How to be Good? - A Chat with an Anishinaabe Kwe (Ojibway Woman)

A Chat with an Anishinaabe Kwe (Ojibway Woman)

07/05/21 • 38 min

What does it mean to be a good person according to a member of the First Nations?
We ask Melanie Goodchild, Moose Clan, to share her opinion on being good according to Indigenous teachings.
Melanie is Anishinaabe (Ojibway or Chippewa) from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Ketegaunseebee First Nations in northern Ontario, Canada. She is a senior indigenous research fellow and associate at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Currently studying for her PhD in social and ecological sustainability, Melanie is also the founder of the Turtle Island Institute, an Indigenous social innovation think & do tank - a teaching lodge – that is working to enable transformative change.

In her work, Melanie weaves together her unique perspectives of Anishinaabe gikendaasowin (knowledge) with systems thinking/complexity theory and social innovation to address society’s most intractable problems. She believes in the teaching methods of her ancestors, in “coming to know” on the land, and so she supports initiatives that seek to connect people to ceremony, story, art, language and the land.

Melanie is an incredible person with such a wealth of knowledge, coupled with a real depth of kindness and compassion. She starts this interview by introducing herself in Anishinaabemowin – the language of her ancestors – so you can hear more about where she’s from in her own words.
If, after listening, you'd like to learn more about Melanie Goodchild, please visit Turtle Island Institute and you can also read her recent paper on Relational Systems Thinking.

Previous Episode

Bitesize: Let's Do 3 Good Things!

For our Bitesize Episode* this month, we’re taking some advice from Hindu Pandita Indrani Rampersad:

"You know I used to teach High School in New York, and I used to teach my kids everyday – when you go home, I want you to do three good things. And tomorrow when you come, tell me what you did.”

This month, let’s do 3 good things – just 3 little things - each day, and make note of what they were at the end of that day because whatever we focus on becomes our reality, so let’s make goodness our reality for the next few weeks.
*In Bitesize Episodes, we’re going to take a few minutes to focus on a theme, topic, or piece of advice related to “How to be Good” that’s come up in our interviews. We'll talk about how we can put advice from our interviews to practical use in our daily life.

Next Episode

A Chat with a Humanist Celebrant

What does it mean to be a good person according to a Humanist?
We ask Humanist Jane Blackman to share her opinion on being good according to her non-religious beliefs.
Jane is an award-winning Humanist Celebrant, performing non-religious weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies and other non-religious rituals. Last year, Jane was voted best celebrant in the country – she’s based in the UK - at the 2020 Wedding Industry Awards.
As a former head teacher, Jane is passionate about education and freedom of choice. She strives to treat others and all living things with care and compassion, and believes in us making the very most of every precious day that we have. In this conversation, Jane explains how humanism is all about people, relationships and human interactions.
This episode teaches us more about non-religious beliefs and what it means to be a humanist in today's world.
If, after listening, you'd like to learn more about humanism, you can visit humanists.uk. And if you want to find out more about Jane Blackman, please visit janeblackmanweddings.co.uk.

How to be Good? - A Chat with an Anishinaabe Kwe (Ojibway Woman)

Transcript

[Podcast Theme Music: upbeat electro/beats]
Sarah Buckmaster 0:03
Hi everyone. I'm Sarah and this is 'How to be Good?' - the podcast that explores what it means to be a good person in today's world.
Today I'm talking with Anishinaabe, Melanie Goodchild.
[Podcast Theme Music]
Melanie Goodchild 0:17
We are taught that we are not the centre of the universe. We do not have a domain. But we are also not subordinate. So, we'r