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September 14, 2023 | 20 Oakville Beaver | Thursday, insidehalton.com COMMUNITY ‘| GREW UP IN AN ERA WHERE THERE WAS NO INDIGENOUS MEDIA’ WHY NOT LEARN ABOUT INDIGENOUS PHILOSOPHIES? mee STEEL psteel@ metrolandnorthmedia. com Meet Muskrat Maga- zine founder Rebeka Tabo- bondung of Wasauksing First Nation. TELL US ABOUT WHAT YOU DO/YOUR CALL- media creator and I lish MUSKRA' lagazine, an online Indigenous arts and culture magazine and I make films and digital platforms. My latest work is called Spirit of Birth, a web series and mobile app about Indigenous birth knowledge. up in a where there was no Indig. enous media within the media landscape, or with- in the public school sys- tem. Growing up mostly in Alberta and B.C., outside of my Indigenous. commu- nity of Wasauksing met Nation in Onta: up hearing constant nega tive stereotypes about In- ashamed of my own identi- ty as an Indigenous per- son. In my 20s I decided to travel vand learn from In- digenous activists both in Guatemala and Canada and I heard Indigenous history for the first time. It is life-changing for me and at that moment I real- ized the power of media heir Muskrat Magazine photo Rebeka Tabobondung is one of 30 Indigenous people Metroland is highlighting in June. and education in societies. In Guatemala, the Mayans. Custom Glide - Out Shelves for new or existing cabinets | had the pleasure of having Julien and TJ from ShelfGenie into my home to help with my kitchen y to anyone. een a total success and | would recommend their services Customer Review by Nusha from Oakville. DESIGN & INSTALL literally gave me a video camera to help them docu- ment their experiences of surviving deadly scorched Earth policies. Here in Canada, I learned from digenous leaders about the broken treaties and one impacts of the Indian Act Ontario and eventually, Wasauksing, and recon- nect with the Anishinaabe side of my family and ci tural roots. & TELL US WHAT DRIVES YOU. : A the great of wat learni Shout who I am and my Anishinaabe ancestry and world view. When I started to learn about history that included an Indigenous lens, I also had the great privilege and honour of learning about the mense beauty and value embedded in our tradi- tional knowledge systems. LIFETIME WARRANTY ShelfGenie EVERYTHING WITHIN REACH” CUSTOM TO THE MILLIMETRE ® 8 a neighborly: company FREE DESIGN CONSULTATION Call today! 289-812-8952 | shelfgenie.com This drive to learn became strongest when I became a mother. I wish to be able to pass this knowledge onto my son and to also share it with the world. Q: WHAT WAS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED AND FROM WHOM? A: The best advice is actu- ally taking in the Anishi- naabe creation about the part when little Muskrat, after eat flood, and after all the sup- posedly stronger animals had tried, was the only one able to persevere to the deepes' lepths of the Anat rah so that Sky- woman and the rest of cre- ation could rest and grow upon the Turtle's back, now called Turtle Island and North America. Q: WHY DOES THAT RESONATE WITH YOU? : Muskrat teaches humil- ity which is a virtue that is too often overlooked in the capitalist-driven society. Muskrat teaches us to be courageous — even in the face of extreme challeng- , Muskrat was able to save the world. Q: IF NON-INDIGENOUS CANADI- ANS LEARN ONE THING ABOUT INDIGENOUS HISTORY THIS MONTH, WHAT SHOULD THAT BE? A: Why not learn about In- digenous _ philosophies? It's so important to learn about the colonial policies that our community sur- vived, but it can be trans- formational to learn about the ways our ancestors thought about the world and how they approached life. I believe everyone and the entire planet can bene- fit from this learning. iit SCAN THIS CODE eee roe tun aT. ino Storytelling overage.