Daniel Garber talks with Ross “Memphis” Pambrun about Red River Gold on APTN
Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.
It’s 1870, and John A McDonald is the first Prime Minister of a newly-confederated Canada. And he doesn’t like what’s going on in the Red River Settlement led by Louis Riel. The PM wants to crush what he calls a rebellion. So he sends soldiers up the Dawson Trail a newly surveyed road that connects the great Lakes to the Prairies. And soldiers need to get paid, so a courier on horseback is sent on the trail with heavy satchels stuffed with gold coins. But somewhere on the way from what is now known as Thunder Bay to Winnipeg, he lost all the 
gold… and it has never been seen since. What has become of that Red River Gold?
Red River Gold is the name of a new documentary series that follows Métis Treasure hunters looking for $1M worth of lost gold coins. It’s history, it’s geography, it’s archaeology, and it’s a brand new adventure. The series is directed by Saxon de Cocq who I spoke with on this show last year. Red River Gold features Ross “Memphis” Pambrun, a Winnipeg-based Métis musician, fire chief, raconteur and the owner and operator of a satellite data company. He and his two co-hosts take us down that trail throughout the season in their quest for gold and history.
Red River Gold is now playing on APTN — the Aboriginal People’s Television Network — and on their streaming site Lumi.
I spoke with Ross “Memphis” Pambrun in Calgary via ZOOM.
Daniel Garber talks with Erin Goodpipe and Saxon de Cocq about Treaty Road
Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.
It’s the 1870s in what is now Manitoba. Representatives of the British Crown, the Anishinaabe and the Muskegon Cree are negotiating the ownership and stewardship of the lands there. James McKay, a former fur-trader for the Hudsons Bay Company plays a crucial role in translating for both sides. Treaty 1, the first of a number of such treaties, set the stage for the expansion of European settlements in western Canada. But what did they mean for the indigenous peoples? Were these treaties honoured? And what role do they still play in 2024?
A fascinating, six-part documentary series called Treaty Road 
examines in depth the history of these treaties, as seen by the descendants of the original signers and their representatives. Namely, the show’s co-hosts, writer-director Saxon de Cocq of the Métis Nation of Alberta, and artist and educator Erin Goodpipe of the Anishnaabe Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation. Saxon is an accomplished filmmaker who brought us CBC’s The Invincible Sergeant Bill and CIFF’s Land Acknowledgement. Erin is known on stage and screen for productions like RezX, The Other Side, and Bathsheba: Search for Evil.
I spoke with Erin and Saxon via ZOOM.
You can watch Treaty Road on APTN.
Daniel Garber talks with Drew Hayden Taylor about Going Native
Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.
What do vintage wine, comic book superheroes, bison burgers, rap music, survival techniques, sea monsters and the Calgary stampede all have in common? Nothing at first glance. But dig a bit deeper and you’ll find they’re all tied to — and parts of — contemporary indigenous life. A culture that’s being reclaimed, rejigged and rebooted even as we speak… while the rest of the world is just starting to “go native”.
Going Native is also the name of a new, 13-part TV series, that
covers a wide range of topics, from gourmet food to pop culture, storytelling to spirituality. It’s slick, funny, fast-moving and always surprising. The series is produced, co-written and hosted by Drew Hayden Taylor, the widely-known indigenous novelist, playwright, columnist and humorist.
I spoke to Drew Hayden Taylor via Zoom.
Going Native is having its world premier on APTN on May 8th.
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