Matriarch Movement

What does “Indigeneity” look like to you? In this episode, The Matriarch Movement podcast is joined by Shanese Indoowaaboo Steel. Shanese is an Afro-Indigenous, Fat Femme who's fought for the advancement of Indigenous and Racialized student rights within the Post-Secondary institution. Shanese also consults on curriculums and training around Black and Indigenous issues. We discuss the histories of...

For a long time it’s been non-Indigenous people telling Indigenous stories, and that means that stereotypes and a lack of humanity and empathy has been perpetuated in the media for years. Award-winning Indigenous podcaster and journalist, Connie Walker, joins the Matriarch Movement podcast to discuss her approach to trauma-informed storytelling, and what it was like to uncover the truth behind her...

Where do Indigenous youth find the space to be revolutionary? Riley Yesno has explored the many facets of Indigenous resurgence throughout most of her life, and has been advocating for “reconciliation” since she was 15 years old. Her time on the Prime Minister's Youth council was troubling  – proudly hailing herself as a “shit disturber” – but that time still inspired her interest in native politi...

What happens when Indigenous fashion is on the global stage? In February 2023, Sage Paul took seven Indigenous designers to Milan Fashion Week as a part of a three-year partnership between Indigenous Fashion Arts and White Milano, a tradeshow for international womenswear. Sage Paul is the Founding Executive and Artistic Director at Indigenous Fashion Arts, and in this episode I talk to her about h...

In this first 2022 episode of Matriarch Movement, Shayla welcomes award-winning Cree/Métis director and screenwriter, Asia Youngman. Asia’s films have been screened at a variety of festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, the St. Louis International Film Festival, and the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival. Her latest film, HATHA, received support from the Harold Greenb...

This week on Matriarch Movement, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by Dr. Shannon Prince, Attorney, Legal Commentator, and Author of Cherokee descent. Her book Tactics for Racial Justice: Building an Antiracist Organization and Community is forthcoming from Routledge on November 30th as part of the Giving Voice to Values series. She represents the Cherokee Nation in its landmark lawsuit aga...

This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by Jessica Barudin. Jessica is Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, a member of the 'Namgis First Nation with ties to the Kwakiutl and Haxwamis on her mother’s side and Russian-Jewish on her father’s side. She is a proud mother of two daughters, wife, Sundancer, Indigenous health researcher, yoga teacher and doula. She has spent the last ten years working profession...

Jessica Matten is of Red River Metis-Cree descent and is directly a descendant of Cuthbert Grant, the first rebel Metis leader famously known for the Battle of the Seven Oaks in Canada. Most recently, Jessica is set to star in Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) and Graham Roland's produced "Dark Winds" television series opposite Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon for the AMC Network...

Aly Bear (Tatanka Ska Win) is a proud mother and descendant of Dakota, Anishinaabe and Nehiyaw heritage. She is a member of the Whitecap Dakota First Nation where her father, Darcy Bear, currently serves as the Nation's Chief. Aly has worked tirelessly to advance her education while balancing her duties as a single parent. She obtained her juris doctor from the University of Saskatchewan, College...

This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by Nicole McLaren. Nicole is a mother, wife and entrepreneur at heart. Her steady search for opportunities, combined with her enterprising, Indigenous roots led her to launch Raven Reads – a subscription box featuring literature and goods from Indigenous authors and entrepreneurs across North America. Nicole is also the Founder and Chair of the I...

This week on the podcast, we welcome two very impressive women. Chelsea Vowel is a Métis writer and educator from manitowsâkahikan (Lac Ste. Anne) Alberta, residing in amiskwacîwâskihikan (Edmonton). She is a Cree language instructor at the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and author of Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada. She and her c...

This week on the podcast, a fan favourite is back for round two! This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined once again by Caitlyn Kasper. Caitlyn is an Anishinaabek woman from the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation. She holds an Honours Specialist in Political Science from the University of Toronto and a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall. She is currently a candidate for a Master of L...

This week, host Shayla Oullette Stronechild is joined by Chelsey Luger. Chelsey is a Writer and Wellness Advocate, originally from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Born and raised in North Dakota, she was educated on the East Coast and is now based in Arizona with her husband and two daughters. Chelsey's writing and broadcast work has been published by dozens of...

Christi Belcourt is a Michif (Métis) visual artist and author living and working in Canada with a deep respect for Mother Earth, the traditions, and the knowledge of her people. Belcourt's work often focuses on questions around identity, culture, place, and divisions within communities. In addition to her paintings, she is also known as a community-based artist, environmentalist, and advocate for...

This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by none other than Kelly Boutsalis. Kelly is a writer and journalist, based in Toronto. She is Mohawk, and from the Six Nations reserve. Her words have appeared in the Toronto Star, CBC, Elle Canada, Fashion, Flare, and more. This episode is for anyone who wants to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes as a journalist. Listen to how Kel...

Meet Leah Gazan, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre. Leah is a member of Wood Mountain Lakota Nation, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory. Leah's lineage has played a big role in her fight, she credits a lot of her inspiration to her mother, a Chinese Lakota and her father, a Jewish Holocaust survivor. Currently the NDP Critic for Children, Families, and Social Development, as well a...

This week's episode is about finding self-love and learning to love yourself. Adeline Bird is an Afro-Anishnabe Author, Filmmaker, and Producer. She grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, but is a proud member of Treaty #4 Rolling River First Nations. Adeline currently works as a writer and freelance producer, producing segments for daytime television hit shows such as CTV's The Social & Etalk. A...

This week on the podcast, host Shayla Stonechild is joined by Caitlyn Kasper. Caitlyn is an Anishinaabek woman from the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation. She holds an Honours Specialist in Political Science from the University of Toronto and a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall. She is currently a candidate for a Master of Laws at Osgoode Hall, with a specialization in Constitutional Law. In...

If you've been following Shayla for a while, you know that this episode has been highly anticipated. This week, host Shayla Stonechild is joined by Inuk politician, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq. Mumilaaq Qaqqaq (ᒧᒥᓛᖅ ᖃᖅᑲᖅ), is an Inuk woman, Member of Parliament, and human rights defender. Elected in 2019, she is one of the few people to have given a speech in the House of Commons before being elected. The two...

This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by writer, podcaster, and CBC Radio host, Falen Johnson. Falen is Mohawk and Tuscarora (Bear Clan) from Six Nations Grand River Territory. Her writing has been featured in Brick, The Canadian Theatre Review, Granta Magazine, and she was named one to watch in 2020 by Maclean’s magazine. In this episode, Shayla and Falen discuss the importance of I...

This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by Vancouver-based, award-winning journalist, author, and artist from the Gitanmaax band of the Gitxsan nation, Angela Sterritt. In 2021, Angela won a Canadian Screen Award for reporter of the year for her coverage of an Indigenous man and his then 12-year-old granddaughter who was racially profiled and arrested while trying to open her first ban...

This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by Chippewa and Potawatomi artist from Rama First Nation and Moosedeer Point First Nation, Chief Lady Bird. You may have seen her thought-provoking artwork that explores contemporary colonialism and Indigenous futurism on murals in Toronto, or in illustrations for the Art Gallery of Ontario, Vice, and Flare Magazine. Chief Lady Bird is also a boo...

This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by guest Monday Blues. Monday is a Two-Spirit Togolese-Secwépemc showgirl, model, decolonial life & business coach, and jewelry designer. Monday is a grad of the Erickson International Coaching Program, and has been a professional burlesque performer since 2011. She has traveled the globe as a solo female adventurer and loves to live outside her...

Ashley Callingbull is a Cree First Nations woman from the Enoch Cree Nation in the province of Alberta, Canada. She is a model, actress, jingle dress dancer and First Nation’s activist who was the reigning Mrs. Universe 2015. She is perhaps best known for her role on the Gemini award-winning series Blackstone and Tribal, but her work goes well beyond the screen. Ashley is also an international mot...

Leigh Joseph is a member of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) First Nation; her ancestral name is Styawat and she is an ethnobotanist by training who completed a Masters of Science in Ethnobotany at the University of Victoria under the guidance of her Skwxwú7mesh community. She is also the founder of Sḵwálwen Botanicals, a line of botanical skin care products that honours traditional Skwxwú7mesh plant kn...