n the work that I do and the book that I’ve just had published called, We All Go Back to the Land, it’s really an exploration of that Original Agreement and what it means today. So I want to remind Indigenous readers of our Original Agreement to nurture and protect and honor and respect the Earth Mother and all of the gifts that she has for us and then to introduce that Original Agreement to non-indigenous Canadians or others of the world that so that we can together, as a human species, work toward what I call the ultimate act of reconciliation to help heal the earth.

suzanne keeptwo, conscient podcast, may 14, 2021, gatineau, québec

Suzanne Keeptwo, Métis from Québec, is a multi-faceted creative artist of Algonkin (Kitchesipirini)/French & Irish descent. She is a writer, editor, teacher, and experienced journalist who is a passionate advocate for Indigenous rights and cultural awareness. Her area of expertise is in bridging gaps of understanding between Indigenous and non – Indigenous Canadians – a role that brings her across the nation as a professional facilitator. The author of We All Go Back To The Land: The Who, Why, and How of Land Acknowledgments (2021), Suzanne promotes traditional peoples’ Original Agreement to respect and protect the Earth Mother. She adheres to traditional Values of Old and promotes the Indigenization of contemporary-world constructs. 

Suzanne and I were colleagues at the Canada Council for the Arts where I benefitted from her deep knowledge of Indigenous arts and culture and her passion for education. We’re both retired from the Council now and so I biked over to her home in Gatineau on the Ottawa river and recorded this conversation. 

As I have done in all episodes in season 2 so far, I have integrated excerpts from soundscape compositions and quotations drawn from e19 reality, as well as moments of silence, in this episode.

I would like to thank Suzanne for taking the time to speak with me, for sharing her insights about Indigenous rights, land acknowledgements and arts education for climate awareness. 

For more information on Suzanne work, see https://www.suzannekeeptwo.com/

*

(traduction)

Dans le travail que je fais et dans le livre que je viens de publier, intitulé We All Go Back to the Land, il s’agit vraiment d’une exploration de cet Accord Originel et de ce qu’il signifie aujourd’hui. Je veux donc rappeler aux lecteurs Autochtones notre Accord Originel pour nourrir, protéger, honorer et respecter la Mère Terre et tous les dons qu’elle nous a faits, puis présenter cet Accord Originel aux Canadiens non autochtones ou à d’autres personnes dans le monde, afin que nous puissions ensemble, en tant qu’espèce humaine, travailler à ce que j’appelle l’acte ultime de réconciliation pour aider à guérir la terre.

suzanne keeptwo, balado conscient, 14 mai 2021, gatineau, québec

Suzanne Keeptwo, métisse du Québec, est une artiste créative aux multiples facettes, d’ascendance algonquine (Kitchesipirini)/française et irlandaise. Écrivaine, rédactrice, enseignante et journaliste expérimentée, elle défend avec passion les droits des Autochtones et la sensibilisation culturelle. Son domaine d’expertise consiste à combler les écarts de compréhension entre les Canadiens autochtones et non autochtones – un rôle qui l’amène à parcourir le pays en tant que facilitatrice professionnelle. L’auteur de We All Go Back To The Land : The Who, Why, and How of Land Acknowledgments (2021), Suzanne fait la promotion de l’accord original des peuples traditionnels pour respecter et protéger la Terre Mère. Elle adhère aux valeurs traditionnelles d’antan et encourage l’indigénisation des constructions du monde contemporain. 

Suzanne et moi étions collègues au Conseil des arts du Canada, où j’ai bénéficié de sa profonde connaissance des arts et de la culture Autochtones et de sa passion pour l’éducation. Nous avons toutes deux pris notre retraite du Conseil et je me suis donc rendue en vélo chez elle, à Gatineau, sur la rivière des Outaouais, pour enregistrer cette conversation. 

Comme je l’ai fait dans tous les épisodes de la saison 2 jusqu’à présent, j’ai intégré dans cet épisode des extraits de compositions de paysages sonores et des citations tirées de la e19 reality, ainsi que des moments de silence.

Je tiens à remercier Suzanne d’avoir pris le temps de me parler et de partager ses idées sur les droits des Autochtones, la reconnaissance des terres et l’éducation artistique pour la sensibilisation au climat. 

Pour en savoir plus sur le travail de Suzanne, consultez le site https://www.suzannekeeptwo.com/. 

The post e47 keeptwo appeared first on conscient podcast / balado conscient. conscient is a bilingual blog and podcast (French or English) by audio artist Claude Schryer that explores how arts and culture contribute to environmental awareness and action.

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About the Conscient Podcast from Claude Schryer

The conscient podcast / balado conscient is a series of conversations about art, conscience and the ecological crisis. This podcast is bilingual (in either English or French). The language of the guest determines the language of the podcast. Episode notes are translated but not individual interviews.

I started the conscient project in 2020 as a personal learning journey and knowledge sharing exercise. It has been rewarding, and sometimes surprising.

The term ‘conscient’ is defined as ‘being aware of one’s surroundings, thoughts and motivations’. My touchstone for the podcast is episode 1, e01 terrified, based on an essay I wrote in May 2019, where I share my anxiety about the climate crisis and my belief that arts and culture can play a critical role in raising public awareness about environmental issues. The conscient podcast / balado conscient follows up on my http://simplesoundscapes.ca (2016–2019) project: 175, 3-minute audio and video field recordings that explore mindful listening.

Season 1 (May to October 2020) explored how the arts contribute to environmental awareness and action. I produced 3 episodes in French and 15 in English. The episodes cover a wide range of content, including activism, impact measurement, gaming, arts funding, cross-sectoral collaborations, social justice, artistic practices, etc. Episodes 8 to 17 were recorded while I was at the Creative Climate Leadership USA course in Arizona in March 2020 (led by Julie’s Bicycle). Episode 18 is a compilation of highlights from these conversations.

Season 2 (March 2021 – ) explores the concept of reality and is about accepting reality, working through ecological grief and charting a path forward. The first episode of season 2 (e19 reality) mixes quotations from 28 authors with field recordings from simplesoundscapes and from my 1998 soundscape composition, Au dernier vivant les biens. One of my findings from this episode is that ‘I now see, and more importantly, I now feel in my bones, ‘the state of things as they actually exist’, without social filters or unsustainable stories blocking the way’. e19 reality touches upon 7 topics: our perception of reality, the possibility of human extinction, ecological anxiety and ecological grief, hope, arts, storytelling and the wisdom of indigenous cultures. The rest of season 2 features interviews with thought leaders about their responses and reactions to e19 reality.

my professional services

I’ve been retired from the Canada Council for the Arts since September 15, 2020 where I served as a senior strategic advisor in arts granting (2016-2020) and manager of the Inter-Arts Office (1999-2015). My focus in (quasi) retirement is environmental issues within my area of expertise in arts and culture, in particular in acoustic ecology. I’m open to become involved in projects that align with my values and that move forward environmental concerns. Feel free to email me for a conversation : claude@conscient.ca

acknowledgement of eco-responsibility

I acknowledge that the production of the conscient podcast / balado conscient produces carbon. I try to minimize this carbon footprint by being as efficient as possible, including using GreenGeeks as my web server and acquiring carbon offsets for my equipment and travel activities from BullFrog Power and Less.

a word about privilege and bias

While recording episode 19 ‘reality’, I heard elements of ‘privilege’ in my voice that I had not noticed before. It sounded a bit like ‘ecological mansplaining’. I realize that, in spite of good intentions, I need to work my way through issues of privilege (of all kinds) and unconscious bias the way I did through ecological anxiety and grief during the fall of 2020. My re-education is ongoing.

Go to conscient.ca

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