Andrea Langlois et al - Islands of Resistance - Pirate Radio in Canada

CHAP TER 5
Secwepemc Radio
Reclamation of Our Common Property
Neskie Manuel
secwepemc radio originally broadcast on the
Neskonlith Reserve from July 2005 to June 2007. We did not get a
license from the CRTC when starting because of our position that as
aboriginal people we did not give up our right to make use of the electromagnetic
spectrum to carry on our traditions, language and culture.
Operating this radio station is an expression of who we are as a
people; it is the modern version of the campfire where people would
share stories. Many Secwepemc stories centre around the adventures
of Coyote, the best traveller of the land. He is the best traveller of the
land for many reasons, but the main reason is a gift that was given to
him by the Creator, the gift of innovation. Coyote was warned by the
Creator that this was a powerful gift and he must use it for good and
to help the people. We are using this radio to decolonize our airspace,
our minds and our hearts. We are not pirates, we are Secwepemc.
For our programming we tried to be as diverse as our population.
We chose to focus on youth, language and political programming. In
our community the youth enjoy hip hop. For a year we had a locally
produced hip hop show. An important goal was to include Secwepemc
language programming as much as possible. Three hours a day were
devoted to the language, whether songs, classes or news. Whenever our
phone number was given out over the air, volunteers were encouraged
to use the Secwepemc words. When Secwepemc Radio was beginning,
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