Unreserved

“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...

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 cere...

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 th...

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...

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 star...

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 op...

“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. En...

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...

“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 stereotype...

From our friends at Pushkin – this is the untold story of America. This summer the United States celebrated the 250-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. When you read the Declaration, you realize it is a list of complaints. The last entry, the climax in our founders’ reasons for rebellion against the Crown, is this: “He has excited… the merciless Indian Savages, whos...

Have you ever tried gardening by moonlight? Shirli Ewachuk says that thanks to the moon’s connection to water in the ground, the sky, soil and seasons work together to create the juiciest gardens. Shirli tells Rosanna how knowledge like moon planting was passed on by her mother and her aunties — knowledge she now passes on to others. Also on the show, we’ll hear how Gracyn Tanche hopes an upcoming...

As the place where the Assiniboine and Red rivers meet, The Forks marks an important trade route for Indigenous people that pre-dates colonization by thousands of years. This National Indigenous Peoples Day, Unreserved is live from The Forks on Treaty 1 territory! Rosanna captures some of the magic of this place as communities come together to celebrate and share stories of resilience and resurgen...

An almost forgotten dance is making a comeback on the powwow trail. This weekend the Great Lakes Woodland style dance is one of many styles you’ll find at the Wáhkóhtowin Powwow on Treaty One territory in Winnipeg. Rosanna hears from Anishinaabe dancer Ryerson Whetung about the hopping style that is set to a very fast double beat, as well as the floral work and otter turbans that bring this style’...

Did you know the Declaration of Independence contains a racial slur? When Rebecca Nagle learned that “merciless Indian savages” were a main grievance of America’s founders it changed her perspective on history. The Cherokee journalist tells Rosanna how her search for an Indigenous telling of America’s history created the backbone of a new podcast, First America. And, filmmaker Brad Munoa – a membe...

The story of Tshakapesh and his snaring of the sun is another way of explaining the annular eclipse – it’s one of the Innu stories passed down over thousands of years that is based on precise observations of the night sky. Rosanna speaks with astronomer, Laurie Rousseau-Nepton about the methodologies of her ancestors that showed the connections between climate, the earth, the stars, and us. Also o...

As early as the 1500s, the fiddle reached some of the most remote and northerly Indigenous communities on Turtle Island. Dave McLeod says that’s part of the reason country music has such deep roots in community. This week, Dave stops by to share his Indigenous country record collection and Rosanna speaks with classic country soul Zach Moostoos-Willier and Cree country diva Desiree Dorion about why...

Sharing Chickasaw culture through orchestral composition is Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate's heartwork. He wants his music to empower Indigenous people and create an opportunity for them to feel good about themselves, celebrating culture through epic and powerful symphonic scores. This week Rosanna speaks with composers and creators who are creating new spaces on orchestral stages across Turtle Isla...

For generations, Innu women gave birth in traditional tents surrounded by family. Thea Penashue tells Rosanna how she wanted her second child to be born in the same way her own mother was decades before. Also on the show – Christine TooToo’s birth plan went right out the window when her baby came a little early. And Melissa Brown has trained over 2,000 Indigenous doulas across Turtle Island over t...

Scientists started talking about clam gardens in the 90s – but nations along the west coast built and maintained these beaches for thousands of years before. Rosanna speaks with Skye Augustine about the clam garden restoration that is reconnecting community to this traditional way of harvesting. Also on the show – Timothy Smoke on what it takes to learn and pass on knowledge around minomin – or wi...

Have you ever tried to grow vegetables in the dead of winter? Ben Feagin Jr. had an invention for that. He hopes his greenhouse bubble will help provide Indigenous communities with access to fresh produce all year round. This week Rosanna hears from Indigenous entrepreneurs who are creating food security solutions for their communities.

In 2010, a researcher placed an ad in the Lakota Times that read, “Looking for information about mystery woman,” with a 19th century black and white photograph. In the centre of the image, a young Indigenous woman stood surrounded by six men in military uniform. The search for information identified the woman as Sophie Mousseau and led to one of her descendents, Daphne Richards-Cook. This week, Ro...

Every year Canada Reads chooses one book that everyone should read right now – and it’s a series of great debates that gets us there! In this live recording of Unreserved, Rosanna speaks with Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Billy-Ray Belcourt about why Billy-Ray’s A Minor Chorus is THE book for our present time. The story follows a queer Cree man, an academic and writer, who returns to his home commun...

The sight of 191 wild horses pinned in mud is hard to picture and so Jake Skeets turned to poetry. As he learned more about the tragic scene, it became a metaphor for the current climate crisis and its impact on all walks and ways of life. Rosanna speaks with Jake Skeets and Louise Bernice Halfe Sky Dancer about the language of poetry and why its power is so needed today.

They searched for months until the snow came but could not find her. Now, as the weather warms and the ice melts, the community of Arviat renews its search for Kadin Savikataaq. In August 2024, the 20-year-old pilot and experienced hunter disappeared almost without a trace. RCMP say she most likely drowned, but Kadin’s family believes she was murdered and buried somewhere near their village. Guest...

“Boozhoo” means hello in Anishinaabemowin. For Adam Sturgeon, that simple greeting, written in a card he received from his Auntie when he was 10-years old, kickstarted a lifelong quest to reclaim his Anishinaabe identity. Adam speaks with Rosanna about his journey of reconnection and finding belonging and how it's driven him to learn more about his family history.