Why We Need to Preserve Indigenous Knowledge

For years, Andy and I had talked about starting another podcast series (you may remember my first, Together We Rise: Interviews with Inspiring Indigenous Women)—this time, to honour the incredible cultural knowledge keepers in our communities, whom we’re so blessed to know and learn from. We envisioned a platform that would uplift the wisdom of our Elders, create space for Indigenous voices, and preserve the stories that too often disappear when our loved ones pass on.

But like many dream projects, it kept getting pushed aside. Running Totem Design House as a super small team meant our time was always maxed out. Years of being short-staffed, juggling production, retail, family, and cultural responsibilities. Then came the Clan Feast.

In 2022, we hosted the first feast for our clan in over 150 years. It was monumental, beautiful, and emotionally overwhelming. Then began preparations for Andy's first Potlatch, and the second part of our ķadsitła ceremony. We were reminded just how much ceremony and knowledge lives within our communities—but also how fragile it is.

Then, grief hit us hard. We lost Andy’s mom Mary, our family Matriarch, to pancreatic cancer—only three months after his dad passed away from dementia. Saddened that she would not be present at his first potlatch, we forged on. But within those few years, we saw a devastating number of cultural leaders pass on. It was a wake-up call.

We could no longer wait.
The Next Ancestors Podcast became our way of capturing this knowledge while we still can.

The Next Ancestors Podcast is our way of preserving the stories, teachings, and ancestral wisdom of our Elders—before they’re gone.

Each episode is a conversation with cultural knowledge keepers—artists, chiefs, matriarchs, and healers who carry generations of insight. These are not just interviews. These are archives. They are medicine.

Whether you’re reconnecting with your roots or learning how to walk respectfully as an ally—these voices are for you.

🎥 Available now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts

👉 Listen to The Next Ancestors Podcast
👉 Watch the Full Season on YouTube

Featured Guests:

• Chief Andy Everson

• Chief Robert Joseph

• Chief Wedlidi Speck

• Matriarch Evelyn Voyageur

• Matriarch June Johnson

• Cultural Knowledge Keeper Shelley Joseph

• Chief William Wasden Jr.

• Master Regalia Maker Maxine Matilpi

• Chief K'odi Nelson (launching soon)

Thank you for walking with us.
Together, we are working to become the next ancestors.