: Mercedes Peters (Mi’kmaq)
Centre Project Manager: Luc Desmarais
Cultural and Elder Support provided by the Indian Residential School Survivors Society: Jeremy Jones (Snaw’naw’as), Chas Coutlee/Sulinek (Nlaka’pamux), and Elder Yvonne Rigsby-Jones (Snuneymuxw)
Music by: Sky Tyance and Summer Tyance
Podcast Art by: Niibin, SJ Longtaile and Charlene Johnny
A Cited Media production: Ren Bangert, Lead Producer; David Tobiasz, Production Manager
