Culture is Healing

 In this week’s conversation, George Harris Jr. and educator Kelsey Crawford explore how cultural healing, community support, and everyday acts of presence can transform the lives of Indigenous youth. Together, they reflect on the power of elders, regalia, music, and seasonal teachings in helping young people build identity, confidence, and connection. Their discussion offers practical insights for educators and community members committed to creating safe, culturally grounded spaces where youth can truly thrive.

In this episode of Culture Is Healing, Rachael Hunt and George Harris Jr. talk about what it means to return home — to culture, ceremony, and community.  Rachael shares ancestral wisdom and teachings from the Eighth Fire. The conversation is a call to remember that culture isn’t something we practice once in a while — it’s something we live.  Whether through prayer, gratitude, or presence, every moment can become ceremony.

In this episode of Culture is Healing, George Harris Jr. sits down with Jenn Smith of the Tlowitsis Nation, a leader in Indigenous Cultural Safety and reconciliation work.  Together, they speak about how self-love can be an act of reclamation and how personal journeys of cultural connection are vital for identity and healing.  Jenn shares how ancestral teachings, truth-telling, and community care help repair what colonialism tried to take — reminding us that healing deepens when culture is at the centre of our lives.  

Education can be a place of deep healing when guided by culture, story, and community. George and his friend Colleen Mullin share a conversation about bringing Indigenous language, teachings, and community connection into education in meaningful ways.  George reflects on moments of racism and insensitivity he faced as a student, and how those experiences shaped his commitment to creating safer, more understanding learning spaces.  They speak on the progress that has been made, the care it takes to do this work well, and how storytelling continues to open doors for healing and understanding.

Gabriel George Sr. speaks to canoeing as a teacher — one that carries lessons of discipline, unity, and spirit.   He reflects on how revitalizing language has restored strength and pride to his community.    He points to the guidance of elders, who remind us that healing also means breaking harmful cycles and choosing a different way forward.   At the heart of it all, Gabe emphasizes that love and connection to culture are what make reconciliation possible.

“Art and music helped me survive.” This week, George shares a raw conversation with Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw’s Benjamin Lewis. Ben opens up about his recovery from addiction, sharing the story that led him to hosting his own 12-step meetings. He also talks about how turning back to culture and creativity became his way through. For Ben, art and music aren’t just passions — they’re lifelines. In this episode, he shares some of his songs — honest, heavy pieces that speak to the realities of residential schools, abuse, and what it means to live through it.

This week’s episode with Tchadas Leo is packed with teachings to help us reach our fullest potential.   He talks about how smudging became a foundation in his reconnection to culture, and how patience can transform everything — the way we live, the way we create, and the way we heal.   Tchadas also shares why joy and purpose are not optional, but essential parts of healing and living well.

This week’s guest is family—George’s brother-in-law, Cal Swustus Jr., from Cowichan Tribes. Cal shares how he navigates walking in two worlds - Indigenous and Western.   Listeners will hear teachings on rites of passage, the guidance of Elders, and how storytelling and performance are great tools for moving through grief and growth.    Cal nudges listeners to lean on culture as a source of healing and to carry it forward for the generations to come.

Richard Van Camp and George Harris Jr. share a conversation about the signs we receive from those who have passed on.  They speak to how oral storytelling, cultural practices, and creative projects carry us through loss.  Richard reflects on his experiences as a Tłı̨chǫ storyteller and author, and on the ways culture connects us across generations. To learn more about our work at CheckingIn visit https://checkingin.co/

In the final episode of Season 2, host George Harris Jr. sits down with storyteller and TV host Bob Kronbauer—better known as BC Bob—for a conversation rooted in stories—about learning, and unlearning. They share about how salmon, harvesting and food have brought people together in their lives and created deeper understanding.  Bob shares about his own learning path as a non-Indigenous person building relationships with Indigenous communities—speaking about what it means to show up with respect, ask questions, and commit to lifelong learning. The truth that was woven into this episode is that reconciliation is not an end goal—it’s an ongoing relationship. George will be back for the fall season on September 9th.

This week’s episode of Culture is Healing feels a little closer to home — because George’s guest is his sister, Iona Harris. They share memories from their upbringing in Stz’uminus First Nation. They share how, in their home, culture has always been a way of life, and family a built-in support system and source of teachings. Iona also brings forward her own teachings — shaped by her community and her time in social work at a delegated Aboriginal agency. The conversation is a reflection of how healing begins within family and ripples outward into community.

What grounds you when life gets hard? For Qwuy’um’aat (Eyvette Elliott), it’s culture and family. In this episode, Qwuy’um’aat offers reflections shaped by her experience as an Indigenous mother. Her snuw’uy’ulh (teachings) speak to how you can live in alignment with your values, carry wisdom forward to the next generation, and prioritize time for healing through connection.  This episode is a soft place to land for anyone navigating parenthood, holding grief and joy at once, or simply needing a reminder that you are not walking alone.

This conversation goes beyond the idea that culture heals — it asks how we live that truth in our everyday lives. Vanessa Lesperance is a Métis woman originally from Treaty 1 territory, and Ariana Fotinakis is Anishinaabe. Both speak candidly about what it means to reclaim culture when you weren’t raised in it, and the messy, sacred work of navigating identity as women of mixed Indigenous heritage. They reflect on how language, humour, grief, and even rage can be part of the healing — and why reclaiming culture isn’t about perfection, but participation. Alongside their own stories, Vanessa and Ariana also invite settlers to consider their own cultural roots — to explore where they come from, and how reconnection to their ancestry can create stronger, more respectful relationships with Indigenous communities.

Carrying the names and languages of our ancestors — especially when we didn’t grow up with them — is a powerful kind of healing.   In this episode, Victoria Fraser (Siqaltunaat) shares what it means to walk with language — as a learner, teacher, and descendant. She reflects on the grief and beauty of reconnecting with culture, and how both children and elders play a vital role in keeping language and teachings alive.   Our words, stories, and teachings carry power — and that healing begins with remembering who we are.   To learn more about our work at CheckingIn, visit https://checkingin.co/

What does it mean to carry your culture forward while still learning it yourself? Kalila George-Wilson of Tsleil-waututh Nation joins George to talk about the teachings that live in everyday moments. From the kitchen table to the classroom, Kalila shares how ceremony, nature, and ancestral guidance have shaped her path. This episode is a reminder that healing and learning often go hand in hand—and that culture lives in how we speak, listen, and show up for one another.