Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Governments and international governmental organizations’ responses to global environmental crises are failing; Indigenous environmental repossession, where it’s happening, is working. In their book, Because This Land Is Who We Are, authors Chantelle Richmond, Renee Pualani Louis, and Brad Coombes explore distinct instances of Indigenous repossession in geographically diverse locales in Canada (Anishinaabe), Hawai’i (Kanaka Maoli) and Aotearoa (Māori).
In this episode, we are joined by Chantelle and Renee to talk about their very different, but mutually reinforcing case studies, and the insights they reveal for other Indigenous communities involved in environmental repossession (i.e., Indigenous Peoples reclaiming their territories and ways of life). We learn about the similarities and differences between repossession and resurgence and how upholding Indigenous responsibilities, placed based values and ontologies, and relational practices are key to healthy lands and peoples. We also hear about how the book was created and the ways relationships between authors were formed and maintained in a good way.
Chantelle Richmond is an Anishinaabe scholar at Western University, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health and Environment. She is also a professor in the Department of Geography and Environment with a joint appointment in the Indigenous Studies program. Chantelle’s work focuses on community-centred models of research that explore the intersection of Indigenous Peoples’ health and knowledge systems within the context of global environmental change.
Renee Pualani Louis is Kanaka ʻŌiwi from the Island of Hawaii. She is an Indigenous geographer and cartographer. Renee currently teaches at the Hawaii Community College and she works with a small community Hawaiʻi based group, Kū a Kanaka. She is passionate about storied place names and their role in Hawaiʻi cartographic expressions. She is also committed to increasing awareness of Indigenous perspectives of science and promoting Indigenous research sovereignty.
This podcast is created by the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria, with production support from Cited Media. We receive additional support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research You can find us at https://indigenousplanetaryhealth.ca/
