Sadie Olsen is a proud member of the Lummi Nation. Sadie is also a co-founder of Whiteswan Environmental (WE), an Indigenous led 501(c)(3) whose mission is to support community healing through the natural, cultural and historical restoration to the Salish Sea for 7th generation sustainability as a measure of ecological health protection for all. Le…

Continuing on from our last episode, Morgan Brown is a Tsimshian mother, auntie, sister, and daughter. Morgan works as the Environmental Education Coordinator and Indigenous Science Educator for the Swinomish Tribe. She considers her students to be some of her biggest teachers. Morgan’s inspiration and knowledge fall in the realms of traditional pl…

Morgan Brown is a Tsimshian mother, auntie, sister, and daughter. She primarily works in the public high school with Indigenous youth. Morgan considers her students to be some of her biggest teachers. Morgan’s inspiration and knowledge fall in the realms of traditional plant medicine, first foods, seed keeping, seed reMatriation, weaving, Sm’algyax…

Anna Cook is a member of the Swinomish Tribe in the Pacific Northwest of Washington state. Anna grew up in and around the Swinomish community learning about what it means to be Swinomish. Living with her parents and grandparents, Anna learned to live off the land, and to be grateful for everything provided by it. Anna continued her passion for plan…

Challenge your growth and establish your roots in this all new series: PLANTS! PLANTS is a podcast series dedicated to sharing indigenous plant knowledge and values. Come learn and grow with us on this journey, as we delve further into the world of PLANTS!Von Young and Indigenous

Challenge your growth and establish your roots in this all new series: PLANTS! PLANTS is a podcast series dedicated to sharing indigenous plant knowledge and values. Come learn and grow with us on this journey, as we delve further into the world of PLANTS!Von Young and Indigenous

Young and Indigenous Podcast welcomes local author, musician, and professor, Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe! Her memoir Red Paint: The Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk, is the topic of discussion in this great episode as she weaves together themes of trauma, connection to the land and the healing power of culture.…

We'd like to welcome the newest member of the YAI team, Cyrus James! Join us as we get to know our newest member of the team in this short episode!Von Young and Indigenous

Thank you for your support this past year, here’s some of our favorite moments from 2023! Thank you to everyone who helped and supported us on this journey, we look forward to another year of sharing indigenous knowledge and values:)Von Young and Indigenous

Gather round! In this special Christmas episode, immerse yourself in the spirit of the holidays with a collection of short stories created by the Young and Indigenous team. Join us by the virtual fireplace, from tales of Sasquatch and the Basket Lady to setting a trap for Santa Claus; each story will put you in the holiday spirit!!!…

Jaiyah Saelua is the first openly trans athlete to compete in a FIFA sanctioned qualifier. Tune in to our discussion about soccer, fa’afafine, working on Next Goal Wins with Taika Waititi, and advocating for transgender rights in the sports world.Von Young and Indigenous

Bella gets deep with Jason LaClair, learning about his life creating Coast Salish art and his journey to wellness. Jason’s story is an example of strength, hope, inspiration, and belief that you can climb out of the darkness of addiction. Honoring his ancestors, he healed and transformed his life and you can now see his art all around Bellingham an…

Join us for an authentic conversation on Thanksgiving with Noelani Auguston. We’ll discuss history, personal stories, and embracing cultural diversity in this holiday reflection.Von Young and Indigenous

The YAI Team sat down to take a Love Language Quiz and discuss our love languages. Tune in to find out how we show ourselves and others love:)To take the quiz we did, click here!https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-languageVon Young and Indigenous

Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates and honors our history and culture. It represents a recognition of our resilience, heritage, and the ongoing struggles we continue to face. It’s a day to raise awareness about the rich diversity and enduring traditions of Indigenous cultures while also acknowledging the historical injustices and challenges we cont…

The YAI team got to sit down with a couple of our friends from The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe to talk about their experiences, hear their stories, and learn what Canoe Journey means to them.Von Young and Indigenous

A week after getting done with Tribal Canoe Journey Paddle to Muckleshoot, the YAI team sits down to reflect on our time, our favorite Canoe Journey stories, and, oh, did we mention Free got new tattoos? Shout out to the West Shore Canoe Family!Von Young & Indigenous

Oonugwito (greetings), today’s episode starts a new introduction series for our YAI team members starting with Wykeklyaa Curleybear, a kwinayl (Quinault) Tribal member. We learn who she is and where she comes from, and how she got to where she is today.Von Young and Indigenous

Tina Joe is a language teacher here in Lummi. She speaks to Bella about the importance of language, culture, and passing it down to the next generation. We learn more about language as it ties to ceremony, and how it connects us to our ancestors.Von Young and Indigenous

You may have heard this voice before. Welcome our newest YAI team member, Free!Von Young and Indigenous

Descending from Nooksack and Lummi heritage, musical artist Lil Jim talks to Roy about fitness, mental health, and weaving together culture and music. Listen in to hear how influencing indigenous youth kept him in the music game, what defines native hip hop, and what is in store for the HGS SAVAGE Fam! You can listen to more Lil Jim and the HGS Sav…

Von Young and Indigenous

Meditation can be used as a way to heal trauma. Join us as we follow CSSP team member Amanda Frank in a guided meditation where we explore the houses in our heads. Bekabon, Amanda Frank, from Minto, Alaska is has dedicated her life to healing through storytelling as a writer and professional email sender.…

How are you doing? When you say you’re ok, are you really ok? In this episode we check in with each other; this starts our latest series centered around youth and mental health. At Children of the Setting Sun we start our week off with check-ins, where we speak from our hearts to ensure that we connect with each other before we start the work. This…

You may have heard these voices in a few episodes. Welcome new team members, Wykeklyaa and Roy!Von Young and Indigenous

In the Lummi language, the term for killer whale is qwe’lhol mechen, meaning “our relatives below the waves”. Once called “Lolita”, then “Tokitae”, and now “Sk’ali Ch’elh-tenaut”, The Sacred Sea organization is working to bring our relative back home to the Salish Sea. She was taken from her home in 1970 and has been at Miami Seaquarium ever since.…

What does it mean to be a woman? What does it mean to be a Tribal woman? Selena or Hailey? Join us as we discuss identity and inspirations with the YAI team. Featuring voices of our female mentors Frances Charles and Amy Cordalis. Thank you to Apple Podcasts for featuring Young and Indigenous during Women’s History Month.…

“Our stories have to be told. If you have it in yourself at all anywhere to be a writer, do it. Because the world needs your voice, needs your story. You never know who is going to encounter it and whose life it’s going to change.”This inspiring interview with Rena Priest flows through the beauty of childhood, the nurturing hand that is culture and…

“Doubt isn't always a bad thing but it becomes a bad thing when you let it override what you are capable of.”-- Hidatsa Tribal Member Benairen Kane and Bella have a conversation about acting, his identity growing up as an urban Native outside his reservation, and the importance of humor to get you through life. This interview took place on the set …

Buffy Sainte-Marie, a Cree musician, artist and activist, has always been ahead of the curve. For six decades, she’s fought for Indigenous rights and visibility through her work. Today, we’re sharing a special episode from the folks over at PBS’ Webby Award-winning podcast American Masters: Creative Spark. Their host Joe Skinner sits down with Sain…

During the month of September, CSSP embarked on filming the pilot for our first narrative series titled “Canoe Journey”. This coming of age story centered around youth mental health and finding your identity places an emphasis on immersing yourself in culture as a preventative tool. It was a 10-day shoot and the YAI team was there on set during all…

Skelotses is our ancestral territory, it is our homeland. In the final part of our series with the Lummi Summer Youth Program we travel by boat through our homeland, the San Juan Islands; we are reminded how culture and community are used as preventative tools for positive youth mental health. We listen to youth tell us what they learned, and elder…

In the second part of the Walking with our Ancestors event, we highlight local Native artists. On this day various local artists came in to instruct the youth on language, beading, cedar weaving, wool weaving, and traditional medicines. We listen to them as they speak on their experiences both in life and with their practice, as well as the youth w…

Walking with our Ancestors is an event we are documenting with the Lummi Summer Youth Program. Centered around youth prevention, this event is in collaboration with the Northwest Indian College and the purpose is to instill the importance of cultural identity. This is the first episode in a three-part series and in it we highlight Aunt Ernestine ta…

Welcome back to Young and Indigenous Season 2! We’re super excited to continue through our journey of storytelling and also to introduce two new members to the team. Santana and Haley join-in alongside Isabella and are eager to get this new phase of the podcast started. We can't wait for you to see what we have in store for the future!…

As season one of Young and Indigenous wraps up, we come together to give thanks to everyone who has been involved in our podcast so far. Hy’shqe to each and every person who shared their words with us and stay tuned for the next phase of our work! Special thanks to Michelle and Kyla Polasky and Eliza Julius for their hard work and beautiful spirits…

Chatting with S'Klallam and Lummi Tribal member, Elaine Grinnell, we are immersed and captivated by her singing and storytelling. She shares stories with important life lessons like the whale story but also the salmon story that teaches the origin of the salmon's hooked nose. These lessons, and many more, are shared along with the importance of bri…

Lummi Nation member Mark Julius joins us in this episode of Young and Indigenous. As we go through his inspiring life story, we talk about growing up in poverty alongside his 14 siblings and what it was like living and surviving on their own while still being kids and ending up playing and swimming in the Nooksack River at the end of each day. Havi…

The pain of residential schools is still being felt today. I want to introduce our guests Suann Riddick and Fred Lane; in this podcast episode you will get to hear some of the research that Suann is doing on residential schools. What we went on through the boarding school era was tragic and Suann speaks to the stories of over 150,000 Indigenous chi…

Young and Indigenous Presents Oomagelees Cynthia Wilson from Lummi- another one of our beloved elders. She is a Lummi Language teacher. She didn't just teach me language, though, she taught me how to sing, dance and make give away items for ceremonies. She taught us many things about our culture. I am thankful she did because I would have never kno…

In this podcast episode I’m sitting down with one of our dearest and beloved elders, Juanita Jefferson, who tells many stories from her time. Lummi Language is sacred to us and was almost lost back in the 1800’s when residential schools were brought upon us. The choice to speak our language was taken from us. Someone decided that we were too savage…

Young and Indigenous presents Danita Washington explaining her experiences throughout her life on being a mother, big sister to her siblings, and also her nieces and nephews. She talks about how it was back in their day compared to how different it is today--so you get to hear a little bit about the way we used to do things. There are many old stor…

This episode will be the first of the Salmon People series where we share the voices of strong Indigenous youth who reflect on their cultural ties to salmon and vocalize why we must take action to save this crucial relative for the ecosystem and culture. Featured in this Episode are two youth from the Lummi Nation, Sadie Olsen and Jayden Phair Will…

Oral tradition is a sacred practice within All of our culture, communities, And families. Along with the coordinated dance of simply talking and being heard, oral tradition helps people learn life lessons their own way.Join us in this episode as we listen to Chesa Chesquin (Gary Julius) a Coast Salish Artist and Storyteller of Lummi Nation. Listen …

Through time immemorial our people and ancestors have used the oral tradition of storytelling to pass down history, values, language, and culture to each generation. This has preserved our knowledge and kept our resiliency to carry on Shelangen- our way of life. We would like to thank Smak i’ ya’ Matt Warbus for continuing to teach the Lummi langua…

In this episode of Young and Indigenous you will be listening to an elder, Steve Point, share wisdom and guidance during his annual Healing Conference in the Sto:lo Nation of Canada and also the responses to his words from the Young and Indigenous team. His insight into wellness and deeply moving life stories are valuable teachings that can have po…

Being Indigenous to a unique place provides a powerful source of identity for the original inhabitants of that land. To find common threads across a diverse group of Native American and First Nations peoples, we conducted numerous interviews on what it means to be indigenous. Beginning with our own reflections, we then turned to our friends and fam…

In this first episode of the YAI podcast we talk about learning the language of our Native American culture: we are the Lummi people from the Pacific Northwest in Bellingham Washington. Growing up I didn’t get to be involved in my culture as much as I wanted to because different families had their own ways of doing things and mine didn’t practice c…