The Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Podcast

Episode 26: Sarah and Sheri Talk about their New Book

December 1st, 2023  |  Season 3  |  28 mins 42 secs

In this episode, Sarah and Sheri reflect on the Richard Heinberg interview as it relates to the message of their new book So That We and Our Children May Live: Following Jesus in Confronting the Climate Crisis. We discuss why we are hopeful despite the polycrisis described in both our new book and in the interview with Richard. We also talk about why conspiracy theories like QAnon are onto something true and why it is important to be in kinship and solidarity with the working-class and poor people who believe these theories.

Note: At the beginning of this episode, we refer to a segment of the interview with Richard that wasn’t included in the previous episode. It’s a segment where he talks about the work of complexity scientist Peter Turchin. If you want to listen to that 7-minute segment – shameless plug alert! – you can do so by subscribing to Sarah’s and my new Substack, where you will get a quite personal weekly reflection on ecological justice, decolonization, faith, and hope for our future. We’ll begin posting Nov. 30.

We refer to this podcast episode, “Insects – A Silent Extinction” on Nate Hagens’ “The Great Simplification.”

You can follow the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery on Instagram (@coalitiontodismantle) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/dismantlediscovery)

Episode 25: Interview with Richard Heinberg

November 17th, 2023  |  Season 3  |  46 mins 39 secs

In this episode, we talk with Richard Heinberg, one of the world’s foremost advocates for a shift away from our reliance on fossil fuels. He is the author of fourteen books, including some of the major works on society’s current energy and environmental sustainability crisis. His latest book is Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival (New Society, 2021). He is also Senior Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute, which is one of the main places Sheri goes to for information and analysis related to the polycrisis in which we find ourselves. Sheri relied on Richard’s work and that of the Post Carbon Institute when writing her and Sarah’s book, which is coming out later this month – So That We and Our Children May Live: Following Jesus in Confronting the Climate Crisis (Herald Press). We’re delighted that Richard wrote an endorsement for our book!

You can find all of the articles Richard mentioned in this podcast, and more, at his website.

Also check out the Post Carbon Institute’s resilience.org, which offers complex and clear systemic analysis on ecology, the environment, the equity crisis, energy and politics.

You can follow the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery on Instagram (@coalitiontodismantle) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/dismantlediscovery)

Episode 24: Interview with Dwight Metzger

October 27th, 2023  |  Season 3  |  44 mins 10 secs

In anticipation of the Day of Prayer for Oak Flat on Nov. 4, we talk to Dwight Metzger, who has struggled with Apache Stronghold for decades to protect their sacred ancestral lands from destruction by a copper mine. In this interview, Dwight talks about the importance of the sacred sites of Oak Flat and Mount Graham for the San Carlos Apache and how he has been converted from the worldview of Western corporate environmentalism to one that follows the leadership of Indigenous people.

For more information about the Nov. 4, 2023, Day of Prayer, please go here.

Other websites:
Dwight’s union print shop, The Gloo Factory
To learn more about Oak Flat and Mount Graham, go to the Apache Stronghold website

Sarah and Sheri wrote a book together! Find out more about So We and Our Children May Live: Following Jesus in Confronting the Climate Crisis here.

You can follow the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery on Instagram (@coalitiontodismantle) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/dismantlediscovery)

Episode 23: Interview with Patty Krawec

October 13th, 2023  |  Season 3  |  56 mins 41 secs

We’re back after taking a break to write a book! (See below.) The first podcast of our new season features Patty Krawec, an Anishinaabe and Ukranian writer from Lac Seul First Nation. She is the author of the compelling book, Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining our Future, released in 2022. She is also the cohost of the Medicine for the Resistance podcast and the cofounder of the Nii’kinaaganaa Foundation. We’re also honored that Patty wrote a beautiful forward for our book, which is being published this month.

Our book: So That We and Our Children May Live: Following Jesus in Confronting the Climate Crisis (Herald Press)

Patty’s website and Substack

You can follow the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery on Instagram (@coalitiontodismantle) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/dismantlediscovery)

Episode 22: A Foster Mom Speaks Out about ICWA

September 6th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  40 mins 10 secs

In episode #7, we discussed the Indian Child Welfare Acts or ICWA, which is a major piece of civil rights legislation for Native Americans that has come under threat in the courts. This important law, passed in 1978, strengthened the legal rights of Indigenous families and specified that when Native children are removed from the care of their families, they will be placed in the care of extended family members, families in their own tribe, or Indigenous families from another tribe. On Nov. 9, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case that challenges the constitutionality of ICWA. In this episode, we will hear about the importance of ICWA by talking to a mother from the dominant culture who fostered a Native child.

For more information:
The National Indian Child Welfare Association website.
Chapter one of Sarah Augustine’s book, The Land is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery.
Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition website.

Episode 21: Ask an Indian - Part 2

July 19th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  39 mins 40 secs

In round two of this episode, Sarah answers more listener questions, including:
I was in a meeting where someone used the phrase “off the rez,” and I noticed that you (Sarah) as the only Native person in the meeting were actually less offended by this phrase than other folks were. Can you say more about your response?
How do white people know which "side" to take when Indigenous communities are divided around an issue? For example, some tribes, or people within them, are supportive of a tribe seeking federal recognition and some are not. Or some are supportive of a development project, but others are not.

When Indigenous peoples want land return, does that mean they want to kick me out of my house? Do they want me to leave the country or something?

We want your questions, especially those you might feel too embarrassed to ask “out loud.” Please submit any questions to Sheri at [email protected]. You can even do so anonymously, if you wish. And, for more information on donating land to local Native tribes or proceeds from a land sale to Indigenous justice organizations, please contact John Stoesz at [email protected] and check out this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwkW5AZgddc) for his story of land return.

Episode 20: Ask an Indian - Part 1

June 27th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  36 mins 53 secs

In this recurring episode, Sarah answers questions from listeners. Questions include:
What is the deal about dressing up like and Indian? Why is that offensive?
What do Native people think about Columbus Day, Thanksgiving Day, etc.?
Many white settlers look to Indigenous People for ideas about how to connect with the land and live more sustainably. But Indigenous people have been so assimilated – what wisdom do they actually have to offer the larger culture?

We want your questions, especially those you might feel too embarrassed to ask “out loud.” Please submit any questions to Sheri at [email protected]. You can even do so anonymously, if you wish.

Episode 19: Vision

June 6th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  41 mins 54 secs

In this episode, Sarah and Sheri talk about Sarah’s “100-year vision” for the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition. Sarah will begin as the full-time Executive Director of the Coalition on July 1.

To contribute to Sarah’s salary campaign, please go here (https://dofdmenno.org/salary-campaign/). Every dollar you donate will be matched by Sheri’s congregation, First Mennonite Church of San Francisco, through Indigenous Peoples Day of this year (October 10).

Episode 18: Conservation and Decolonization

May 23rd, 2022  |  Season 2  |  41 mins 18 secs

It’s almost summer and many of us will be traveling to the U.S.’s national parks for vacation and recreation. In this episode, Sarah and Sheri talk about how the formation of our national parks, the conservation movement that inspired their formation, and colonization have gone hand in hand. They also talk about how conservation could be decolonized.

For more information:
Link to The Atlantic article, “Return the National Parks to the Tribes” by David Treuer
Statistics from Cultural Survival can be found here.

Episode 17: Redistricting and the Doctrine of Discovery

May 9th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  48 mins 41 secs

In this episode, Sarah and Sheri talk about Sarah’s experience of serving as chair of the Washington State Redistricting Commission and the impact of that redistricting process on Native people.

Episode 16: Beyond Electric Cars and Renewable Energy

April 25th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  43 mins 12 secs

In this episode, Sarah and Sheri talk about why renewable energy and electric cars and green growth won’t save us – and how these things are linked to the same extractive, dominating worldview of the Doctrine of Discovery.

Episode 15: Unsettling Truths: An Interview with Mark Charles

April 11th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  48 mins 29 secs

In this episode, Sarah and Sheri talk with activist, author and Dine leader Mark Charles, who wrote Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery with co-author Soong-Chan Rah. For two years, Mark led an Indigenous and settler church in Denver before moving to live on the Navajo reservation with his family for 11 years. While on the reservation, Mark became exposed to, began studying and eventually started teaching about the Doctrine of Discovery. But Creator also placed on his heart a desire for truth and conciliation. Six years ago, Mark and his family moved from the Navajo Nation to Washington, D.C., and in 2020 he ran as an independent candidate for President of the United States.

For more information:
Wirelesshogan.com: Mark’s website, with links to his book, videos, podcasts, other writings and Patreon page
Link to Mark’s Youtube channel, “A Second Cup of Coffee”

Episode 14: Indigenous Cosmologies and Anabaptist Faith

March 29th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  31 mins 47 secs

In this episode Sarah and Sheri talk about how Indigenous cosmologies have helped form Sarah's Christian faith and how we both have adopted a creation-centered approach to being an Anabaptist Christian.

Episode 13: Stories of Repair: An Interview with Katerina Friesen

March 14th, 2022  |  Season 2  |  40 mins 47 secs

Sarah and Sheri talk with Katerina Friesen. Katerina was the lead editor for an educational resource called “Stories of Repair” that provides case studies on how individuals and communities have engaged in restorative justice in response to the Doctrine of Discovery DofD). For anyone who has ever asked “But what do I do?” when hearing about the structural oppression caused by the DoD, this podcast – and the “Stories of Repair” booklet are for you.

For more information:
To learn more about “Stories of Repair” and get a copy, go to https://dofdmenno.org/stories-of-repair/.
https://www.saveoakflatws.com
To learn more about our work, please read Sarah’s book, The Land is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery, published by Herald Press in 2021.

Episode 12: In case you missed them - corrected links

November 12th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  2 mins 31 secs

In case the links from the previous episode didn't work here they are one more time.
Sources:
Chapter 7 of Sarah’s book This Land is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery.

As always, for more information please consult [dofdmenno.org](dofdmenno.org) and Sarah’s book.

To make a one-time donation to the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition to fund a full-time salary for Sarah, please go here. Please designate your donation for “Sarah’s salary campaign.”

To find out how much money you make annually from mining, check out this blog post from First Mennonite Church of San Francisco. If you are able to make an annual pledge, email the Coalition with that amount at [email protected].

Episode 11: Follow the Money: Colonization Continues

November 1st, 2021  |  Season 1  |  42 mins 54 secs

In this episode, Sarah pulls back the curtain to reveal how colonization is continuing -- legally -- through economic development projects (including “sustainable” development), international aid and through our own financial investments. We also discuss what people of faith can do about this.

Sources:
Chapter 7 of Sarah’s book This Land is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery.

As always, for more information please consult dofdmenno.org and Sarah’s book.

To make a one-time donation to the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition to fund a full-time salary for Sarah, please go here ( https://dofdmenno.org/donate/). Please designate your donation for “Sarah’s salary campaign.”

To find out how much money you make annually from mining, check out this blog post (https://blog.menno.org/2021/10/13/sermon-response-on-indigenous-peoples-day/) from First Mennonite Church of San Francisco. If you are able to make an annual pledge, email the Coalition with that amount at [email protected].