The Legacy of Hope Foundation Presents: Indigenous Roots and Hoots

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Delores Peltier-Corkey. Delores is an Anishinabe Kwe of the Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibway, Odawa, and Pottawatomi Peoples from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on beautiful Manitoulin Island.  Delores comes from a family of eight brothers and three sisters. In this episode, she shares memories from her chi...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Barry Sarazin. Barry is a proud member of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, situated on the shores of Golden Lake and the Bonnechere River. Barry is part of a men’s drumming group and teaches on the traditional drum called the Kitchi-sippi-rinni as well as sharing Thunderbird songs in the community...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Heidi Metcalfe. Heidi is a proud urban Inuk with family roots in Nunatsiavut (Labrador). She is a mom, the first Ottawa Inuit based foster parent, a cultural ambassador, throat singer, and Inuit Games demonstrator. Heidi is also one of the founders of the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre now called Inuuqatigiit...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by the incomparable Martha Flaherty. Martha is an Inuk woman and Residential School Survivor. Martha is also an Inuktitut interpreter, translator, and former President of Pauktuutit, the national Inuit women’s organization of Canada. As demonstrated through her career and legacy, Martha is a gifted storyteller an...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Steve Martin. Steve is Mi'gmaq from Listuguj First Nation located on the Gaspé Peninsula. A devoted family man, Steve has a passion for documentary film-making and sharing important truths. In this interview, Steve speaks candidly about his work and activism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by William Tagoona.  William is a musician and member of one of the first Inuit rock bands The Harpoons . William is also an accredited journalist, who served as editor of Tagralik Magazine. William is a natural story-teller and this lent to his 30-year-career as a CBC broadcaster, creating Inuktitut language pr...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Stephen Jerome. Stephen is an ancestral rib basket-maker from Gesgapegiag First Nation. Stephen speaks with Gordon on the importance of keeping his culture alive. The tradition of ash basket-making has strong ancestral family ties and Stephen is doing what he can to not only share it with his community, but a...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Medicine Song Woman, Brenda MacIntyre. Brenda is a Juno winning artist and keynote speaker. She is also a mother, a friend, and a grief worker. Through her signature Medicine Song healing work and Picking up the Pieces: 13 Moon Resilience and Reawakening Program , she helps women manage grief, trauma and chro...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Jim Compton. Jim’s career has spanned many decades and his work speaks to the ongoing relevance and importance of sharing the stories of Indigenous Peoples across Canada. Some of his notable acclaims include winning two Human Rights Awards for his documentary specials - Indian Policing and The Peguis Land Sur...

In this episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Jennifer Wood. Jennifer is Ojibway from the Neyaashiinigmiing First Nation, located on the beautiful and bountiful Niagara escarpment. Currently, Jennifer resides in Winnipeg where she works with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) as the Commemoration and Community Engagement Liaison Officer. In...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by The Right Reverend, Doctor Isaiah Larry Beardy. Of the many titles Reverend Beardy holds, he is Reverend of the Anglican Church at Split Lake, Northern Manitoba, the Indigenous Suffragan Bishop of two Indigenous Spiritual Ministries, a teacher, a former Chief and Councillor of Tataskweyak Cree Nation, a famil...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by artist James Darin Corbiere. Darin is Anishinaabe of the Bear Clan, born and raised on Manitoulin Island in Wiikwemkoong. Gordon catches up with Darin as he shares of his life’s journey. From police officer, to teacher, and now artist, Darin’s story reminds us that although we may never be able to fully predi...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by old friend Peter Kulchyski. Peter is of Polish and Ukrainian descent and grew up in Northern Manitoba. He is a full professor in the Department of Native Studies at the University of Winnipeg, and has published extensively in the areas of Northern Indigenous history, law, politics and culture in Canada. He is...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Elder Joe I. Keeper. Elder Joe is a member of Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. Joe has worn many hats. In this episode he speaks with Gordon of his experience at Norway House Residential School, along with his schooling afterwards, his time served with the Canadian Army in the Korean War, and his time an...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Tricia E. Logan. Tricia is a Métis scholar with over 20 years experience working with Indigenous communities in Canada. Tricia has held previous roles at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, and the Legacy of Hope Found...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Carolynne Crawley. Carolynne is a woman who cares deeply and sincerely about the Land. She is of Mi'kmaw, Black and Irish ancestry and is from the East Coast, known today as Nova Scotia. Carolynne is the founder of Msit No’kmaq. Among her vast experience of working in community and guiding people through the...

On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots , host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Indigenous educator and Cree scholar Verna J. Kirkness. Verna is a distinguished educator whose passion for teaching has led to her many accolades and publications. Verna has written nine books, including her most recent biography Creating Space: My Life and Work in Indigenous Education . Verna is the recipie...

On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, host Gordon Spence, is pleased to be joined by Inuk hunter and elder Larry Audlaluk. Larry lives a semi-retired life with his wife in Grise Fiord, the northernmost community of Canada. He is a devoted grandfather and great-grandfather. Larry is the recipient of the Order of Canada and has also recently written a book entitled: What I Know: The Life of a High A...

On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, host Gordon Spence, is joined by Michelle Mainville. Michelle and Gordon sat down the day before Orange Shirt Day, to discuss Michelle’s life and healing journey. Michelle is a mother, a youth addictions counsellor, survivor of the Sixties Scoop, survivor of human trafficking and an intergenerational survivor of the Residential School System. Michelle is candi...

On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, host Gordon Spence, is pleased to be joined by former Premier of Nunavut Paul Quassa. Paul Quassa has had a long life in politics. From working in the Land Claims Department for Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, to his time as mayor of Igloolik, then being elected to the Nunavut Legislative Assembly, becoming Minister of Education, followed by time as Premier of Nuna...

On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, our host, Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Elder Irene Compton. Elder Irene is a co-founder of the Minwaashin Lodge and is a first-generation survivor of Residential School. At the Lodge, Irene is the Keeper of Stories, which connects Indigenous women to their culture, identity and the pride. Elder Irene and Gordon sit down this week, to talk about the...

On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, the Legacy of Hope Foundation’s host, Gordon Spence, is pleased to be joined by a young Inuk woman and cardiac surgeon, Doctor Donna May Kimmaliardjuk. Donna May is Canada’s first Inuk cardiac surgeon. Growing up in Ottawa, she knew from a young age that she wanted to become a surgeon, and she has since found her way to the top. Having trained in Ottawa at the...

On this week’s episode of Roots & Hoots , our host, Gordon Spence, is joined by Theland Kicknosway. Theland is an Indigenous youth who uses his voice to showcase his culture, Theland is also a traditional singer, drummer, dancer, and social media influencer. Belonging to the Wolf Clan of the Pottawatomi and Cree Nation, and a member of Walpole Island Bkejwanong Territory, in 2018, the 14-year-old...

On this week’s episode of the Legacy of Hope Foundation’s Roots & Hoots, host Gordon Spence is delighted to be joined by Alex Flaherty. Alex is from Iqaluit, Nunavut, and spent his childhood in Grise Fiord, the most northern community in Canada. With a small population of less than 200, Alex’s grandparents moved in the 1950s from Northern Quebec to the High Arctic, where they had to adapt to diffi...

On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, the Legacy of Hope Foundation’s host, Gordon Spence, is pleased to be joined by Dan and Nancy Rubenstein. Dan and Nancy have lived in Ottawa since 1981.  Dan was an auditor with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and Nancy was an early childhood educator. They have since retired, and through what started as stories to their grandchildren, they have si...