National Chief Perry Bellegarde talks to Chief Todd Peigan of the Pasqua First Nation, Treaty 4 in Southern Saskatchewan.

In January, long before most of the rest of the world had even heard of Coronavirus, Chief Todd Peigan was preparing for the worst, knowing that a highly contagious respiratory illness could be especially devastating for indegenous peoples. He began ordering food and medical supplies and as a result his First Nation may be one of the best prepared communities in Canada.

National Chief Bellegarde asks Chief Peigan about why he was so far ahead of the curve in preparing for COVID-19, what kind of support he has received on the local, provincial and national level, what his biggest challenges are even with a good supply of food, and medical supplies, and his plans to return his community to a more normal state, by closing borders and testing.

A special thanks to the Red Dog Singers of Treaty 4 territory in Saskatchewan for providing the theme music for this podcast.

The Ahkameyimok Podcast is produced by David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions. davidrcmcguffin@gmail.com