Art and Politics - Indigenous Storytelling Assignment (Julianna)

Art and Politics - Indigenous Storytelling Assignment

Indigenous artwork from podcast guest Cristi Belcourt (Beclourt and Murdoch, 2014)

In examining “Episode 24: Art and Politics” of the Indigenous podcast AuntieUp!, it became clear that podcasting is an innovate place to host digital Indigenous narratives in a way that both reshapes traditional Indigenous storytelling and challenges normative podcasting practices. This begins with the podcast format itself. Willox et al. (2013) suggest that some short-form digital media can struggle to adequately host Indigenous storytelling because of time constraints, but the podcast structure provided speakers 47 minutes to deliver longer speeches - which allowed the host and guests to go beyond the typical interview structure which “follows a very Western approach to storylines” (Willox et al., 2013, pg. 141). The nature of podcast permanence also likely impacted approach; often, there is ephemerality in Indigenous storytelling as tales were traditionally passed down orally from elders to their community (Hausknecht et al., 2021) but with public digital media, the knowledge contained in the podcast is now available to outsider groups, including those of colonizer nations that may fail to treat it with respect. Further, elders are not always well-equipped with the skills and physical materials to easily engage in digital storytelling (Willox et al., 2013) and as a result, the centering of elders as primary knowledge sharers is subverted in this form of media where the podcast hosts were younger individuals. Thus, podcasting as a medium may stray from tradition and limit the ability to openly share. However, that same permanence and modernity allow for better preservation of Indigenous stories and conversations (Hausknecht et al., 2014), can enable the sharing of messaging intentionally set out for the wider public (Wakefield, 2024), and may better resonate with young people (Best and Cole, 2022).  

The actual contents of the podcast demonstrated both elements of decolonization and Indigenization. This includes a rejection of colonial words and concepts often used in interviews such as “expert” (Pugliese and Rogers, 2024, 6:10). Additionally, the speakers would weave together current events and long-standing cultural beliefs and stories - for example a discussion about climate change referenced both the history and fears of the speakers from a personal standpoint, as well as Indigenous prophecies related to the drying up of water bodies and desecration of land (Pugliese and Rogers, 2024). Sharing these personal experiences can be healing for Indigenous individuals (Willox et al., 2013) while also serving as a profound way to combine traditional Indigenous knowledge and the current lives of Indigenous people - providing a perspective that removed focus from western climate science and spotlighted Indigenous perspectives. In this way, podcast contents “disrupted homogenization” (Mines, 2019) by carving out a space for Indigenous peoples to “rewrite colonial narrative and create lasting systemic change” (Mines, 2019) by sharing messages, including the rejection of colonial concepts like blood quantum and colonial understandings of art (Pugliese and Rogers, 2024). Ultimately, the very sharing of Indigenous voices is an act of rebellion against the colonial state (Mines, 2019) and I am overjoyed to see their practices evolve and grow as Indigenous communities use digital tools to enhance and transform storytelling. 

Sources:

Belcourt, C. and Murdoch, I. (2014). New Beginnings [Acrylic on Canvas]. Mackenzie Art Gallery. Christi Belcourt & Isaac Murdoch - Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth - MacKenzie Art Gallery | MacKenzie Art Gallery

Best, E., & Cole, A. (2022). Young people’s engagement with podcasts in 2021: A National Literacy Trust research report. National Literacy Trust. https://cdn.literacytrust.org.uk/media/documents/Young_peoples_engagement_with_podcasts_in_2021.pdf

Hausknecht, S., Freeman, S., Martin, J., Nash, C., & Skinner, K. (2021). Sharing Indigenous knowledge through intergenerational digital storytelling: Design of a workshop engaging Elders and youth. Educational Gerontology, 47(7), 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2021.1927484

Hannah-Jones, N. (Host). (2019, September 13). How the bad blood started (No. 4) [Audio podcast episode]. In 1619. The New York Times. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-4-how-the-bad-blood-started/id1476928106?i=1000449718223

Mines, S. (2019). Storytelling as a method of indigenization. Abenaki Language and Cultural Preservation, Middlebury College. https://sites.middlebury.edu/abenaki/storytelling-as-a-method-of-indigenization

Pugliese, K., & Rogers, J. (Hosts). (2024, December 20). Episode 24: Art and politics [Audio podcast]. In AuntieUp!. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/episode/Art-and-Politics-Ep24

Wakefield, L. (2024). Conceptualizing ephemerality in online marketing communication for consumers and firms. European Journal of Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejm-05-2022-0366

Willox, A., Harper, S. L., & Edge, V. L. (2013). Storytelling in a digital age: Digital storytelling as an emerging narrative method for preserving and promoting indigenous oral wisdom. Qualitative Research, 13(2), 127–147. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794112446105