Walking About, Work

Diggstown – Season 4 episode 3 aired on CBC Gems!

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In February, I was invited to the writer’s room for a TV series called Diggstown on CBC Gem. The show is a Canadian legal drama series. The writing team was putting together an episode about Indian Day Schools and invited me as an “Indigenous expert” to consult on the script. It was a great experience!

The episode aired on October 26, 2022: Donald Kitpu Christmas (season 4, episode 3). Apparently, I was also an inspiration for the character “Cheyenne Claire”, an “Indigenous expert” called to the stand during the trial. The actors, writers, cast and crew did an excellent job on this episode! I really enjoyed it.

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Education, Walking About

KCI Kindled Podcast on Indian Residential Schools

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I was invited to record my first podcast with Iorì:wase: KCI Kindled Podcast episode 1: Residential Schools and how it’s affected multigenerational families.

It’s not easy to open up about these difficult topics, despite the years that I have worked in this field. It’s also a personal challenge for me to engage with the public on this level in such a vulnerable way but I hope that ultimately these stories will impact others that way they have impacted me. I’m thankful for the invitation and to the co-hosts for engaging with me in such a deeply personal way about this important piece of our community’s history.

Skennenhkó:wa

Wahéhshon

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Concordia guest lecture: ARTH 668

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I was invited to present my oral history research at Concordia University, in a graduate class (ARTH 668: Theories and
Methodologies in Art History: Feminist Approaches to Oral History). It’s exciting when opportunities come up that allow me to share my work with other students that have similar interests. Graduate students generally have more experience in research and are in a different place than undergrads. I am truly grateful for these opportunities.

The topic I research (#IndianDaySchools) is a sensitive and difficult topic. I cannot assume that students understand what and Indian Day School is in the first place. I do a general 101 of schooling (Indian Day Schools, Indian Residential Schools) and include mention of child welfare institutions. This work is deeply personal to me. I am very open and candid about my own life experiences and family history. There are risks in being open – vulnerability can mean opportunities for others to do harm. All I can do is live and share my truth.

Niawenhkó:wa to the class for listening and for being respectful.

The instructor (Cynthia) presented me with a beautiful gift, a copy of Rehearsals for Living by Robyn Maynard & Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. I can’t wait to read it 🙂

On a side note, it felt great to be back at Concordia. I missed the vibe there. I don’t miss the parking, construction, and traffic though 😉

~ Wahéhshon

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Education, Grad Studies, Walking About, Work

Language Policy & Planning Conference 2022

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My colleague Kahtehrón:ni Iris Stacey and I were invited to do a workshop at the Language Policy Planning conference at McGill University today – August 25, 2022.

This was the first hybrid conference presentation that I participated in. Fortunately, the conference was well organized and the folks on hand managed the technical side of things. The title of the workshop was:

Language policy, activism & strategic planning: over fifty years of Indigenous language reclamation efforts in Kahnawà:ke

Our talk including the following key things:

  • Our backgrounds and community
  • An overview of our doctoral research
  • Sharing our learning journey (as second-second language learners of Kanien’kéha)
  • A brief history of language reclamation efforts in Kahnawà:ke
  • Language revitalization projects at the Kahnawà:ke Education Center that we have worked on (Skátne Enionkwaio’ten & NEȾOLṈEW̱)

We appreciated how enthusiastic and engaged participants were with what we shared. We were surprised to be presented with generous gifts at the end. This was definitely one of my favorite speaking events this year.

Niawenhkó:wa to Mela & her team for inviting us and for treating us with great care and respect.

Wahéhshon Shiann Whitebean & Kahtehrón:ni Iris Stacey
Photo courtesy of Bianca Gonzalez – McGill University.
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