kiyanâw maskihkîwakan : our medicines
kiyanâw maskihkîwakan – OUR MEDICINES_INTRO
this podcast shares the stories of indigenous 2SLGBTQIA+ and indigenous women as we explore decolonization, collective care and self care.
EPISODE 1: MEL
mel lefebvre is the podcast creator and an indigiqueer mom, community worker, artist, writer and researcher in tiohtià:ke. with nisimis (younger sister) and friend moe clark, mel shares thoughts on identity, (re)connecting, community, advocacy, mothering, solitude, art and burning it all down on this first episode of kiyanâw maskihkîwakan – OUR MEDICINES.
EPISODE 2: MOE
two-spirit métis performance artist, singer, educator moe clark shares about identity, art, growing up on the plains, kin, collective creation, the transmission of indigi knowledge, Elders, love and the future.
revel in her opening song: miywâsin.
EPISODE 3: ANNA
a two-spirit cree mother, anna is a community worker, sex worker rights advocate and harm reduction facilitator and educator. here she generously shares her insights from her years of experience, how she pushes back against the systems that oppress us, the reciprocal nurturing relationship she has with community, and ideas for the future.
EPISODE 4: FELICIA
queer community worker, LGBT+ BIPOC advocate, musician, songwriter, poet and mother, felicia, of cherokee freedmen descent, shares navigating identity, searching for her medicine bundle, notions of land and territory, finding kin and belonging, music and motherhood.
EPISODE 5: THIRZA
thirza is a queer plains cree filmmaker and performance artist based in toronto, born in saskatchewan and a member of Little Pine First Nation. thirza’s story explores identity, creativity, performance and film-making, mental illness, gender and sexuality, fairy tales and the future.
EPISODE 6: SKAWENNATI
one of the first indigenous internet nerds, skawennati is a kanienʼkehá꞉ka mom, visual artist, cyber explorer and innovator, and educator. skawennati shares her journey on internet beginnings, collaborating in community, indigenous cyber territories, fashion, upsetting the algorithm and meeting the royal family.
EPISODE 7: WAPSHKANKWET
wapshkankwet is a potawatomi mother, mortician, funeral director, after-death care worker, writer and artist. during the COVID epidemic, our meeting in virginia was cancelled, so we zoomed and mused about identity, death and death care in indigenous and western contexts, laughing at death as healing, trauma and the past, land, first contact, living in a graveyard, and surviving.
EPISODE 8: NINA
inuk throat singer, advocate and community worker, nina, shares her story of the 60s Scoop, adoption, identity and belonging, finding herself in community, coming in to her role as educator and advocate, triumphs within the system, relationships with Elders, reuniting with family, mental health, self care and being a mother.
BONUS EPISODE 9: ANNE the daughter of podcast creator mel, anne is 7 years old and sharing her story about being involved in mel’s art and creation process, learning cree teachings, pipelines, the land, and her new drum.
MEL LEFEBVRE 