We've got a fascinating and important episode for you today. Our guest is Ja'Elle Leite, CEO of Ultralogix Inc., who is a veteran of data management. Tommy and Lawrence speak with her about how to engage Indigenous communities when it comes to capturing and using their data. Ja'Elle provides a wealth of experience and insight about what it means to interact with Indigenous data. One of her many important points is that Indigenous data tells stories on its own terms. The question is whether or not we are willing to listen. In this case, she doesn't mean through data visualization tools. Join us to learn more listening and learning with and from Indigenous data. Gila’kasla!

Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast

Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence

A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!

Not all that long ago when our series started, very few of us had tried AI. The idea of even interacting with AI was almost absurd. One year ago, only a few industries began experimenting with AI. Now, in 2024, AI is everywhere... What does that mean for Digital Indigeneity? What does this mean for Indigenous peoples? How do our conversations adjust in response - or should they? Is AI merely hype? Is it a colonial trap? Is it possible for AI to liberate not only Indigenous communities but empower them? Does it make sense to continue talking about Digital Indigeneity in the way we have thus far?

Join Lawrence, Al, and Tommy as they reconnect and dive into not only AI - but what lies ahead for One Feather, Two Pens

Gila’kasla!

Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast

Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence

A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!

In Episode 8 Tommy and Lawrence chat with the venerable James Delorme, VP of Community Development at Salish Elements. James is one of our most fun yet most insightful guests. He brings a wealth of knowledge and insight into helping us understand what is meant by an Indigenous lens on all things technology, collaboration, innovation, and co-operation. James also helps us think through what is at stake and what is meant by decolonization, and one of it's remedies: Indigenization.

Thank you all for your patience during our prolonged absence. Tommy took some time to prioritize family and health, but we're back and more grateful than ever to be resuming our journey together. James is a wonderful fit for resuming our exploration of Digital Indigeneity so sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Gila’kasla!

Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast

Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence

A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!

In Episode 7 we speak to Melissa Giles-Hardy, owner, President, and CEO of ORIGIN - a company that design, develops, and delivers technology experiences to drive employment while also protecting and promoting culture for Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island.

It's no surprise that Melissa is recipient of multiple awards, including the 2021 RBC Innovative Company of the Year award, the Indigenomics Top 10 Business's To Watch in Canada, the 2019 Northern Ontario, Influential Women's Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and the Confederation College President's Award in 2019 - as well as a nominee for the 2019 Ontario Premier Award.

As you can see, Melissa is not only a passionate innovator. She is also a passionate community member who is motivated to use technology, specifically Virtual Reality, to do many amazing things: to provide Indigenous youth in remote communities opportunities to learn about new jobs, to train Indigenous peoples to do new jobs or upskill in certain areas, and to also record, preserve, and create interactive VR-based media content that protects and promotes Indigenous cultural practices, learnings, and lessons. For example, using a VR headset to interact with Elders providing the viewer a language lesson.

This is one of our favourite episodes. It is full of incredibly powerful insights and advice. We're honoured to have Melissa on the show.

Gila’kasla!

Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast

Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence

A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!

In Episode 6 we speak to Matthew Norris, Senior Policy Analyst at the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, and President of the Urban Native Youth Association. As a former candidate for Vancouver city council and a PhD student in UBC's Department of Political Science, Matthew has and continues to be exposed to numerous important intersecting Indigenous developments and issues. Between Matthew's grassroots community work and advocacy along with his academic studies on United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Matthew has much to contribute toward the emerging discussion around Indigenous digital identity and Indigenous digital space.

We decide to explore Indigenous digital space and community in particular, and we are guided by some great questions Matthew raises throughout: how might be Indigenous digital communities be made? What are the pitfalls and divides, and how can we avoid them? When these spaces are constructed, what algorithms guide us through them and what content are prioritized? What does it mean to have a voice in this arrangement, and how do we subsequently think about, with, and through accountability?

Gila’kasla!

Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast

Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence

A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!

In Episode 5 of One Feather Two Pens we speak with the award winning actor, director, producer, writer, and storyteller, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. Member of the Kinai First Nation as well as Sámi from Norway, Elle-Máijá joins us to discuss her Rogers Audience Award winning documentary, Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy. The powerful film is an intimate and reflexive portrait of her community and the impact of substance abuse and opioid epidemic. Elle-Máijá is a remarkable wisdom and self-awareness facilitates a truly insightful conversation about representation, authenticity, and narrative sovereignty in Indigenous media. Join us as we explore what it means to truth, history, paternal politics, unlearning bias, and of the challenges and opportunities that emerge when navigating voice, privilege, and power. Elle-Máijá also raises important questions for Canadians seeking to assist and collaborate with First Nations peoples, such as: Who is the right person to tell a story? What does it mean to represent Indigenous life? And what happens when non-Indigenous narrators take up space without being aware of doing so?

Gila’kasla!

Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast

Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence

A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!

In our latest episode on One Feather, Two Pens we have the privilege and honor to chat with Mary Teegee and Matt Smiley, the Directors of For Love on Netflix. As an Indigenous woman and non-Indigenous man, Mary and Matt have worked closely together since before their powerful piece Highway of Tears. The two reflect on their journeys, learnings, and discoveries together, which leads to a fascinating and important set of realizations and offerings about the promise of Indigenous media.

Gila’kasla!

Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast

Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence

A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!

We are very excited to have Josh Nilson, Co-Founder of East Side Games, recent winner of the BC Tech Association's Person of the Year Award (and a Producer of one of Tommy's all time favourite games, Company of Heroes!), to talk about the value and importance of reconciliation through the inclusion of Indigenous peoples in the tech sector.

Josh shares his fascinating professional journey, beginning in the world of culinary arts and then successfully transitioning into video game development where he produced some of the most popular Apps around, including The Office, Star Trek Upper Decks, Ru Paul's Drag Race, Trailer Park Boys and more. Josh reflects on the importance of learning, and especially on what's at stake for Canadian businesses to start thinking seriously about what Indigeneity does and does not mean and include.

Gila’kasla!

Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast

Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence

A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!