What’s That Noise?!

In this episode, we sit down with Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, former Grand Chief of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà, to ask a deceptively simple question: Who gets to lead?
Drawing on her journey from professional football quarterback to becoming Kahnawà's first openly Two-Spirit Grand Chief, Kahsennenhawe challenges the idea that leadership requires a title or elected office. She reflects on the importance of cultural identity, language, and community in shaping her understanding of leadership, and the difficult task of navigating traditional Indigenous values within colonial systems of governance. That leads us to a question at the heart of this episode: if leadership is about serving your people, why should it depend on holding political power?
Together, we explore the tensions between Indigenous sovereignty and Canadian institutions, the lasting impacts of the Indian Act, and the complicated realities of reconciliation. Kahsennenhawe speaks candidly about economic self-determination, divisions within Indigenous communities, and the responsibility settlers have to move beyond symbolic gestures toward meaningful relationships and understanding.
This is a conversation about reclaiming agency, challenging inherited assumptions, and recognizing that meaningful change doesn't always come from those in power. Sometimes, it begins with ordinary people choosing to lead, and asking what kind of ancestors they want to become.
Gila’kasla!
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A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!
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Tommy and Al respectfully acknowledge that this show is recorded and produced on the traditional, unceded territories of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chonnonton, and Lūnaapéewak peoples. London, Ontario, Canada is situated on their lands, a beautiful place that Tommy and Al are privileged to call home. Through this series, Tommy and Al aim to share their platform to create progressive, safe, and inclusive space to share the wisdoms, lessons, and experiences of Indigenous peoples from sea, to sea, to sea - in hopes of finding meaningful avenues to co-exist and function together online, in the spirit of love, courage, kindness, and reconciliation.

In this episode, we sit down with Bob Joseph, author, speaker, and longtime educator on Indigenous relations, to ask a deceptively simple question: Should Indigenous people embrace technology?
Drawing on his own experiences in commercial fishing, business, and education, Bob reflects on how Indigenous cultures have always adapted to new technologies. From weirs and traps to boats, motors, and modern fishing equipment, the tools may change without making the cultures, relationships, and rights behind them any less Indigenous. That leads us to the idea at the heart of this episode: is AI simply the next boat?
Together, we explore both the possibilities and risks of climbing aboard. Bob discusses how digital technologies and AI can support Indigenous education, language, cultural preservation, and economic opportunity, while our conversation also wrestles with corporate power, environmental impacts, data and knowledge, and the reality that technology is never neutral. The Next Boat is a conversation about adaptation without surrendering... how Indigenous peoples can engage with powerful new technologies while protecting culture, exercising agency, and helping determine where those technologies take them.
Gila’kasla!
 
Follow us on X: Wtncast
Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence
A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!
Subscribe for updates
Contact us at wtncast@gmail.com
Follow us on Apple Music and Spotify
 
Tommy and Al respectfully acknowledge that this show is recorded and produced on the traditional, unceded territories of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chonnonton, and Lūnaapéewak peoples. London, Ontario, Canada is situated on their lands, a beautiful place that Tommy and Al are privileged to call home. Through this series, Tommy and Al aim to share their platform to create progressive, safe, and inclusive space to share the wisdoms, lessons, and experiences of Indigenous peoples from sea, to sea, to sea - in hopes of finding meaningful avenues to co-exist and function together online, in the spirit of love, courage, kindness, and reconciliation.

In this episode, we sit down with Darian Ducharme from Teqare, a digital literacy and cyber safety educator from Lac Seul First Nation who has worked with more than 70 Indigenous communities and over 100 schools across Turtle Island. Darian shares how his work brings him into First Nations communities to teach youth, Elders, and adults about cyber safety, financial literacy, digital privacy, and the rapidly changing risks associated with social media, AI, and online scams.
Our conversation explores the realities of digital life in remote and northern communities, where many people are only now gaining reliable internet access through technologies such as Starlink. Darian reflects on how some communities are navigating digital risks that urban Canadians encountered more than a decade ago, while simultaneously confronting entirely new challenges tied to AI-generated content, deepfakes, misinformation, and online surveillance. Together, we discuss everything from scam culture and phishing attacks to AI-generated videos, data harvesting, and the hidden economies behind social media platforms and smartphone apps.
We also explore the tension between digital opportunity and digital risk. Darian speaks thoughtfully about balancing caution with optimism, emphasizing that Indigenous youth should not be afraid to share their stories, languages, artwork, and experiences online. The conversation touches on how technology can support language preservation, economic opportunity, and cultural visibility, while also requiring communities to think carefully about privacy, exploitation, and the long-term consequences of digital footprints.
Gila’kasla!
Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast
Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence
A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!
Subscribe for updates
Contact us at wtncast@gmail.com
Follow us on Apple Music and Spotify
 
Tommy and Al respectfully acknowledge that this show is recorded and produced on the traditional, unceded territories of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chonnonton, and Lūnaapéewak peoples. London, Ontario, Canada is situated on their lands, a beautiful place that Tommy and Al are privileged to call home. Through this series, Tommy and Al aim to share their platform to create progressive, safe, and inclusive space to share the wisdoms, lessons, and experiences of Indigenous peoples from sea, to sea, to sea - in hopes of finding meaningful avenues to co-exist and function together online, in the spirit of love, courage, kindness, and reconciliation.

In this episode, we sit down with Stan Knight from Opaskwayak Cree Nation. He is the creator of Inspector in a Box: an initiative to build housing capacity in remote Indigenous communities across Canada. Drawing on his experience in construction, insurance adjusting, and community work, Stan explains how the program equips communities with tools, training, and digital infrastructure so that housing inspections and renovation planning can be led locally rather than relying on costly outside contractors that are often unfamiliar with the needs of Indigenous communities.
Our conversation explores the deeper realities of housing across Indigenous communities, from the logistical challenges of shipping materials north to the cultural and environmental realities that make one-size-fits-all government housing ineffective. Stan walks us through how technology such as drones, LiDAR-enabled smartphones, thermal cameras, and inspection software are being used to capture housing data locally, allowing communities to document their needs, plan repairs, and access funding without having to bring outside experts into remote regions.
This is a thoughtful conversation about housing, technology, and self-determination — and about how Indigenous leadership can reshape systems that have historically been imposed from the outside. We hope you’ll explore it as an invitation to think differently about infrastructure, innovation, and the role digital tools can play in supporting community-led solutions.
Gila’kasla!
Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast
Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence
A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!
Subscribe for updates
Contact us at wtncast@gmail.com
Follow us on Apple Music and Spotify
 
Tommy and Al respectfully acknowledge that this show is recorded and produced on the traditional, unceded territories of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chonnonton, and Lūnaapéewak peoples. London, Ontario, Canada is situated on their lands, a beautiful place that Tommy and Al are privileged to call home. Through this series, Tommy and Al aim to share their platform to create progressive, safe, and inclusive space to share the wisdoms, lessons, and experiences of Indigenous peoples from sea, to sea, to sea - in hopes of finding meaningful avenues to co-exist and function together online, in the spirit of love, courage, kindness, and reconciliation.

In this episode, we sit down with technologist and entrepreneur Matthew, founder of iComply, a company focused on trust, security, privacy, and digital identity. Matthew shares his journey from growing up in the Red River Valley and building a career in financial services to stepping into the tech world and helping shape the infrastructure of online trust.
Our conversation explores what Indigenous digital identity could look like when sovereignty and consent sit with the individual rather than being endlessly copied and stored across institutions. Matthew reflects on reconnecting with Métis identity, the legacy of the Sixties Scoop, and how Indigenous values can guide the design of systems that protect people instead of extracting from them. Along the way, we dig into centralization vs decentralization, why accountability and transparency matter, and how Indigenous communities could leapfrog outdated government infrastructure to build digital governance on their own terms.
This is a thoughtful dialogue about identity, trust, and building a digital future that serves communities for seven generations. We hope you will explore it as an invitation to think differently about where power lives online... and what it means to design technology with care.
Gila’kasla!
Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast
Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence
A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!
Subscribe for updates
Contact us at wtncast@gmail.com
Follow us on Apple Music and Spotify
 
Tommy and Al respectfully acknowledge that this show is recorded and produced on the traditional, unceded territories of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chonnonton, and Lūnaapéewak peoples. London, Ontario, Canada is situated on their lands, a beautiful place that Tommy and Al are privileged to call home. Through this series, Tommy and Al aim to share their platform to create progressive, safe, and inclusive space to share the wisdoms, lessons, and experiences of Indigenous peoples from sea, to sea, to sea - in hopes of finding meaningful avenues to co-exist and function together online, in the spirit of love, courage, kindness, and reconciliation.

In this episode, we sit down with serial entrepreneur Ryan St. Germaine, a visionary leader who helped found the Indigenous Tech Circle, a network of nearly a thousand Indigenous tech professionals. Ryan reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, his family history, and the responsibilities that come with leading in both business and community.
Our conversation touches on themes of digital sovereignty, collective strength, and the importance of creating our own spaces rather than waiting for permission to join others. Ryan speaks candidly about the balance between Indigenous values and the often extractive nature of the tech industry, and why moving forward with courage and faith is essential. Along the way, he shares the story of Tech Circle’s growth, the challenges of sustainability, and the vision of building an ecosystem rooted in Indigenous knowledge, governance, and innovation.
This is a powerful dialogue about resilience, responsibility, and the future of Indigenous leadership in technology. We hope you will explore it as an invitation to think about how we connect, invest, and shape digital spaces.
 
Gila’kasla!
Follow us on Twitter: Wtncast
Follow your co-hosts: Tommy | Al | Lawrence
A very special thanks to Compulsion Soundlabs for sharing their musical talent, which you are hearing as the intro and outro music in this series!
Subscribe for updates
Contact us at wtncast@gmail.com
Follow us on Apple Music and Spotify
 
Tommy and Al respectfully acknowledge that this show is recorded and produced on the traditional, unceded territories of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chonnonton, and Lūnaapéewak peoples. London, Ontario, Canada is situated on their lands, a beautiful place that Tommy and Al are privileged to call home. Through this series, Tommy and Al aim to share their platform to create progressive, safe, and inclusive space to share the wisdoms, lessons, and experiences of Indigenous peoples from sea, to sea, to sea - in hopes of finding meaningful avenues to co-exist and function together online, in the spirit of love, courage, kindness, and reconciliation.