The indigenous led podcast
Stories Rooted in Land, Culture & Kinship
Photo by: Louise Johns
Season 1:
voices of belonging
A chorus of Indigenous voices leading the way in ecological healing, cultural revitalization, and buffalo restoration. Each episode offers intimate conversations with Elders, youth, scientists, and organizers working in defense of land and life.
Photo by: Ashley Forester
Episode 1:
Origin Stories
Cristina Mormorunni and Ervin Carlson join podcast producer Lailani Upham to share INDIGENOUS LED’s origin story and the movement to restore free-roaming buffalo across Blackfoot Territory and beyond. Through personal stories and honest reflection, they explore how keystone species rematriation is rooted in cultural responsibility, ecological balance, and spiritual connection. This episode highlights the power of Indigenous storytelling to heal relationships—with land, community, and our more-than-human relatives.
Photo by: Eliana Moustakas
Episode 2:
Braided Science
Kincentric Ecologist Stephanie Barron reflects on her journey bridging Western science with Indigenous knowledge systems rooted in relational stewardship. With a background in botany, wildlife, and environmental education, she reflects on how Indigenous mentorship guided her toward a more holistic, land-based approach. From carnivore stories to lessons from beavers and bison, this episode uplifts the power of decolonial science and storytelling to restore balance, renew kinship, and heal relationships with our more-than-human relatives.
Photo by: Louise Johns
Episode 3: Empowering indigenous youth
At the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park, a conversation unfolds with Sara Little Bear, Youth Programs Manager at INDIGENOUS LED. She shares her role in designing and launching seasonal land-based camps that deepen Native youth’s ecological and cultural knowledge, emphasizing the vital role young people play in conservation. Youth participants speak about their experiences and aspirations, highlighting the importance of cultural preservation, youth engagement, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. The episode centers the power of youth voices in informing conservation and celebrates the healing strength of Indigenous cultures.
Photo by: Lauren Monroe Jr.
Episode 4: Elder Wisdom for the future
Kainai First Nation Elder Shane Little Bear shares teachings rooted in love, ceremony, and the living knowledge passed down by his grandparents. Raised in a close-knit Blackfoot community, he reflects on the healing power of horses, the sacred role of buffalo, and the everyday practices that restore balance. Through stories of land, kinship, and cultural continuity, Shane calls on youth to reclaim language, connect with Elders, and carry forward the teachings that sustain our collective future.
Voices from the Circle
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“There's always this conception that [buffalo] don't belong out in the wild, that they're not wildlife, and they are, and they belong out there, just as all of the other wildlife, our deer, our elk.”
– Ervin Carlson
(Blackfeet Nation) -
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“What INDIGENOUS LED firmly believes is that the Indigenous way of knowing and being is really the last great hope we have to turn things around.”
– Cristina Mormorunni
(Metis/Sardo) -
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“ Within Indigenous led conservation models, we are looking at qualitative data. That is song, that is story, that is history, and that is ceremony. That is spirituality.”
– Stephanie Barron
(Chiricahua Apache, Xicana, German) -
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“ Don't be afraid to talk to elders. Don't be afraid to get that knowledge. And that's where it starts because you're never going to learn anything if we just don't get out there and do it.”
– Ethan Running Crane
(Niitsitapi) -
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“ The DNA is true. We may have lost our language a long time ago and we're regaining it back, but that understanding, and that connection in our DNA is still there.”
– Lailani Upham
(Blackfoot/Aaniiih/Dakota) -
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“ Youth are our future. They're going to carry on the work that we do, and they're also going to apply their ways of knowing into how we carry this forward."
– Sara Little Bear
(Blackfoot) -
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“If it wasn’t for the buffalo we wouldn’t have survived. Some animals gave ceremony…other animals gave hunting…there were treaties made where we had respect for one another. We were one big family.”
– Shane Little Bear
(Blackfoot)
our story, our medicine
Photo by: Louise Johns
At INDIGENOUS LED, we believe stories are medicine. This podcast celebrates the voices of Indigenous leaders creating a future rooted in respect for land, ceremony, and kinship. Each episode is a window into the work of Indigenization, keystone relative rematriation, and cultural resurgence.
