When the CBC killed the show about ten years ago, it had been on the air for
a quarter of century. It was, to my recollection, the first program ever of
its kind produced by a national broadcaster in North America. It billed
itself as the "voice of Aboriginal people" on Canada's public broadcasting
system. It touched a chord in people who were Aboriginal or who were
interested in the issues of Aboriginal peoples. Years later, after its
untimely demise and a slow death by a thousand cuts to funding, people
continued to lobby for its return.
The show had a long list of hosts who came from the reserves, settlements or
ghettoes; people like Bernelda Wheeler, Brian Maracle, Johnny Yesno. It
reached out by phone, brought Aboriginal people and politicians into the
studio and often commissioned first-time stories by young Aboriginal
journalists. I remember listening to it every weekend on cold Saturday
nights when I was living up north and the only station I could get clearly
was the CBC. Later, I was proud when it accepted one the first stories I'd
ever done for radio. Even prouder when my Mom called to say she'd heard it
too.
Anyway, does anyone have any stories to share about this program? Any idea
where the former hosts are (I've recently spoken with both Brian and
Bernelda)? E-mail me directly or post to the LIST (if that's okay with the
administrator). I now teach radio at Ryerson Polytechnic University in
Toronto and I'm collecting material on the history of this remarkable show.
Dan David
shmohawk@tvo.org / dandavid@acs.ryerson.ca