Witness to Yesterday (The Champlain Society Podcast on Canadian History)
The Champlain Society
347 episodes
3 days ago
James Stewart (J.D.M.) speaks with Alexandra Giancarlo, Janice Forsyth, and Braden Te Hiwi about their book, Beyond the Rink: Behind the Images of Residential School Hockey. In 1951, the Sioux Lookout Black Hawks from Pelican Lake Indian Residential School toured Ottawa and Toronto after winning the Thunder Bay district championship. Promoted as proof of the residential school system’s “success,” the tour masked the realities of abuse and forced assimilation. Beyond the Rink by Alexandra Giancarlo, Janice Forsyth, and Braden Te Hiwi—created with Survivors Kelly Bull, Chris Cromarty, and David Wesley—examines this legacy, celebrating the team’s achievements while exposing hockey’s role in colonial narratives and reclaiming their story to envision a more just future for Indigenous peoples and Canada.
If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
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James Stewart (J.D.M.) speaks with Alexandra Giancarlo, Janice Forsyth, and Braden Te Hiwi about their book, Beyond the Rink: Behind the Images of Residential School Hockey. In 1951, the Sioux Lookout Black Hawks from Pelican Lake Indian Residential School toured Ottawa and Toronto after winning the Thunder Bay district championship. Promoted as proof of the residential school system’s “success,” the tour masked the realities of abuse and forced assimilation. Beyond the Rink by Alexandra Giancarlo, Janice Forsyth, and Braden Te Hiwi—created with Survivors Kelly Bull, Chris Cromarty, and David Wesley—examines this legacy, celebrating the team’s achievements while exposing hockey’s role in colonial narratives and reclaiming their story to envision a more just future for Indigenous peoples and Canada.
If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
Founding Folks: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Folk Festival
Witness to Yesterday (The Champlain Society Podcast on Canadian History)
31 minutes 14 seconds
4 months ago
Founding Folks: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Folk Festival
Greg Marchildon speaks with Kevin Nikkel about his book, Founding Folks: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
Founding Folks tells the story of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, which began in 1974 at Birds Hill Provincial Park in Manitoba. The book explores how founder Mitch Podolak’s vision grew into one of North America’s leading folk festivals. Through interviews with musicians, staff, and volunteers—including Bruce Cockburn and Tom Jackson—filmmaker Kevin Nikkel highlights the festival's role in community building, politics, and cultural expression. Featuring over 90 photographs, the book celebrates the festival’s legacy and its impact on prairie arts, culture, and folk music lovers.
Kevin Nikkel is an independent filmmaker and educator based in Winnipeg. He is a long-time member of the Winnipeg Film Group. He co-directed the documentary Tales from the Winnipeg Film Group with Dave Barber in 2007.
Image Credit: University of Manitoba Press
If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
Witness to Yesterday (The Champlain Society Podcast on Canadian History)
James Stewart (J.D.M.) speaks with Alexandra Giancarlo, Janice Forsyth, and Braden Te Hiwi about their book, Beyond the Rink: Behind the Images of Residential School Hockey. In 1951, the Sioux Lookout Black Hawks from Pelican Lake Indian Residential School toured Ottawa and Toronto after winning the Thunder Bay district championship. Promoted as proof of the residential school system’s “success,” the tour masked the realities of abuse and forced assimilation. Beyond the Rink by Alexandra Giancarlo, Janice Forsyth, and Braden Te Hiwi—created with Survivors Kelly Bull, Chris Cromarty, and David Wesley—examines this legacy, celebrating the team’s achievements while exposing hockey’s role in colonial narratives and reclaiming their story to envision a more just future for Indigenous peoples and Canada.
If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.
