#15 Frontlines Are Everywhere | Chris Teuton and Roger Fernandes, Stories as Transformation

featuring Chris Teuton (Cherokee Nation) and Roger Fernandes (Lower Elwha S’Klallam Tribe)

In this episode, Jeff is joined by Chris Teuton from the Cherokee Nation and Roger Fernandes from the Lower Elwha S’Klallam Tribe. They discuss storytelling as a powerful tool for transformation, childhood education, and connecting with community teachings – while sharing a few stories along the way!

#14 Frontlines Are Everywhere | Vivian Garner Cottrell, Weaving a Rivercane Resurgence

featuring Vivian Garner Cottrell (Cherokee Nation)

Vivian Garner Cottrell, Cherokee National Treasure and basket maker, is leading the rivercane basket weaving resurgence. In this episode, she joins Jeff to discuss the significance of basket-weaving and her early challenges making baskets out of rivercane. Deeply connected with her mom and ancestral practices, Vivian describes the process of making a basket, from harvesting and dying to the intensive weaving patterns. The basket is a statement of Indigenous resilience, and Vivian continues to share her knowledge with younger generations so that rivercane basket-weaving extends into the future.

#13 Frontlines Are Everywhere | Chad Corntassel Smith, Planting Seed Corn for Our Children’s Future

featuring Chad Corntassel Smith (Cherokee Nation)

In this episode, Jeff is joined by former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad “Corntassel” Smith. They discuss Smith’s time as Principal Chief from 1999-2011, and delve into topics such as the importance of perpetuating cultural practices for future generations, the impact of the landmark McGirt Supreme Court decision (2020), and Smith’s previous books including “Leadership Lessons from the Cherokee Nation.” Smith also reflects on influential figures in his life, the Cherokee approach to adversity, and his hope for the Nation to become a “happy and healthy people,” emphasizing the importance of engaged citizens so that future generations will thrive.

#12 Frontlines Are Everywhere | Sleydo’ Molly Wickham and Jennifer Wickham, Protecting the YINTAH for Future Generations

featuring Sleydo’ Molly Wickham and Jennifer Wickham (Gidimt’en Clan, Wet’suwet’en)

Sleydo’ Molly Wickham and Jennifer Wickham are on the frontlines of Wet’suwet’en land defence. They joined Jeff Ganohalidoh Corntassel for the season 1 finale of Frontlines Are Everywhere to discuss topics including the criminalization of Indigenous land defenders, building resilient communities on the frontlines, and their film YINTAH (2024), a documentary covering a decade of Wet’suwet’en resistance.

Sleydo’ Molly Wickham is a wing chief of the Cas Yikh people of the Gidimt’en clan. Molly is actively involved in land defense and reoccupation of traditional territories. She previously worked as Governance Director at the Office of the Wet’suwet’en.

Jennifer Wickham is a Gidimt’en clan member of the Wet’suwet’en people. Jennifer has been the Media Coordinator for Gidimt’en Checkpoint since 2018 and is co-director and producer of “YINTAH.”

UPDATE: After this interview took place, a judge ruled that Sleydo’ Molly Wickham and two land defenders arrested during the 2021 raid of Wet’suwet’en land defence camp were targets of racism, but that their convictions of contempt for court would stand–with reduced sentences. Sentencing decisions for all three land defenders will take place in the fall of 2025.

#10 Frontlines Are Everywhere | Janelle Niles, Decolonizing…One Joke at a Time

featuring Janelle Niles (Sipekne’katik Nation, Black – Mi’kmaq)

#8 Frontlines Are Everywhere — Angela Grier, On the Frontlines of Mental Health

featuring Angela Grier (Piikani, Blackfoot)

In this episode, Jeff and Angela discuss the crisis of mental health in Indigenous communities, the role of Buffalo Treaty in community healing, the power of Indigenous resilience, emotions as the language of the spirit, and ways communities are breaking through intergenerational trauma.

Angela Grier (M.Ed) is a Registered Provisional Psychologist from the Piikani First Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Her spiritual name is Piiohksoopanskii (Singing Loudly Far Away). For over 25 years, she has been working and supporting First Nation/Indigenous peoples and communities through direct and systemic experience including Indigenous psychology and counselling, Indigenous and child/youth rights advocacy, adult education/post-secondary, elected leadership, extensive executive experience, non-profit, public administration and Blackfoot ways of knowing.

Listen to Episode #8 on YouTube.