“I never dreamed of learning to listen in such a powerful way. Storytelling, despite all the struggles, enabled me to respect and honour the Ancestors and the storytellers while at the same time sharing tragic, traumatic, inhumanely unbelievable truths that our people had lived When we make personal what we teach…we touch people in a different and more profound way.”
Qwul'sih'yah'maht (Robina Anne Thomas) Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
We are super pleased to announce that the third episode of the podcast gwayakotam (listening to the truth), is ready for your listening pleasure! And what better time than summer to kick back and listen to the very real, very inspiring stories of a First Nation in northern Ontario called Aroland?
Gwayakotam is a podcast series and community art project that explores the intersection between traditional stories that have been passed down through generations and the contemporary experiences of Aroland First Nation community members with the reconciliation process in Canada. This podcast was generously supported by Canada Council for the Arts.
Gwayakotam is produced by the Crow Creator Colective, a collaboration of four artists who work personally and professionally towards reconciliation: Damien Bouchard, Rene Meshake, SVS's Jeremy Shute and Laura Taylor. Along with Jeremy and Laura, SVS's Trieneke Gastmeier and Mike VanEgmond helped put this show together.
The leader of the Crow Collective, Damien Bouchard is from Geraldton, Ontario and a member of the Aroland First Nation band. He achieved a Diploma in Broadcasting at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, and when on to Capilano University where he graduated with a Diploma in Film. Damien is an audio-visual artist experienced with writing, producing, directing and camera operating/editing. His work consists of documentary projects, image capture and editing and audio recording and engineering. He has worked with Scored Media as a digital media team member for the TV series 100 Years Cafe on APTN. He worked at NBC Universal as an intern on the television series Eureka. He has produced videos for the Cuystwi: Indigenous Youth Wellness project. Damien found the passion for art at the age of 24 when he was trying to understand his heritage as well as form of self expression. He is skilled at using creative media to shed light on social and economic issues and bridge the gap between languages and culture, and to shed light on tough topics within First Nation communities. He has used his skills in many of those areas and has found growth and wellness through it. Damien continues to strive to share the stories of individuals within Indigenous communities. This is his first podcast.
Learn more about Damien: https://www.facebook.com/Crowcreator/
An Ojibwe funky elder, visual and performing artist, award-winning author, storyteller, flute player, new media artist and a Recipient of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. He works to fuse Ojibwe and English words into his stories, poetry and spoken word performances, Rene communicates his Ojibwe spiritual heritage to the contemporary world. He was born in the railway town of Nakina in Northwestern Ontario and was raised by his Okomissan grandmother. His education includes: Anishinaabe oral tradition, language, arts and culture. Rene has a diploma in Graphic Design from Sheridan College and a certificate in Creative Writing from the Humber School for Writers. Rene’s body of artwork, stories and his flute improvisations create a strong, expressive, and entertaining presentation for an ever-increasing audience. He also has an active on-line and performing presence as a Funky-Elder and his 'virtual' band, The Firebolt Ensemble.
Learn more about Rene: http://www3.sympatico.ca/renemeshake/index.html#
Episode 3 explores the concept of reconciliation between Indigenous communities as well as with Canada. It poses the question of what a reconcilied world could look like and concludes by offering some examples.
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