On today’s show, guest host Juliana Bennett speaks with Native leader Art Shegonee about his life and activism. At a time when nationalism and the colonizer narrative are flourishing, especially around the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s important to center Native voices and experiences. 

Shegonee shares stories from his early childhood and years of dancing. Separated from his family at a very young age and put into foster care, Shegonee faced racism as a child growing up in a white foster family. This was before the Indian Child Welfare Act and it took Shegonee years to reconnect with his siblings. 

Shegonee also talks about what it means to be Native in a settler society, his work organizing for treaty rights, the land back movement and the recent transfer of land back to Lac du Flambeau tribe, and the change Shegonee wants to see. He likes to open his public talks by saying, “Welcome to My Country.” 

Art Shegonee is an Indigenous cultural educator, traditional dancer, and peacemaker from Wisconsin, belonging to the Menominee and Potawatomi tribes. He co-founded the Call for Peace Drum & Dance Company in 1990, alongside his wife Dawn. And has dedicated his life’s work to uplifting Indigenous people across the state.

Featured image Art Shegonee from his organization, Call For Peace.

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