June is National Indigenous History month, a time for recognizing and acknowledging the resiliency, diversity and rich history of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Last week Wednesday was National Indigenous Peoples Day, and within Winnipeg there were several powwows and celebrations for people to attend.
In the spirit of honouring National Indigenous History month, the first podcast recommendation from “’Toban Listens” looks at food, caring for the land and agriculture through an Indigenous lens.
Enter, Spirit Plate. Spirit Plate is a podcast from Whetstone Radio Collective. Host Shiloh Maples — who is Turtle Clan, Anishinaabe and citizen of the Little River Band of Ottawa, as well as belonging to the Ojibwe People of Swan Creek and Black River — takes the listener on a journey.
The series focuses on Indigenous food sovereignty and its multi-layered complexities, with deep-dive discussions on the history and politics involved. With Indigenous peoples at the forefront of telling their own history, Spirit Plate invites you to listen to accounts of different communities and their relationships to the land and to food.
Episodes feature interviews with seedkeepers, chefs, farmers and community members, and explore topics from developing new vocabularies for food systems to the horrors of the custom-altering Allotment and Assimilation era in the United States during the years surrounding the turn of the 20th century.
There are nine episodes in total and, while nine may not be many, each is around 40 minutes in length, which is perfect if you’re someone who loves a passionate podcast full of history and education.
The name Spirit Plate reminded me of dinners at my best friend’s home with her family. Often, I would watch her assemble a plate for her ancestors before any of us ate, placing the nicest pieces of the meal on the plate and leaving it outside. This was something she learned from her parents, and something her parents learned from their parents. She is one of reasons I was inspired to talk about Spirit Plate here and recommend it.
Thinking back on this experience reminded me of the importance National Indigenous History Month has as a time to acknowledge the resilience of Indigenous peoples and the hardships they have faced.
It’s also important that these acts of recognition do not disappear from people’s minds come July 1. To act within the spirit of reconciliation, to participate in decolonization, these are things that should be recognized every month and every day.
Spirit Plate can be found on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
