Connecting Outwards, Looking Inwards with Ariana Fotinakis and Vanessa Lesperance

This conversation goes beyond the idea that culture heals — it asks how we live that truth in our everyday lives.

Vanessa Lesperance is a Métis woman originally from Treaty 1 territory, and Ariana Fotinakis is Anishinaabe. Both speak candidly about what it means to reclaim culture when you weren’t raised in it, and the messy, sacred work of navigating identity as women of mixed Indigenous heritage.

They reflect on how language, humour, grief, and even rage can be part of the healing — and why reclaiming culture isn’t about perfection, but participation.

Alongside their own stories, Vanessa and Ariana also invite settlers to consider their own cultural roots — to explore where they come from, and how reconnection to their ancestry can create stronger, more respectful relationships with Indigenous communities.