From art to health care, meet 4 Indigenous cultural guardians

This week on Unreserved, stories from across Turtle Island about Indigenous people who are guarding their culture, taking back their history, transforming their cityscapes, and breaking barriers in health care.

Jodie Ashini is the first ever cultural guardian for the Innu Nation. At the age of seven, following in her father Daniel Ashini's footsteps, she decided that she would work toward the preservation and promotion of Innu culture. Peter Armitage, a fellow anthropologist and longtime ally of the Labrador Innu recently repatriated 30 years worth of documents, recordings, and photos to the Innu Nation ⁠— enough priceless material to fill a U-Haul trailer.

A new history curriculum for some Cree high schools in northern Quebec is helping educators like Sarah Pashagumskum ensure the story of Canada is told through Indigenous voices. As chairperson of the Cree School Board in northern Quebec, Pashagumskum speaks about the role of curriculum in reconciliation and the construction of identity.

Melissa Peter-Paul is part of the revitalization of Mi'kmaq art in Charlottetown, starting at the corner of Richmond and Queen, where a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald once stood. Her art installation is a response to the many demonstrations across Canada expressing frustration with colonial monuments.

As Canada's first Inuk heart surgeon, Dr. Donna Kimmaliardjuk made history. But she is much more focused on using her platform to improve Indigenous health and inspire others who connect with her personal story.