Talking Leaves: An Indigenous Perspectives Podcast

Podcast transcript (pdf) “Yes, I got knocked down. I got knocked for a loop by this horrible drought combined with whatever blight I got hit with. But I am going to dig deep, draw on strength from my roots, and I am going to assert myself and blossom and think about the next generations as well as myself.”

Indigenous knowledge keepers are viewed as guardians of wisdom and ceremony; to what extent can they become gatekeepers who invite non-Indigenous people in? What aspects of Indigenous cultures should remain off-limits to outsiders?

podcast transcript.pdf "Yes, in Taiwan we do have Indigenous peoples, who are not so well known by the international world because the Chinese influence in Taiwan has been many decades...."

Podcast transcript.pdf Crawford Lake, in Ontario, Canada, has found herself in the middle of controversies about whether she should be the "poster child" for the Anthropocene, a new geological era...

Podcast Transcript (pdf) In November 2023, we (Randy Kritkausky and Carolyn Schmidt) invited four people from different Christian religious traditions to our house. We hoped that sharing a meal might provide an opportunity to further explore a range of interests that had previously been shared only over electronic media. Our wildest expectations were exceeded as life changing encounters unfolded b...

Podcast transcript (pdf) It's been over three years since the publication of Randy Kritkausky's book, Without Reservation: Awakening to Native American Spirituality and the Ways of our Ancestors . In this show we explore what Randy has learned from his readers and how the experiences he discusses in his book are of even greater relevance today.

Podcast transcript (pdf) How did the Indigenous nations of the Pacific Northwest Coast survive ecological and political chaos, and transform their societies to cope....

Podcast Transcript (pdf) Kaitlin Curtice discusses healing through connections with the seasons and with her Potawatomi roots, and the importance of children's books to enable everyone to connect with "the child within"...

Podcast transcript On today’s show, we’ll be interviewing some of the members of the creative team that has worked together to produce an "opera for all ages," The Flight of the Hummingbird. This show carries an Indigenous story, and was developed and produced by a mix of Indigenous and Canadian artists.

Podcast transcript (pdf) Here's the question: what fundamental aspect of being Indigenous continues to be threatened today but is not political, like treaty rights or getting land back, and not economic, like finding new ways to generate income for tribal nations? It's the ways that our Indigenous belief systems - deeply spiritual and affirming routine connections with the animate world -...

Podcast transcript (pdf) Today’s show builds on the discussions of Cultural Appropriation and Cultural Appreciation in our previous two shows.  The goal is to discuss how both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people today can participate and share in the process of Cultural Transformation as we each in our own way seek a new and more sustainable and equitable way of life.

Podcast transcript (pdf) We discuss challenges, problems and opportunities that can arise when non-Indigenous people seek to borrow, adopt, and work to learn from Indigenous teachings and practices.

Podcast transcript⁠ (pdf) Today's show directly addresses a question that we are often asked because of our decades of work on international environmental problems - such as desertification in China, the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the disappearing Aral Sea, and climate change. It's a question that seems to be on the tip of the tongue for more and more people in all walks of life. The ques...

Podcast transcript (pdf) On March 30th, 2023, the Vatican announced that it was renouncing what has come to be known as the Doctrine of Discovery. In this episode, co-host Carolyn Schmidt interviews co-host Randy Kritkausky, asking him to reflect on this development that has huge implications for Indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere and indeed for Indigenous peoples around the world. We&#3...

Podcast transcript (pdf) Today we welcome Damian Costello for the third and final show exploring issues raised by the life and legacy of the Lakota Sioux spiritual leader Black Elk. Damian is Director of Postgraduate Studies and a member of the faculty of NAIITS, the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies. Supplemental article: The Doctrine of Re-Discovery by Damian Costello

Podcast transcript (pdf) We welcome back Damian Costello, an international expert on the life and legacy of the Lakota Sioux spiritual leader Black Elk. Damian specializes in the intersection of Catholic theology, Indigenous spiritual traditions, and colonial history. His PhD is in theological studies from the University of Dayton in Ohio. He is Director of Postgraduate Studies and a member of the...

Full Transcript⁠  (pdf) The first of two shows focusing on Black Elk, a religious leader whose life embodied and transcended the challenges of being on the front lines of conflict between the traditional Indigenous cultures and the Christian cultures of the mainstream newcomers.

Podcast transcript (pdf) Randy and Carolyn discuss why, and how, Indigenous peoples are organizing around these ideas, and also how their concerns are playing out in this month’s international negotiations on biodiversity – the COP 15, held in Montréal.

⁠Podcast transcript (pdf) Today’s show is titled “Reciprocity and Gratitude: Beyond the Words.” We’re going to examine how the meaning of these two terms, reciprocity and gratitude, have changed since the European settlers of North America first celebrated a harvest festival in 1621. We will explore the differences between the cultural concepts of reciprocity and gratitude in European and colonial...

Full Transcript⁠  (pdf) We welcome Peter d’Errico, discussing issues raised by his new book, Federal Anti-Indian Law: The Legal Entrapment of Indigenous Peoples .

Full transcript⁠  (pdf) Our topic today is governance and nature protection in Canadian First Nations. We welcome Savannah Carr-Wilson, speaking with us today from Victoria, British Columbia. Savannah is a Canadian lawyer who has spent the past several years working for Indigenous peoples, supporting them to protect the environment in their traditional territories, and also to address their govern...

Podcast transcript⁠  (pdf) It is an understatement to say that we live in stormy times. Media stories and personal conversations routinely touch on themes of searching, dis-orientation, and anxiety about navigating daily challenges, not to mention finding a safe pathway through a foggy and uncertain future. Feeling lost in a stormy sea kind of sums up the emotional experience. Many of us in mainst...

Podcast transcript (pdf) Today’s show explores two approaches to participating in indigenous culture. We’ll discuss this issue with our two guests, both from Vermont – one Elnu Abenaki, the other non-indigenous.

Podcast transcript (pdf) We meet and talk with urban indigenous residents of Montréal, who are helping to write yet another chapter of ongoing decolonization, cultural revival and resilience.

Podcast transcript (pdf) Today’s discussion features two couples of mixed marriages – that is, one Indigenous and one non-Indigenous partner. We’ll be exploring what we can learn about dynamic indigenous cultures today, and the personal growth of individuals and couples, through looking at the experiences of off-reservation mixed marriages. Perhaps what we're going to deal with today is a litt...