Talk of the Towns 4/14/21: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations

Producer/Host: Ron Beard Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations through the lens of The Gatherings, published by University of Toronto Press in 2021 What were the intentions for The Gatherings…what difference has participation in The Gatherings made in your life? What did you learn about how to develop honest, respectful relationships among Natives and Non-Natives who were part of the Gatherings? What led to the writing of the book? What was the process like? What do non-Natives need to know about the experience of Natives and “the houseguests from hell” who arrived to colonize North America in the 1600s, including the Doctrine of Discovery. We are broken… separated from the Earth and from one another as children of the Earth. What lessons from the Gatherings, and the work since, might help us reconnect? …continued… Where can listeners learn more to help reimagine Indigenous-Settler Relations? (including Wabanaki Windows with Donna Loring and Dawnland Signals, with Maria Girouard and Esther Anne—both on WERU Guests: Shirley Hager is a retired Associate Extension Professor with the University of Maine. She organized the Gatherings under the auspices of the Center for Vision and Policy. She served as principal author of the book on the Gatherings, working with 13 other Native and non-Native co-authors. Miigam’agan, Mi’kmaq (MIG A MAW), resident of Esgenoopetitj, Burnt Church Reserve, New Brunswick, her life work has been devoted to revival of Wabanaki Culture, Among other roles, she is Elder in Residence at St. Thomas University in Frederickton, providing support to First Nations students. Marilyn Keyes Roper lives in Northern Maine on traditional Maliseet land, contributing her skills as Volunteer Administrative Assistant of Aid for Kids and works with Wabanaki people as an ally. About the host: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals.