This project was much more than just a project for me. It was an uncovering of so much of North America’s (or Turtle Island’s) past that I was never taught in my formative years at school. While researching for this project I found myself overwhelmed with so many different emotions: shock, horror, rage, sadness, awe, etc. I found that as I peeled back the layers and the more I dug deeper the more complex and ugly the history of our country’s colonization became. How has it taken so long for there to be initiatives like Truth and Reconciliation to become integrated into helping right the horrors that were the residential schools, the stealing of land, the dishonouring of treaties, etc? While in the meantime corruption, racism, segregation, ignorance, poverty, intergenerational trauma has become pervasive? How could history books omit so much of the grave realities faced by aboriginal people? It makes me angry. I feel betrayed and at a conceptual loss for the identity of this country because everything I thought I understood was fed to me from a narrow colonizers perspective with so much of the history swept under the rug or omitted.

While researching about colonization and the atrocities faced by First Nations people I couldn’t help draw parallels to the systemic racism and segregation experienced by black people in 1950’s America before the Civil Rights movement. AND IT’S 2017!? How is this still happening in this country?? We Segregated them to reserve land with no economy after we took away their land, their kids, their culture, their subsistence. This is a systemic and monumental failure of this country. It is NOT and Indigenous problem it is a Canadian problem!

So what could I possible come up with to contribute to this huge challenge and the righting of so many wrongs? Well, I decided that the best medium and platform in 2017 would be to design a website for a fictitious podcast called “This Indigenous Life” based off the critically acclaimed NPR produced podcast, “This American Life.” The fabric of this podcast would be a colourful mosaic of themes, topics and accounts of Canadian history and an up to date perspective of the issues currently facing the Indigenous people. The podcast would showcase different Indigenous and Non-indigenous leaders, but would have a main focus in investigative journalism with rich story-telling woven in. Topics may include: The Indian Act, Residential Schools, Treaties, What are some roles Non-Indigenous people can play in helping recognize and reconcile with Indigenous people?, etc.

Reconciliation Canada would be my client so I chose their main brand colours of red and blue as the theme for the podcasts website. My target audience would be men and women, age 18-35 years old since that generation missed out on a proper education of these issues and are the largest demographic that listens to podcasts. The tone would be: educational, informative, powerful, inspiring. I chose painted in images because it is up to us as Canadians to paint in the gaps of knowledge and pave a new way forward for the next 150 years. I chose painted type to connect with the roots based feel of the podcast brand. I would give myself an 8/10. I worked hard on this project and spent many hours just self educating myself about the realities and true history of Indigenous people. Trying to get a better grasp of the complexities. I have merely touched the tip of the iceberg and am excited and engaged to learn more.