Samantha Schwientek

Samantha Schwientek is a reporter with CBC Indigenous based in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). She is a member of the Cayuga nation of the Six Nations of the Grand River, and previously worked at CBC Nova Scotia.

Latest from Samantha Schwientek

PM's upcoming First Nations summit on Bill C-5 seems 'rushed,' say chiefs

More details have been shared about a summit between the federal government and First Nations chiefs planned for next week on the major projects bill, though some chiefs say plans for the summit seem as rushed as the legislation. 

Aspiring Indigenous 'wise women' become UNESCO chairs to promote traditional knowledge

Two Indigenous women — one from Canada and one from India —are partnering to protect Indigenous knowledge and move toward matriarchal values to achieve that goal. 

First Nations opposition to Bill C-5 draws comparisons to Idle No More movement

Hayden King, executive director of the Yellowhead Institute, says both the speed with which it was passed and ideas in the bill remind him of former prime minister Stephen Harper's omnibus bill that helped create the Idle No More movement. 

Meet the helpers spending days on their feet to serve First Nations wildfire evacuees

Thousands of First Nations people have had to leave their homes this year due to wildfires. Here's what it's like to be one — and help out others.

Indigenous grads at Red Deer Polytechnic surprised with gifts by student services staff

Indigenous graduates of Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) in southern Alberta were surprised after convocation when they were given gifts — including a blanket featuring a white buffalo — from the school’s Indigenous Students Services office.

New Indigenous-led women's shelter aims to provide 'an auntie's love'

Nichole Brown, a Cree and Saulteaux woman, said she's preparing to open a new women's shelter in Edmonton. “I thought about if I was going to contribute anything… the kind of love that I want to offer these women is an auntie’s love,” she said.

Why did this outfit by a Blackfoot designer lead to controversy… and what does she think about it?

A Blackfoot designer says she was shocked when her latest collection received backlash online over the sexualization of Indigenous women and inappropriate use of traditional medicines. 

Anniversary of 'Red Paper' highlights First Nations' fight against assimilation

A grassroots group in Edmonton honoured those who stood up for First Nations rights back in 1970 when the Canadian government was proposing to erase legal distinctions between First Nations and other citizens, at an event Wednesday. 

Chantel Moore's mother walks 33 km in B.C. on anniversary of daughter's killing by police

Martha Martin, the mother of Chantel Moore, held a 33-kilometre memorial walk in B.C. on the fifth anniversary of her daughter's death on Wednesday.

Files documenting worst abuses at residential schools to be destroyed unless survivors ask otherwise

Despite a multi-year outreach, some residential school survivors say they didn't know they need to request their Independent Assessment Process files be saved or else they'll be destroyed in 2027.