WE ARE HERE
The We Are Here Podcast, G4 Justice, bring conversations on justice, experience, and wisdom from the First Nations people of the Tsuut'ina and Stoney Nakoda . Treaty rights, First Nations justice, ideas, and knowledge will all be explored through conversations with the First People of these lands... We Are Here!
WE ARE HERE
Building Bridges Between Past and Future, conversations with our Elders
Teddy Manywounds returns with season two of the We Are Here podcast, reflecting on five years of work with First Nations communities and introducing a new focus on elder wisdom from the Tsuut'ina and Stoney Nakoda First Nations located in Treaty 7.
Hosted by Nicole Robertson
From my home fire to yours, we are here, we have been here, and I'm excited that you are here listening with us.
Sīyísgáàs (Thank you, Tsuut’ina) Îsniyés (Thank you, Stoney)
Hello, my name is Teddy. Many Wounds and welcome to we Are here a podcast. When I first started the we Are here podcast in 2020, I had just moved home from living in the United States. A lot has changed in the years that I've been home and I've been so grateful to conduct the work, to meet many people from Turtle Island and many people from different nations, and it has been my honor and privilege to, in five years, carry forward work that is the work not only of my ancestors, of my elders, but of my people. In 2020, when I first started this podcast, it was an exploration on the development of legislation, on the development of laws within my nation, soutena Nation, and the importance of such structures being built, such structures that uphold not only our ways of being, our treaty rights, but offer an opportunity for the next generations. As my elders have always blessed me with the understanding we make sure that we leave this world a better place and we make sure that we are always doing things thinking ahead to the next seven generations, and it has been my honor to be able to do that, but my privilege to be able to work with some outstanding and amazing people who I'm really excited to introduce you all to in season two of we Are here.
Speaker 1:Since the time in 2020 when I last recorded this podcast, I have had the privilege of being the Director of Justice and Public Safety for the G4 Stony Dakota Sutina Nation Tribal Council. I've had the pleasure of working on a multitude of projects, initiatives and movements for and with my First Nations people and people. I have been privileged to sit with women and girls in my community to discuss the ongoing challenges regarding the missing and murdered women and girls crisis, and I'm going into my fourth year of hosting a healing circle for women and girls we have titled Understanding Our Voices. When looking at the landscape of all the work that has been done, I think it is the voices of women and girls that truly embed the solutions, that truly hold the solutions where we are going to live in, a world, generations from now, where our young women, first Nations women and women, can feel safe and can feel confident, knowing that their daughters don't have to worry about making it into adulthood. It is a continuation of work from many women who have done this in the past Josie Niponek and countless others who have carried forward this heart-wrenching work my friend Deborah Green, my friend Summer Tuyongmen, and many, many others who have not only come up with really innovative solutions for our women and girls, but have continued carrying on the torch so that women and girls can have a place in this world. I've worked with amazing people and organizations such as Not In my City, spearheaded by country singer Paul Brandt. Not In my City is an amazing organization that works to determine how we may begin to implement solutions to combat human trafficking in Alberta and beyond. I'm so proud of the work Paul and his team have done and I'm excited to continue with the work with many of my colleagues and people in the community and I look forward to the outcomes of that work.
Speaker 1:I am currently the co-chair of my police commission on Southanan Nation under the police force, which is one of the 36 in Canada administered under the First Nations Inuit policing program. Our First Nation police force is titled Tuscoona or the Black Soldiers. I am a member of the board of directors with the Canadian Association of Police Governance, or CAPG for short, and the current chairperson of the First Nations Police Governance Council in Canada. It is truly my hope to build frameworks, to build ecosystems of safety so that First Nations people and people know that they have a space where they are safe and that they can call home. I'm an Indigenous advisor to the Alberta Human Rights Commission and a member of the Public Safety Indigenous Advisory Council under the Public Safety Ministry of Alberta. I've worked on achieving with many, many, many, many nations in Canada, as well as Chiefs of Police. I have been one of the individuals so blessed and privileged to work on achieving First Nations policing designated as an essential service under federal legislation. The work is ongoing and continues, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with some wonderful, wonderful people and wonderful organizations. The thing I want to acknowledge is that I was awarded the King's Coordination Medal of Honor, granted to me on behalf of Mike Ellis, public Safety and Emergency Service Minister, with the government of Alberta.
Speaker 1:All this to say none of this could have happened without the fortitude, without the determination of elders, of my elders, of our elders, and one thing that I have heard in our community is the connection to elders remains not only an ongoing challenge but a source of healing in our nations that is not always easily attainable.
Speaker 1:Many of our elders left us far too soon and I recognize that many of my friends, families, brothers and sisters on Turtle Island do not have a connection with elders the way that I have been so privileged and blessed to and for season two of we Are here.
Speaker 1:What I want to acknowledge is that we heard you, we heard you, and so in season two, what we have done is paired up with and have shared some wonderful time with some wonderful elders from the Soutena and Stony Dakota nations to explore some perspectives such as matriarchy, technology and retaining our ways of being, natural laws and the changing world.
Speaker 1:My friend, nicole Robertson, one of my deepest and dearest friends, who I adore and love, took on hosting duties to share in conversations that I have had the privilege to listen to, and in hosting this, she has done such a wonderful job at not only encapsulating beautiful stories but beautiful perspectives from our elders and our ways of being.
Speaker 1:So I hope that in season two, you explore with us and come with us on a journey gifted by all of our elders and I hope those of you in community who feel that there is a lost connection or there is a fragmented connection to elders, that you are able to, through the stories that we have shared with you, the stories that we have been gifted, a chance to connect with your elders in a fundamental way.
Speaker 1:Even though it is not through ceremony, is not sitting at their table with tea, I do hope that you were able to take away from the season two podcast of we are here some perspective, some fortitude and, um, a little bit of uh, warmth, as that is always what our elders have imbued and that's what our elders continue to carry with us is warmth. So, from my home fire to yours, I wish and hope that you have a wonderful listening experience and that you enjoy the wonderful and beautiful work of Nicole Robertson. And, as we always state in our First Nations communities, as we will always state, we are here, we have been here and I'm excited that you are here listening with us. Hai hai si es, gas, enish, enish. Please enjoy season two of we Are here.