Join our hosts Sasha Kramer (they/them) and Brittany Woods-Orrison (she/her) in Alaska as they unpack complex reflections of the world with their guests. Each episode will feature collective stories of rising toward social, environmental and gender justice – locally and on Indigenous lands everywhere.
HALF SMOKE EPISODE 3: Herring Eggs: the sacrament of Spring
Do you love the crunch of herring eggs, Lingit dad jokes, or wonder what it takes to provide a “sacrament of spring” (herring eggs on branches and kelp!) to thousands of people around Southeast Alaska AND beyond!? Tune in to the next episode of the Half Smoke podcast! Host Brittany Woods-Orrison chops it up with Captain Steve Johnson Íxt’ík Éesh on a rare rest day during the herring egg harvest.
Guest:
Steve Johnson Íxt’ík Éesh (he/him), of the Kiks.ádi clan in Sitka, is a Tlingit fisherman who grew up learning how to catch and preserve wild foods in Southeast Alaska. Steve brings his culture and tribal values into everything he does. He donates many hours and equipment to teach others how to harvest and is known to drop everything to chase a beautiful sunset.
HALF SMOKE EPISODE 2: Landback & Palestine
We recorded Episode 2 last October, but due to the repression of social justice organizations at the end of 2024, we held off on releasing it. Now, with the continued genocide raging upon Palestinian relatives in Gaza and the West Bank as well as the assault on free speech here in the U.S., we must refuse to be silent. Take a listen and learn about why we should all raise our voices for humanity and for democracy.
Guests:
Enei Begaye (she/they), of the Diné and Tohono O’odham nations, is the Executive Director of Native Movement. They are a longtime community organizer, trainer, facilitator, and advocate for justice and the rights of Indigenous peoples.
Nithya Thiru (they/them), whose family is from Eelam, Sri Lanka, grew up on Dena’ina lands. They’re a storyteller and they organize with Anchorage for Palestine..
Half Smoke: A Native Movement Podcast Pilot
EPISODE 1: Podcast Intro & Vote Our Values
In this episode, we introduce Native Movement’s new podcast pilot and we talk about the importance of voting for local leadership that represents our values, and also the hard contradictions of participating in a colonial system that continues to marginalize and extract from Indigenous peoples, even in our so-called democracy.
Guests:
Michelle Sparck (she/her), a member of the Qissunamiut Tribe of Chevak, Alaska, is the Director of Get Out the Native Vote. She’s worked for Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young in D.C., for several statewide campaigns and also in Juneau.
Princess Daazhraii Johnson (she/her) of Arctic Village, Alaska, is a published writer, actor, and film director. She is a former Executive Director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee and now sits on the Board of Directors of Native Movement and NDN Collective.