Unmapped: Portland

“I know I’m Indigenous. But am I Mi’kmaw?” Luna Red always knew she was Black and Indigenous, but it took a move from the city to the rez to connect with her Mi’kmaw culture. Rosanna sits down with east coast recording artist Teineisha Richards, AKA Luna Red, to hear how the birth of her first child inspired her to reconnect with her family’s community of Bear River First Nation. Teineisha says the move means her children will grow up rooted in Mi’kmaw values, culture and language.

“The war never leaves the man," sings Mike Bern, and as the son of a Vietnam vet, he would know. The impacts of service on our Indigenous veterans is often overlooked and misunderstood, but as Rosanna hears this week, it’s never too late to offer support and connection. Whether it’s ensuring Indigenous veterans have access to life-changing benefits or  honouring a loved one with a street or a song, these community connectors are making sure our Indigenous veterans receive the love and attention they deserve.

c̓ʔak̕ʷm Jennifer Lewis knows she can’t stop a wildfire, “But I sure can support and love.” This summer, as fires raged around them, she brought her nation together to pray, sing, and grieve together. Rosanna speaks to people from Mi’kma’ki to the Okanagan who are recovering from wildfires and planning for what comes next. And the solutions come in many forms: from technology, to forestry, to ceremony.

Even entomologists find some bugs gross, but Kyle Bobiwash says everything has its place! Rosanna speaks to nature lovers who remind us that “All My Relations” includes even the ones we sometimes find a little creepy or gross. Whether they're researching bats, slugs or moustachioed bees, these helpers are casting creatures in a different light, so that we respect and protect everyone’s place in the circle.

Grandmother Lucy Ducharme wants you to walk with water, and she’s not the only one. More and more Elders and water advocates across turtle island are asking us to rethink our relationships with our waterways by spending some time with them – like Elder Sharon Day who has led over 20 walks across a number of rivers in the United States, and isn’t done yet. We hear about how water walking isn’t just putting one foot in front of the other, it is a ceremony, prayer and song. From the Red River to the mighty Mississippi, Rosanna and guest host Falen Johnson hear from people who are taking it upon themselves to walk the walk of our water ways.

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s commitment to authentic storytelling is rooted in her experience as an Inuk woman. From documentaries to the successful series North of North, she’s been sharing stories about the North, from the North for over two decades. Now, she’s leading the development of Iqaluit’s first production studio, something she calls "a physical symbol of our audacity." Rosanna hears why starting a business in the North can be challenging and how Indigenous-led investment and development projects are helping to strengthen Northern communities.   

Tania Cameron says the question of separatism is tied to treaty, and so she brought her Rock the Indigenous Vote campaign to Alberta to help educate communities and encourage them to have their say at the polls. Rosanna hears how communities are mobilizing in Alberta through the courts and at the ballot box, and the authors of Talk Treaty To Me weigh in on how the Alberta referendum presents an opportunity to all Canadians to consider treaty rights and responsibilities.

“Displaced relatives,” not invasive species – that’s how the Friends of Tryon Creek think about plants and people. Rosanna hears from coordinators Lili Yazzi and Lena Ouse-Hicks on how a mission to restore a native forest is also healing relationships between communities. And – how can I put reconciliation into action? That’s what Elin Sandberg Miller asked when she moved to Canada from Sweden. Enter Derek Aronhie:nens Montour, who told her his powerful story of facing racism in the Canadian military. Their friendship kickstarted an ongoing conversation about what it means to bring reconciliation into our everyday lives.

Wapato and fish: these were the first foods of the Portland food scene – before Portland was Portland, of course. Indigenous tribes as far as Canada’s Great Plains traveled down the Columbia River to the U.S Pacific Coast to gather, trade and share. Rosanna takes us to Portland, Oregon to hear from a community builder, an anthropologist and a coffee connoisseur. It’s all part of our latest episode of Unmapped where we look at popular travel destinations through an Indigenous lens.

“It encapsulated all of the injustice that has been done to Indigenous people across Canada.” 10 years ago, Colten Boushie’s death sent shockwaves across Canada and unearthed deep tensions rooted in colonization and systemic racism. Rosanna speaks with the Baptiste family about their healing journey – Colten’s mother, Debbie, fighting for justice, his brother, William, speaking truth to stereotypes, and his uncle Alvin, working through culture and ceremony to prevent future tragedies. We also hear from the family’s lawyer, Eleanore Sunchild, who takes us back to the night Colten died and explains why the details of his death should still matter to Canadians.