Sounds of SAND

Blackfoot scholar Dr. Leroy Little Bear shares foundational Indigenous ways of knowing—revealing a worldview built on energy, motion, and relationship rather than matter, time, and separation.In this conversation, Little Bear illuminates how Blackfoot philosophy understands reality through "interpretive templates"—cultural lenses shaped by language, land, and cosmology. Where Western thought centers singularity and fixed answers, Blackfoot ways embrace flux, transformation, and "all my relations."

Dr. Leroy Little Bear is a Blackfoot legal scholar, professor emeritus, and prominent Indigenous rights advocate from the Blood Tribe. He is a founding member of the Native American Studies Department at the University of Lethbridge, served as the director of the Harvard University Native American Program, and played a crucial role in shaping Canadian constitutional law to recognize Indigenous rights, including contributing to Section 35 of the Constitution Act. His work extends to international advocacy, advising the United Nations on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and he has received numerous honors, such as the Order of Canada and the Alberta Order of Excellence.

Topics


00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:45 Guest Introduction: Dr. Leroy Little Bear

01:42 Blackfoot Tradition and Identity

02:59 Western vs. Blackfoot Worldview

10:15 Energy Forces and Relationships

27:39 Impact of Colonization

34:26 Language and Interpretive Templates

54:38 Closing Remarks and Gratitude

Explore more in Indigenous Worldviews in the SAND film Series The Eternal Song

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This episode was recorded live at The Eternal Song Film Gathering in 2025. Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo welcome Dr. (Uncle) Paul Gordon and Joe Williams, featured in the upcoming SAND Film In the Circle of Life premiering January 20, 2026. In this conversation they discuss the profound importance of connection to the land, cultural heritage, and traditional practices in achieving wellness. The conversation reveals how Indigenous wisdom can address modern societal woes and highlights the importance of respecting and maintaining a deep relationship with the natural world.

Topics

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview

00:47 Meet Uncle Paul Gordon

01:59 Language and Cultural Connections

03:01 Introducing Joe Williams

16:26 Joe Williams' Journey and Spiritual Awakening

22:07 Aboriginal Perspectives on Wellbeing and Grief

26:23 Understanding Time and Connection to Country

29:40 Ancient Knowledge and Star Stories

30:50 Connection to Country and Ancestral Wisdom

44:25 The Role of Ceremony and Responsibility

52:22 Healing Through Connection to Nature

57:55 Final Thoughts and Resources

Resources

In the Circle of Life

The Living Country Community

Recorded live at The Eternal Song Seven Day Film Premiere summit with Indigenous voices

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From a recent SAND Community Gathering (December 2025). This urgent conversation, facilitated by Ashira Darwish and rooted in Haidar Eid’s new book Banging on the Walls of the Tank, moves through the fractured present of Gaza, bringing forth a chorus of resistance, mourning, refusal, and clarity.



This is a dispatch from within the rubble, the classroom, the lull between airstrikes. Together. Eid and Darwish hold the line inside the unbearable: the grief of ongoing genocide and the insistence on liberation; the impossibility of hope and the necessity of imagining otherwise.



Their conversation refuses erasure, insists on dignity, and carries the clarity of those living under siege with purpose and memory intact.



This conversation carries the vibration of Gaza’s resistance outward, inviting listeners not just to witness, but to respond.

Topics

00:00 Introduction and Opening Remarks

00:58 Context of the Gaza Genocide

02:23 Introducing Haidar Eid and Ashira Darwish

02:32 Haidar Eid's Background and Experience

03:19 Ashira Darwish's Introduction and Role

05:42 Haidar Eid's Personal Account of the Genocide

07:17 The Impact of the Genocide on Haidar's Life

09:51 Tribute to Fallen Colleagues and Students

11:55 The Importance of Palestinian Narratives

14:57 Historical Context and Ongoing Genocide

27:34 The Human Cost and Personal Stories

29:00 Protecting Stories and Dignity

29:40 Understanding Israeli Society and Zionism

32:33 The Role of International Support

34:08 The BDS Movement and Palestinian Civil Society

35:47 The Call for Global Solidarity

43:18 Banging on the Walls of the Tank

53:12 A Shift in the Global Narrative

58:17 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Resources

Project Hope Palestine

Catharsis Holistic Healing Palestine

BDS Movement

Ashira Darwish’s Website



Where Olive Trees Weep



Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

This final episode of 2025 reflects on a year of transitions and healing, focusing on themes of intergenerational trauma, collective grief, and social justice, especially in the context of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Through diverse voices including Dr. Gabor Maté, Naomi Klein, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Ashira Darwish, Omid Safi, Kazu Haga, and others, the episode delves into personal and collective fields of healing. It emphasizes the importance of remembering, ritualizing healing, community action, indigenous knowledge, and a para-politics of grief and relationship. The episode also highlights the significance of interconnectedness, resilience, and the continuous effort towards justice and transformation.

Topics and Speakers

00:00 Introduction and Year in Review

02:03 Minds Under Siege: Dr. Gabor Mate and Naomi Klein

17:38 We Will Not Look Away: Vigil for Gaza with Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Ashira Darwish and Omid Safi

37:33 Fierce Vulnerability: Kazu Haga

46:16 Belonging Without Othering: john a. powell

50:51 The Limits of Solution-Driven Thinking: Bayo Akomolafe

55:47 Complexity and Phase Transitions: Jeremy Lent

01:02:03 Intergenerational Trauma and Healing: Jungwon Kim and Linda Thai

01:18:40 Generational Trauma and Community Healing: Dr. Thema Bryant

01:23:16 Decolonizing Therapy and Ancestral Healing: Dr. Jennifer Mullan

01:26:30 Indigenous Perspectives on Colonization and Wellbeing: Dr. Diana Kopua, Tina Ngata and Mark Kopua

01:40:30 Plant Medicine and Connection to Nature: Donna Kerridge

01:53:07 Grief, Ritual, and Communal Healing: Orland Bishop and Francis Weller

02:02:39 Presence and Receptive Awareness: John J. Prendergast

02:09:26 Conclusion and Membership Invitation

Links

Naomi Klein

Dr. Gabor Maté

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb

Omid Safi

Kazu Haga

john a. Powell

Bayo Akomolafe

Jeremy Lent

Jungwon Kim

Linda Thai

Dr. Thema Bryant

Dr. Jennifer Mullan

Te Kurahuna (Mark and Dr. Diana Kopua)

Tina Ngata

Francis Weller

Orland Bishop

John Prendergast

Where Olive Trees Weep

The Eternal Song (Film series and course)

Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

This final episode of 2025 reflects on a year of transitions and healing, focusing on themes of intergenerational trauma, collective grief, and social justice, especially in the context of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Through diverse voices including Dr. Gabor Maté, Naomi Klein, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Ashira Darwish, Omid Safi, Kazu Haga, and others, the episode delves into personal and collective fields of healing. It emphasizes the importance of remembering, ritualizing healing, community action, indigenous knowledge, and a para-politics of grief and relationship. The episode also highlights the significance of interconnectedness, resilience, and the continuous effort towards justice and transformation.

Topics and Speakers

00:00 Introduction and Year in Review

02:03 Minds Under Siege: Dr. Gabor Mate and Naomi Klein

17:38 We Will Not Look Away: Vigil for Gaza with Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Ashira Darwish and Omid Safi

37:33 Fierce Vulnerability: Kazu Haga

46:16 Belonging Without Othering: john a. powell

50:51 The Limits of Solution-Driven Thinking: Bayo Akomolafe

55:47 Complexity and Phase Transitions: Jeremy Lent

01:02:03 Intergenerational Trauma and Healing: Jungwon Kim and Linda Thai

01:18:40 Generational Trauma and Community Healing: Dr. Thema Bryant

01:23:16 Decolonizing Therapy and Ancestral Healing: Dr. Jennifer Mullan

01:26:30 Indigenous Perspectives on Colonization and Wellbeing: Dr. Diana Kopua, Tina Ngata and Mark Kopua

01:40:30 Plant Medicine and Connection to Nature: Donna Kerridge

01:53:07 Grief, Ritual, and Communal Healing: Orland Bishop and Francis Weller

02:02:39 Presence and Receptive Awareness: John J. Prendergast

02:09:26 Conclusion and Membership Invitation

Links

Naomi Klein

Dr. Gabor Maté

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb

Omid Safi

Kazu Haga

john a. Powell

Bayo Akomolafe

Jeremy Lent

Jungwon Kim

Linda Thai

Dr. Thema Bryant

Dr. Jennifer Mullan

Te Kurahuna (Mark and Dr. Diana Kopua)

Tina Ngata

Francis Weller

Orland Bishop

John Prendergast

Where Olive Trees Weep

The Eternal Song (Film series and course)

Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member