Without truth, there can be no reconciliation. Red Thunderwoman, Michelle Robinson, shares the truth without interruption on her podcast, “Native Calgarian”. Member of the Sahtu Dene Nation, Michelle is a mother, wife, activist, political organizer, book club and podcast host, sharing her Red Road journey with others. 

On her podcast, and in person, Michelle has an unapologetic, focused disposition determined to tell the truth that Canada is trying very hard to erase. “If we aren’t willing to acknowledge that Canada was built on non-consent and genocide then we certainly can’t work on reconciliation”.  

Native Calgarian is a platform on which to tell the truth and provide resources and avenues for meaningful reconciliation. 

“A lot of Canadians have never heard two Indigenous people speaking before, so it’s a bit of a window into our world” Michelle reflects. Mainstream media doesn’t share enough stories of people who don’t fit the upper educated class mold. “I listen to the CBC and I do enjoy it, but it’s a tiny niche of people who don’t really have any real issues.” Native Calgarian, Michelle shares, is an air-space dedicated to the stories that don’t get told---stories of the urban Indigenous experience.  

“Native Calgarian is about that urban Indigenous experience. It’s different for folks that live on Rez, or who were raised on Rez even, that wasn’t our situation in any capacity, and urban Indigenous voices need to be considered as well in all issues. A lot of politicians don’t see Indigenous people as part of their community but we are in every community.”

On her podcast, Michelle witnesses and acknowledges the experiences of urban Indigenous people across Canada. “Native Calgarian is a healing journey, all Natives are trying to reclaim who they are in some capacity” and this reclamation of identity is life saving. “One of the roots of our trauma and addiction issues is from having our identity and culture stolen from us. Once you re-introduce culture to people, then all of a sudden they start taking pride in who they are and that helps with the trauma that they’ve received.” 

In an effort to help Indigenous people reclaim their identity, Michelle rejects the discriminatory accusation of not being “Native enough”. 

“I think that the ugliest myth that Canada has is that anything was built on consent. You will have red headed, blue eyed Natives in your classrooms and be completely unaware because they don’t look the way the media has represented us.”

“Not only are you Native enough,” says Michelle, “your existence is a form of resistance.” 

Michelle encourages all Indigenous people to go to friendship events, meet their local elders, learn about their culture and be proud of who they are, “because the truth is you are not supposed to exist at all, and the fact you do is an example of your family’s resistance”. 

For settlers listening to her podcast, Michelle encourages action. Only after you’ve acknowledged the truth, can you begin to work on reconciliation. Native Calgarian is the place to go if you are looking for resources and anti-racist actions to make some real change in your community. 

Michelle is also the host of a book club that discusses stories shared by Indigenous authors and what to do with the knowledge shared,“there’s low hanging fruit when it come to reconciliation, like a stupid rename, and then of course there’s the structural change that needs to happen within the system that is usually the harder part. I want that group working on that eventually, but I think the outcome of my book club has been that people understand that they have to act.”

Michelle Robinson does not tolerate empty promises. Being open minded is not enough. Being an ally means taking action. 

Native Calgarian invites Indigenous people back into their culture and affirms their experiences and it empowers settlers to not only feel capable of making a difference, but to actually get up and do it.  

Canada’s genocide against Indigenous people continues today and as Michelle put’s it, “When you have the knowledge, you have to act.”