Bemaadizijig Ganoonindwaa: Talking to People

Unpacking Operation Rainbow, Part 1: Glen Hare and Patrick Madahbee on a controversial 1980s Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources sting operation and the fight for Anishinabek harvesting rights on Manitoulin Island. In this episode of Bemaadizijig Ganoonindwaa, host Lisa Abel explores the lasting impact of Operation Rainbow, a controversial undercover investigation conducted by the Ontario Minist...

In this episode of Bemaadizijig Ganoonindwaa, host Lisa Abel speaks with Anishinabek health professionals Shelly Livingston and Donald Corbiere about diabetes in First Nations. Together, they go beyond the medical side to share personal stories and community experiences, exploring how diabetes is connected to history, culture, and daily life. They also talk about challenges like access to care and...

In Part 2 of Finding Percy, Claire Onabigon continues her decades-long search for her uncle Percy Onabigon. With the support of researcher Kelsey Anger, they uncover long-hidden records that trace Percy’s movements through residential school and multiple institutions in southern Ontario. Their work reveals the conditions he lived in, how he was moved without family knowledge, and that he died of t...

Percy Onabigon, an Anishinabe boy from Long Lake #58 First Nation, was taken to a residential school in 1946 and, within months, was transferred without explanation to institutions in southern Ontario, where he lived and eventually passed on without ever seeing his family again. Driven by her family’s enduring love and memory of Percy, his niece Claire Onabigon located his gravesite in Woodstock i...

Indigenous girls, women and Two‑Spirit people are disproportionately targeted by human traffickers. Detective Sergeant Matti Primeau and Crime Analyst Jessica Restoule of the Anishinabek Police Service explain what human trafficking is, and how traffickers use in-person and online tactics to prey on a person’s vulnerabilities. We discuss the importance of sharing protective tools with young people...

In November 2025, the Anishinabek Nation Chiefs in Assembly resolved to move forward with a relationship agreement between the Anishinabek Nation and the Health Sciences North Research Institute . The partners plan to develop research protocols in collaboration with our interested member First Nations. Research protocols are tools that First Nations can use to assert their own data sovereignty and...

Curve Lake First Nation is seeking to become the primary caretaker of Kinomaage Waapkong, also known as the Teaching Rocks, at Petroglyphs Provincial Park. Former Curve Lake First Nation Gimaa Keith Knott discusses the history and significance of Kinomaage Waapkong, a sacred site to the local Michi Saagiig people, that has faced incursions from geologists, academics, and the province of Ontario si...

Pediatric Ophthalmologist Dr. Kourosh Sabri founded the Indigenous Children Eye Examination initiative (ICEE) to help fill a need for vision care in First Nations. Dr. Sabri shares how ICEE offers vision services in a more cost-effective way, and how ICEE is looking to bring other healthcare specialists into First Nations. This podcast is produced by the Communications Department at the  Anishinab...

Educator Kelly Crawford shares the process of creating treaty education materials, including “This is My Treaty,” a new children’s book co-authored with Anishinabek Nation Communications Director, Marci Becking. As Ontario observes Treaties Recognition Week in November 2025, Kelly reflects on why filling gaps in treaty awareness is important for all. This podcast is produced by the Communications...

Jenny-Lou Campbell, Executive Director of the Indigenous Centre of Excellence for Mineral Development (ICEMD), shares how this new Centre is dedicated to advancing Indigenous participation and bolstering the natural, technical, and financial capabilities of First Nations in the mineral development and mining sector.  Jenny-Lou Campbell will be sharing information about ICEMD in person at the 2025...

Anishinaabe mother Rebeka Tabobondung’s intimate docuseries “Spirit of Birth” explores the resurgence in Indigenous birth practices across Turtle Island. It is now streaming on APTN Lumi .  In this episode, Rebeka shares the important role that Indigenous midwives played in First Nations communities before colonization; why Indigenous-led midwifery practices and training programs are so important;...

Jessica Tait, Sustainable Transportation Manager with Indigenous Clean Energy , helps First Nations and businesses plan for the upcoming transition to more electric vehicles on our roads. Canada's Electric Vehicle Availability Standard sets sales targets for new zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), and by 2035, 100% of new light duty vehicles sold in Canada will be ZEVs.  In our conversation, we talked...

The Anishinabek Nation Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Program works to increase the general level of awareness and knowledge of community members about FASD, by offering unique culturally based programs and workshops, providing specialized training and resources to build capacity, and political advocacy to broaden the scope of FASD services for First Nations. In this episode, Lynda Banning, North...

Nokomis Mary Elliott talks about our journey to healing from the impacts of colonialism and intergenerational trauma as Anishinaabe kwe-wuk, families, and communities. Nokomis Mary is Anishinaabe Kwe from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek. She shares her knowledge and wisdom about Anishinaabe traditions and spirituality to organizations across Ontario, including the Anishinabek Nation’s HIV Program. Nokom...

The Ontario Legislature recently passed Bill 5, the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act.”  Anishinabek Nation leadership has been strongly opposed to this legislation, as the provincial government intends to move quickly on creating “special economic zones” where mining, infrastructure and energy projects can bypass provincial and municipal laws, posing serious risks to the environment,...

Dr. Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, Anishinabek Nation E-niiganwidood E’Dbendaagzijig (Citizenship Commissioner), explains how the Anishinabek Nation is asserting the inherent right to decide who our citizens are . The Anishinabek Nation created a Draft Declaration on E'Dbendaagzijig in 2025, and endorsed our own citizenship law, the E-Dbendaagzijig Naaknigewin in 2009. "E'Dbendaagzijig" is an Anishina...

Marsha Smoke, Anishinabek Nation Southeast Regional Chief, explains how the Anishinabek Nation is asserting the inherent right to decide who our citizens are . To move this forward, the Anishinabek Nation created a Draft Declaration on E'Dbendaagzijig in 2025, and our own citizenship law, the E-Dbendaagzijig Naaknigewin in 2009. "E'Dbendaagzijig" is an Anishinaabemowin word that means "Those who b...

Clifford Paul, Moose Management Coordinator at the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR), describes how Mi'kmaq First Nations developed a sustainable moose management plan that balances the exercise of Mi'kmaq jurisdiction and their responsibilities to the land.    Clifford is from Membertou First Nation. He has a BA in Community Studies, and took part in the innovative Integrative Scienc...

Anishinabek families that are involved or at-risk of becoming involved in child protection matters can access support through the Anishinabek Nation Circle Process , a culturally-based, voluntary, child-centered, confidential circle, providing Anishinabek First Nation families with the support needed to create a plan that addresses child and youth well-being issues. This service is coordinated thr...

In 2024, Beausoleil First Nation opened their very own dialysis unit, named Anwaatin Nbi (Calming Waters).  Since Beausoleil is only accessible by ferry, having dialysis available in the community reduces travel and treatment time for each visit from up to eight hours, to just three hours. Deborah Laramey, Director of the Beausoleil Family Health Centre, says that obtaining an important service su...

How can mental health providers and addictions services ensure culturally safe care? Dr. Rennie Linklater shares some of the ways that Shkaabe Makwa, a Centre for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Wellness at CAMH, the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health in Toronto, grounds their work in spiritual, psychological and cultural safety to support Indigenous people on their healing journey.   Rennie L...

Curtis Avery, Manager of the Nipissing First Nation Environment Department , describes the Moose research in their territory. Also: hear the Moose Calling Competition held at the Moose Symposium in September 2024! Curtis shares how the NFN Environment Department is using data collected through satellite imagery, remote sensors, a weather station and trail cameras, as well as on-the-ground surveys,...

Sergeant Chantal Larocque of the  Anishinabek Police Service  shares how to spot the signs of elder abuse and how to protect yourself from scams and financial fraud.   Sergeant Larocque is the Media and Recruitment officer for the Anishinabek Police Service and has been in policing for over 25 years. She is Franco-Algonquin from Mattawa and is a sought-after public speaker. She provides Indigenous...

In this episode, we’ll meet Duke Peltier, the Anishinabek Nation’s Children’s Commissioner (Abinoojiinyan Onji-E-Bimiikang). Duke Peltier was appointed to this role in 2019. He is an independent voice for Anishinabek children and youth advocating for their best interests, rights and well-being. He provides high-level oversight over the implementation, compliance, and enforcement of the Anishinabek...

NaWalka Geeshy Meegwun and Aaron Bowerman share some of the assumptions and challenges Two-Spirit people may encounter when accessing health care, and reflect on the importance of healthy, supportive communities. This is the fourth of four podcasts that Bemaadizijig Ganoonindwaa has created in collaboration with members of the Anishinabek Nation’s Two-Spirit, Two-Heart, Indigenous Queer Nation Adv...