Unreserved

It started with daily phone calls with his grandfather during the early days of the pandemic. Evan Pang was living in Toronto and he wanted to make sure his grandpa up in Thunder Bay was doing ok. But pretty soon, those conversations got deeper. His grandfather shared stories about his years as a child at McIntosh Residential School, the love-story between him and his wife, and the journey of the family name. Evan began to record their chats and the seeds for personal discovery and a creative project were planted. Two years later, those conversations have evolved into an album, Watin, named after his beloved grandfather. Evan is now Aysanabee, after reclaiming the family name. He was signed by an all-Indigenous label, Ishkōdé Records, and he quit his day job to pursue his dream of becoming a musician. Ayasanabee’s debut album Watin was just released November 4th. This week, Unreserved host Rosanna Deerchild speaks to him about his musical journey that began with a phone call.

A growing number of Indigenous artists and writers are bringing traditional Indigenous stories to life in books and graphic novels — pinning down oral stories that have shapeshifted over time. William Dumas, a Rocky Cree Elder and former teacher of our host Rosanna Deerchild, collaborates with William Cariou, an English professor at the University of Manitoba. They lead the Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak project, a team effort to transform traditional Rocky Cree stories into picture books - and even interactive apps - to preserve oral stories for new generations. And Brandon Mitchell infuses his new picture book Giju's Gift with Mi'kmaw culture and stories of mischievous, hard-to-spot characters his mom told him about as a child.

As Indigenous people our connection to the land is at the core of who we are. Every river, lake and piece of land had a name and a story. It might tell us what the land looked like, who lived there or whether the area had good hunting and fishing ground; stories handed down and remembered. Since early contact, our lands have been renamed by Canada’s settlers. Many of our traditional place names were erased and replaced. Some names were derogatory like Killsquaw Lake in Saskatchewan. Other names are a reminder of a dark history like Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in Ottawa or Avenue Christophe-Colomb in Montreal. But now that is changing, or rather name-changing. Alestine Andre is a Gwich’in researcher from Tsiigehtshic, formerly known as Arctic Red River. Ingrid Kritsch is an anthropologist and archaeologist from Ontario. For the last 30 years, the duo have been interviewing Gwich’in Elders, and used their knowledge to return about 1000 place names to their traditional territory. Christopher Columbus is often credited with “discovering” the “New World.” Once celebrated as a great explorer – his legacy has shifted from discoverer to invader. But his monuments still stand in many streets, parks, towns and cities. That’s what brings Kahnawake – Mohawk Sean French to march along Avenue Christophe-Colomb . He plans to continue marching until the name of the street is changed. Changing a place name can also heal and repair relations because as Kellie Wuttunee says, names have power. The Cree lawyer from Saskatchewan pulled over to the side of a lake one day in 2017. She looked up to check where she was, a sign read: Killsquaw Lake. That started Kellie on a 2 year mission to change the derogatory name. The traditional territory of the Algonquin people is also known as Ottawa - the Capital of Canada. That’s where you’ll find many references to Canada’s first Prime Minister: Sir John A. Macdonald. While he is rightly memorialized as such, he also had a darker history. Macdonald was the architect of the Indian Act - federal legislation that governs “status Indians” and life on reserves. He also oversaw the expansion of the residential school system. That's why Algonquin poet and storyteller Albert Dumont wanted the name changed. Last September 30, he gave notice to the National Capital Commission - the board that decides on name changes. Dumont said he would protest the parkway that year - and every year until it was renamed.

Through re-enactments and author interviews, This Place's 10-part series shares stories of Indigenous heroes, battles, triumphs and traditions. In this episode of Unreserved, you'll hear the story of Nimkii, a young girl who was taken from her family and who, years later, joined the resistance against the Children's Aid Society at Wabaseemoong in northwestern Ontario. And you’ll journey 330 years forward into an imagined Indigenous future.

We're celebrating four Indspire Award recipients who create, educate, and inspire The Indspire Awards represent the highest honour the Indigenous community bestows upon its own people. Every year, a dozen First Nation, Metis and Inuit people are chosen for their outstanding achievements across Turtle Island and beyond. Nations Skate Youth is where Joe Buffalo and his team teach kids to skate, as a way to empower, inspire and instill pride. Joe is a legend in the skate community. Not just for his gravity defying feats on a board but also because of his incredible story of survival and resilience. He survived one of Canada’s last residential schools, confronted substance abuse in his life, and after picking up his first skateboard turned pro and became a legend. This year the Samson Cree man was recognized with a Sports Indspire Award. One of this year’s Youth Recipients is Willow Allen. She is a fashion model, a cultural content creator with over a million followers and a soon to be social worker. After being discovered on Instagram, the Inuvialuit beauty has walked runways from Singapore to New York for big name brands like Clinique, Louboutin Beauty, and Canada Goose. But because home is where her heart is, Willow, who is from Inuvik, Northwest Territories also teaches people online about life in the north – just as her dad taught her on the land. Building cabins with her grandfather inspired Reanna Merasty to build a career as an architect focused on holistic homes. Now, Reanna is an architectural intern. She also co-founded the Indigenous Design and Planning Students Association at the University of Manitoba. Reanna is a recipient of a Youth Indspire Award for her advocacy and dedication to changing the field of architecture. Lori Campbell is a 60s Scoop adoptee: one of about 20-thousand Indigenous children who were removed by the government and adopted into mostly non-Indigenous families. She was lost - disconnected from her culture until she enrolled at the University of Regina. There she found a community of “aunties and uncles” that guided her on a journey of self-discovery. Now, as the Associate Vice President of Indigenous Engagement of the same university, she is on a mission to make universities a resource for other Indigenous people who want to find their way home.