Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast
Welcome to the Relentless Indigenous Woman podcast—a space for uncensored and unapologetic conversations on the lived realities of Indigenous Peoples.
Hosted by Dr. Candace Manitopyes, a proud Moose Cree First Nation educator, advocate, and scholar, this podcast invites you to listen, grow, and take meaningful action.
With a community of over 750,000 followers across social media, Dr. Manitopyes has become a powerful voice in bold Indigenous education, truth-telling, and solidarity.
Here, education becomes rebellion. Resistance. Revolution.
Whether you are an Indigenous listener or an ally committed to learning, this podcast exists to challenge, inspire, and empower.
www.relentlessindigenouswoman.ca
Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast
Ep. 58: Quantum Connections: The Indigenous Science of Queer Identity with Dr. Alex Wilson
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Colonial binaries impose a rigid grid of control, yet ancient Indigenous cosmologies have always held a different truth. Renowned Cree scholar Dr. Alex Wilson dismantles these imposed limitations by braiding Indigenous knowledge with the non-binary nature of quantum physics.
She reminds us that "Queering is transforming poison into medicine." This conversation invites listeners to reject the constraints on identity and step into the vast, fluid reality of being Indigenous, where existence is not a set of isolated points but an expansive, vibrant web of relationship.
Dr. Wilson also shares the "coming in" concept, a journey of returning to community, culture, and self. The discussion examines the lasting impacts of colonization, residential schools, and imposed binaries while offering hopeful visions for healing, belonging, and collective resurgence.
This episode provides guidance for Indigenous people, Two-Spirit individuals, queer folks, educators, and anyone committed to learning or unlearning. It presents pathways for transforming colonial harms into medicine and reclaiming the complexity of Indigenous identity.
Relentless Questions
- What parts of myself have I learned to hide to fit colonial expectations, and what would it look like to bring those parts back into relationship with my community, my ancestors, and myself?
- How might the Land, waters, plants, animals, and skies around me challenge the binaries and assumptions I have inherited about identity, belonging, and what is considered "normal"?
Relentless Actions
- Spend time on the land without trying to categorize or control what you see. Observe a river, a patch of moss, the moon, migrating birds, or changing seasons. Notice the diversity, transformation, and fluidity that already exist in the natural world, and reflect on what these teachings reveal about human identity and relationships.
- Reach out to someone who helps you feel fully seen. Whether it's family, friends, Elders, chosen family, or community members, intentionally nurture relationships where authenticity is welcomed and celebrated. Practice "coming in" by building spaces where people can bring their whole selves without fear.
Relentless Resources
- "Coming In" by Dr. Alex Wilson. Explore Dr. Wilson's research on "coming in," which reframes identity not as leaving one community behind, but as finding and creating circles of belonging where one's whole self is welcomed. This framework offers a deeply relational and Indigenous alternative to mainstream narratives of coming out.
- Pedagogy of Moss by Dr. Candace Manitopyes - a decolonial, symbiotic growth model designed to nurture responsive, culturally safe school environments for Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ K–12 students. Conceptualized by researcher and educator Dr. Candace Manitopyes in this dissertation, it uses moss as a metaphor for relational systemic growth, collective resilience, and community-driven collaboration
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Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat