Indigenous peoples have overcome a lot of darkness, and we’re still able to dance. In this episode, Shayla Stonechild is joined by Jingle Dancer, Content Creator and Indigenous Advocate, Santee Siouxx, to chat about what it means to go back to the ceremony and tap into your dream state. Santee shares how finding ceremony evolved her relationship with dance, grief, and kinship. Matriarch Movement is created and hosted by Shayla Oulette Stonechild and produced by Kattie Laur. Watch the video...

Indigenous peoples have overcome a lot of darkness, and we’re still able to dance. In this episode, Shayla Stonechild is joined by Jingle Dancer and Indigenous Advocate, Santee Siouxx, to chat about what it means to go back to ceremony and tap into your dream state. Santee shares how finding ceremony evolved her relationship with dance, grief, and kinship. Matriarch Movement is created and hosted by Shayla Oulette Stonechild and produced by Kattie Laur. Watch the video version of this...

Advocating for Indigenous youth means you need to be tapped into a lot of different sources. For Kairyn Potts, that means not only being ultra internet-savvy, but also having a personal connection to the system that impacts Indigenous youth on a massive scale: the foster care system. Kairyn is passionate about advocating for young people, and has gained an incredible following on social media for the careful and clever content that he creates around Indigenous issues. Kai is also the...

What does it mean to be an “Indigenous Influencer”? Marika Sila is an Inuvialuk actress, stunt performer, and activist who also shares content with over half a million followers across Instagram and Tiktok. She and her dad blew up the internet this year showcasing traditional snow blinders made from antler. Marika joins the Matriarch Movement podcast to share an inside perspective on the nuances of being an “Indigenous Influencer”, how she approached brand deals and partnerships, and the...

Lacrosse is more than a game, it’s medicine. Jeremy Thompson, professional lacrosse player from the Onondaga Nation, is known around the world for his incredible athleticism and activism within the sport of lacrosse. He joins the Matriarch Movement podcast to unpack lacrosse’s historical context and roots in indigeneity, and he shares how the sport has helped him heal. Matriarch Movement is created and hosted by Shayla Oulette Stonechild and produced by Kattie Laur. Theme music is...

What does it mean to bring Indigeneity into colonial spaces, especially into the government? Michelle Friesen, City Councilor for the City of Whitehorse, knows a thing or two about it. In October 2021 she was elected as the first Indigenous woman to serve on Whitehorse City Council – the first Indigenous person to sit in City Council in 30 years. Early this year, Michelle and her son, Theo, were in the media after she faced complaints by fellow city council members to stop bringing her son...

Growing up as an Indigenous and queer person isn’t easy. Owen Unruh, a Two-Spirit, Nêhiyaw (Plains Cree) adoptee, felt ashamed of his identity until well into adulthood which led him to a battle with addiction. He joins the podcast to discuss his experience with substance abuse and how building a community online on TikTok has helped him through his recovery. In this episode, Owen opens up about his near-death experience, and he and Shayla have a frank conversation about addiction and...

What is the role of Matriarchy in Indigenous futurism? Stephanie Peltier can tell you from experience, it’s critical. Stephanie Peltier is well known across Canada as “The Matriarch Who Raised One of Canada’s Leading Indigenous Water Activists”. As the single mother to Autumn Peltier, along with her two other daughters Naomi and Ceira, she’s experienced all of the ups and downs of supporting her family and fighting for a better world, while staying connected to community and...

How do you stay connected to Indigenous values like kinship, community and sustainability while living in a colonial society? In this episode, Jesse Wente, an award-winning, Anishinaabe writer, broadcaster, and arts leader, joins the Matriarch Movement podcast to discuss what it really looks like to be a changemaker in colonial institutions as an Indigenous person. Jesse has made a massive imprint in the Canadian arts sector, working at the CBC and TIFF, and leading the Indigenous Screen...

What does “Indigeneity” look like to you? In this episode, The Matriarch Movement podcast is joined by Shanese Indoowaaboo Steel. Shanese is an Afro-Indigenous, Fat Femme who's fought for the advancement of Indigenous and Racialized student rights within the Post-Secondary institution. Shanese also consults on curriculums and training around Black and Indigenous issues. We discuss the histories of Black and Indigenous peoples in Canada and the imprint that those histories have left. We...

For a long time it’s been non-Indigenous people telling Indigenous stories, and that means that stereotypes and a lack of humanity and empathy has been perpetuated in the media for years. Award-winning Indigenous podcaster and journalist, Connie Walker, joins the Matriarch Movement podcast to discuss her approach to trauma-informed storytelling, and what it was like to uncover the truth behind her family’s history in Canada’s residential school system. We unpack the power in giving...

Where do Indigenous youth find the space to be revolutionary? Riley Yesno has explored the many facets of Indigenous resurgence throughout most of her life, and has been advocating for “reconciliation” since she was 15 years old. Her time on the Prime Minister's Youth council was troubling  – proudly hailing herself as a “shit disturber” – but that time still inspired her interest in native politics. Today she’s working on her PhD, studying Indigenous youth and reconciliation and hosts the...

What happens when Indigenous fashion is on the global stage? In February 2023, Sage Paul took seven Indigenous designers to Milan Fashion Week as a part of a three-year partnership between Indigenous Fashion Arts and White Milano, a tradeshow for international womenswear. Sage Paul is the Founding Executive and Artistic Director at Indigenous Fashion Arts, and in this episode I talk to her about her goal of increasing the visibility of Indigenous artists and the impact of partnerships...

Shayla Oulette Stonechild returns with the Matriarch Movement podcast on April 24th, 2023! This podcast is an act of reclamation of who we are as Indigenous people. This is a place where we champion multi-generational-healing and Indigenous futurisms. Which is radically imagining a new future that is currently being built on inclusivity, representation and advocating for a better tomorrow, not only for ourselves, but for the next seven generations. While also honoring our ancestors...

In this first 2022 episode of Matriarch Movement, Shayla welcomes award-winning Cree/Métis director and screenwriter, Asia Youngman. Asia’s films have been screened at a variety of festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, the St. Louis International Film Festival, and the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival. Her latest film, HATHA, received support from the Harold Greenberg Fund and Creative BC through the BC Shorts Program and premiered at the 40th Vancouver...

This week on Matriarch Movement, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by Dr. Shannon Prince, Attorney, Legal Commentator, and Author of Cherokee descent. Her book Tactics for Racial Justice: Building an Antiracist Organization and Community is forthcoming from Routledge on November 30th as part of the Giving Voice to Values series. She represents the Cherokee Nation in its landmark lawsuit against the opioid industry for causing the opioid epidemic on its reservation as well as the Oneida...

This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by Jessica Barudin. Jessica is Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, a member of the 'Namgis First Nation with ties to the Kwakiutl and Haxwamis on her mother’s side and Russian-Jewish on her father’s side. She is a proud mother of two daughters, wife, Sundancer, Indigenous health researcher, yoga teacher and doula. She has spent the last ten years working professionally in Indigenous peoples’ health and education including a variety of roles in health research,...

Jessica Matten is of Red River Metis-Cree descent and is directly a descendant of Cuthbert Grant, the first rebel Metis leader famously known for the Battle of the Seven Oaks in Canada. Most recently, Jessica is set to star in Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) and Graham Roland's produced "Dark Winds" television series opposite Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon for the AMC Network this Fall 2021. You can find Jessica on 3 Canadian Screen Award nominated and winning shows:...

Aly Bear (Tatanka Ska Win) is a proud mother and descendant of Dakota, Anishinaabe and Nehiyaw heritage. She is a member of the Whitecap Dakota First Nation where her father, Darcy Bear, currently serves as the Nation's Chief. Aly has worked tirelessly to advance her education while balancing her duties as a single parent. She obtained her juris doctor from the University of Saskatchewan, College of Law, in 2020. Since, Aly worked on a wide range of files, including corporate commercial,...

This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined by Nicole McLaren. Nicole is a mother, wife and entrepreneur at heart. Her steady search for opportunities, combined with her enterprising, Indigenous roots led her to launch Raven Reads – a subscription box featuring literature and goods from Indigenous authors and entrepreneurs across North America. Nicole is also the Founder and Chair of the Indigenous Women’s Business Network, an expanding non-profit network that provides support for...

This week on the podcast, we welcome two very impressive women. Chelsea Vowel is a Métis writer and educator from manitowsâkahikan (Lac Ste. Anne) Alberta, residing in amiskwacîwâskihikan (Edmonton). She is a Cree language instructor at the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and author of Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada. She and her co-host Molly Swain produce the Indigenous feminist sci-fi podcast Métis in Space. Sandra...

The system is broke, and this week's podcast guest is taking steps to fix it. Dr. Shannon “ᏌᎵ” (Sa-li) Prince is a Boies Schiller Flexner Attorney, Legal Commentator, and Author of Cherokee descent. Her book Tactics for Racial Justice: Building an Antiracist Organization and Community is forthcoming from Routledge on November 30th as part of the Giving Voice to Values series. Dr. Prince represents the Cherokee Nation in its landmark lawsuit against the opioid industry for causing the opioid...

This week on the podcast, a fan favourite is back for round two! This week, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild is joined once again by Caitlyn Kasper. Caitlyn is an Anishinaabek woman from the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation. She holds an Honours Specialist in Political Science from the University of Toronto and a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall. She is currently a candidate for a Master of Laws at Osgoode Hall, with a specialization in Constitutional Law. In 2014, Caitlyn joined...

This week, host Shayla Oullette Stronechild is joined by Chelsey Luger. Chelsey is a Writer and Wellness Advocate, originally from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Born and raised in North Dakota, she was educated on the East Coast and is now based in Arizona with her husband and two daughters. Chelsey's writing and broadcast work has been published by dozens of internationally recognized publications. She is a trainer/facilitator for the Native Wellness...