Unreserved
CBC Podcasts & Radio On-Demand
A fearless space for Indigenous voices. Join Rosanna Deerchild every Friday for vibrant conversations with our cousins, aunties, elders, and heroes. Rosanna guides us on the path to better understanding our shared story. Together, we learn and unlearn, laugh and become gentler in all our relations.
Our award-winning show is rooted in radio, where we’ve spent the last decade becoming a trusted space for Indigenous-led conversations.
We are based in what is now known as Canada. Rosanna hails from O-Pipon-Na-Piwan Cree Nation at South Indian Lake in northern Manitoba, and now lives and works in Winnipeg (Treaty 1).
Location:
Canada, ON
Networks:
CBC Podcasts & Radio On-Demand
Description:
A fearless space for Indigenous voices. Join Rosanna Deerchild every Friday for vibrant conversations with our cousins, aunties, elders, and heroes. Rosanna guides us on the path to better understanding our shared story. Together, we learn and unlearn, laugh and become gentler in all our relations. Our award-winning show is rooted in radio, where we’ve spent the last decade becoming a trusted space for Indigenous-led conversations. We are based in what is now known as Canada. Rosanna hails from O-Pipon-Na-Piwan Cree Nation at South Indian Lake in northern Manitoba, and now lives and works in Winnipeg (Treaty 1).
Twitter:
@cbcradio
Language:
English
Website:
http://www.cbc.ca/unreserved
Episodes
How Indigenous practices use fire for good
6/5/2025
As wildfires devastate communities, it can be hard to see fire as a tool for good. Guided by Indigenous stewards, fire can also be a force for renewal. Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson is working to bring back cultural burning practices that colonization once outlawed. She says these fires are good for community and for the land – and can even help prevent wildfires. Rosanna speaks to fire researchers and a fire keeper about the role fire plays in Indigenous land stewardship, ceremony and culture.
Duration:00:51:47
Celebrating Difference: Indigenous Perspectives in Health
5/30/2025
Cree teachings tell us that difference is not a deficit – and autistic children are a gift. This week Rosanna sits down with Indigenous healthcare professionals who are celebrating our differences, whether it’s putting an Indigenous lens on autism research or broadening the circle to better support and care for our Two-Spirit kin. Through stories of strength, culture, and compassion, this episode highlights how celebrating identity improves health outcomes and builds thriving communities.
Duration:00:50:13
Sacred Seven: The Wolf Carries Humility
5/23/2025
The Tuscarora are in a race against time to save the red wolves which once numbered in the thousands.
Only a handful remain due to highway fatalities. A solution was in the works until the Trump administration froze all federal funding, driving the red wolf closer to extinction. Rosanna speaks with conservationists fighting to save and support wolves on Tuscarora territory and across Turtle Island.
Duration:00:46:18
Walk the Red Carpet at the East Coast Music Awards
5/16/2025
Canada's first Inuk professional classical singer quit her beloved job as a teacher to pursue music fulltime. Now she's raking in the awards — including Indigenous Artist of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards. Rosanna hits the red carpet with Deantha Edmunds and the other Indigenous nominees to celebrate their success and hear what drives their passion for music and story.
Duration:00:34:48
The evolution of hoop dancing
5/9/2025
When Theland Kicknosway was seven years old he had a dream of hoop dancing in the rainbow. A few years later that dream became a reality when he discovered LED hoops. This week Rosanna hears from hoop dancers who are keeping the tradition alive and helping it evolve for future generations.
Duration:00:53:59
The power of a 70-year-old friendship centre movement
4/25/2025
Every week a group of elders gather at a Friendship Centre in St. John’s. They first came here several decades ago looking for connection – and they continue to find it, while also offering cultural supports to all who visit. This week Rosanna hears from people with a long relationship with friendship centres who describe the evolution of a cultural movement and how its foundation is inspiring new generations and iterations of these community hubs across Turtle Island.
Duration:00:54:09
David A. Robertson on living with mental health's little monsters
4/17/2025
For David A. Robertson, anxiety and depression are some of the little monsters he’s learning to live with. He sits down with Rosanna to share how his latest book All the Little Monsters: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety has been helping him to heal, build community and break the silence around mental health struggles.
Duration:00:54:09
Canada Votes: How Indigenous people are finding power in the process
4/11/2025
Andrea Landry says she’s Anishinaabe, not Canadian, and that’s why she won’t be voting in the Canadian election. Today Rosanna sits down with three activists and political advocates who are using their voices to push for change. For some it means voting and holding candidates to account. For others, there is more power in focusing their energy on family and community.
Duration:00:51:33
Sacred Seven: The Bear and its lessons on Courage
4/4/2025
The Great Bear Rainforest is the only place you’ll find the Spirit Bear – a courageous protector of that land. Rosanna hears from a “Spirit Bear Whisperer” on how the rare species is using its tough love to change the hearts and minds of those who visit the territory. Join us for stories and lessons from our bear relatives in the latest edition of our occasional series, Sacred Seven.
Duration:00:50:21
Springtime traditions and teachings, from the land
3/28/2025
Spring is here and the warmer weather welcomes us out to the land to learn and pass along traditions from tanning hides in Whitehorse to harvesting maple sap in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario. Guest host Falen Johnson hears from communities all across Turtle Island, who are getting their first glimpse at a changing season and preparing for the lessons that come with it.
Duration:00:54:09
Three Juno nominees on the role of family in their music
3/20/2025
A recording of her mother’s ECG heartbeat leads the opening track of Kym Gouchie’s Juno nominated children’s album. It’s a nod to her Cree and Secwépemc ancestors. This week Rosanna speaks with three Juno nominees who credit their success to a history of music and storytelling passed down through their families.
Duration:00:51:05
Changing the conversation around menstruation
3/14/2025
From berry fasts to the Flower Dance, Indigenous communities are returning to ceremony and teachings that honour a menstruator’s Moon Time. Rosanna hears from three women who are changing the conversation around menstruation from what is often talked about as “dirty” or “shameful” to something sacred. It is a time of rejuvenation, selfcare and celebration.
Duration:00:50:19
Shrinking sea ice and the Inuit response to a climate crisis
2/28/2025
Along the northern coast of Labrador there are holes in the ice where Inuit could once travel freely and access the things they need to survive. A warming planet means sea ice is disappearing and Inuit are grappling with dramatic impacts on their way of life. Rosanna speaks with elders and researchers on the significance of ice in the North and how Inuit are adapting and building resiliency in the face of a climate crisis.
Duration:00:54:08
Creating safe spaces in unexpected places
2/21/2025
Whether it’s inside a mall in downtown Winnipeg or on a farm beneath Toronto’s hydro lines, Indigenous helpers are creating safe community spaces that offer care, knowledge and connection. Rosanna speaks to three of these helpers who are transforming these unexpected places.
Duration:00:49:19
Balancing our lives with Indigenous wellness practices
2/14/2025
Indigenous wellness experts are changing the way we think about health and beauty, challenging us to look beyond ourselves and ditch the shame. Try adding a cup of nettle tea to your day, dedicating a workout to a family member or playing a game with an elder. Rosanna speaks with three women approaching wellness in new ways, guided by Indigenous knowledge.
Duration:00:51:01
Forging culture, history and land into Indigenous jewellery
2/7/2025
Have you ever heard of ammolite? It’s a rare gemstone made of fossilized ammonite shells that can be found in Canada’s Rockies. The stone is processed by lapidary artists like Bert Tallman, who cut, shape, sand and shine it up to be set in silver or gold jewellery. Rosanna speaks with jewellery makers who are creating wearable art inspired by culture, history and their traditional territories.
Duration:00:49:09
Harnessing the power of children’s programming
1/31/2025
Mahsi’ choo means “thank you” in the Gwich’in language. It’s one of hundreds of Gwich’in words that are being brought into homes around the world through Molly of Denali. Rosanna speaks with creators who know the power of educational programming and are using it to share important teachings from an Indigenous perspective to the next generation.
Duration:00:50:30
Horses as healers
1/24/2025
A horse’s movements can stimulate 300 of our own muscles at once, just by us sitting in a saddle. It’s one of the reasons these animals make incredible physical therapists for those with mobility challenges – but their power encompasses the emotional and spiritual parts of our health as well. Rosanna hears from two women who have built their ranches around the understanding that horses are medicine, and they’re using that healing power to help youth in their nations.
Duration:00:37:03
Julian Taylor’s music explores all parts of his Black and Mohawk identity
1/17/2025
“Not Black enough to be Black, not red enough to be red,” Julian Taylor’s music hasn’t always leaned into all parts of the singer’s Black and Mohawk identity. Rosanna sits down with Julian and his lifelong friend (and drummer) to talk about race, identity and the power of friendship as they make music out of it all.
Duration:00:44:48
Next Generation of Climate Warriors
1/10/2025
A big pipe shoots constant fire and thick smoke into the sky above Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Ontario. As a child, Beze Grey thought clouds were made in their backyard because of those flares and smokestacks. A decade later and they’re part of a group of youth taking the government to court over its failure to protect the environment around them. This week Rosanna speaks with climate warriors, including Beze Grey, who are leading the next generation of action, informed by tradition and Indigenous ways of knowing.
Duration:00:54:09