Love Poet of the Apocalypse
Bringing Radical Honesty
THE ʔASQANAKI PODCAST: MOTHERHOOD AND “SACRED BABY BUNDLES” WITH TASHA SPILLETT
Photo of hands and bitterroot credit: Dr. Christopher Horsethief
In this episode Smokii is joined by Cree/Trinadian author, educator and poet, Tasha Spillett. Tasha shares her book I Sang You Down from the Stars. Smokii and Tasha also discuss Indigenous births, babies, bundle keeping and motherhood.
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Design: Krystal Strong
Photo credit: Tasha Spillett
Photo of hands and bitterroot credit: Dr. Christopher Horsethief
Content: birth, babies, bundle-keeping, adoption, Indigenous futurism, the 60s Scoop, foster care, mother-child relationships, grief, loss, kinship, umbilical cords, parenting, agency, Afro-Indigenous identity, Cultural Appropriation, homecoming, the Indigenous Voices Awards, therapy, ceremony, Indigenous aunties, cultural teachings, challenging tradition and the gender binary, two spirit teachings, liberation, love and power.
Episode Credits
Thank you to Dr. Tasha Spillett and to Sierra Noble at Winnipeg's No Fun Club.
Thank you to our team, Sound Designer, Audio Engineer and Editor Greyson Gritt of Minotan Music Inc. and Producer Krystal Strong of Osum Artist Management.
resources for episode
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I Sang You Down From the Stars by Tasha Spillett Sumner
Guest Bio
Photo credit: Tasha Spillett
Tasha Spillett, PhD (she/her/hers) is a New York Times bestselling author who draws her strength from her Indigenous (Cree) and Trinidadian bloodlines. She is also a celebrated educator, scholar and public speaker. Tasha is most heart-tied to contributing to community-led work that centers the liberation of Indigenous women and women of color and creating a world that affirms the joy and well-being of children.
As an educator, Tasha infuses her teaching pedagogy with her extensive cultural knowledge to support Indigenous students, and strives to build equitable relationships between all communities. Tasha acknowledges her unique opportunity as an Afro-Indigenous woman and responsibility to create learning environments that are culturally responsive, and foster belonging for Indigenous students, students of colour, and their families.
Tasha is also the author of the multi-award winning three volume graphic novel series, Surviving the City (HighWater Press), the New York Times bestselling picture book, I Sang You Down from the Stars (Little Brown Books and Owl Kids), and her most recent picture book, Beautiful You, Beautiful Me (Owl Kids).
Tasha weaves her cultural identity in both her scholarly work and relational responsibility to contribute to a body of research that echoes Indigenous women’s demands for justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people. Her work is both a continuation of the resistance against the assault of colonialism that she has inherited and a celebration of the beauty and brilliance that flows forward from those who have come before.
As her career continues to evolve, Tasha looks forward to continuing to connect with and work alongside communities of people who are actively engaged in creating a world that is worthy of our children.
INTO YOUR BUNDLE THEY GO
A found poem from the transcripts of our episode on The ʔasqanaki Podcast
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.