Bite size highlights from 2025: Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet Nation

Our curtain-raiser series of bite size highlights drawn from the 2025 wrap up episode continues, with the final series recorded in the US, perhaps our most moving visit of all, at Amskapi Piikani Blackfeet Nation, with Long Time Charging Woman, Kim Paul, and colleague Andrew Berger.

With an additional episode featuring a couple of filmmakers behind the documentary filmed on Blackfeet Nation, Bring Them Home.

Here are the voices, places and tunes you're hearing:

0m - Kim Paul (ep 276), Blackfeet Nation, Montana, with Flight of the Inner Bird, by Yehezkel Raz feat. Sivan Talmor (from Artlist)

0.51 - Andrew Berger (ep 277)

1.36 - Daniel Glick (ep 278), recorded in Denver, Colorado, alongside ...

1.59 - Melissa Grumhaus (ep 278)

Title image: Andrew, Kim & AJ at Chief Mountain (pic: Olivia Cheng)

To access all episodes, including the full 2025 highlights package in ep 289, head to the website (where there’ll often be photos with each episode), or wherever you get your podcasts. 

With thanks to our wonderful guests and the musicians who generously granted permission for their music to be heard here.

And thanks for listening and supporting the podcast!

Chapter markers

Chapters

• 0:00 Naming The Big Shifts
• 0:10 Violence And A Turning Tide
• 0:27 Fear Of Change
• 0:56 On The Ground Reporting
• 1:00 Yellow Bird Woman Sanctuary
• 1:07 Land Trust And Stewardship
• 1:44 A Dream Of Buffalo
• 1:58 Elders’ Response And Youth Hope

Transcript

AJ: 0:00

Yeah, for all the things that aren't changing, huh? These things feel like big shifts. Yeah.

Kim Paul: 0:06

They are. There are so many big shifts happening. Which is what I was referring to earlier, that earlier, that dichotomy of there's still this evil happening. You know, the killing of our children and our youth without any recompense. But but there are these big shifts where this is not going to be uh happening much longer. And I think that's the huge fear.

AJ: 0:54

Okay. Alright.

Andrew Berger: 0:56

Different dude. This is Andrew Berger reporting live. Yeah. Um yeah, no, I'm so I was just saying we were just passing the Yellow Bird Woman Sanctuary, which is named after Eloise Cobell. And I think over ten years ago now it was purchased in partnership with the Nature Conservancy, and they formed the Blackfeet Indian Land Trust to manage the land.

Daniel Glick: 1:44

They stayed with me. Then I had a dream about the Buffalo talking to me, and I don't have weird dreams like that, so that stayed with me and kind of created this seed.

Melissa Grumhaus: 1:58

I think the most meaningful thing once it was finished for me was hearing from the elders how appealing it was for them to see the film and how they really want every child to see this film, to know that there's a different way of life, that there's a different path they could choose other from drugs and you know, to help them with their mental health, whatever it is, and to see the beautiful landscape in which they live, and to see to be reconnected to that animal that is a huge part of them. And so to get that feedback from the elders was everything.