They are loud and they are proud. Four influential Aboriginal women have taken to the air waves in Saskatchewan in a new television talk show.
It is called, “The Four” and it’s about everything from gratitude to sex and anything in between.
The show airs on Access Communications at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Co-host Shauneen Pete says people don’t really have an accurate perspective on the role and accomplishments of Aboriginal women.
She says far too often they are perceived as weak and victims:
“So we are either erased or we are the victims. It seems those are the only two roles we get cast into. We are never really viewed as powerful. We are never really viewed as intelligent. We are not seen as influential and that is what we want to correct.”
Pete is a professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Regina. She is joined by three other Aboriginal women on the talk show, two of whom are Metis — author Bevann Fox, educator Shannon Fayant and mentor co-ordinator Robyn Morin.
All the women have overcome adversity and become influential, successful and opinionated. Pete says the goal of the show is to educate, inspire and empower. She also says it’s television worth watching:
“Oh my goodness, wow, I think it’s just really intriguing for a lot of people. For Indigenous people, they are trying to get another story going and see what we have to say and they want to see themselves reflected in the media. For non-Native watchers I think they are also seeing themselves in the content.”
Pete says coming up with topics was easy, the tough part was whittling them down. She says the women meet and discuss the topics before each show:
“After that, it’s just us — unrehearsed.”
Access is so proud of the show it is submitting it to the Yorkton Film Festival and the Red Nation Film Festival in the United States for awards.