Show Notes
Amy Smoke and Bangishimo of the Willow River Centre join Bob Jonkman on a web conference to give a lesson on the Mohawk language, explain what is meant by “Land Back”, provide some breaking news for CKMS-FM listeners, and make a pitch for tenants in the Willow River Centre.
Bangishimo talks about their photography; Amy and Bangishimo give a run-down of upcoming events, and Amy talks about Indigenous and Gender intersectionality.
The interview starts at 3m12s.
The Willow River Centre was on CKMS News on 20 June 2024 in Kitchener’s Willow River Centre celebrates National Indigenous Month and calls for more substantial action.
Online:
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Website: https://www.landbackcamp.com/
- Facebook: O:se Kenhionhata:tie (@osekenhionhatatie) | Facebook
- Instagram: O:se Kenhionhata:tie (@ose.kenhionhatatie) | Instagram
- YouTube: Land Back Camp (@landbackcamp912) | YouTube
- Patreon: O se Kenhionhata tie Land Back Camp
- Charity Partner: finance@waterlooregion.org for a charitable donation through the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region; include a note that your donation is for “Land Back Camp”.
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E-mail: ose.kenhionhatatie@gmail.com
Upcoming Events
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National Indigenous Peoples Month & Pride Kickoff
- When: 10:00am to 2:00pm on Sunday 1 June 2025
- Where: In front of the Kitchener Market
- Location: 300 King Street East, Kitchener, Ontario Map
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=965234062444705
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Indigenous Peoples Day Sunrise Ceremony
- When: 7:00am on Saturday 21 June 2025
- Where: Willow River Centre
- Location: 243 King Street East, Kitchener, Ontario Map
- Website: https://www.kwmf.ca/indigenous
Podcast
Download: ckms-community-connections-2025-05-23-episode198-amy-smoke-and-bangishimo-of-ose-kenhionhatatie.mp3 (46MB, 50m10s, episode 198)
Index
| Time | Title | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0m00s | Theme for CKMS Community Connections ccc |
 CKMS Community Connections |
Steve Todd |
| 0m51s | Comfort Man |
 Bad Vibes OST |
SEXFACES |
| 3m12s | Bob gets a language lesson in Mohawk from Amy. Amy tells us about losing and learning their language from Conversational Mohawk courses at the University of Waterloo. They tell us about Ohèn:ton Karihwatéhkwen, the Mohawk thanksgiving address. Bob tells Amy about the need for a Mohawk language radio show on Radio Waterloo. | ||
| 9m02s | What is “Land Back”? Bangishimo explains: It is literally giving land back to Indigenous people, to reclaim, empower themselves, decolonize, whatever that may look like, in their spaces, on their territories. Amy gives several examples. It’s the five-year anniversary of Land Back in Willow River Park. Bangishimo tells us of the many ways that show the need for land back. Amy tells us of solidarity with other allies: the Black community, the Muslim community. After the Black Lives Matter march in June of 2020 Amy and Bangishimo set up a teepee in Willow River Park. When all the Indigiqueer, Trans, Non-binary, and Gender-nonconforming youth showed up it morphed into what it is today. Amy and Bangishimo knew enough about treaties that they knew they couldn’t be forcibly removed from their lands, and they could erect any kind of structure like teepees. They were exercising their treaty rights to occupy their own lands. They pushed the Cities of Kitchener and Waterloo to recognize their rights to the land. There have been little tiny steps of progress towards reconciliation, such as free access to City facilities. They sat with City of Waterloo staff to create jobs like the Senior Indigenous Initiatives role. | ||
| 21m00s | Breaking News: The City of Kitchener will be building a permanent gathering space in Willow River Park! A nice change from the pushback that they’ve received for land back of the transit centre, for example. | ||
| 21m35s | The Willow River Centre is looking for tenants! There are three floors, a gorgeous space with track lighting on the walls. There are offices upstairs, a courtyard, a shared kitchen… They’re looking for grass-roots groups that share their values. | ||
| 23m43s | The Willow River Centre does bi-monthly arts markets for the racialized and queer communities, getting traffic from the Kitchener market across the street. Also bi-monthly talent nights, with ticket sales going back to the artists. There’s an art gallery with rotating exhibits. Right now they’re showing art by Lolo whose work has been up for the last three months. Bangishimo knows what it’s like not to have access to space, so they make the Willow River Centre accessible to groups that have no gathering space. Check out the layout of the space, and e-mail O:se Kenhionhata:tie if you want to rent! | ||
| 27m04s | Shadow Inside |
 Digital Dialogue |
Retrograþ and ee:man |
| 31m45s | Talking about Bangishimo’s photography. Their work has been displayed in public areas, where it’s been vandalized. Bangishimo says: “When you use your work to amplify the voices of racialized people, queer people, a lot of people don’t like that.” It got to the point that Waterloo mayor Dave Jaworsky went on TV to condemn the violence. In one case, at an outdoor exhibition, the only picture that wasn’t vandalized was a picture of a white family. And there was vandalism to the Willow River Centre, spray-painted grafitti targeting Bangishimo and Amy personally. | ||
| 36m27s | Events planning! June is their busiest month, since it’s both Indigenous Peoples Month and Pride Month. They’re kicking off the month with a celebration at the Kitchener Market at 10:00am on Sunday 1 June 2025. They have a partnership with the Kitchener Market, so much of the logisitics have been taken care of. And they’re partnering with CAFKA, hosting an outdoor exhibit on the side of the Willow River Centre by Brandon Hoax a Queer, Oneida artist living on the East coast. And for the first time, the Willow River Centre is partnering with Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival, opening up the event with a Sunrise Ceremony at 7:00am on 21 June 2025, followed by a fire on the island in Willow River Park starting at Noon and going the rest of the day. And they’ll be at other events: On 4 June 2025 they’ll help open the Waterloo Celebrates Pride event on Willis Way; they’ll be at Spectrum’s Gala in mid-June. They’re trying to be everywhere! | ||
| 41m30s | Amy talks about the intersection of Indigeneity and Gender. Gender is a social construct, and Indigeneity is a core aspect of being, like eye colour or shoe size. | ||
| 43m47s | Long term plans for Willow River Centre: Continuing work on projects, demanding seats at many tables. Keeping pressure on Waterloo Region for land back, especially at the Kitchener downtown transit terminal; making changes at Willow River Park, both the name and the statue. The name has become more visible on the radio, in magazines, in stores, but it needs still more advocacy. | ||
| 47m02s | Amy gives the contact info for Willow River Centre: Social media, e-mail, donation sites. Bangishimo tells us we need to do more, more than just a land acknowledgement. | ||
| 49m02s | Bob thanks Amy Smoke and Bangishimo, and gives the end credits. | ||
CKMS Community Connections Hour One airs on CKMS-FM 102.7 on Monday from 11:00am to Noon, and Hour Two airs alternate Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
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Bonus Video
Video: CKMS Community Connections for Friday 23 May 2025
Show notes and podcast interview content is Copyright © 2025 by the participants, and released under a 
Creative Commons Attribution Only license. Copy, re-use, and derivative works are allowed with attribution to Radio Waterloo and a link to this page. Music selections are copyright by the respective rights holders. The theme music is written and performed by Steven Todd.