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© 2024 Unsettled: Journeys in Truth and Conciliation
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Unsettled: Journeys in Truth and Conciliation builds upon the 94 calls to action of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, from the perspectives of Indigenous cohost Jessica Vandenberghe, settler cohost George Lee, and their Indigenous and settler guests. We start from the belief that conciliation in Canada is an ongoing project, individually and collectively, as the country moves beyond colonial thinking to build a nation of nations—one free of racist, pro-assimiliation policies, and one that honours treaties and other commitments to Indigenous peoples. Want to keep the conversation going? Donate here: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneys
33 Episodes
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About 10 years ago, a stranger unwittingly revealed facts about Tom Wilson's adoption, pointing the singer and guitarist with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings towards life-changing truths about his identity.His origins had been hidden from him for more than five decades, even though a sense of not belonging and a recurring dream had made him suspect things were not exactly as they appeared. Growing up in Hamilton, he'd come to think of himself as "a big, puffy, sweaty Irish guy, when I'm actually a pretty big Mohawk guy," Wilson tells cohosts Jessica Vandenberghe and George Lee. "Now I can continue in my life, knowing the blood that runs through me, and that only strengthens my intent creatively," says Wilson, a member of the Kahnawake Mohawk Nation in Quebec. "My job now is to bring the Mohawk culture into the light, to battle whatever way I can, artistically or with my voice, or through standing as a land defender, or through starting an Indigenous scholarship, which I did at McMaster—all those ways are fighting colonialism."Find out more about Wilson, his thoughts on Canada, colonialism and identity, and his way of living a Mohawk life in this episode of Unsettled: Journeys in Truth & Conciliation.The Tom Wilson Indigenous Bursary in Honour of Bunny Wilsonhttps://tomwilsononline.com/scholarship/Beautiful Scars: Steeltown Secrets, Mohawk Skywalkers and the Road Homehttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/531052/beautiful-scars-by-tom-wilson/9780385685672Beautiful Scars TVO Documentaryhttps://www.tvo.org/video/documentaries/beautiful-scarsThe Art of Tom Wilsonhttps://tomwilsononline.com/art/Kahnawake Mohawk Nationhttp://www.kahnawake.com/Thunder Bay Podcasthttps://www.canadaland.com/shows/thunder-bay/Thunder Bay on Cravehttps://www.crave.ca/en/tv-shows/thunder-baySupport the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
When your ancestors speak to you, you should probably listen. And in Mike Bern's case, that means using his talent and voice to honour them, his culture, and the loved ones he's lost.The folk rocker from Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick released the album Ancestors earlier this year, with the single no words for goodbye reaching number one on the Indigenous Music Countdown.Cohosts Jessica and George talk to Mike about his current and past musical focus, his culture, the importance of incorporating his native language in his songs, and much more.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Renowned Blackfoot educator Ramona Big Head talks about overdoses and other tragedies, the ripple effect of residential school abuses through generations and families, and hope.Recent deaths in her community and family "knocked me off my feet," she tells cohosts Jessica Vandenberghe and George Lee. "I think I'm still processing the magnitude of these losses. And it's still happening."Among her tools for healing are prayer, ceremony, physical exercise, humour, empathy, and spending time with her grandchildren."I'm such an optimist," Ramona says. "I honestly believe that this generation of kids. . .they could be the first generation of our people that absolutely, 100 per cent stay away from drugs or alcohol. Why? Because they see immediately, you take that drug, you die."Warning: suicide, sexual abuse, and substance abuse are discussed in this episode.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Rooted in her own story of domestic abuse, Kristi Lane Sinclair's album Super Blood Wolf Moon oozes strength, perseverance, pain, and vulnerability. The award-winning Haida-Cree singer-songwriter has released a searing, deeply personal, and profound collection of songs, at once driving and anthemic, wispy and gentle, angsty and orchestral."I didn't want to write this," says Kristi. "It was the last thing I wanted to do at that point, to share my story. But just going through it, I had this knowledge. I'm part of this secret club now. . .I just thought I'd extend that. If you know you know. They'll get what I'm talking about, and I'll not really help but just hang out and make someone feel not quite so alone."Cohosts Jessica Vandenberghe and George Lee also talk with Kristi about:the healing power of creativity, women, community, family, ancestors, dogs (especially one named Murphy Brown) and naturethe need for non-Indigenous Canadians to stand against racism and for justice, side-by-side with their Indigenous neighboursKristi's film and TV workthe making of a song that features the late Inuit singer Kelly Fraser and the supporting video that features Haida women and family in traditional and ancestral rolesfilm-making and TV workand much, much more.Under fair dealing provisions of Canada's Copyright Act, we used recordings of several songs from Super Blood Wolf Moon in the production of this episode. If you'd like hear more, download Kristi's music wherever you get your music. You can also find out more about her and her music on her website:www.kristilanesinclair.ca.To watch the official music video of Break, feat. Kelly Fraser, check out Kristi's YouTube channel:https://youtu.be/NkNN2o94O-s?si=nfqOOk-GTcEteTnnSupport the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
In our Season 3 finale, Jessica and George look back, look ahead, and look around.Their discussion of how the podcast has affected them and others—and where it might go from here—touches on many of the truth and conciliation challenges Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians continue to face.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Her heart told her she needed to connect her work to helping others and making a difference. Calgarian Diana Frost's dreamscape looked after the rest, giving her a fully formed outline for what her future as a social entrepreneur would look like."I needed to do something I cared about, in order to justify the effort and time," she remembers. "And one morning, in the spring of 2016, I woke up suddenly and I remembered my dream, which was a very unusual thing for me: I never remember my dreams."And I rushed into the living room and I said, 'John (my husband), I'm going to publish a series of colouring books. And I'm going to work with elders and artists from different nations, and we're going to share stories and teachings and beautiful artwork and we're going to help people to connect.'"And John looked at me and he was stunned, because how do you go from engineering to book publishing? But it just seemed to fit; it just seemed right, you know?"Visit the Colouring It Forward website at https://colouringitforward.com/Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Learn, listen, write, share—Jessica Vandenberghe and George Lee chat about these and other ways to make your 2023 a year of truth and conciliation.Study Indigenization and Indigenous history in your community. Listen to an Indigenous radio station. Journal about your truth and conciliation challenges, successes, and ideas. Regift if you receive something you don't need.These ideas and many more get the podcast treatment, just in time for New Year's Eve.Whether you're a settler, an Indigenous person, or some other category of listener, this episode has something to help you chart a more meaningful 2023.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
On the eve of Black Friday, an Indigenous entrepreneur joins co-hosts Jessica Vandenberghe and George Lee to discuss the ins and outs of finding gifts that authentically represent Turtle Island's earliest cultures.Diana Frost, an Algonquin Métis woman, talks about shopping Indigenous in a meaningful way, whether you're online, at a Christmas market, or in a bricks-and-mortar business.She also finds a few openings to mention products available through her social enterprise, Colouring It Forward. Jessica and George are just fine with that, given the beautiful, elder-informed colouring books and other products she sells.A complete list of all the stores, websites, and other shopping options discussed will appear on the podcast's Facebook page: Unsetted: Journeys in Truth and Conciliation.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
In the second episode of our third season, co-host Jessica Vandenberghe discusses a beautiful and challenging road home. Actually, the July trip took her and her travelling companion, Chris Dennison, through two homelands: the one she grew up in and the one she'd never set eyes on before.Jessica and Chris talk with co-host George Lee about the welcome they received at Dene Tha' First Nation and elsewhere, about the laughter and the tears, and about the similiarites and differences between the worlds and people they visited.If you like what you're hearing and want to hear more, consider visiting our Ko-fi site to make a one-time or ongoing donation:https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysSupport the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Our third season launches with co-host Jessica Vandenberghe and her travelling companion Chris Dennison discussing plans for a summer road trip with special meaning.Jessica is a Sixties Scooper, and this will be her first trip to her homeland, Dene Tha' First Nation, in northern Alberta.Says Jessica: "If I go up there to the north, will something feel like I've been there before? Or will I hear something in the trees? Or will I hear something in the wind? Or will something just click where I'm like, yeah, I think I've been here before, and I'm just accepted for who I am."Also in this episode, Jessica and co-host George Lee talk about podcast supporter Superstar X Magazine and its story. Here's a link to the Superstar X site:https://www.superstarx.xyz/superstar-x-magazineAlso, we're accepting donations—monthly and one-time—if you want to keep our conversations going:https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysSupport the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Serious about living in a country that can move beyond its colonial machinations? If so, get out of your comfort zone, take some steps to learn about Canada's Indigenous peoples, and advance your own conciliation journey.Those are some of the suggestions business and policy analyst Darryl Lagerquist offers, during a wide-ranging chat with hosts Jessica and George.Darryl, who has government and private industry experience, says the country faces a "wicked problem," as one elder put it. That would be the one tied to various broken relationships, promises, and programs between Indigenous peoples and their colonial guests.Think of them as multiple strands that are going to take generations to disentangle, Darryl says.If you want to get to work, here's a good entry point—the final episode of our sophomore season.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Raylene Whitford has not followed a typical career path. The Edmonton-born Métis woman has trudged around the jungles of Ecuador, the concrete and glass of a five-star hotel in the Middle East, and the corridors of the London Stock Exchange. Oh yeah: she tried roughnecking for a while, too.Now, Raylene is pursuing her doctorate back in Canada, while using her social enterprise Canative Energy to empower Indigenous communities impacted by extractive industries.In this episode, Raylene credits cohost Jessica Vandenberghe and her role modeling with showing her what success can look like for an Indigenous woman.She also says—among other things—that Canadians can learn a lot about living their lives in a good way by spending some non-disruptive quality time in the great outdoors.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Co-host George Lee reconnects with a childhood friend from the Syilx, or Okanagan, territory. Arnie Baptiste teaches the Nsyilxcn language for the Penticton Indian Band at Outma Sqilx'w Cultural School. Also featured are cohost Jessica Vandenberghe, a cast of hundreds at an outdoor flea market, and a 10-week-old border collie whose name translates to Black or Dark Moon in English.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
In this revisted episode, an Indigenous engineer gives his take on creating a better Canada for all its nations and peoples. Jessica and George chat with Steven Vaivada about the roles and approaches of his company, Scout Engineering & Consulting Ltd. You'll also hear about an emerging vision for a utilities and infrastructure corridor that brings together all perspectives, interests and communities. Steven also discusses how abandoning stereotypes is hard but necessary.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
We're celebrating Pride Month and National Indigenous History Month with a rebroadcast of our October 7, 2021, episode.In this episode Jessica and George chat with Lydia Toorenburgh, a two-spirit Métis student from the University of Victoria.Lydia, who studies anthropology, discusses colonial attitudes and practices, inside and outside of academia, along with finding and refining identity through connections with your people, your language, and the land.Anthropologic practices are rooted in colonialism, Lydia says—but they don't have to stay that way.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Co-hosts Jessica Vandenberghe and George Lee reconnect to kick off National Indigenous History Month in Canada and catch up on things they've read and seen, apologies they've heard, and plans they've made for their podcast.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Anyone who thought the Order of Canada would tame Art Bergmann was wrong. Deeply wrong.The singer-songwriter is as biting and anti-establishment as ever, demonstrated by his latest album, Late Stage Dementia Empire, and his unflinching opinions on his country's failings. Jessica and George talk with the veteran of Canada's music scene about residential schools, music, allyship, colonialism, and more.And there's lots of music to puncutate the conversation—who needs commas when you've got rock 'n' roll?Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
Canadians need to work with Indigenous communities right now for real change, say two Edmontonians whose experience with Indigenous peoples spans decades and industries.Malcolm Bruce is the CEO of Edmonton Global, the economic development organization for the capital city's metro region. Shawna Bruce is a self-employed communications consultant whose career took her to executive positions with the chemical giant Dow. Both have had leadership roles in the Canadian Armed Forces."This is a tragedy of so many levels. There's no light here. But if it's a catalyst for real change and reconciliation, then let's keep that conversation going," Shawna tells Jessica and George.Malcolm adds: "We all need to be at the table to make this happen. We have to find bridges, we have to find ways to work together, and we have to find creative solutions we can all live with."Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
It took arson for the Indian Agent to force the Lheidli T'enneh people from their village in 1913. But these days the First Nation and Prince George, B.C., are working together to truthfully share their stories—and, while they're at it, build enduring and respectful relationships.Hosts Jessica and George discuss an award-winning conciliation success with Tracy Calogheros, from the perspective of her personal journey and that of the institution she leads, the Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre.Tracy speaks of how museums in Canada can reinvent themselves, as they begin to shed the residue of colonization by partnering with First Nations communities.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
The actor Joe Dion Buffalo, from Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, Alberta, talks about his time at residential school, his path to professional skateboarding, the perseverance of racism in Canada, and the youth charity he cofounded.Joe also speaks candidly about the roles that addiction—and sobriety—have played in his story so far.As the podcast drops, a documentary short about his life keeps picking up accolades. Called, appropriately enough, Joe Buffalo , the film recently earned the endorsement of perhaps the world's best-known skater, Tony Hawk, who signed on as an executive producer. And the venerable magazineThe New Yorker has posted the short on its website.Joe cowrote, appears in, and narrates the documentary, which has been screened at Cannes and Tribeca. At the Calgary Underground Film Festival, it earned the jury award and the audience award.Support the showJoin our Facebook community: www.facebook.com/UnsettledJourneys/Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsettledjourneys/Become a paid subscriber: https://ko-fi.com/unsettledjourneysQuestions, comments, suggestions, offers to volunteer:unsettledjourneys@gmail.com
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