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Named one of Audible's Best Canadian Podcasts of 2025. Join Rosanna Deerchild every Friday for vibrant conversations with our cousins, aunties, elders and heroes. Rosanna guides us on the path to better understanding our shared story. Together, we learn and unlearn, laugh and become gentler in all our relations.
Our award-winning show is rooted in radio, where we’ve spent the last decade becoming a trusted space for Indigenous-led conversations.
We are based in what is now known as Canada. Rosanna hails from O-Pipon-Na-Piwan Cree Nation at South Indian Lake in northern Manitoba, and now lives and works in Winnipeg (Treaty 1).
92 Episodes
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Every year Canada Reads chooses one book that everyone should read right now – and it’s a series of great debates that gets us there! In this live recording of Unreserved, Rosanna speaks with Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Billy-Ray Belcourt about why Billy-Ray’s A Minor Chorus is THE book for our present time. The story follows a queer Cree man, an academic and writer, who returns to his home community in northern Alberta after a long time away.
The sight of 191 wild horses pinned in mud is hard to picture and so Jake Skeets turned to poetry. As he learned more about the tragic scene, it became a metaphor for the current climate crisis and its impact on all walks and ways of life. Rosanna speaks with Jake Skeets and Louise Bernice Halfe Sky Dancer about the language of poetry and why its power is so needed today.
They searched for months until the snow came but could not find her. Now, as the weather warms and the ice melts, the community of Arviat renews its search for Kadin Savikataaq. In August 2024, the 20-year-old pilot and experienced hunter disappeared almost without a trace. RCMP say she most likely drowned, but Kadin’s family believes she was murdered and buried somewhere near their village. Guest host, Juanita Taylor, hears from family and friends about what happened the night Kadin disappeared and why their searches through harsh weather and rugged terrain will continue until they find her.
“Boozhoo” means hello in Anishinaabemowin. For Adam Sturgeon, that simple greeting, written in a card he received from his Auntie when he was 10-years old, kickstarted a lifelong quest to reclaim his Anishinaabe identity. Adam speaks with Rosanna about his journey of reconnection and finding belonging and how it's driven him to learn more about his family history.
Istiyehe, Imoitapi and Sabe are just some of the names Indigenous nations across Turtle Island call Bigfoot or Sasquatch. But who is Sabe really? To some Indigenous people they’re regarded as a relative, others a spiritual guide. Rosanna hears how Sabe teaches us to reflect on our relationship with ourselves and the land to bring lessons of honesty.
What do you get when you blend traditional Mi’kmaq songs with Celtic fiddle music? Mi’kmaltic!Morgan Toney draws inspiration from his Elders, family and community and brings the fusion genre across the country. Now he’s on the road to the Junos. This week Rosanna speaks with three musicians on the way to the Junos about how their music led them to community, connection and ceremony.
“We need to spend time on beautiful memories” says Inuk musician and humanitarian about her life growing up in the small fly-in community of Arviat, Nunavut. Susan speaks with guest host, Juanita Taylor about healing from childhood sexual abuse and how it inspires her work with Inuit youth through the Arctic Rose Foundation.
She spent 4 days camped out on the land the last time a litter of puppies were born. That’s the kind of commitment 15 year-old Sophia Johnston has toward her dog team. We hear how she is bringing back the almost-lost tradition of dog sled teams in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut with the help of elders and long-time mushers like Harry Towtongie and John McLeod.
In Haida Gwaii, Basketball is more than a game – and the Skidegate Saints reign supreme. Their team is a source of pride for players and fans alike. Front row tickets even pass down through family wills. Guest host, Falen Johnson hears how their games are a cornerstone of community and make space for intergenerational connections.
Ojibwe-Métis playwright Ian Ross brought the stage to the rez and put the rez on the stage in his Governor award-winning play FareWel. He harnessed the power of storytelling through his many plays and fiercely encouraged Indigenous creatives to do the same by sharing their own stories. Rosanna hears from Ian’s friends, family and colleagues about how they’ll carry his memory and legacy into the future.
1Inuit activists call for an independent Greenland – that means freedom from Denmark and the United States. Amidst the latest threats by the US to acquire Greenland, Inuit are speaking out and calling for good relations as an independent player on the world stage. Rosanna hears from Inuit across the Arctic about the defense of culture, language and sovereignty.
A winter count is history in pictures. But a 200 year-old notebook written in the Lakota language shows just how important the written word can also be. Around the globe communities are recognizing the invaluable role language plays in holding and sharing our people’s stories. Many languages are so at risk that the UN declared the International Decade of Indigenous Languages to raise awareness and mobilize communities. Halfway through that decade, Rosanna hears from language learners and speakers who are reclaiming and revitalizing their languages.
It’s a sacred gift to tell the stories that we carry – that’s one of the lessons Tanya Talaga shares with emerging writers. Rosanna speaks with the award-winning author and other creatives about how they lift each other up by creating safe spaces, supporting each other’s art and offering opportunity and mentorship to the next generation.
Reconnecting with language, family and culture is a journey without a map. It's one Melissa Powless Day has been walking through and sharing about in her poetry as she seeks reconnection and belonging. We also reflect on lessons and wisdom shared from Indigenous authors Rosanna has spoken with to help us move into the new year.
Who are the cookie people in your life? They bring light and calm in moments of chaos and darkness, and their gifts – whether they’re delicious treats, kind words, or time – hold lessons for us all. Rosanna digs into the season of giving and hears that some of the best gifts are those that come with lessons and stories. These gifts connect us to the past and give us hope for the year to come.
Beaver mimicry is helping scientists on Blackfoot territory keep water on the land and put an end to decades of drought. It’s one of many ways Indigenous people look to our beaver kin for lessons on restoring balance to ecosystems. Rosanna hears how traditional knowledge and stories about beaver make us more nurturing, generous and wise.
Forget the birthday candles, some celebrations call for dynamite! Salmon are returning to river systems all along the Pacific coast where they are the lifeblood of communities. Along the Klamath River, one salmon warrior fulfilled a lifelong dream to blow up one of the dams that had blocked salmon for decades. Rosanna hears how efforts around destruction and restoration are bringing the salmon home.
Siibii means river in Cree – a body of water with no fixed form. That description resonates with the pop singer/songwriter now known as Siibiii. Rosanna sits down for an intimate conversation to hear how Siibii’s questions around gender, sexuality and neurodiversity have helped them to heal and come into themself.
From Kookums on campus to artists with new names, Rosanna explores what it means to know your story, be grounded in yourself and share all the love (even if it takes a little rage to get you there).
The dress will never be worn by anyone but the names that adorn it. Hundreds of names of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls line a haute couture gown at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. That’s where Rosanna captured the stories of many designers at a special event.
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seedkeeper- Diane Wilson
After hearing the song Breathless on Q I can't get enough of Williams music.His lyrics and devotion to honesty makes his music and his stories captivating.Thanks for being real in every way.Hope to see him when he comes to London, Ontario.