This episode was recorded in March 2025.  This episode may include offensive language.
Episode Notes: Tom Wilson - Creativity, Identity, and Reclaiming Mohawk Heritage

Host: Lisa Van (Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan)
Guest: Tom Wilson
Episode: Season 7
Produced by: Aboriginal Legal Services
Technical Assistance: Tru Seed Media

Episode Overview

This episode features acclaimed creative artist Tom Wilson, who discusses his multifaceted artistic practice across painting, music composition, theatre, and writing. The conversation centers on how creativity has become his pathway to reclaiming his Mohawk identity and decolonizing himself from the impacts of colonialism and forced assimilation.

Key Themes

Identity and Reclamation

• Tom's identity was kept from him for 53 years; he was never told he was from the Mohawk nation
• His journey to reclaiming his identity is deeply intertwined with his creative practice
• He quotes director Shane Belcourt (Métis): "You're not putting on an Indian costume. You're taking off the costume that colonialism put on you."
• Tom emphasizes that reclaiming identity is about stripping away the bonds of colonialism rather than "putting on" culture

The Creative Process as Meditation and Healing

• Painting serves as Tom's meditation and grounding practice
• For someone with a "hyper brain," the detailed, meditative process of painting provides calm
• The creative process is deeply personal and not meant to be observed; its true power lies in the finished creation
• Through creativity, Tom has built opportunities and navigated life's challenges
• He has sustained himself emotionally and spiritually through writing, music, painting, and performance

The Role of Artists in Society

• Artists have a pure light of wanting to create something for the world that wasn't there yesterday
• Unlike governments, religions, and corporations that seek to control, artists contribute without seeking control
• Creative work has the power to inspire and translate across audiences

Tom Wilson's Background and Early Life

Childhood Separation and Adoption

• Tom's mother was a teen when she gave birth to him
• Born in 1959 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario
• Separated from his mother immediately after birth; she was sedated and prevented from seeing her newborn
• Placed in foster care through Catholic Children's Aid, then adopted by Bunny and George Wilson
• His adoptive parents kept his Mohawk identity a secret throughout his childhood
• This was the condition of the adoption agreement; he was forbidden from knowing he was Indigenous

Family Reunion

• At age 12 (now 53 years later), his grandfather John Lazore came from Kahnawake, Quebec to claim him
• His great aunt and uncle, Bunny and George Wilson, became his caregivers and he describes them as his heroes
• Though his adoptive parents gave him "a fighting chance," they perpetuated colonial harm by hiding his identity
• Tom honours his adoptive family while acknowledging the complexity of their choices

Growing Up as an Only Child

• Felt like he was "dropped out of a spaceship in the wrong backyard"
• Found solace in time spent alone and in creative pursuits from an early age
• This early isolation contributed to his comfort with solitude and introspection

Tom Wilson's Creative Works

Beautiful Scars (Play)

• Theatrical production that premiered in Hamilton at Theatre Aquarius
• An art book was published accompanying the play
• The play tells Tom's personal story of identity recovery and reclamation
• Described as "a Hamilton story" but fundamentally "a Canadian story" and "an Indigenous story"
• Tom wrote it to invite people in, not to "beat people over the head"
• Scheduled to tour at the National Arts Center in Ottawa and beyond in 2026-2027
• Like The Lion King, it requires multiple viewings

Documentaries

• A documentary film was made about the creation of Beautiful Scars
• Directed by Shane Belcourt (Métis)
• The documentary process itself became a journey of cultural discovery for Tom

Film Soundtrack: First Land Back Movement Documentary

• Currently composing for a film (Ni-Naadamaadiz:  Red Power Rising, 2025) by Tanya Talaga, directed by Shane Belcourt
• Focuses on the First Land Back Movement in Kenora, Ontario
• This was one of the first times Indigenous Peoples stood up for themselves in a modern, organized way
• Features historical resistance that is often omitted from Canadian history books
• Tom's music for the film is the "music you never hear but would miss if it wasn't there"
• Music serves as invisible emotional infrastructure for film

Literature

• First book: Autobiographical, telling his own story (published)
• Second book: Currently being written for Random House
• Focuses on identity and his mother's story
• His mother's narrative deserves to be heard and recognized for its power to inspire

Painting

• Creates detailed paintings on his kitchen table
• Views painting as meditative, requiring nose-to-the-canvas focus
• Recent work continues despite challenging personal circumstances
• Uses painting to express Mohawk identity in its truest form

Music Composition

• Composes for film and other media
• Uses music as an emotional and spiritual tool
• Emphasizes the integral role of music in storytelling and human experience

Current Life and Challenges

Recent Personal Struggles

• The past 10 months have been "tumultuous"
• Mother passed away in November 2024
• Serves as primary caregiver to multiple family members
• Currently visiting aunt in the hospital
• Despite these challenges, continues creative work

Ongoing Connection to Roots

• Plans to visit Kahnawake (home community) when possible
• Hasn't been able to visit recently due to caregiving responsibilities
• Despite geographic distance, maintains spiritual and creative connection to Mohawk identity

Quotable Insights

On Feeling Mohawk:
"When I paint, I feel Mohawk."

On Colonial Impact:
"You're not putting on an Indian costume. You're taking off the costume that colonialism put on you when you were too young and unaware to know that you were wearing it."

On the Artist's Role:
"Artists have the pure light of just wanting to create something for the world that wasn't there yesterday."

On Perspective:
"Looking back in anger is one thing. Moving forward with positivity and love is a lot harder, and that's what we're doing here today."

On Creative Process:
"The creative process is like watching somebody stand still. You don't see anything happening and at the end of the process, something beautiful is created, something that was not there yesterday."

Resources & Links

• Aboriginal Legal Services: www.aboriginallegal.ca
• Podcast: Yoha:te ne kahsen:na: The Road to Your Name (Facebook: @RoadToYourName)
• Support: Donations available at Aboriginal Legal Services website

This episode is part of Season 7 of the Yoha:te ne...

Episode Description

Is law really black and white? Criminal defense lawyer Jaime Stephenson doesn't think so — and in this episode, she joins host Lisa to unpack what that means in practice. Jaime is a partner at Stephenson and Valeri, based in Hamilton, and practices regularly in the Brantford Indigenous People's Court, where she and Lisa first met.

After 18 years of practice, Jaime speaks candidly about the realities of criminal defense: how legal aid works in Ontario versus the public defender system in the US, why she screens potential clients as carefully as they should screen her, and the cases she won't take on. She shares the story of one of her first Indigenous clients — a meeting so disconnected that it became the turning point in how she approaches cross-cultural trust, education, and the role of Gladue reports in sentencing.

The conversation moves into the heart of the Indigenous People's Court: the circle process. Jaime describes her first circle as one of the most powerful experiences of her career, and the two discuss what's gained when the system slows down enough to actually listen — and what's lost when it doesn't. They also talk about the uphill battle to bring an Indigenous persons court to Hamilton (update:  The Hamilton Indigenous People's Court opened on June 16, 2026), the inconsistency of judicial education around Gladue principles, and the gap between knowing the law and knowing how to apply it with care.

Jaime also opens up about life outside the courtroom — her farm, her seven horses, and the role animals have played in helping her carry the weight of a job that asks a lot of the people who do it well.

In This Episode

- [00:42] Meet Jaime Stephenson: criminal defense lawyer, Stephenson & Valeri
- [00:51] Is the law black and white? Jaime's take
- [01:31] The path to becoming a lawyer in Ontario: law school, articling, and the bar exam
- [04:00] Does justice depend on what you can afford? Legal aid vs. the public defender system
- [06:01] The cases Jaime won't take on, and why
- [08:46] Jaime's philosophy after 18 years: respect, honesty, and managing expectations
- [10:02] Why clients should interview their lawyer too
- [13:09] The story that changed her practice: an early client, a Gladue report, and a hard lesson in trust
- [18:05] What Gladue reports are, why they're not always requested, and what's at stake
- [21:32] The education gap: why there's no real course on handling Gladue reports with care
- [25:28] Inside the circle: how sentencing circles work in the Brantford Indigenous People's Court
- [26:19] Jaime's first circle, and why it still affects her
- [29:58] When the system slows down — and when it doesn't
- [32:31] A proposal: circling back after rehabilitation, not just before sentencing
- [35:33] The challenge of consistency: rotating Crowns, court officers, and judges
- [37:19] The decade-long fight for an Indigenous People's Court in Hamilton
- [44:33] A day in the life: driving circuit, client loyalty, and the commitment behind the wheel
- [44:44] Horses, dogs, and the role they play in coping with the weight of the work
- [47:53] A future goal: equine therapy for clients
- [49:39] Final thoughts: education, sensitivity, and getting clients out of the revolving door

Credits

The Road to Your Name Podcast is hosted by Lisa, produced by Aboriginal Legal Services with technical assistance from True Seed Media.

Road to Your Name | Season 7:  Episode 4
This episode was recorded in December 2024.

Episode Description

In this episode, Lisa sits down with two co-authors of a landmark new book: Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk), Turtle Clan, from Kanehsatà:ke — land defender, filmmaker, artist, and human rights activist — and Sean Carleton, settler historian and professor of History and Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba.

Their book, When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance (Between the Lines, 2024), is the first account of the 1990 Kanehsatà:ke Resistance told from Ellen’s own perspective. Written as a conversation, it traces her life before and after the 78-day standoff — when Mohawk land defenders stopped the municipality of Oka from bulldozing a cemetery to expand a golf course — and her decades of advocacy since.

What emerges is a conversation about what the media got wrong in 1990, the central and largely erased role of women in the resistance, what it means to hold land as identity rather than resource, and why Ellen believes the international stage — not Canadian courts or legislatures — is where Indigenous sovereignty must be defended. This is a conversation about truth-telling, the long work of decolonization, and what it means to live a life committed to the land and to future generations.

What We Talk About

• How the book came to be — Sean meeting Ellen during his PhD work and proposing a conversation-based format to uplift her voice and reclaim her own narrative
• What the media got wrong in 1990: the resistance was not a “warrior society” story — it was women, children, and elders defending their home, and women went to the front three times when police arrived
• How the focus on men in camouflage made it easier for governments and media to label land defenders as terrorists and obscure the real issue: 270 years of land theft
• The role of women as title holders to the land in Haudenosaunee governance — and why any negotiation over land must go through the women
• How colonization deliberately undermined the political authority of Indigenous women, including through imposing band council systems and patriarchy
• The windows of opportunity — and dysfunction — during the 1990 negotiations, and Ellen’s direct account of what it felt like to have weapons pointed at her community while the government said it wouldn’t negotiate “with a gun to its head”
• Self-care during crisis: what survival looks like when there is no time for it, and the elders who helped Ellen stay grounded
• Sean’s framing of his role: not ally, but “co-conspirator” and “uplifter” — and how the Two-Row Wampum offers a model for non-Indigenous people in this work
• Ellen’s quote from the book: “For Onkwehon:we peoples, the land is precious and priceless. It contains all aspects of our identity.” — and what that means for Haudenosaunee language, clan systems, and relationship to all of creation
• Deskaheh’s 1923 journey to Geneva and why Ellen continues that tradition of international advocacy at the United Nations — including the push for Indigenous nations to have permanent observer status
• Why Canada’s domestic record means the international level is the only viable arena for protecting Indigenous rights
• Ellen’s art practice as survival — meditative, absorbing, and a thread of continuity throughout decades of hard work
• Sean’s reflection on becoming a new father during the book’s release, and how it sharpened his sense of responsibility to build a different world
• Ellen’s current work: a third documentary about Kahnawake’s support during the 1990 resistance, and her continued work on land defense, climate, and youth mentorship

About the Book

When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance by Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel with Sean Carleton (Between the Lines, September 2024). With a foreword by Pamela Palmater and afterword by Audra Simpson. The book has been longlisted for CBC Canada Reads and Ellen’s companion documentary film Kanà:tenhs – When The Pine Needles Fall won Best Canadian Short Film at the International First Peoples Festival and has been recognized at over 30 festivals in a dozen countries.

Guests

Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel — Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk), Turtle Clan, Kanehsatà:ke. Spokesperson for the Kanien’kehá:ka community during the 78-day Kanehsatà:ke Resistance of 1990. Documentarian, visual artist, Indigenous human rights and environmental rights activist. Former President of Quebec Native Women. Board member of the National Executive Steering Committee for Indigenous Climate Action. 2024 Grand Prix recipient from the Conseil des arts de Montréal — the first Indigenous artist to receive the prize in its 38-year history.

Sean Carleton — Settler historian and professor of History and Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Treaty 1 Territory. His research examines the history of colonialism, capitalism, and schooling in Canada. Author of Lessons in Legitimacy: Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia (UBC Press, 2022).

Resources Mentioned

• When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance — available from Between the Lines Press and wherever books are sold
• Kanà:tenhs – When The Pine Needles Fall — Ellen’s award-winning documentary film (2022)
• Strong Spirits — Ellen’s first documentary film, on Indian Residential Schools in Canada (DOC NYC 2021)
• The Women’s Nomination Belt — Haudenosaunee wampum belt referenced in conversation
• Deskaheh’s 1923 mission to Geneva and the League of Nations
• UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Aboriginal Legal Services — aboriginallegal.ca
• Support the show: click Donate at the top of the ALS homepage
• Facebook: Road to Your Name

Update:  Katsi'ksakwas Ellen Gabriel recently participated on the panel of judges of the 57th session of The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT) on Indigenous Children held in Montreal from May 25-29, 2026. (permanentpeoplestribunal.org)

Road to Your Name is produced by Aboriginal Legal Services and hosted by Lisa VanEvery, Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan. Recorded on Haudenosaunee territory with technical assistance from True Seed Media. Niá:when for listening.

Episode Summary:
In this episode, host Lisa sits down with Indigenous photographer and visual storyteller Nadya Kwandibens (Aniishinaabe, from the Animakee Wa Zhing #37 First Nation in northwestern Ontario). Nadya discusses her journey from studying film and English literature, to moving into portrait and event photography, to becoming an ambassador for the brand Canon and the Photo Laureate for the City of Toronto. Together they explore how photography becomes a tool of cultural reclamation, language revitalization, community connection and personal growth.

In This Episode:
• How Nadya’s early education in film production led into photography, and how that first portrait session in regalia sparked a career.
• The transition from dark landscapes to bright, vibrant portraits and events: her evolving style of boosting colours like red, yellow and blue, and capturing Indigenous gatherings in full strength.
• Memorable assignments: covering marches for the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls movement, round dances, cultural gatherings, and key moments of community activism.
• The story behind Nadya being named Canon Ambassador and how that partnership works (mentorship, gear, brand representation).
• Her ongoing portrait series: the “Red Chair Sessions” — using Indigenous names, place-names, languages and land acknowledgements in each portrait; now touring nationally.
• Upcoming projects: “Kitchen Table Talks” — a hybrid portrait + documentary series bringing Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people together around conversation, food, family and cultural memory.
• Nadya’s role as the Photo­Laureate for the City of Toronto: what the role entails, her vision (including an ambitious sky-visible, copper-inspired installation reflecting Indigenous presence).
• Her personal dream: a tiny house by water on her homeland reserve, where simplicity, land connection and creativity converge.
• Advice for young Indigenous photographers: “Just get out there and do it. Practice, be mindful of light, meet people, do what makes you happy.”

Key Quotes:

Connect with Nadya Kwandibens / Red Works Photography:
Website → RedWorks.ca

Instagram / Facebook / X → check @redworks (or search “Red Works Photography”)
Look for her “Red Chair Sessions” and be on the lookout for her book and documentary to come.

About the Show:
The Road to Your Name explores conversations with Indigenous voices reclaiming identity, purpose and place. Each episode highlights how culture, story, creativity and land intersect in everyday lives and work.
Follow the show for more inspiring stories like this one.

Road to Your Name | Season 7, Episode 2

Episode Description

In this episode, Lisa is joined by Dr. Yotakahron Jonathan, a Mohawk Bear Clan physician from Six Nations of the Grand River. What unfolds is a deeply honest conversation about the long road to becoming a doctor — one marked by determination, racism, heartbreak, and healing. From attending her grandmother’s appointments and noticing something was wrong with how doctors communicated, to becoming one of the very few Indigenous physicians working in rural and remote communities across BC and the Northwest Territories, Yotakahron’s story is one of perseverance and purpose.

She opens up about the racism she faced in medical school, including a traumatic incident that led her to take a leave of absence and the cyber-bullying that followed. She talks about how Indigenous community support — even communities not her own — helped her heal. She also shares her role in pushing McMaster University to add Indigenous health content back into the curriculum, and the changes she’s seen since.

Beyond medicine, Yotakahron is a traditional doula, a beader, a tiny house builder, and a traveller who has visited 51 countries and all seven continents — including Antarctica with National Geographic.

What We Talk About

• How Yotakahron knew from age four she wanted to be a doctor — and what she noticed in her grandmother’s appointments that shaped her approach to health care
• Choosing social sciences over health sciences for her undergrad, and why that decision made her a better physician
• Not getting into medical school the first time, and what happened the very same day she found out
• The racism she faced in medical school, including being singled out as the only visible Native student, the cutting of Indigenous health from the curriculum, and a traumatic public incident involving a residential school survivor panel
• Taking a leave of absence, healing through ceremony and counseling, and eventually going back
• Training in UBC’s Indigenous Family Medicine program — the only one of its kind in Canada
• Working in coastal BC communities including Alert Bay, Bella Bella, and Haida Gwaii, and what it meant to be surrounded by Indigenous community during some of her hardest moments
• The complex question of practicing medicine in your own home community
• Traveling to 51 countries and all seven continents — and why Antarctica was the trip that helped her close the chapter on medical school
• Beading as a stress gauge and creative practice
• The Heartberry Podcast — two seasons of conversations about navigating racism in post-secondary education
• The full-circle moment of realizing she had become the kind of Native doctor who inspires the next generation

Guest

Dr. Yotakahron Jonathan — Mohawk Bear Clan, Six Nations of the Grand River. Family physician working in rural and remote Indigenous communities. Research and Project Coordinator for the Interactive Indigenous Research Ethics Repository at UBC’s Office of Research Ethics. Traditional doula, beader, tiny house builder, and world traveler.

Resources Mentioned

• Heartberry Podcast — available on major podcast platforms
• Aboriginal Legal Services — aboriginallegal.ca
• Support the show: click Donate at the top of the ALS homepage
• Facebook: Road to Your Name

Road to Your Name is produced by Aboriginal Legal Services and hosted by Lisa VanEvery, Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan. Recorded on Haudenosaunee territory with technical assistance from True Seed Media. Nya:weh for listening.

Episode Description

What does it take to reclaim a language two generations after it was taken away? In this episode, host, Lisa, sits down with Maggie Yakorennio Powless-Lynes, a Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan member from Six Nations of the Grand River, who recently began her first year of the Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa (Our Language Society) adult immersion program in Ohsweken.

Maggie holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from McMaster University and a Master's in Indigenous Public Health from the University of Toronto — but after years of "maybe next year," she finally ran out of reasons not to learn her language. Two months into the intensive full-time program, she shares what the journey has been like so far: the entrance exam that requires memorizing 40 pronominal prefixes, the terror of the first two weeks, the warmth of teachers who are themselves graduates of the program, and the joy of studying alongside her older brother.

A lifelong pianist and bassoonist with the Brantford Community Symphony Orchestra, Maggie also reflects on how being a musician shaped her approach to language learning — the patience, humility, and willingness to "sound terrible for a long time" that both pursuits demand. As she puts it, you can't become a speaker without speaking.

Looking ahead, Maggie dreams of bridging two worlds that rarely meet: conducting community research entirely in Kanien'kéha, capturing people's realities in the language they actually think in.

Her traditional name, Yakorennio, means "she has a good song." It fits.

In This Episode

- [02:00] Meet Maggie: from biochemistry and public health back to community
- [03:16] Growing up with "little words and phrases" — the residential school generation and the gap it left
- [06:05] The entrance exam: 40 prefixes and one root word
- [10:00] The first two months of immersion: terrifying, intense, and deeply rewarding
- [12:28] Language and identity — "filling up a place in yourself"
- [14:16] Gratitude for the speakers who carried the language forward
- [16:16] Learning alongside her brother, and a mom who now wants to learn too
- [17:52] Maggie the musician: piano, bassoon, and performing with Semiah Smith
- [19:15] What music teaches about language: dedication, humility, and the long game
- [24:46] Places where the language is waiting: from Everlasting Tree School to adult immersion
- [27:10] The dream: doing research entirely in Kanien'kéha
- [29:05] "She has a good song" — the meaning behind Yakorennio, her traditional name

About Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa

Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa (Our Language Society) was established in 1999 by Owennatekha Brian Maracle and Onekiyohstha Audrey Maracle with the goal of creating fluent adult speakers of Kanien'kéha. The program offers first-year and second-year full-time immersion at Six Nations in the village of Ohsweken, as well as an online program for those who can't attend in person.

Links

- Aboriginal Legal Services: www.aboriginallegal.ca
- Donate: click "Donate" at the top of the ALS homepage
- Find us on Facebook: Road To Your Name

Credits

The Road to Your Name is produced by Aboriginal Legal Services with technical assistance from True Seed Media, and hosted by Lisa VanEvery, coordinator of the Yoha:te ne kahsen:na (The Road to Your Name) program.

In This Episode:
• Kathy’s career path: from correctional officer to penitentiary warden to Deputy Commissioner for Indigenous Corrections.
• The current state of Indigenous representation in federal corrections: approximately 32% of the population and around 33% admissions.
• Key priorities: Raising the voice of Elders and culturally-informed interventions within CSC.
• The role of Elders, knowledge-holders, and spiritual advisors in correctional facilities—how their cultural work must be better understood and respected.
• Indigenous-stream programming in correctional institutions, including trauma-informed care like horse-therapy, women’s healing lodges, and expanded mother-child programs recognizing extended-family relationships.
• The significance of Section 81 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act: transferring supervision of federally-sentenced Indigenous persons to Indigenous community organizations, and the positive results of Healing Lodges.
• Challenges and opportunities in the role: policy updates, community engagement, recruiting Indigenous staff, and influencing outcomes for Indigenous offenders.
• Kathy’s motivation: influencing policy, creating choices for Indigenous people in the system, and working toward better outcomes.

Key Quotes:

Connect with Kathy Neil:
(As a senior executive public-servant, direct social media links are not listed; interview conducted by Aboriginal Legal Services)

About the Show:
The Road to Your Name explores Indigenous voices reclaiming identity, purpose, and community leadership. Each episode delves into how tradition, culture, and systemic change intersect on the journey forward.

Follow the show for more conversations like this one.

Episode Summary:
This episode was recorded in December 2023.  In this episode, Lisa sits down with Serene Porter—Wolf Clan, Mohawk Nation, at Six Nations of the Grand River—who served as the Director of Culture & Engagement for the 2023 NAIG in Halifax. Serene discusses how she infused Indigenous culture into a major multi-nation event, how her background in graphic design and photography informed the experience, and how her consulting work now supports Indigenous youth, wellness and cultural competency. The conversation explores the power of language, art, safe spaces and community-led design in creating meaningful Indigenous-led experiences.

In This Episode:
• Serene’s role in planning the 2023 NAIG: from airport arrival to sport venues, cultural villages in Halifax and Dartmouth, to supporting 5,000+ Indigenous youth.
• How Indigenous culture was integrated into every aspect of the Games: traditional sports like box lacrosse and canoe/kayak, language signage for Mi’kmaq, translation phonetics, Brave Spaces in athlete accommodations.
• The concept of “Brave Spaces” rather than “safe spaces” — enabling youth to feel seen, share, and connect through art, smudging stations, weaving, journaling and quiet space.
• Serene’s background in graphic design, photography, and the self-care workshops she facilitates (art materials, nature, mindfulness) and how this work overlaps with her consulting business.
• The cultural awareness training Serene developed for over 3,000 NAIG volunteers: covering pre-contact history, Treaty education, allyship, privilege, bias, and actionable reconciliation.
• Serene’s current work: consulting for youth-focused Indigenous programs, supporting organizations in Indigenous cultural competency, and her role with the Juno Awards in Halifax as cultural advisor.
• Creative life: Serene still plays hockey and golf, is re-engaging in drawing, beading and watercolor art as part of her grounding and cultural expression.

Key Quotes:

Connect with Serene Porter:
Instagram/Facebook: [Insert Serene’s handles if available]
Consulting & Workshops: [Website pending – “coming soon” as per interview]

About the Show:
The Road to Your Name shares conversations with Indigenous voices reclaiming identity, purpose and connection. Each episode celebrates the work, creativity and leadership of Indigenous people shaping culture, community and future-pathways.
Follow the show for more stories like this one.

Episode Summary:
This episode was recorded in July 2023.  In this episode, host, Lisa, sits down with Samantha Doxtator, of the Oneida Nation and Wolf Clan, who specializes in personal-development consulting grounded in Indigenous values, and has recently stepped into the role of steward of the Haudenosaunee star-stories research originally led by her late sister, Sasha. The discussion covers Indigenous astronomy, the deep traditions of star knowledge within Haudenosaunee culture, how this knowledge can heal and uplift Indigenous identities, and how Samantha is continuing the work of intergenerational knowledge transfer.

In This Episode:
• Samantha shares her background: travelling with life and employability skills workshops across nations, and how Indigenous astronomy gradually became a key focus.
• The research journey of Samantha’s sister Sasha, her academic work collecting Haudenosaunee star-story knowledge, her passing in 2021, and how Samantha accepted her legacy and continues it.
• The concept of star-world, sky-world, water-world, earth-world interconnections in Haudenosaunee cosmology: Samantha’s near-death experience, vision in a coma, and how it reinforced her role.
• A detailed star story: the Big Dipper (as a Bear and three warriors) and how it functions as both calendar and guide for seasons, cultural understanding, and identity.
• How meteors/meteor showers are interpreted as gifts from sky-world; the metaphor of star-dust in our veins reminding of our connection—Indigenous science meeting contemporary astronomy.
• The importance of reclaiming knowledge: the difference between “lost” and “misplaced” star-stories and the invitation for individuals to share what they know, gather oral tradition, reconnect.
• Samantha’s upcoming work: writing a kids’ book, creating a digital recording of her presentation, and continuing to share her workshops in person and online.
• How listeners can engage: seeking out stories, stepping into the sky-world connection, and inviting the knowledge back into everyday life.

Key Quotes:

Connect with Samantha Doxtator:

• Facebook: Samantha Doxtator
• Instagram: @samantha.doxtator (aka “lifeofafreelancer”)
• Email: srdoxtator [at] hotmail.com
   Samantha offers presentations on Indigenous astronomy and star-stories for schools, community centres and online workshops.

About the Show:
The Road to Your Name features conversations with Indigenous voices reclaiming identity, purpose and connection. Each episode explores how culture, story, creativity and place come together to shape personal and community futures.
Follow the show for more stories like this one.

Episode: Tyler Hill on Lacrosse, Culture, and the Creator’s Game

This episode was recorded in May of 2023.  In this episode of The Road to Your Name Podcast, host Lisa welcomes lifelong lacrosse player Tyler Hill of the Mohawk Nation. Tyler shares his journey with lacrosse — from playing catch with his dad as a child to competing at the senior level — and reflects on how the game is deeply tied to Haudenosaunee culture, spirituality, and identity.

Together, Lisa and Tyler discuss:

• Tyler’s early memories of the game and the significance of his first wooden stick
• Lessons from other sports that shaped his style of play
• The cultural and spiritual roots of lacrosse as the Creator’s Game
• Challenges facing modern lacrosse, including the culture of alcohol around the sport
• The importance of leading by example, maintaining a good mind, and playing with respect
• Tyler’s passion for mentoring youth and incorporating life lessons into coaching
• His business 4 by Hill, stringing lacrosse sticks and growing the game
• His children’s book Worm Burner, which weaves lacrosse, nature, and positive values into a story for kids
• Future projects like lacrosse camps, a board game (Rip It), and a short film

Tyler closes with an inspiring message: no matter where you are in life, you always have the power to make the right choice and help lift others up.

In This Episode:
• Jon’s early inspiration: spending movie nights with his grandmother, watching films like Jurassic Park and the extended special-features of The Lord of the Rings—the “first film school”.
• His path: studying film production (BFA) at York University, learning editing, camera work, cinematography, then directing.
• What makes Indigenous storytelling different: community, authenticity, humour, heart, deeper meaning.
• The importance of involving Indigenous crew members at every level, especially on his latest short film set on Six Nations with 65-70% Indigenous crew.
• His current projects: a narrative short about runaways from the Woodland Cultural Centre’s former Mohawk Institute Residential School, commercials for major brands (e.g., Tim Hortons, Nike) through an Indigenous-run agency.
• Advice for newcomers: start as a Production Assistant, dip your toes into departments, find what you like, build from there.
• Job realities: filmmaking is freelance, you’ll need to be your own secretary, accountant, social-media person; but the industry has grown and offers real opportunities.

Key Quotes:

Connect with Jon:
Website → jonbelliott.com

Instagram → @jon.b.elliott

About the Show:
The Road to Your Name shares conversations with Indigenous voices reclaiming identity, purpose and connection. Each episode explores how tradition, story and art intersect to build community and future pathways.

Follow the show for more stories like this one.

From his experiences in the Dakota 38 Memorial Ride to his involvement in an Indigenous-led circle court, Cody’s journey reveals the power of cultural connection and community healing. Today, he works as a youth facilitator and digital storyteller, helping Indigenous youth find their voice online and offline.

Show: The Road to Your Name
Host: Lisa VanEvery
Guests: Kaity Adams & Montana Adams, owners of Adams Family Ink and Boutique
(This podcast was recorded on location at Tuscarora Road.  Their business has since moved to the Log Cabin at 986 Hwy. 54 on Six Nations)
🎧 Listen: [Add your Transistor link here once live]

Episode Summary:
In this on-location episode, host Lisa visits The Adams Family Ink and Boutique on Tuscarora Road at Six Nations of the Grand River to talk with owners Kaity Adams and Montana Adams. Together they share their story of building a community-based tattoo studio and Indigenous boutique, blending art, culture, and entrepreneurship.

Kaity and Montana discuss how tattooing connects to Indigenous identity, safety standards in the industry, and how they’re helping community members express pride in who they are. The couple also highlight how traditional tattoo practices and modern business approaches come together to create a welcoming, culturally informed space for all.

In This Episode:
• Opening The Adams Family Ink and Boutique in 2021 and growing through community markets and social media
• Montana’s path to becoming a tattoo artist and his black-and-gray illustrative style
• Kaity’s exploration of hand-poke Indigenous tattooing and cultural significance
• The rebirth of Indigenous tattoo traditions as acts of reclamation and confidence
• Tattoo ethics — originality, artist integrity, and cultural respect
• Business structure, pricing, and the realities of self-employment in the tattoo industry
• Health and safety protocols, consent forms, and client comfort
• Balancing motherhood, family, and running a small business on reserve
• Boutique offerings — Indigenous-made products, beadwork, home décor, and plans for an in-house apparel line

Key Quotes:

Connect with The Adams Family Ink and Boutique:
📍 Six Nations of the Grand River, located at 986 Hwy. 54 (at the Log Cabin), Ohsweken, Ontario
Instagram → @adamsfamilyinkandboutique
Instagram:  @montysillustrations
(add if applicable)
Facebook → Adams Family Ink and Boutique

About the Show:
The Road to Your Name shares conversations with Indigenous voices reclaiming identity, purpose, and community. Each episode features stories of resilience, entrepreneurship, and cultural revitalization on Haudenosaunee territory.

Follow the show for more Indigenous stories told in a good way.