Indigenous Peoples Day Special

For this special edition of Gaënö’, I wanted to shake things up a little. In some ways, I approached this episode as the complimentary pair to my International Women’s Day special back in the spring with the amazingly talented Joanne Shenandoah. This time around, while discussing Indigenous Peoples Day, I wanted to talk with a few of the older brothers in my community. Todays featured guests are Dr Jason Corwin, Deer Clan, Seneca Nation and Dennis Bowen, Bear Clan, Seneca Nation. But in reality, this episode is dedicated to all my teachers and elders in my community. Nya:wëh, Ha’nih (Dad) Jeff Sr., Maurice John Sr, Sandy Dowdy, Jano’s Bowen, Steve Gordon, Bill Crouse, Tina Abrams, Arlene Bova, Sharon Atwood, Rick Armstrong, Norm Jimerson Sr… Really too many to name. And a special dedication to all our family and ancestors that were murdered in the name of “process”, “god”, “education” and “civilization”. Today we celebrate us! Its a good day to be Indigenous.

Dr Corwin was recently hired as Clinical Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University at Buffalo. He’s been socially active since the early 90’s and helped to establish the Seneca Media and Communications Center with the Seneca Nation. Mr Bowen helped to organize the Cleveland Chapter of the American Indian Movement in the early 1970’s. A man of many talents, he’s a former President of the Seneca Nation and national pow wow Emcee, just to name a few of his disctinctions.

To be perfect honest, I didn’t expect the conversations to go as long as they did. You even hear me state at the beginning of each that we’re aiming for a short 5-10 minute conversation. But when it came time to edit, I felt that I shouldn’t cut any of it for time constraints. I think you really need to hear it all to keep it all in context.. That does capture the essence of what this episode is all about. Keeping the big picture in mind.

There were a number of ways by which to approach this topic. I set out with the intention of helping listeners walk away with a better understanding as to why the shift away from celebrating the colonizing ideals of the “explorers” is so important to not only indigenous peoples, but people of color all over the world, and ultimately why its important to every single one of us, regardless of race. Make no mistake, as long as genocide is celebrated, the threat of future genocide ris very much alive. As does the threat to the health of our environment… Its time.

With the fm broadcast, I had to trim a little bit of the musical content to retain the integrity of our discussions. A first for the show but I’m confident you’ll find the shared words to possess a certain musicality as well. So enjoy the added bonus songs for the fall preview on the podcast version at Gaeno Music .fm. I have some great shows coming your way in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned.

https://www.nv1.org

https://www.facebook.com/senecamedia/

https://www.senecamuseum.org

https://www.calebgabrams.com

https://www.agwadeyestadogeh.com

https://www.indigenousattractions.com

https://www.gaenomusic.fm/episodes/indigenous-peoples-day-special

Playlist

01- Raven Chacon- Hastaa’

02- Jayli Wolf- Lead Me

03- Mato Wayuhi- Gravel

04- Tanya Tagaq- Tongues

05- Emma Donavan and the Putbacks- No Woman Left Behind

06- Samantha Crain- Bloomsday (Husbands Remix)

07- Black Arm Band- Sunrise

08- Celeigh Cardinal- Theres a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

09- Digging Roots- Cut My Hair

10- Stoik- Awakening

Gaënö'