For all of you also in Southern Alberta and dreaming of warmer weather, here is an episode just for you. We are currently in "SPRING 2026" in the midst of imbalance between winter and spring...thanks for that teaching Bruce Starlight, so we thought we would re-release this episode about plant teachings.

The Ancestral Science Podcast recorded this episode on a hot mid-summer afternoon back in 2024, hanging out at the Biogeoscience Field Station, in beautiful Kananaskis, home to Îethka Nakoda Peoples, alongside Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut'ina Nation, and more recently the Otipemisiwak Métis.

We were grateful to speak with Tessa Wolfleg and Savannah Hollander about the Plant Ancestors. We learned about what is a weed? the medicine of strawberries and its deep connection with women, the interesting story and medicinal uses of the plant awkwardly names the "white man's moccasin," how trains brought trees to the area, how earthworms are maybe not that good for the soil, scratch-trees, buffalo berries have golden balls, and dinosaur plants!

Shout out to TELUS Storyhive for their support in this episode's production.

Thanks to Emil Starlight, THE talented Multimedia Podcast Producer. As well, Walter White Bear, Sharon Foster, and Emil for that opening tune!

Take a moment to like, share, follow, and rate, it is much appreciated. And if you want to support the pod, check out some unique Indigenous Science MERCH at www.relationalsciencecircle.com/shop

Previous Episode you may be interested in:

"Crocus' & Pokey Plants" with Tessa Wolfleg (the plant guy)- Spotify, Apple.

"Decolonizing Mother Earth, One Native Plant at a Time" with Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed of ALCLA Native Plants- Spotify, Apple.

"Planetary Health through Berries, Land, & Water" with Dr. Nicole Redvers- Spotify, Apple.

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We recorded this episode back in the Fall of 2025, on a windy fall evening here on the Lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut’ina Nation, Îethka Nakoda First Nation, and more recently the Otipemisiwak Métis.

The Ancestral Science Podcast team gathered to speak about their experiences at the Majorville Sacred Site or Iniskum Umapii. Visiting this location evokes an indescribable feeling of reverence for both its location and connection to the Ancestors that knew of its significance. Overlooking the banks of the Bow River, this site gifts a view of the horizon unparalleled in both distance and connection to the stars.

We (Emil, Alex, and myself) got to visit Iniskum Umapii with Innu Astronomer Dr. Laurie Rousseau-Nepton, Rob Cardinal, and a group of local Blackfoot Elders and Knowledge Keepers.

If you are interested in the "Stones, Stories, and Stars" Gathering of Indigenous Astronomers/Scientists and Knowledge Keepers being hosting in Treaty 7 later this year, or want to be more involved in this relational "research", or have a sacred site/medicine wheel you want us to look into, email relational.science@gmail.com for more information.

This conversation goes along with the previous pod episode, "Sacred Sites: Protocols, Science, & Stories (part 1)" with Dr. LAURIE Rousseau-Nepton, WILFRED Buck, ROB Cardinal , & Dr. ALVIN Harvey about Indigenous and Ancestral science to make whole, validating science of land and ancestors, what is a sacred site, and a teaser of the precision and depth of alignments between stone circles, sacred sites, and star cycles from thousands and thousands AND THOUSANDS of years ago....

Much appreciation to CULTURAL SURVIVAL for the support of this episode and this project.

Thanks to Emil Starlight, THE talented Multimedia Podcast Producer. As well, Walter White Bear, Sharon Foster, and Emil for that opening tune!

Take a moment to like, share, follow, and rate, it is much appreciated. And if you want to support the pod, check out some unique Indigenous Science MERCH at www.relationalsciencecircle.com/shop

Shownotes here!

Grab a smoke (popeye, tobacco, sage, or cheesestring), and join the Ancestral Science Podcast in sharing our experiences at this sacred site, and learning about the incredible depth of science from The Ancestors.

"Sacred Sites: protocols, science, & stories, part 1" LINKS:

SPOTIFY- https://open.spotify.com/episode/5aVRmONzBg7pJojaooBIqO?si=bc99653a18674b56

APPLE- https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ancestral-science/id1688883209?i=1000758175271

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On this episode, we recorded in the midst of a warm winter morning here on the Lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut’ina Nation, Îethka Nakoda First Nation, and more recently the Otipemisiwak Métis.

We were incredibly grateful to speak with a neechie superhero line-up of guests, inclusive of Dr. LAURIE Rousseau-Nepton (Innu), WILFRED Buck (Opaskwayak Cree), ROB Cardinal (Siksika), & Dr. ALVIN Harvey (Dine Navajo) about stars as reconnection to stories and Ancestors, Indigenous and Ancestral science to make whole, connections between living on Mars and living on the rez, validating science of land and ancestors, importance of who and what defines a sacred site, re-defining the term “medicine wheel,” and a teaser of the precision and depth of alignments between stone circles, sacred sites, and star cycles from thousands and thousands AND THOUSANDS of years ago....

Check out the SHOWNOTES and for some great educational resources and links to previous episodes with some of these guests.

Much appreciation to CULTURAL SURVIVAL for the support of this episode and this project. Stay tuned to part two of this topic where we dig much deeper into the science within the sacred sites of which prompted a gathering of Indigenous astronomers, scientists, Knowledge Keepers, and Elders from across Turtle Island and beyond. If you are interested in either having us look closer at a sacred circles site near you OR want more information about this project or the "Stones, Stories, and Stars" gathering in October, email us at relational.science@gmail.com

Thanks to Emil Starlight, THE talented Multimedia Podcast Producer. As well, Walter White Bear, Sharon Foster, and Emil for that opening tune!

Take a moment to like, share, follow, and rate, it is much appreciated. And if you want to support the pod, check out some unique Indigenous Science MERCH at www.relationalsciencecircle.com/shop

Venture to a place that is sacred to you, grab a warm black coffee and a comfy blanket, and reconnect with the ancestral knowledges of land and sky with Laurie, Wilfred, Rob, and Alvin.

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Smoketalk is BACK. On this episode, we got the band back together with special guest Alex.

On this episode, we recorded in the midst of a snowstorm in between the winter and spring seasons, here on the Lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut’ina Nation, Îethka Nakoda First Nation, and more recently the Otipemisiwak Métis.

We were inspired by a previous podcast episode Karen Colbert, an advocate for culturally grounded STEM and AI integration specialist. We talked about protocols and AI, racism and capitalism and AI, why are we spending billions of dollars on AI data centres (of which require significant amounts of water) while we cannot get clean water to many Indigenous communities, and asked the most important question "what are your intentions AI?"

Here is the link to Karen's Ancestral Science Episode titled "Humanity and Dignity within AI," Spotify and Apple.

Check out Karen’s TEDx talk “The Most Dangerous Lie A.I Keeps Repeating”

Check out the SHOWNOTES and our WEBSITE (www.relationalsciencecircle.com) for some great educational resources.

Thanks to Emil Starlight, THE talented Multimedia Podcast Producer and guest Alex Flett!

As well, Walter White Bear, Sharon Foster, and Emil for that opening tune!

Take a moment to like, share, follow, and rate, it is much appreciated. And if you want to support the pod, check out some unique Indigenous Science MERCH at www.relationalsciencecircle.com/shop

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ancestral Science Podcast was grateful to speak with the absolutely lovely and talented LilyMarleen Uta’i, who is first generation Samoan, grew up in Hawai’i, currently living in He’eia Valley. We chatted about relational body measurement, aggressive & invasive species, waking up the kalo patches, our favourite smells, ancestral knowledges of Kalo, the significance of “just one breathe- just one moment” that has the ability to can set you on your path, and paana... the pulse that connects us all.

Donation, on behalf of Lily, was made to Papahana Kuaola

Check out the SHOWNOTES and our WEBSITE for some great educational resources, previous episodes, or a teaser of links below...

Additional LINKS:

-“Ethnomathematics Solves Real World Problems” (Ancestral Science Podcast, with Dr. Linda Furuto) (SPOTIFY, APPLE)

-“E lele le Toloa, Ae Ma’au i le Vai: Returning Home Through Hawai’i, Samoa, and Ethnomathematics” (article, LilyMarleen Uta’i, 2025)

- "Ethnomathematics Curriculum Resources (Hawai'i based)"

Thanks to Emil Starlight, THE talented Multimedia Podcast Producer. As well, Walter White Bear, Sharon Foster, and Emil for that opening tune!

Take a moment to like, share, follow, and rate, it is much appreciated. And if you want to support the pod, check out some unique Indigenous Science MERCH at www.relationalsciencecircle.com/shop

Take off your socks and shoes, ground yourself with the heartbeat of the Land beneath you, and join me in welcoming LilyMarleen Uta’i

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We were grateful to speak with Karen Colbert, data scientist, department chair, Tribal College Faculty leader, advocate for culturally grounded STEM and AI integration specialist about finding your identity within mathematics, translating and code switching in the math classroom, the pie of DEI, teaching AI to embrace failure, not giving up on the ethics within AI, and pushing back against the default systems of confirmation bias.

Check out Karen’s TEDx talk, released on YouTube in the coming months, the title is “The Most Dangerous Lie A.I Keeps Repeating”

Check out the SHOWNOTES and our WEBSITE (www.relationalsciencecircle.com) for some great educational resources.

Thanks to Emil Starlight, THE talented Multimedia Podcast Producer As well, Walter White Bear, Sharon Foster, and Emil for that opening tune!

Take a moment to like, share, follow, and rate, it is much appreciated. And if you want to support the pod, check out some unique Indigenous Science MERCH at www.relationalsciencecircle.com/shop

Grab a cup of tea in your fav mug and prepare yourself to learn how to be a little less afraid of AI, with the talented and TEDx speaker, Karen Colbert.

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The pod is in the midst of planning and recording some really interesting episodes, so to focus on those we thought we would re-release one of our fav's... it is also a little teaser for the upcoming ones... So enjoy, and go learn some science from the stars...

This episode was recorded on an early Spring morning back in 2024, here on the Lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut’ina Nation, and Îethka Nakoda First Nation, and more recently the Otipemisiwak Métis . As we patiently waited for the First Thunder of the season , we got to learn from Wilfred "The Star Guy" Buck, from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Siksika Astrophysicist Rob Cardinal about the science and stories of the recent Solar Eclipse, the reverence and silence within the darkness of totality, the connection between the alignment, states of matter, and ceremonies, protocols of NOT LOOKING at these significant cosmic events, the Creation of "Tipis and Telescopes," the three-body problem, the North Star and moon cycles, and the origin of the Thunderbirds.

SHOWNOTES: For all you curious humans and educators, here is a link for the shownotes, which as always, has a plethora of videos, links, resources, to learn more and support. There are soooo many for this episode, have fun!

Thanks to Emil Starlight, the pod's talented multimedia podcast producer. As well, Walter White Bear, Sharon Foster, and Emil for that opening tune!

Take a moment to like, share, follow, and rate, it is much appreciated.

And if you want to support the pod, check out some unique Indigenous Science MERCH at www.relationalsciencecircle.com/shop

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.