Shows
Wai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 57: Indigenous Archives with Floridalma Boj LopezDr. Boj Lopez is a Maya-K’iche’ Assistant Professor of Chicanx and Central American Studies at UCLA. We discuss her academic journey and early interests in the project of ethnic studies, as well as in building Maya community spaces in diaspora. Boj Lopez works in the growing field of Critical Latinx Indigeneity which she approaches as a bridge of conversations between Latino/Chicano Studies and Native American and Indigenous Studies. This approach interrogates the complicated relationships with categories like ‘Latin,’ which some refuse. Yet, at the same time also leaves room for Maya diaspora communities who may adopt or use the...
2026-02-1435 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 56: Talking Kava with 'Ulise FunakiDr. ‘Ulise Funaki (Kakai Tonga, Kanaka Maoli) is featured in this episode and shares a breadth of insights having recently completed a doctorate in anthropology at the University of Hawai‘i and as an instructor at Brigham Young University – Hawai‘i. Topics covered in this episode include: Navigating research and study as a grounded family person; Kava protocols in academic spaces; Historical and shifting kava perceptions among Latter-day Saints (Mormons); The continuation and adaptation of kava for a new generation of Tongans and Native Hawaiians in O'ahu to connect to fonua; Ali‘i Kaua – Chief of War commentary and insights on...
2025-10-0643 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 55: Reflections on Culture and Place with Isiah and SamoanaIsiah Cambridge (Ute/Núuch and Diné/Navajo) and Samoana Matagi (Tagata Sāmoa and Papalagi) join this episode to discuss culture, language, and relationships to place. We reflect on work we have done at the Nature Center at Pia Okwai where Isiah has taught Diné Bizaad (Navajo language) classes and Samoana continues to run a monthly Friday Fono (Faikava workshop) and regular Umu (underground earth oven cooking) demonstrations. We reflect on Indigenous knowledge projects as they introduce themselves and some of their background and experiences. Topics include communal lessons and collective insights within the worldviews we practice as well...
2025-08-051h 10Wai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 54: Thoughts on Religion and IndigeneityThis episode begins by attempting to tackle some bigger questions about religion, belief, and spirituality. I share some different approaches to analysing religion using thinkers like Talal Asad and Émile Durkheim, in order to explore concepts like ‘religion’ itself and the ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’. I also consider Indigenous Reflections on Christianity to explore the tensions and compromises with religion (Christianity) and Indigenous peoples, including ideas from Vine Deloria Jr. and John Trudell. The second half of this episode focuses in on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mainstream Mormonism; Latter-day Saints) and Indigenous peoples. This section is a response an...
2025-07-2251 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 53: Saints and Sinners with Moana 'Ulu'ave-HafokaThis episode features poet, author, and intellectual Moana ‘Ulu‘ave-Hafoka. The catalyst for this discussion was a recently released YouTube video by former Mormon author and YouTuber Alyssa Grenfell, titled Tonga is 60% Mormon??????, which has currently been viewed more than 200k times since being posted. This video references one of Moana’s articles, so as nerds of Tonga, Indigeneity, and Mormonism, we wanted to add further complexity to some of what was shared on that platform. We discuss nuance, blurred boundaries, historical and cultural context, as well as Mormon specificity, and even larger structures and systems of power. We shift...
2025-07-071h 14Wai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 52: Madau-Moana Relational Ethics with Kehau Fagatele-FolauDr. Kehaulani Fagatele-Folau joins this episode to introduce her doctoral research. We begin with Indigenous concepts and methods she used from the Madau-Moana to make sense of some of the colonial contexts Indigenous women of Oceania traverse in the academy. Some themes we discuss include Indigenous feminism, interconnectivity, sharing space, and relational ethics by using Niu/Neo/Knew Tā-Vā. Fagatele-Folau shares a re-imagined R.I.P. acronym, and deploys it as metaphor for laying to rest systems of power, as they work through the process of ‘becoming’ a Madau-Moana cosmopolitan. We reflect on the possibilities in being rooted and mo...
2025-05-0135 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp.51: Undercurrents with 'Inoke HafokaThis episode introduces an idea Dr. Hafoka and I have been working through and developing, inspired by and extending out of the undercommons. We reflect on intellectuals that remain connected to home communities or who emerge organically from communities. We also consider the re-framing of study as common knowledge or as a shared and subversive project grounded in the Black Radical Tradition, which is revealed in the multiple embodied identities we traverse. Undercommons/Undercurrents examples include the social networks of knowledge and even (im)material economic support that occur within marginalised communities based in their relationships that strive for...
2025-03-1341 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp.50: Post-Apocalyptic IndigeneitiesThis episode begins with a reflection on this podcast project reaching its 50th episode. I share some additional background and future plans, including some of the symbolism behind the WAI logo. This episode introduces some ideas from the article, Indigeneity as a Post-Apocalyptic Genealogical Metaphor, which explores the metaphysics of indigeneity - Indigenous metaphysics through a global Indigenous consciousness. In conclusion, a diverse range of Indigenous experiences are presented in the constellation of Indigeneities identified as Elder/Local, Continental/Regional, Diasporic, Creole, Born-Again, Global/Trans-Indigenous, which are described in the artice, A Wīnak Perspective on Cosmovisíon Maya an...
2025-02-0257 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp.49: Coloniality and the Matrix TrilogyThis episode seeks to share an understanding of coloniality as a global system by engaging with the Matrix film series franchise, focusing on the initial trilogy. The Matrix trilogy is applied as a metaphor to build critical consciousness of coloniality, settler-colonialism, and Indigeneity, while also exploring other social constructions. This compliments an early episode on modernity and Indigeneity and confronts the world as we know it.
References:
Liliana Conlisk Gallegos – Thinking Coloniality of Power Tedx
Jack Forbes – Columbus and Other Cannibals
Sylvia Wynter – Unsettling the Coloniality of Being
Nelso...
2025-01-0339 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp.48: Warning - These Ideas Will Eat Your Pets!This episode focuses on ideas about critical thinking in systems of power. Topics include critical pedagogy, critical consciousness, belief, agnotology (study of ignorance), and aesthetics as ethics. Concepts mentioned include the banality of evil and the illusory effect with pop culture references to the films Don’t Look Up and The Lorax as well as the TV Series Barbaren (Barbarians). The reflection shared draws on historical perspectives and contexts to thoughtful questioning and remembering.
References mentioned include:
Agustín Fuentes - Why We Believe, 2019.
Lewis R. Gordon, Fear of Black consciousness, 2022.
2024-11-1442 min
Stay Salty: Lakefacing StoriesShifting Culture: Honoring Relationships at Pia OkwaiPia Okwai, often referred to as the Jordan River, is one of Great Salt Lake's (or Pia'pa's) major tributaries. For generations, the river has been stigmatized and polluted, but in this episode we explore how people are reclaiming and honoring relationships with the river.
We talk with Daniel Hernandez (Wīnak/Urban Diasporic Highland Maya), also known as Arcia Tecun, who is the former director of culture at the Tracy Aviary. Daniel grew up in Rose Park near Pia Okwai, and he has always identified with the river.
Recently, Daniel successfully led the effort to r...
2024-09-2848 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 47: Reflections from across Oceania and Indigenous Feminism with Lana LopesiLana Lopesi is an Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon interested in Indigenous and Women of Colour Feminisms, Contemporary Art, and Global Indigeneities. We begin this episode by reflecting on both of our recent shifts in social and political context moving from Aotearoa-New Zealand to the continental United States. This episode covers terms and the differences of scale across societies, feminisms including Sāmoan perspectives, and an analysis of various systems of power from the macro level to the internal. We conclude with a reflection on ideas, community impact, as well as consider cultural values and their entanglements w...
2024-04-2239 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 46: Remembering Mate Ma‘a Tonga with Tēvita Ka‘ili and ‘Inoke HafokaIndigenous Tongan scholars Dr. Ka‘ili and Dr. Hafoka join this episode of remembering the 2017 Rugby League World Cup and the impact of Mate Ma‘a Tonga. We reflect on the background to doing research at that time and thinking about the geopolitics of sport alongside an exploration of Tongan Indigeneity. One of the iconic moments we recall is the roll of diaspora and descendant populations having the opportunity to play for Tonga with an international rule change allowing overseas players to represent a heritage country. We discuss several topics including identity across borders, the philosophy behind faiva or perf...
2024-03-0450 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 45: Diversity and Institutions with Kehau Folau and Tino DiazKehaulani Folau is a Madau-Moana (Oceanian) scholar and doctoral student of education, and Tino is a critical educator and activist. We discuss ‘diversity’ in the context of dominant schooling institutions, including its impact and limitations. Our talanoa/platica is inspired by recent legal acts to ban diversity initiatives, and Tino’s online commentary “DEI can’t save us, so why do we try so hard to save it?”. We critically reflect on the institutional limits of diversity initiatives, imagine a more robust political project of liberation, but also end with examples of how such initiatives despite their shortcomings have been benefic
2024-01-3143 min
SustainThe Intersection of Indigenous Eco-Food Justice and SustainabilityDaniel Hernandez (pen name: Arcia Tecun) is a Wīnak (Urban Diasporic Highland Maya) local community organizer in Soonkahni (Salt Lake Valley). As the Director of Culture with the Jordan River Nature Center and current Environmental Humanities Practitioner-in-Residence at the U, Daniel shares about his work towards local-global Indigenous Eco and Food Justice at the intersection of sustainability.
2023-09-2735 minSustainThe Intersection of Eco Food Justice, Indigenous Sovereignty and SustainabilityDaniel Hernandez (pen name: Arcia Tecun) is a Wīnak (Urban Diasporic Highland Maya) local community organizer in Soonkahni (Salt Lake Valley). As the current University of Utah Environmental Humanities Practitioner-in-Residence and Cultural Director with the Jordan River Nature Center, Daniel shares about his passions in local-global Indigenous eco-justice at the intersection of sustainability work.
2023-09-2735 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 44: Returning Home and Indigenous Art with Moana Palelei IoseThis episode features Moana Iose who is an artist and Indigenous art policy consultant, as well as the founder of Salt Lake City’s Pasifika First Fridays and the Lost Eden Gallery. We begin with a look back to our global crossing of paths and our shared connections at Auckland Uni. Moana was involved in the ‘I too am Auckland’ project while she studied at Waipapa Taumata Rau (formerly Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau, a.k.a. University of Auckland), where she drew inspiration from Black student organising at Harvard to help catalyse discussions of race for Māor...
2023-08-0149 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 43: Critical Tongan Studies with Ata - Part 2Building on an earlier episode about Critical Tongan Studies, Ata and I revisit this idea and discuss the various waves that make up a rich intellectual tradition based in the regions associated with Tonga. Acknowledging the social and national construction at a particular point in time we seek to localise and unpack the context where different philosophical traditions emerged by imagining both a pre- and post- Kingdom of Tonga context. We don’t cover everything, but we spend some time on the foundational shifts in thinking and questioning based in the era when Queen Sālote Tupou III reigned. Thi...
2023-07-0348 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp.42: Thinking about living in and relating better to this placeThis episode begins with some reflections on my experience and relations to people of place and to being mindful of where one lives, especially if one’s immediate ancestral ties lie elsewhere. I think about responsibilities and possibilities of relating differently and better to where I currently reside by digging deeper beyond the dominant understandings of Indigenous people and issues here in Utah. I highlight a variety of sources by Indigenous folks in order to respect their capacity and listening to what they have already shared by reading what is already available and putting in some work to better un...
2023-05-3140 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 41: Intro and Background to Tongan Coloniality with AtaAta and I have just published a paper on Tongan Coloniality which this episode provides a brief introduction to as well as a bit of background behind this research project. Prior to successfully publishing this paper we were getting blocked within academia when making attempts to discuss Indigenous issues from a Tonga context in relation to global perspectives. Questions of Tongan Indigeneity have regularly been raised due to the dominant idea and definition of Indigeneity based on minoritized people within ancestral homelands, predominantly in settler-colonial nations. Tonga also has a popular narrative of ‘never being colonised’ so this project initi...
2023-01-181h 10Wai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 40: Family Culture ShockThis episode takes a sneak peak into one of our whānau hui (family meetings/gatherings) where we reflect on a recent move we have made. The tamariki (children) share some insights and observations of living in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) and now in Soonkahni (Salt Lake), including nationalism in schools, political ideologies, language, and foods. My partner and I reflect on their comments further and share some thoughts about accessing and living in these different places. We conclude with some observations about inequity between these places and differing societal values and culture(s).
2022-12-3041 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 39: Fahu (A Chiefly Relative) with Dorothy SavietiThis episode features post graduate student Dorothy Savieti who has been interested in and researching fahu (chiefly sister, aunt, relative, etc.) within Tongan culture and society. She shares an introduction to thinking about this significant identity and role within family clans that are commonly known for their ceremonial position and function in life events. We discuss how there are a variety of perspectives and understandings throughout time, as well as ongoing changes occurring, while highlighting some of the debates over defining fahu in our contemporary context. Fahu remain significant despite various views and Dorothy’s early stages of research re...
2022-12-2324 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 38: Cos-Maya-Politan with Genner Llanes-OrtizYucatec Maya Anthropologist Genner Llanes-Ortiz joins this episode from his current position as research chair of digital Indigeneities at the Bishop’s university in Canada. He shares some of his background in anthropology, Indigenous rights, and linguistics throughout the world. We discuss Dr. Llanes-Ortiz article Cos-Maya-Politan Futures where he coins this term to identify cultural and historical heritage that is contemporarily mobilised in the Maya region and transcends modern national borders through (re)connections. While a sense of ‘cosmopolitanism’ for Maya is not something novel with a long history of being open and connected to larger worlds, this is a resp...
2022-12-1457 min
New Books in Politics and PolemicsArcia Tecun et al., "Towards a Grammar of Race in Aotearoa New Zealand (Bridget Williams Books, 2022)A search for new ways to talk about race in Aotearoa New Zealand brought together this powerful group of scholars, writers, and activists. For these authors, attempts to confront racism and racial violence often stall against a failure to see how power works through race, across our modern social worlds. The result is a country where racism is all too often left unnamed and unchecked, voices are erased, the colonial past ignored and silence passes for understanding.By 'bringing what is unspoken into focus', Towards a Grammar of Race in Aotearoa New Zealand (Bridget Williams Books, 2022) seeks to...
2022-10-1859 min
New Books in Australian and New Zealand StudiesArcia Tecun et al., "Towards a Grammar of Race in Aotearoa New Zealand (Bridget Williams Books, 2022)A search for new ways to talk about race in Aotearoa New Zealand brought together this powerful group of scholars, writers, and activists. For these authors, attempts to confront racism and racial violence often stall against a failure to see how power works through race, across our modern social worlds. The result is a country where racism is all too often left unnamed and unchecked, voices are erased, the colonial past ignored and silence passes for understanding.By 'bringing what is unspoken into focus', Towards a Grammar of Race in Aotearoa New Zealand (Bridget Williams Books, 2022) seeks to...
2022-10-1858 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 37: Hohoko ‘a e To‘utangata (Intergenerational Consciousness) with David Taufui Mikato Fa‘avaeDavid Fa‘avae joins this episode bringing with him his experience as a Tongan/Sāmoan with ties to Niue, and as a founder of the early Tongan scholars network, a Senior Research Fellow at Waipapa Taumata Rau (University of Auckland), and Senior Lecturer at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato (University of Waikato). Ata and I discuss with Dave some of his intellectual background that seeks to respond to community needs, as well as some of his research interests with intergenerationality, education, and developing critical depth in the terms and concepts we use. Dave shares the positive and impo...
2022-08-2757 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 36: Reading, Thinking, and Writing about Race with Lana and AniReturning guests: Philosopher, writer, and PhD student Anisha Sankar and soon to be Assistant Professor of Pacific Island Studies at the University of Oregon and author of Bloody Woman Lana Lopesi.
Contents: This episode gives some background to the anthology project Towards a Grammar of Race in Aotearoa New Zealand to be published by Bridget Williams Books in Sept/Oct 2022. We reflect back on the beginning of a reading group that culminated into this project, drawing from Jodi Byrd’s The Transit of Empire: Indigenous Critiques of Colonialism, Frank B. Wilderson III’s Afropessimism, Lisa A. Lowe’s The I...
2022-07-311h 00Wai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 35: Marks of Identity with Jacob Fitisemanu and ’Inoke HafokaThis episode features educator and city councilperson Jacob Fitisemanu along with community leader and educator 'Inoke Hafoka. They discuss some of the background to a recent community tatau/tātatau event that took place in Utah. We learn some of the background to the history of Ocean peoples in Utah and move into the beginning of this group’s tatau journeys with tufuga Li'aifaiva before the pandemic took off, which finished two years later once travel restrictions eased. We discuss ideas and concepts of identity and mobility through the desire for continued relevance of tatau/tātatau in a US d...
2022-05-3155 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 34: Balance and Protocol with Richard WhiteGrant training specialist for ANA (Administration for Native Americans) and Diné (Navajo) educator Rich White joins this episode to share some stories and wisdom on a variety of topics including facing challenges in education, seeking balance in life, and relational knowledge in protocol. We challenge dominant ideas of fixed trajectories, the importance of being flexible and mobile in grey areas, and moving in and out of multiple worlds. In addition, we also reflect on other themes such as land acknowledgements, Boba Fett, research, sacrifice, community, place, and being a critically conscious observer.
Terms: Diné (The People), Hózhó...
2022-04-0155 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 33: Kava Tonga Part 2This episode starts by contextualizing current issues and how kava is connected to them. I also confront some of the various impacts of commodification and commercialization within a larger context of ecological and economic crisis. Is kava threatened of being gentrified? Do you know where your kava comes from and how it was processed, what it contains, or how it got to you? Have you thought about the different varieties of kava, their parts, or its chemical composition? I conclude with an ancestral Tongan kava story and a contemporary song that seeks to remember it.
2022-03-1536 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 32: Kava Tonga Part 1 - Stories, Meanings, and Current IssuesThis episode builds on the previous discussion with Dr. Aporosa and explores some of the Tongan kava stories compiled in the book Tongan Tales and Myths (Gifford, 1924). Tongan intellectual 'Inoke Hu'akau's position is that kava stories are part of a cosmological identity based in stories of creation, kava, and the Gods. Hu'akau has proposed that kava stories are constructed for social and political purposes, which "serve as the mode of operation for society" (see 'Kava: A mitre touch of a master political architecture', 2018, Lo'au University Research Journal). Kava stories, meanings, and interpretations are considered alongside some current issues such...
2022-02-2443 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 31: PasifiQueereDisabled Perspectives with Luka Leleiga BunninLuka is Samoan, Han Chinese, and Ashkenazi Jewish, autistic, dyspraxic, and fa‘atama. They join this episode to share some of their research that critically looks at climate action and justice. While Luka is inspired by the pressing necessity of Pacific climate justice, and supports the declared aims of the movement, they have struggled with the engagements with gender and disability within it. Who has the power to represent "the Pacific" and how? In which images? We discuss how language is important but never perfect, tackling terms like Pasifiqueeredisabled and the acronym c.h.e.p. that Luka coined in...
2021-12-2157 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 30: River Roots, Public Service, and Dune with Teri and Shane Ta‘alaThis kōrero/talanoa with Teri (Ngāti Hineoneone) and Shane (Tagata Sāmoa) shares some of their stories about growing up on and near the Whanganui river, their experience working in public service, and some insights on the recent sci-fi film release of Dune. We unpack some words and concepts relating to identity and worldview, issues of accessibility and ethics in libraries and government sectors, treaty rights, and socio-political, ecological, and cultural insights on the film Dune (with spoilers).
There are a variety of words and terms in Te Reo Māori, Gagana Sāmoa, a...
2021-11-301h 02Wai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 29: Early 20th Century Hawaiian Music and its Global Impact with Andrea LowPrior to opening the main discussion the host contextualises the current delta variant lockdown that is resulting in an online semester delivery that Dr. Andrea Low is helping out with. There are a couple of examples given of early 20th century commercial representations of the Pacific and issues of skilled performances and musical innovation entangled within race, power, and colonialism.
Discussion with Dr. Low begins at 14:16
Curator and ethnomusicologist Andrea Low joins this episode to discuss the invention of the kīkā kila (Hawaiian steel guitar) by La‘ie, Oahu local Joseph Kekuku, as well as h...
2021-09-1350 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp. 28: The Loki Series and Time with AtaThis episode reviews and reflects on recent pop culture alongside Ata Siulua. We discuss the Loki series and some possible ways to interpret concepts of time in the show. From the time variance authority as a metaphor of colonisation to nexus events that re-calibrate time, with a mix of insights, laughs, and a bit of ranting throughout.
2021-08-0941 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 27: Latin America and Oceania with 'Inoke Hafoka and Tino DiazEducators ‘Inoke Hafoka and Tino Diaz join this episode to think together about the regions of Latin America and Oceania, their ideas, peoples, and relations. We discuss ancient, colonial, religious, and contemporary entanglements, as well as solidarity, and connections, in order to explore how to speak about and build on them. From food connections to black birding (Pacific slavery) that has led to descendants from each region ending up in the other in the late 19th to early 20th century. Additionally, we discuss concepts that we use to learn from and with each other in our local contexts, which in...
2021-07-1936 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 26: Addictive Behaviours and Culture with Edmond FehokoPublic health and Pacific studies scholar Edmond Fehoko joins this episode to discuss his research on problem gambling, addictive behaviours, and culture among Tongan men. He confronts sensitive topics head on such as gender issues, exploitation of cultural values, family impact, and religion. We discuss traditional games of chance and new contexts of contemporary gambling practices, class status, large church donations, and future research interests that extend into digital harms online. Due to the topics discussed and potential listeners this is listed as E, since there is no T, for Tapu.
Terms: Mālō e Lele...
2021-07-1730 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 25: Songwoman Orator - Seini TaumoepeauThis episode introduces songwoman and orator Seini Taumoepeau who is also known by her Hip Hop alias SistaNative. She shares some of her background, history, and philosophy as an orator, songwoman, lyricist, poet, rapper, and journalist. Seini also shares some of her experience learning from and with the local Indigenous Australian knowledge system of songlines. The meaning of song and sound is explored in relation to a hohoko consciousness and to its role in shaping the world one lives in. Seini shares stories of navigating and embracing different Indigenous contexts and networks of knowledge, while asking the questions: what...
2021-02-1644 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 24: Tātatau with Terje KoloamatangiTufunga Tātatau Terje Koloamatangi from Small Axe Studios is featured in this episode. He shares some of his journey and background with tātatau Tonga (customary Tongan tattoo), from receiving and learning from Su‘a Suluape Paulo II to practicing and developing the art further. Tātatau was banned in the early 19th century in Tonga by the Vava‘u codes that would later inform the modern national constitution. We discuss some of the misconceptions that have resulted, and Koloamatangi shares his research-based approach to mark making, working through terms and concepts to (re)discover further layers of meaning...
2021-02-0742 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 23: Wa, Me'a Kai, Food - Part 2In part 2 I build on the question, where does our food come from? What can be recovered or re-made? I explore the transmission of knowledge through food production and preparation, as well as the function of vulnerability when eating. Examples from Mesoamerica, Abya Yala, Turtle Island and the Moana/Wansolwara reveal colonial legacies in the contemporary challenges for sustainability, as well as embedded knowledge in ancestral food relationships.
2021-01-2633 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 22: Wa, Me'a Kai, Food - Part 1This episode is an introduction to thinking about the social, cultural, and political significance of food. Food justice, food sovereignty, food ways, food security/insecurity, health, and more are considered. I also reflect on staple foods and ritual foods further to explore the social and cultural functions and purpose of food and life sources.
2021-01-1536 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 21: Moana Cosmopolitan with Lana LopesiAUT doctoral candidate Lana Lopesi joins this episode, bringing a rich background in art, writing, and scholarship. We cover several topics and begin with the question; how do we hold on to the changes that once seemed impossible yet became ‘essential’ when global crises collided? We also discuss the relationships that are forged in the undercommons of the university and what that looks like in our context. Lana introduces the ‘Moana Cosmopolitan’, a concept she has coined and developed that seeks to identify current practices of being locally rooted in Oceania, yet globally mobile as digital natives. How can we bette...
2020-07-1844 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 20: Matariki with the TamarikiMy sons Ezra (11) and Taine (9) join me in this episode to discuss what they have learned about stars and seasons through cosmic connections. They are students at home, of life, and in the Kura Wānanga Te Puna Waiora at Sylvia Park School. They share experiences and lessons from Māori cosmology and Matariki. We talk about the new year approaching and the role of story, reflection, and more.
Topics: Seasons, Place, Story, Indigenous Knowledge, Youth.
Terms: Matariki (Māori New Year), Tamariki (Children/Youth), Maramataka (Māori Lunar Calendar), Atua (Ancestor ‘deity’, Supernatural being), Kaitiaki...
2020-07-0607 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 19: Transforming SolidarityThis episode explores our current global moment including the Black Lives Matter movement, and the topic of solidarity, relationality, and transformation. How can messy solidarities recalibrate towards more meaningful relations? I reflect on how dilemmas of 'not being heard' can hinder the potential for creating better relationships. I explore alternative ways of thinking about connection and similarity that does not undermine the importance of difference. Exploring the possibilities of holding complex understandings at the same time, what is the transformational possibility of this moment? I conclude by offering a lens to understand individual, communal, and societal transformation through Mayan...
2020-06-2237 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 18: Colonial Disparities and Neurodiversity with Sandra YellowhorseDiné scholar Sandra Yellowhorse joins this episode and we begin by discussing our experiences between the U.S. and Aotearoa/New Zealand. We consider how the Covid-19 pandemic reveals ongoing social and political issues, as well as how settler colonialism impacts and amplifies disparities on the Navajo Nation. Sandra also shares insights on some of her work to challenge the harmful colonial, capitalist, and individualistic constructions of ‘disability.’ Critical and Indigenous perspectives instead offer a more inclusive view of autism as neurodiversity, which moves towards more holistic understandings of belonging and contribution in community.
Topics: Colonialism, Political Econo...
2020-05-2841 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 17: Good Living and Textiles with Diana Albarrán GonzálezDiana Albarrán González joins this episode to discuss decolonial research, Indigeneity, and design. Diana has been living in Aotearoa doing research with textiles and weaving at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). We begin our discussion on the complex and complicated Indigenous identities of Mesoamerica and “Latin America” and their entanglements with race, class, and colonialism. Diana shares some of her work with Tsotsil/Tseltal (Mayan) weavers, patterns, and materials in the highlands of Chiapas. We discuss Indigenous rights and collective intellectual property and how textiles are the books that the colonial project could not burn. We conclu...
2020-05-131h 14Wai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 16: Researching Kava with AporosaIn this episode 'Apo' Aporosa who is based at Te Huataki Waiora School of Health at the University of Waikato joins me to discuss kava research. After introducing kava (piper methysticum) and its spread, he explains how it is a cultural keystone species across Oceania. Yaqona (kava) is also tied to identity and cultural values. We discuss contemporary issues including some myth-busting of prevalent misconceptions of kava and its effects. We conclude this episode with Apo sharing some preliminary insights on his most recent research on kava and driving, as well as making some comments on kava quality issues.
2020-04-2255 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 15: Time and Space with Tēvita Ka‘iliIn this episode, Tēvita Ka‘ili who is BYU-Hawai‘i’s Dean and Professor in the faculty of culture, language and performing arts; shares his knowledge and experience learning and constructing Indigenous theory. We discuss some of the history, background, critiques, and evolution of Tāvāism (Tongan time-space theory). Additionally, we explore contemporary applications of Tongan philosophy to understanding social and ecological rhythm, connection, and our current global moment.
Topics in this episode include philosophy, identity, anthropology, Indigeneity, tempo-spatiality, relational ethics, food and environment.
Tongan terms and concepts used in this episode include: Fatongia...
2020-04-061h 11Wai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 14: Socially Conscious and Physically DistantThis episode critically reflects on some of the social consequences of Sars-Cov-2/Covid 19 spreading across the globe. Drawing from Indigenous commentators, personal experiences, and observations what are the implications of the concept of 'social distancing'? Can we be 'socially intimate/conscious' while being physically distant instead? Also, how do crises have the potential for both social transformation as well as intensified exploitation?
2020-04-0130 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 13: American Sāmoa with Alema LeotaThe attorney Alema Leota joins me in this episode to discuss current issues in American Sāmoa. We begin with him giving an introduction to the background of the territory and then discuss the perpetuation of culture, fishing rights, land and ocean space in some of his work. We then discuss a different case regarding American Sāmoans becoming natural born citizens vs. nationals. While some are praising the decision, others are not, and we explore the complexity of the issue.
2020-03-0239 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 12: Imagining Elsewhere with Anisha SankarAnisha Sankar joins this episode and shares how naming and identifying power and oppression within systems of colonial capitalism are often dismissed through gaslighting. We discuss how courage and creativity can challenge power through the deviant act of imagining elsewhere. Ani also shares insights from her publication on the poetics of relation, which offers critical hope towards healing and transformation.
2020-02-2434 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 11: Body Sovereignty with Ashlea GillonAshlea Gillon of Ngāti Awa shares some of the research from her latest publication, 'Fat Indigenous Bodies and Body Sovereignty: An Exploration of Re-presentations'. We discuss bio-power and some of the connections between bodies, women, and land. Ashlea also shares critical perspectives on body positivity using Kaupapa Māori research approaches. Indigenous perspectives on gender and consent are also explored using Māori cosmology and lessons from the Atua, Hine-Nui-Te-Pō (Great woman of the night). DISCLAIMER: This episode is marked E (explicit) because there is no T (for Tapu) option, which is to say we discuss sensitive and gend...
2020-02-1733 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 10: Kāinga Moana with Ata SiuluaThis episode builds on Ep 9 on CTS and introduces some of Ata Siulua's research on family and Indigenous kinship. We discuss rethinking assumptions that are made about the definition of 'family' and interrogating the role of colonial perspectives on Indigenous social systems. Ata shares Indigenous perspectives of kāinga (Tongan for clan, village, extended family) and we discuss how it is connected to other relational concepts to place and people across the Moana (Ocean) and beyond. *Warning: unfortunately there were sirens in the background during a brief moment while recording, just a heads up in case your driving.
2020-02-0236 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 9: Critical Tongan Studies with Ata SiuluaThis episode includes Tongan scholar and researcher Sione Ata Siulua who grew up in Utah and is currently based in Tokomololo, Tongatapu. We discuss Critical Tongan Studies (CTS) and make a case for its local and global relevance. Ata sets the conversation up with data on the amount of publications that have been made about Tonga to which we then critically interrogate the who, what, where, and when. We discuss the importance of contextualizing history, reflecting on identity, and how critical perspectives can expand our understanding.
2020-02-021h 05Wai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 8: Questioning DiasporaThis episode introduces and explores some of the ideas behind the term and concept of diaspora. Diaspora is often focused on geographical space and distance, which is argued needs to expand and include time in order to understand the experience of dislocation. Using a variety of sources to understand this experience and its consequences, it is suggested that moments that collapse time and space of the diaspora paradigm through knowledge, ritual, or otherwise, facilitates potential healing moments.
2020-01-2938 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 7: Exploring Terms - Modernity and IndigeneityIn this episode I introduce some ideas about Indigeneity, and some of the meanings of Indigenous, in attempts to have a working definition of the concept since it is central to this podcast project. Additionally, I explore how it is a concept and term that is intertwined with the paradigm of modernity, a constructed reality that is recent in the depth of human history. This is just an introduction to exploring the ideas behind these words. *Warning: If you are listening to this episode while you're driving please be aware there were a couple of moments when ambulances were...
2020-01-2158 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 6: Indigenous Linguistics with Te Whainoa Te WiataIn this episode I have a kōrero (talk/yarn/conversation) with Māori linguist Te Whainoa Te Wiata. He introduces linguistics and shares some of his research on developing a Māori and Indigenous approach to understanding language. We discuss language, culture, identity, communication, metaphors, and more.
2020-01-1343 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 5: 'Baby Yoda' Mayan ConnectionThis episode picks up on the conversation about Indigenizing 'Baby Yoda' and the process of making connections in pop culture when there are limited representations in media. I make the case for a Mayan connection to the socio-political issues in 'The Mandalorian' series, considering what Indigenous children from Mesoamerica continue to face today. Indigenous icons and ideas are also identified in the broader Star Wars universe, including philosophical connections in Oceania with mauri/mo'ui (life force) and mana (potency, honour, authority...).
2019-12-2734 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 4: You can be an intellectualIn this episode I reflect on Ibram X. Kendi's commencement speech where he asks the question "are you an intellectual?". In hopes of broadening how we think about knowledge and who counts and what counts as intellectual, my educational journey is analyzed by contrasting the differences between school and education. The invitation is to include anyone with a hunger to know and ideas that exist beyond academic settings.
2019-12-2132 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 3: Solstice Tamales: Mayan Diaspora Perspectives on CornThis episode shares an adapted seasonal family tradition, from Christmas tamales to Solstice tamales. Including some brief guest contributors, tamales and corn is introduced. Indigenous relationships to food is explored with the example of corn and Mayan cosmology.
2019-12-1438 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 2: 'Tis the Season for Who? Calendars and Indigenous TimeThis episode is a reflection on growing up in Utah and the way time is arranged through commercial holiday consumerism. Ideas about time are explored and how they are tracked by different calendar systems with insights from Mayan and Tongan perspectives. Alter-native approaches to this time of year and season are considered, including the Mayan calendar and Indigenous time generally that is centered in place.
2019-12-1437 minWai? Indigenous Words and IdeasEp 1: Introduction and Identity - Wai? Words and IdeasIn this inaugural episode. The host explains the meaning behind the name of the podcast, Wai? (Words and Ideas), and the scope of themes anticipated to be covered on this site. This episode introduces the host by critically reflecting on identity, including ideas of culture and worldview and how they are formed, shaped, evolve, and negotiated in society.
2019-12-1332 min