On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by fellow Cree speaker Cameron Adams. Cameron is a proud member of Berens River First Nation in Treaty 5 Territory and is on his journey to becoming a fluent Cree language speaker. His hope for revitalizing Indigenous languages shines through, making him a powerful example for Indigenous Peoples seeking to deepen their language learning - wherever they may be on their journey. Shownotes:

• Berens River First Nation
• Gimli, Manitoba
• University of Manitoba - Department of Indigenous Studies
• McGill University - Indigenous Studies and Language Revitalization
• McCall MacBain Scholars
• Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages
• n-dialect language app, nēhinawēwin
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action

• TRC Commissioners

Ayaya is a proud sponsor of the Roots and Hoots podcast and you can visit their website at ayaya.ca

For more information about the Legacy of Hope Foundation, please visit legacyofhope.ca

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is joined by his friend, Cree actor and former Chief of Fox Lake Cree Nation, Michael Lawrenchuk. Michael discusses the road that led to his impressive acting career and how it continues to save and heal him. In 2014, Michael became a fellow of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London and is a member of the actors union ACTRA - from whom he is set to receive The Vic Cowie Award in 2024. Michael has been involved in countless plays and tv and film projects such as Indian Horse, based on the book written by the late great Richard Wagamese. Their conversation spans decades and Michael and Gordon take us on a journey to their homeland of Northern Manitoba and discuss the eternal nature of storytelling.

Show Notes

• Gillam, MB
• Trapline
• Natural Resources Transfer Acts
• York Factory
• Hudson’s Bay Company
• Fox Lake Cree Nation
• Nelson River
• Indian Status, 'wards of the Federal Government'
• Pass System in Canada
• The Globe Theatre in London
• William Shakespeare
• King Lear
• Romeo and Juliet
• Indian Horse
• Richard Wagamese

Recommended

• Article: Indian Horse: 10 things about the groundbreaking new Canadian film (2018)
• Photo Essay: State of erosion: the legacy of Manitoba Hydro (2020)
• Article: Fox Lake’s promised land (2022)
• Article: What is Method Acting? How Great Actors Prepare (2024)
• ACTRA - Manitoba - Vic Cowie Award

Ayaya is a proud sponsor of the Roots and Hoots podcast and you can visit their website at ayaya.ca

For more information about the Legacy of Hope Foundation, please visit legacyofhope.ca

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is joined by Inuk hunter, community and family man, Johnny Flaherty. The two discuss life up in Canada’s Northern Arctic and Johnny shares stories of his many polar bear hunts and travels with his dog sled team.

Show Notes

• Nanook of the North (1922)
• Filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty
• Inuit High Arctic Relocation Program
• Inuktitut
• Swarovski Binoculars
• Yamaha VK540 Snowmobile
• Inuit Sled Dogs
• Qamutiik
• Sea Ice
• Arctic Animals
• Arctic Hare
• Map of Nunavut

Recommended

• Martha of the North (2008)
• What I Remember, What I Know: The Life of a High Arctic Exile by Larry Audlaluk
• Episode 25 - Roots and Hoots Interview with Larry Audlaluk
• Polar Knowledge Canada
• Arctic Circle
• Inuit Nunangat
• Nunavut Hunting Regulations 2023-2024
• Declining Caribou Population

Ayaya is a proud sponsor of the Roots and Hoots podcast and you can visit their website at ayaya.ca

For more information about the Legacy of Hope Foundation, please visit legacyofhope.ca

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is thrilled to be joined by artist and filmmaker Shelley Niro. Shelley is a member of the Six Nations Reserve, Turtle Clan, of the Bay of Quinte Mohawk. In this interview, Shelley and Gordon discuss the evolution of Shelley’s artistic process and her recent film Café Daughter.

Show Notes

• Six Nations of the Grand River
• Silent Speakers
• Voices from the Land: Indigenous Peoples Talk Language Revitalization (podcast)
• Ontario College of Art (now Ontario College of Art and Design University)
• Film, Café Daughter
• Dr. Lillian Eva Quan Dyck, OC
• Filmmaker Anna Gronau
• Playwright Kenneth T. Williams
• Play, Café Daughter
• imagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival
• Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch

Recommended:

• Shelley Niro website
• Documentary: Reel Injun

Ayaya is a proud sponsor of the Roots and Hoots podcast and you can visit their website at ayaya.ca

For more information about the Legacy of Hope Foundation, please visit legacyofhope.ca

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence sits down with Apooyak’ii/Dr. Tiffany Hind Bull-Prete. Tiffany is a member of the Kainai (Blood Tribe) of the Siksikasitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy). She is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Lethbridge. Tiffany recently curated the 'Stolen Kainai Children: Stories of Survival' exhibit, showcased at the Galt Museum & Archives in Lethbridge, Alberta. In an interview with Gordon, they delve into the evolution of the Residential School System, Tiffany's aspirations to take the exhibit international, and the importance of access to and awareness of the histories and policies behind the Residential School System, for the healing journeys of Survivors and intergenerational Survivors.

Show Notes:

• Chief Mountain
• Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy)
  • Siksika Nation (Blackfoot)
  • Piikani Nation (Peigan)
  • Kainai (Blood Tribe)
  • Amskapi Piikani (Blackfeet Nation)

• Souta Calling Last’s ‘Blackfoot Place Map’
• The Residential School System
• Indian Day Schools
• Industrial Schools
• Beadworking as an Indigenous Research Paradigm
• The Indian Act (overview)
• The Indian Act (document)
• Repatriation of Indigenous artifacts
• Canadian Museums and Reconciliation
• Stolen Kainai Children: Stories of Survival
• Galt Museum & Archives
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
• European Funding of Residential Schools on the Blood Reserve

Ayaya is a proud sponsor of the Roots and Hoots podcast and you can visit their website at ayaya.ca

For more information about the Legacy of Hope Foundation, please visit legacyofhope.ca

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon sits down with Natasha Fisher, an Ojibwe and Finnish singer, songwriter, and producer from Long Lake #58 First Nation. Natasha’s wisdom coupled with a delightful sense of joy and down-to-earth personality shines throughout the interview as she and Gordon discuss her community, her music and upcoming projects and the experiences that have helped shape her into the woman she is today.

Show Notes:

• Ernest Monias
• Lie to me by Natasha Fisher featuring Nimkii
• NIMKII & THE NINIIS
• The Reach for Life Tour
  • Stallone Quequish aka The Sunsetting Kid
  • Classic Roots
  • Drezus
  • Jay Mak
  • Natasha Fisher
• Indigenous_baddie - Michelle Chubb
• Notorious Cree
• Lily Gladstone
• Scott George and the Osage Singers’ performance at Oscars 2024
• Discovery of unmarked graves at former Residential School sites across Canada

Communities mentioned:

• Long Lake # 58 First Nation
• Round Lake First Nation
• Cree Nation of Wemindji

Additional resources:

• Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga
• Spirit to Soar, Mashkawi-manidoo bimaadiziwin by Makwa Creative

Ayaya is a proud sponsor of the Roots and Hoots podcast and you can visit their website at ayaya.ca

For more information about the Legacy of Hope Foundation, please visit legacyofhope.ca

To learn more about CanadaHelps, please visit:

CanadaHelps - Make it Monthly info page