A Modern Mi'kma'ki

The Modern Mi’kma’ki Podcast explores what it means for L’nu’k to walk and work and live and laugh in the complex world of today. Mi’kmaw writers shalan joudry, Trina Roache, and Rebecca Thomas untangle a colonial history, wrestle with cultural teachings, and ask the big questions. How do we honour our ancestors? How do we all live as Treaty People? What does netukulimk really mean when you buy your food at the grocery store? Humour, joy, grief and reclamation. Join shalan joudry, Trina Roache, Rebecca Thomas, Sue Goyette, and Stephanie Domet in this ongoing conversation, produced by AfterWords Literary Festival, sponsored by ABO Wind and supported by the Nova Scotia Department of Culture, Communities, Tourism and Heritage. Podcast cover art by Jordan Bennet, theme music by Raymond Sewell.

Episode 4: If you were travelling to another country, you would learn a few words of the language before you went 10/22/2024

Episode 3: IYKYK: A Modern Mi'kma'ki includes joy 09/25/2024

Episode 2: Weji-sqalia'tiek This is where we sprouted from 08/29/2024

Episode 1: What is a modern Mi'kma'ki? 07/25/2024

Episode 1: What is a modern Mi'kma'ki? In this live episode, recorded before an audience in October 2023 at Paul O'Regan Hall in Kjiupuktuk, shalan joudry, Trina Roache, and Rebecca Thomas, along with Stephanie Domet and Sue Goyette, explore what it means to live in a modern Mi'kma'ki. Our theme music is by Raymond Sewell from the original soundtrack of the film You Can Call Me Roger, produced and directed by Jon Mann and available to stream now. Our cover art is by Jordan Bennett. Our transcript for this episode was prepared by Tyra Denny, who included anglicized versions of Mi'kmaw words as they were spoken throughout. This podcast is supported by a grant from the Nova Scotia Department of Culture, Communities, Tourism, and Heritage, and it’s sponsored by . Find more at https://www.afterwordsliteraryfestival.com/modern-mikmaki Tell us what you thought by emailing . And consider leaving us a review—your review helps other listeners decide to press play on a Modern Mi’kma’ki Transcript Rebecca Thomas (): 'Ku-way, Neen Del-louise-si Rebecca Thomas, del-lay-ah-we G-book-tuk, Me-ga-ma-ki Wet-ta-bec-si, Lenox Island, Ay-bu-kwet. Hi, my name is Rebecca Thomas. I live here in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and my family is rooted in Lennox Island First Nation, Prince Edward Island, shalan joudry (): Del-louise-si Shalan Joudry. Neen Ah-tu-gu-ay ah-k ke-ku-na-ma-si wu-la sis-ga-muk. We-ki Oh-suk-kuk I'm Shalan Joudry. I'm a storyteller and an ecologist, and I live in Elsetkuk, first Nation Trina Roache (): Ku-way Del-louise-si Trina Roach del-lay-ah-we Gloosecap, First Nation. Hi, I'm Trina Roach. I belong to the Gloosecap First Nation. A Mic-maw community here in what we now call Nova Scotia. I'm a journalist and I worked for APTN, the Aboriginal People's Television Network for many years. Now, I teach journalism at the University of King's College here in Ok-gi-book-tuk. More and more I find myself asking the question, "how can media decolonize the way we tell stories in a modern Mi-k-ma-ki?" Sue Goyette (): Hi, my name is Sue Goyette. I'm a poet and educator and I live in G-book-tuk, Halifax Nova Scotia. Stephanie Domet (): And I'm Stephanie Domet. I'm the co-founder and co-executive director of the Afterwards Literary Festival in G-book-tuk Mi-k-ma-ki. And this is a modern Mi-k-ma-ki. a four-part podcast in which we're asking questions about what it might feel like, look like and be like to live in a modern Mi-k-ma-ki today and in the future. So, what you'll hear in this first episode is a live conversation that we recorded in October, 2023 in front of an audience at Paulo Regan Hall in Halifax Central Library. On stage that night were Shalan Joudry, Trina Roach and Rebecca Thomas. Whose voices you'll hear in conversation throughout these four episodes. You'll hear me too asking questions. Also, on stage with us then and in our subsequent conversations was the poet, Sue Goyette. Who contributed warm energy and companionship and the listening and learning ear of a white settler. You won't often hear her voice in these conversations, but her presence with us was vital and we were glad of it. () So, we began the night with a poem from Rita Joe called "My River Runs Free". Suppose you were I and you accepted everything in resignation. Bending to all of the wishes since discovery. Supposing I were you and I worked on your spirit to do my bidding. Like the river's rush of overflowing banks, carrying the debris across the land. The waste, desecrating the beauty that is supposed to be there. The beginning of our contact, marred by oppression for so long. But we are not trading places. We are who we are. And you still acting like the overflowing river, creating a turmoil where it is supposed to run smooth. I am a native of this beautiful land still bending to your wishes. My children read of your heroes not mine. Reading of your heroes who put a bounty on my head putting salt on my wounds every time their names are mentioned. () Do you not think it is about time we compromised? I am a native of this land. Let us trade places this time. You see my side of the story. Maybe, we may reach others who do not see. Opening their eyes against the ignorance of racism. A broken record of willpower gone wrong. Where else can this river flow? How high the banks? the seed has to land somewhere. Why not here? Canada, Canada let us not be backward, but go ahead. Discrimination does not suit the land. Our rivers run free. We educate, we practise, we tell, we love, we love. I should know I have worn your moccasin for so long. Today I want to wear mine. My story told in the schools. Today I share "My River Runs Free". Stephanie Domet (): Ku-way, neen del-louise-si Stephanie Domat. Neen Del-lay-ya-way G-Book-Tuk. I'm the co-founder and co-executive director along with Ryan Turner of the Afterwards Literary Festival. We are thrilled to have you with us here tonight and we do all our festival work in G-Book-Tuk, in beautiful Mig-ma-ki where we're so fortunate to live. This beautiful place is the traditional and unseated territory of the Mig-ma people past, present, and future. I'm standing on this land tonight with a lot of gratitude. For the waterkeepers, the language keepers, the story keepers, the knowledge keepers. I'm thinking about the uncertain future we're always heading into and how indigenous ways of knowing and understanding are the ones I want at the fore leading us. Stephanie Domet (): Because those ways are informed by relationship. And I'm really grateful to the writers of the ones who will be here tonight and many others. And the thinkers and storytellers and activists who are letting me learn from and with them. So, I think of a land acknowledgement as an invitation. To consider how and where I'm standing and what my responsibility is to this place. And to everything and everyone I'm in relationship with. And then to do my best to be a better cousin today than I was yesterday and a better cousin tomorrow than I am today. Maybe you see that invitation too. So this is a live recording of for all intents and purposes, the first episode of a new podcast called "A Modern Mi'kma'ki". () The idea for this podcast arose out of an ongoing conversation that Shalan Joudry and I have been having over the last several years. And we started by talking about language reclamation. And one day Shalan observed that a learner can pick up all the vocabulary words they want. But ultimately, to learn to speak Mig-ma requires a kind of paradigm shift. A cultural shift in thought. And at some point in that conversation, she dropped the phrase a "Modern Mi-kma-ki". And I said "what's that?" And she said "I don't know." And I said "well, I want to live there. How can I live there? What do I have to do to live there?" And, so basically here we are. Ready to begin the public conversations that might move us closer to living in a Modern Mi-kma-ki. So, over the last six or so months, Shalan and I expanded our conversation to include Trina Roach and Rebecca Thomas along with Sue Goyette. And I'm going to invite Shalan, Trina, Rebecca, and Sue to join us here on stage. What I really want to do is throw it open to conversation with the kind of a central question. Shalan, and it's one that I posed to you all those months ago "what is a Modern Mi-kma-ki?" () Take it away, Shalan. shalan joudry (): I will spell it out for you. No, no. This is the ongoing quest and vision. So, you know. When we say that our elders have taught us to vision forward many, many generations. For example, Seven Generations or more. I mean, how many of us have actually tried to do that? And I have. And so when I think about not just the future, but, as it ripples back to me. What is my role in my very short lifetime in looking back and honouring our past. And then trying to do what I need to do in order to be a good ancestor. What are the things that I need to do? And we all know that we no longer live in the same ecosystem or society that our ancestors lived. And every single day I feel like many of us wrestle with, "okay then what are we bringing with us from so many generations ago?" () What are we trying to reclaim from so many generations ago? What are we trying to keep alive from so many generations ago? What of those things are still part of our lives today? Because not all of them are. So what are the things that I still want to be alive and for me to be living and passing on to my kids? And then I feel like we just have so many conversations about that. So, because I think about that, then that's why it comes up in conversation. Well, what is not only the Modern Mi-kma-ki today. But what is the Modern Mi-kma-ki that I can dream up? The best case scenario and that dream, that vision is what I want to head towards. Those are the dreams that get me out of bed in the morning because there's so many disaster stories. And there was one time we were on conversation, I was like, "I'm having a bad day ah ha people". There's so much negativity. And so, how can we brush enough aside to say, "but I still have enough hope to launch me into action" as well. And not feel like it's all futile. And so these are the things that I feel like we've been speaking about. So I'd like to keep passing that on. Rebecca Thomas (): Well, I mean I'm writing notes as you're talking. It always gives me ideas to think about. Like "how do it be a good ancestor?". And I also think about we seek and we try so hard to preserve because we have so much of our culture. We have that dubious honour of being the first contacted here in North America. And I feel sometimes, a lot of times people speak about what was lost or the thread bareness that is culture here on the east coast. But I also hope that while we seek to repair and to reclaim. That we also push for flexibility within our communities and within our culture for ways to be more inclusive. We have a long standing history with culture and religion and colonialism that sought to make us very rigid and unforgiving of certain community members. When we think about our two-spirit community members for example, "how can we then to be a good ancestor to our two-spirit kin?" The ones who have always been here, be able to push for that flexibility. Where we allow our culture to be a little bit more flexible to ensure that they can find space back into our community again. Trina Roache (): I knew that question was coming. Cause it's in the title. Uh, and I actually just looked up the definition of "modern" and it was relating to present or recent times as opposed to remote past. And I was like, "I don't know that, that is something that I would think of in terms of Mig'maw people". We're not today in opposition to the past. And then you have to think of what past? I mean, there's like thousands of years. Are we talking pre-contact or colonial past? So anyways, but I was like "the cultural values, we still have those.". I don't think like ah, I have a whole rant that I do when I'm teaching about timelines and time and history. As sort of a path that goes from back there and goes forward and going backwards is bad and going forwards is good. Making progress is good. And so sometimes we tend to think of like people in the past as more or as less civilised. () Obviously, we're all familiar with the language that's been used around indigenous peoples. But it's also that for Mig-ma people um, bringing those cultures. (the audio, *laughter* no I'm just joking. You can make that noise. It's fun). I have four grandkids, so I welcome any sounds of youth in the audience. But bringing those cultural values forward. Like bringing them now here, it's really hard to get away from the language of time. So ingrained in the way we talk. Like, what does that look like? Because change is like, we're just in flux all the time. Indigenous people, we're just in change and we're just in flux. And so a Modern Mi-kma-ki can have those cultural values that are from our ancestors and what we hope we're doing for our future generations. But it can exist now. It can all exist at the same time. I can drive in my car and still be Mig-ma, right? Even tonight, I know that there's some women at the friendship centre learning how to render bare fat, right? () The Dal Mawiomi, (which was awesome) last week on campus at Dalhousie. And there was a young gentleman, (he was probably like 19 or 20) and he was letting us know, he came over to tell us that the food that they were serving for elders was ready. And he like pointed to the food area with his lips, he did the "lip point". And I'm like, "that is Modern Mi-kma-ki right?" That you're there on a university campus in 2023. And this young kid just like points with his lips. He did include me among the elders and I was low-key offended about that. But I did go over and get some food. So *laughter*. Rebecca Thomas (): I have a question. So, you were talking about time and your rant about time and this progress and moving forward. And somebody asked this question once, (and I can't remember where it was or if I saw it on Instagram.) but they said, "if you were to think about the year in your brain in like 3D, what does it look like? If you think of all the months, what do they look like?" And for me, I've always pictured them as a clock. Every January is one, February is two, March is three, and so on and so forth. And the person was talking about how that's not how they see the year. They see it in two lines. And so I'm curious like. When you're thinking about time, you know, me and my husband were driving here and we saw in a window of a clothing store. Low rise cargo pants and two tops. And I'm like, "fashion is a circle, time is a circle". And I'm curious like, when you think about what does it look like? Like time in that way. Cause I think how to be a good ancestor, but we also are our ancestors, right? At the same time. Trina Roache (): I always picture the double helix, right? There's Mig-ma of petroglyph. Um, that, I don't know if that one's faded or gone. But it was down at Keji and it's like a "spirit road, Ski-day-da-muj". Yeah. And can you say it again? "Ski-day-da-muj Aw-de?" Yeah, yeah. Spirit road. But it looks like a double helix. It's the Milky Way, right? Spirit road. But it just has this sort of like, so it just goes like that. And I think that's how I sort of picture time. This weaving, rather than linear but not necessarily or like a spiral. So maybe there's a circular motion, but we're not in one, we're not in flat, Rebecca Thomas (): We're not 2D. Trina Roache (): Yeah, we are like moving. Yeah, that's what I picture. shalan joudry (): Yeah. So we can. I understand, we can exist and think about time. Where that soup of the days old like porridge and how old are the peas in the soup. That we have elements of the past and it's still alive and the stories are changing even though they're very old stories. It's changing. They're alive right now and we're inspired by, we're living the past, we're living the future right now. But then honestly also I come from a background of conservation ecology and I worked on species at risk for about 15 years. So, for both the ecosystems and cultural, our cultural integrity of our people. That for both of those things. So, change is very natural. Change always happens. So the horrific thing that I have had to come to terms with and figure out "what do I do now?" is when there is too much change too quick. So too much, too quick that unbalances. So when too much ecological change has happened or too much all of the colonial impacts on our people. So that is also a product of something that actually I shared Picto is it's not of the past, it's still happening, colonialism is still happening. () So, I think those are the things of why I keep picturing reaching back. I'm trying to go underground. Through all of those colonial and we could say years or impacts or I'm trying to reach. And so for me sometimes that is, it's not that I'm trying to make it super linear. It's that that's my mechanism of imagining healing. Because I imagine this whole crevice, this whole barricade. Something that had tried to stop continuation of our culture. That wasn't successful. Like you just said, we have songs and dances and stories and language. All these things have survived. We are resilient and powerful and all of these things are still there. But there's a lot of things that were made very, very small, hidden. And those are the things that we're trying to blow that ember and make these beautiful fires. So, I guess it's not necessarily of trying to really make that those time periods. But how can I reach wherever it is those pockets of things, of cultural things, that I want to reignite because of the impacts of colonialism. () And so, either that's a product of history or present or so these are the questions about, I like the fact that you brought up that we don't have to be in opposition to the past. Modern is just this question. And it's that a lot of times, when I was going to the public school system (years and years and years ago). That every time that I would hear about indigenous people. It was very short, but it was like a photograph. "This is how the used to be. They used to live in Wigwams", but we don't now. Culture is still alive now. And so that's what I love about this conversation is reminding people. You can still be living culture that is very, very old and living culture that is new. Do you know that there are new Mig-ma songs and new dances, new philosophy. Like Albert Marshall talking about "Auto-wa-tu-muk". Well that wasn't something that was like invented a thousand years ago. These are new philosophies and new words and new songs and dances. And so, those are the things that we want to continue to talk about and share. Trina Roache (): Yeah, I think we reclaim, but we also reimagine. Just the way our ancestors would've. I had this moment down at, because I was down at Keji-mu-ku-jik National Park in the summer. And my kids were there was that archaeology camp, (our kids were camp counsellors) and we went to see the petroglyphs. And I had this conversation with the tour guide and I said I, "I wonder (because those are what, five to 800 years old? I could be wrong on that).(There you go. 844 is that someone said.) But whoever put those petroglyphs there, (well multiple people I would imagine) what were the petroglyphs that were there for them, that were there from 500 years ago? Or before that and then 500 years before that and then 500 years before that?" And them saying, "what do you think the ancestors meant?" They were having these conversations. So we are just continuing that conversation. () We've just really been through, like you said, an immense period of fast change. And you said at Auto-wa-tu-muk and when we were talking. Because you first mentioned this, and you said there was four episodes of Modern Mi-kma-ki and I was like, "oh, you could have those four sort of key concepts". Don Weji-scali-at-ti-aq, Right? This is where we sprouted over 10,000 years. I mean the records go 13,500 years. You can sort of say that for now until we find the archaeologists find some new evidence. "Autu-wa-tu-muk" (two eyed seeing) that idea of using the best of both. "M-sit No-kim-maq", (we are all related, all my relations) "M-sit No-kim-maq" which is just family, but not just family. It's also our environment and things around us. Like how we're connected and "Net-tu-kil-limp-k" that idea of balance and sustainability. And so, they might've been practised differently obviously, but now that we still have those kind of key principles. It's just that our technology is different and we're reclaiming things because there's been so much damage from colonialism. Rebecca Thomas (): I mean also when I think of the "Modern Mi-kma-ki" when you're talking about the petroglyphs (and then... /episode/index/show/58187580-fa75-4b6a-b273-ac4a2a529f67/id/32294022

A Modern Mi'kma'ki

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