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How Indigenous social media influencers inspired podcast host on journey of self-discovery – CBC.ca

Published

3 years ago

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Inuk throat singer Shina Novalinga has eight million views and counting of a TikTok video showing her casually snacking on raw caribou.

Cree hoop dancer James Jones has racked up over four million for a clip of himself performing to traditional tunes in his living room. 

And who can forget the TikTok video of Nathan Apodaca skateboarding to Fleetwood Mac tunes that was now been watched almost 80 million times?

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Indigenous influencers are here. They have made a space for themselves on social media and are using it to showcase their talents and cultures, bridge societal divides, and spotlight Indigenous art, humour and ways of life.

Jeremy Ratt, host of the CBC podcast Pieces, says his journey toward understanding his Indigenous identity, which is charted in the podcast, was made easier by the contributions Indigenous influencers are making online.

“It was a really essential step because it established that I wasn’t alone in my problems, I wasn’t alone in not feeling Indigenous enough due to those external voices,” said 19-year-old Ratt, speaking on CBC’s The Early Edition about his podcast.

‘Amplify our voices’

Sherry McKay, an Oji-Cree TikTok influencer in Winnipeg, told Ratt that while she uses her platform to educate and make people laugh, it also helps her assert herself as an Indigenous person.

“It’s kind of like walking in two worlds,” she said. “Trying to maintain your identity as an Indigenous person and then also acknowledging that you are white passing or light skin.”

McKay says Indigenous people don’t want their stories to be told by non-Indigenous people anymore.

Instead, “we want them to amplify our voices,” she told Ratt.

Sherry McKay, who is from Sagkeeng First Nation and lives in Winnipeg, has amassed almost 400,000 followers on TikTok. (Submitted by Sherry McKay)

Those voices have long been muted and misrepresented by mainstream media, says Candis Callison, an associate journalism professor at the University of British Columbia.

She says social media has given Indigenous people their narrative back. 

“The ways in which they use these platforms to hold mainstream media accountable is really a game-changer,” said Callison, who is Tahltan.

Definition of ‘influencer’

Shayla Oulette Stonechild, who is Plains Cree and an Aboriginal Peoples Television Network host, has an Instagram account with over 40,000 followers. She said she never thought of herself as an influencer until someone threw the term her way.

“Because really, what an influencer is is showing people another way of life and influencing people to maybe make changes or to bring awareness to issues that people may not know about,” she said.

Stonechild says her content ideas often come to her through ceremony, meditation and yoga practice.

“Then I know it’s coming through spirit and not intellect,” she said.

Ratt told The Early Edition that Stonechild’s content resonated with him because there is a spiritual element to Pieces as well.

“The biggest part of Pieces was really connecting with my family … and being connected more to my culture and my Indigenous side,” he said. “It was such a powerful thing for me to really take in because it’s led to some of the most transformative moments in my journey.”

The impact Indigenous influencers have had on Ratt’s journey to better understand his Woods-Cree roots have inspired him to start his own TikTok account.

“Making art and creating content online has always interested me since I was a kid,” he said. “I’m not sure what I’ll do on TikTok yet, but my conversations with Sherry and company have made me want to take those first steps.”

Pieces is a five-part CBC podcast that explores what it means to be Indigenous. Join 19-year-old Jeremy Ratt on a journey of self discovery as he seeks to understand his roots and all of the distinct “pieces” that form who he is today.

You can subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Taylor Swift's new album apparently leaks, causing social media chaos – CBC News

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11 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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The hype for Taylor Swift’s new album went into overdrive as it appeared to leak online two days ahead of its Friday release.

Swifties started sharing tracks on X that they claimed were from the singer’s upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, saying they came from a Google Drive link containing all 17 songs.

Some fans were upset by the leak and said they would wait until Friday to listen while others started frantically posting fake links on X to bury the “real” tracks.

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“Raise your hand if ur an ACTUAL Taylor Swift fan and aren’t listening to leaks,” one user wrote.

Several media outlets reported that X briefly blocked the search term “Taylor Swift leak” on Wednesday.

CBC has reached out to Swift’s publicist for comment.

Swift announced the release, her 11th studio album and the first with all new songs since 2022’s Midnights, at the Grammy Awards ceremony in February.

Fans have been speculating about the lyrical themes that would appear on The Tortured Poets Department, based in part on a physical “library installation” that opened Tuesday in Los Angeles, curated with items that drop hints and references to the inspirations behind the album.

Swift’s 2022 album Midnights, which featured the hit Anti-Hero, also leaked online ahead of its scheduled release date, and went on to win the Grammy for album of the year. Swift’s previous albums 1989, Reputation and Lover also leaked ahead of their official releases. 

The singer is in the midst of her billion-dollar-grossing Eras tour, which is moving through the U.S. and is scheduled to conclude in Vancouver in December. 

Swift was added to Forbes magazine’s annual new billionaires list earlier this month, with Forbes saying she was the first musician to become a billionaire based solely on her songs and performances. 

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DJT Stock Jumps. The Truth Social Owner Is Showing Stockholders How to Block Short Sellers. – Barron's

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12 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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DJT Stock Jumps. The Truth Social Owner Is Showing Stockholders How to Block Short Sellers.  Barron’s

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Taylor Swift's new album allegedly 'leaked' on social media and it's causing a frenzy – CTV News

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13 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Social media can be a divisive place, but even more so when it comes to Taylor Swift.

A Google Drive link allegedly containing 17 tracks that are purportedly from Swift’s eagerly awaited “The Tortured Poets Department” album has been making the rounds on the internet in the past day and people are equal parts mad, sad and happy about it.

CNN has reached out to Swift’s representative for comment.

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The actual album is slated to drop at midnight Friday, but the claimed leak is both being hailed and nailed by Swift’s supporters.

One person shared a drawing of a young woman asleep in a sparkly bed with sparkly blankets on X, writing, “How I slept last night knowing I’m going to hear TTPD for the very first time tonight cause I haven’t listened to any leaks.”

Yet another person posted a video of two models walking and wrote, “Me and my bestie on our way to listen to #TSTTPD leaks.”

On Thursday, “Taylor Swift leaks” was a prevented search phrase on X.

The general consensus among those who have decided to be “leak free” appears to be that they are the true Swifties – as her hard core fan base is known – because they don’t believe the singer would have sanctioned such a “leak.”

Swift herself has gone to great lengths to prevent unintended early releases in the past.

“I have a lot of maybe, maybe-not-irrational fears of security invasion, wiretaps, people eavesdropping,” Swift said of her music during an 2014 appearance on” Jimmy Kimmel Live.” She added that her “1989” album only existed on her phone, “covered in cat stickers and the volume buttons don’t work very well because there’s candy stuck in there,” for nearly two years.

“The Tortured Poets Department” is Swift’s 11th album and comes after she became the first woman and only solo artist to win the Grammy for album of the year three times.

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