Voices of the Street: My Mother’s Comfort — with Nicolas Leech-Crier and Eva Takakanew

Content Warning: The stories in this series deal with difficult and sometimes traumatic topics. This episode in particular discusses substance use, family separation and residential schools. Please practice self care, stop listening, and seek help if you need to. Scroll down to find links to available supports.

The fourth episode of the Voices of the Street podcast series features a conversation on Indigenous honour, healing and empowerment, with your host, Nicolas Leech-Crier.

Nicolas interviews Voices of the Street contributor Eva Takakanew about her written piece, “My Mother’s Comfort,” a deeply personal poem and reflection on drug use and the intergenerational mother-child relationships in her life as an adoptee from the Sixties Scoop.

Together they speak about their experiences as adoptees and reconnecting with their culture as adults.

Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/voices-of-the-street/163-nicolas-leech-crier-eva-takakanew.html

Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/163-nicolas-leech-crier-eva-takakanew.html

Mental Health Support:
Crisis Centre BC: https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/
Indian Residential School Survivors Society: https://www.irsss.ca/services
KUU-US Crisis Line: https://www.kuu-uscrisisline.com/
WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre: https://www.wavaw.ca/
BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services: http://www.bcmhsus.ca/

More Resources:
UBC Transformative Health and Justice Research Cluster: https://transformhealthjustice.ubc.ca/
Music by Paul Che oke' ten Wagner: https://www.sacredbreath.ca/
Megaphone Speakers Bureau: https://speakersbureau.megaphonemagazine.com/

About the series:
The 2021 Voices of the Street anthology, “INSIDE we are all the same,” jumps from the page in this special podcast series.

The Voices of the Street podcast is a six-part series for Below the Radar, curated and hosted by participants of Megaphone’s Speakers Bureau.

Read more: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/voices-of-the-street.html

Bio:

Nicolas Leech-Crier (and his secret identity, “Mr. Essential”) is an adoptee of Cree heritage and a freelance writer. At 43 years old he has spent approximately half his life surviving in the streets and more than a decade in the DTES. It never occurred to him that being a “drug user” would ever be useful, but thanks to the incredible support and loving friendship shown to him by his many neighbours and friends in the DTES, he’s parlayed his street smarts and community connections into a successful career as an overdose responder and outreach worker.

Eva Takakanew was born in Edmonton, Alberta and is from Thunderchild First Nation near Turtleford, Saskatchewan. She is a descendant of Chief Poundmaker. Eva moved to Vancouver and lived with her biological mom until just after her first birthday and then was adopted at the age of two. Last July, Eva graduated with a diploma in family community counselling from Native Education College and hopes to one day work with youth. She also has aspirations to become a Native court worker. Eva loves to write and says it helps her calm her busy brain, which never seems to shut off.

Credits:
With additional music:
Flute piece provided by Paul Cheoketen Wagner: www.sacredbreath.ca

‘O Canada’ by Henry Burr, CC BY-NC 3.0 US, UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive

Cite this episode:
Chicago Style

Leech-Crier, Nicolas. “Voices of the Street: My Mother’s Comfort — with Nicolas Leech-Crier and Eva Takakanew” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, March 8, 2022. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/voices-of-the-street/163-nicolas-leech-crier-eva-takakanew.html.