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The Indigenous Ju/’hoansi San People established the first Conservancy in Namibia, after the country gained its independence from South Africa. A Conservancy gives Indigenous Peoples control over vast areas of their homeland with the purpose of protecting and conserving wildlife and natural resources. In episode 9 of Native Planet, we visited the the Ju/’hoansi San People and learned about why they wanted to build a fence to protect their grasslands and culture from the outside world. Learn more on the Native Planet website. LINK IN BIO

Our team was at the Crazy8s Gala last week to watch the screening of The Far Away Place, a short film by RealWorld editor Kenny Welsh, starring RealWorld producer/host Simon Baker (centre). Let's continue to celebrate and uplift Indigenous voices and stories.

The future honestly, it scares me a little because I know the land is eroding away, the salt water is coming in. We want to see all of our traditions and all of our cultural ways carried on; we don’t want it to die out with our current generation, said Angele Verdin Black, Pointe au Chien Indian Tribe band member. Episode 11 of Native Planet took us to the beautiful bayous of Southern Louisiana. How are Native American tribes dealing with climate change and the fallout of oil production in this part of the world? Visit the Native Planet website and find out. LINK IN BIO

Hi Friends - We are on the road all week, filming a project on renewable energy and Indigenous communities. Thank you so much for supporting our film documentary work and following our account! We are always grateful for your kind comments and messages. Wishing you a great week!

We were here before the Spanish, we were here before the Incas. We have plants, we have animals, and without water we could not plant or tend to our animals, said Chief Roberto Salinas. The Colla Community of Rio Jorquera maintains their traditions in their ancestral territory at the headwaters of the Jorquera River, located about a 4-hour car ride up the Andes from Copiapo. Sadly, their way of life and culture is slowly eroding due to the continued influence of mining occurring throughout their territory. The state gives favour to the mining companies; gives them permission over the resources without asking us, the ancestral community. Learn more on the Native Planet website LINK IN BIO

In episode 5 of Power to the People, we attended a special potlatch hosted by Rande Cook and his family to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG). Disproportionate rates of violence against Indigenous women is a colonial legacy and an ongoing form of genocide. Even when all differentiating factors are accounted for, the murder rate of Indigenous women are 6x higher than non-Indigenous women (as of 2014). The 2019 Final Report from the National Inquiry... into MMIWG delivered 231 individual Calls for Justice directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries and all Canadians. These Calls refer to transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities across the country. It has been 5 years since the Final Report was released and yet little has been done to bring justice to Indigenous families. Today, May 5, and everyday, we remember and honour the lives of MMIWG / MMIP. May justice be served. See more

The shíshálh (Sechelt) Nation's traditional territory is rich in natural beauty because of the ocean, mountains and rivers surrounding them. It's no wonder that this First Nation community thrived, with a pre-contact population of more than 25,000 people. Despite smallpox and residential schools, they overcame and now they are taking charge of their economic and energy future. How did this Indigenous community rise above? FIND OUT on episode 6 of Power to the People, streaming on APTN lumi

The Far Away Place, a short film directed by RealWorld editor Kenny Welsh (right), is a finalist in this year's Crazy8s filmmaking competition! The film is a horror/fantasy that depicts a young woman and her father, being hunted in the woods by red-cloaked villains because they have horns. Squamish actor and RealWorld producer/host Simon Baker (left) stars as the father with Raine Mateo as the daughter. In a recent interview with the Georgia Straight Kenny shared: "I wanted ...to make this film as a metaphor/co-representation of colonialism," says Welsh, "because I'm Indigenous, but I didn't grow up with any of the culture, mostly because my grandparents had gone to residential schools, and the culture was lost. And so the horns signify that connection to the culture, and the villains in the film are like a cult, and one of the things they do is to remove the horns, to remove that identity from them. If you're in Vancouver, you can attend the screening on May 7, 2022 at the Crazy8sFilms Gala. Congratulations, Kenny and Simon!

11 years ago, on April 29, 2011, 4.5 million litres of oil spilled and contaminated the waters of the Lubicon Lake Band territory. "What does a just transition look like when we're implementing renewable energy so my family doesn't have to experience so many oil spills in and around the area, and breathe in these toxic gases?" asked host Melina Laboucan-Massimo Burning eyes, difficulty breathing and no evacuation process, the community was left to deal with the disaster on their own. What happened? LEARN MORE in episode 1 of Power to the People, streaming on APTN lumi

Did you know that the Teslin Tlingit Nation is revitalizing its Indigenous language? X’unei Lance Twitchell from University of Alaska Southeast teaches Tlingit language classes. He believes that learning, using and speaking an Indigenous language on its home territory is decolonization in its purest form. Language is a core pillar in restoring Indigenous sovereignty. LEARN MORE in episode 7 of Power to the People, streaming on APTN lumi

Totem poles represent how art, history and governing structures are integral to one another. This totem pole raising ceremony was a revitalization of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation's traditional ways and laws for future generations. "By educating our young people, it creates a sense of responsibility. We are instilling this new teaching that's based on old ways. By doing the run-of-the-river project, by doing geothermal, we're looking after our people; we're looking after the environment," said Chief Terry Dorward. Have you had the honour of witnessing a pole-raising ceremony? GET INSPIRED with Power to the People Season 1, available for streaming on APTN Lumi

Happy Earth Day, friends! We've been busy filming a web series on renewable energy and feeling hopeful about the future. Here is RealWorld co-founder Carmen Henriquez and producer/host Simon Baker in between shoots at Squamish Nation territory. We can't wait to share more about this project. In the meantime, visit the Native Planet website to learn more about how Indigenous communities around the world are leading the fight to protect our planet. LINK IN BIO

A 6-hour drive inland from Quito led us down from Ecuador’s highlands and into the northern Amazon region, centred around the town of Lago Agrio. In Ecuador’s Amazon River Basin, geology and time have created their most profitable natural resource: oil. But in only the last 60 years, poor drilling, pumping and remediation practices have made this the most polluted place in Ecuador. Why are the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon fighting to keep the oil in the ground? Learn more on episode 4 of Native Planet. LINK IN BIO

Nergica propels the #cleantech industry through research, technical assistance, technology transfer and technical support for businesses and communities. They a...lso have an education program the helps local #IndigenousYouth land #cleanenergy jobs. Interested in renewable energy careers? WATCH #PowertothePeopleTV airs on APTN See more

Host Melina Laboucan Massimo travels to beautiful Bella Coola to discover how the Nuxalk Nation built a homegrown solution to address their #housing demands and challenges. Have you visited this part of the country? WATCH episode 11 of #PowertothePeopleTV on APTN

We toured Brentwood College School, which houses Vancouver Island’s largest and most innovative geoexchange system, to understand how #geoexchange technology ca...n heat and cool buildings and homes Do you know the difference between #geothermal and geoexchange? #PowertothePeopleTV airs on APTN See more