Episode 8: Re-Grouping

Season 1 - Episode 8: Re-Grouping

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5O3YxzKFMi9ej0Hot8FdGj?si=4a78429982fb4508

I am looking around at the world today and feeling overwhelmed by our current circumstances. Social change seems impossible at times, yet we have so much work to do. I am taking a step back, taking a deep breath, and taking the first step - understanding my settler past, who I am, how I got here. By understanding my own story and how it fits into larger historical narratives, I want to be more conscious of the racist structures that privilege me, and hold back change, In doing this work, maybe I can be an informed part of social change, and systemic change. I hope we can take this healing journey together. WELCOME to the Maple Family Treehouse. A podcast that follows me on my Journey as I climb my family tree. In this episode I want to take a pause in the middle of the season to take stock of how this podcast is taking shape and do some organizing. Lets get to it. From now on an episode will drop every other Tuesday, starting today. Each Episode will usually include 4 segments: 1) an indigenous territory and land acknowledgement; 2) A story from my family tree and/or larger narratives; 3) A reflection about the story; And 4) A shout out to someone in my family tree or a person who is helping me out on this journey. I want to give a brief explanation for each segment: Why land acknowledgements? Giving recognition to the people who share the land is about introducing non-Indigenous people (like myself) to this land’s colonial history and the importance of relationship to land instead of owning the land. To acknowledge indigenous territory is to remember that we are all visitors on this land. Since the content of this podcast takes me to different lands. I have struggled with how to do this in a way that is meaningful, and genuine. I am still working on it. My family story so far indicates that over the last 300 years my ancestors have slowly travelled down the St. Lawrence. My current Land Acknowledgement goes like this: Hear these words as an act of disruption – I give my unreserved gratitude to those who share the land. The land in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & Maine, the traditional territory of the Wabanaki Confederacy who negotiated the Peace and Friendship Treaty. The land now known as New York to the Niagara region within Canada, the traditional land of the Mohawk within the Iroquois confederacy London and the St. Catherine’s Region, the land of the Mississaugas and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation who negotiated the Between the Lakes Treaty of 1792. These are the vast lands of the Haudenosaunee and west of London, Ontario to Sandwich Town in Windsor, the land of the Attiwonderon people. For the last 300 years many of my ancestors have settled on and travelled through shared land that sustained them. I pledge to show unreserved gratitude to the Haudenosaunee and Attiwonderon peoples with peace, sharing, and caring on and for this land. The second segment of the podcast is the family story. In this section of the podcast you will hear the details of a family story that I have researched or that has been passed on to me. I usually try to understand this story and let the listener in on that understanding by adding some context that illustrates the meaning in the story. The meaning throughout this podcast is usually to understand why my ancestors came to Canada. Often, I do know the personal motivations for leaving where they were to come to Canada. Context contributes to understanding the factors that influenced my ancestors. Understanding is my objective in each story. Once I tell the story in historical context I will spend at least a few minutes reflecting on what I learned in the process of pulling this story together. This requires being mindful and honest about my ignorance going into the research and what I learned by the time the story was put together. In some cases the stories leave more questions than answers and that is ok too. At the end of each episode I introduce the listener to someone in my family tree, or a person that is helping me climb my family tree. In the future I hope this will also include listeners who have ideas about or for the show, listeners who want to share their own family research stories or just want to say hello and support the show. Ultimately, this podcast is about peace, caring and sharing. I welcome any and all feedback, story ideas, stories from your own family tree, or just a hello. Lets connect through our family stories. You can reach me at anchor.fm/maplefamilytreehouse. The Maple Family Treehouse podcast can be found on Spotify, Breaker, Pocketcast, Google Podcasts, Castbox, and Radio Public. You can also support this podcast by making contributions on Achor.fm or on Patreon. Your contributions support original content that is commercial free. While I love doing this podcast and sharing it online it is a considerable commitment of time and resources. Your contributions go towards archival access, technology, equipment, and time to write, produce and organize this show. You can also find and follow Maple Family Treehouse on various social media platforms. The Maple Family Treehouse has a website on Squarespace: https://maplefamilytreehouse.squarespace.com You can also find The Maple Family Treehouse on Facebook and Instagram. Do whatever you can, connect, reach out, contribute, support, but ultimately I hope you listen, like, share and are inspired to your own journey. I could take this journey in isolation, but in this day and age - Why? Come with me as I climb my family tree. Join along and share your own experience. S1 Episode 8: Re-Group Kael Sharman