Dr. PAMELA PALMATER is a Mi'kmaw citizen and member of the Eel River Bar First Nation in northern New Brunswick. She is a mother of two boys, Mitchell and Jeremy ages 20 and 18 and comes from a large family of 8 sisters and 3 brothers. She has been a practicing lawyer for 14 years and she holds the position of Associate Professor and Chair in Indigenous Governance in the Department of Politics and Public Administration, and heads the Centre for Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University.

Pam's area of expertise is in Indigenous law, politics, and governance. She has been researching and writing on issues impacting First Nations governance. Her book, Beyond Blood: Rethinking Indigenous Identity, considers the legal, political and social problems of federal-imposed Indian registration with regards to band membership and self-government citizenship. She has also published in the areas of Aboriginal and treaty rights, legislation and law-making, First Nation education, poverty and politics. Her most recent contribution was the report entitled: Our Children, Our Future, Our Vision: First Nation Jurisdiction over First Nation Education for the Chiefs of Ontario in response to the National Panel on Education.

Pam also engages with Canadian society on these issues by speaking and delivering training sessions to unions, churches, universities, high schools, governments and businesses with a view to educating the public about the historical context and facts behind the inaccurate myths and stereotypes impacting First Nation and Canadian relations. She is known for her focus on fact-based discussions and debate and acts as a frequent political commentator for APTN National News, InFocus, CTV, CBC and other media outlets.

For further information about Pam, please consult her website: www.indigenousnationhood.com

UKUMBWA SAUTI is an adjunct instructor of Cultural Media Studies and video production at Franklin Pierce University and New England Institute of Art. He specializes in research in television and film on issues of indigenous cultures, modernity, christianity and colonialism, spirituality and the “nature narrative”.

He has been involved on different levels with Occupy Boston and more deeply with the Decolonize to Liberate working group. Ukumbwa is the author of a blog, Indigeny & Energetics and researching and writing a book by the same name. He is an initiated Elder in the Dagara tradition of Burkina Faso in West Africa . Contact info:
http://ukumbwasauti.blogspot.com (educational information)

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Music selection

Words of Fire, Deeds of Blood - Robbie Roberston

Fallen Angels - Robbie Robertson