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Curtis Peeteetuce's new play on the dangers of 'plastic shamanism'

Playwright Curtic Peeteetuce reflects on Popcorn Elder, intergenerational trauma, and forgiveness between family members.
Actors Cory Dallas Standing (left) and Sam Bob (right) in Popcorn Elder. (Popcorn Elder Production Photo/submitted to CBC)

"Popcorn elder" is a term for someone who appropriates indigenous ceremonial practices to make a buck — sometimes with tragic consequences

Popcorn Elder is also the name of a new play by writer Curtis Peeteetuce, who was moved to react to three sweat lodge deaths under the watch of a self-help guru in Arizona.

Peeteetuce joins Shad to share how a passionate Facebook post became a father-son play, the damage done by so-called plastic shamanism, and the "nuts and bolts" of reconciliation. 

WEB EXTRA | Watch the trailer for Popcorn Elder below.