Ep. 22: Jeremy Dutcher on Blood Memory, Music & Mother Tongues

In this raw and real podcast episode, Jeremy Dutcher drops truth bombs about Indigenous language revitalization, Two-Spirit identity, and cultural resilience. He shares his journey of recovering Ancestral recordings, transforming colonial archives into powerful musical narratives, and creating space for indigenous joy. Dutcher embodies resistance through his music, academic work, and fierce commitment to honouring his community's linguistic and cultural roots.The conversation cuts deep into the complexities of settler colonialism, queer Indigenous experiences, and the revolutionary act of simply existing and thriving. Dutcher dismantles oppressive narratives with humor, vulnerability, and a relentless belief in Indigenous power. From discussing his mother's groundbreaking language immersion school to challenging binary thinking about gender and time, he presents a vision of indigenous futures that are simultaneously healing, provocative, and absolutely unstoppable. To put it simply, this episode is a manifesto of Indigenous badassery and our ability to alchemize pain into beauty–like music. Jeremy’s BioJeremy Dutcher is a Two-Spirit Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) tenor, composer, musicologist, and activist from Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick. Classically trained in Western opera, Jeremy merges that discipline with the traditional songs and language of his ancestors—breathing life into archival recordings and bringing them into the present.His debut album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa won both the Polaris Music Prize and a JUNO Award, and his follow-up project Motewolonuwok made history when he became the first artist to win the Polaris Prize twice. A fierce advocate for Indigenous language revitalization, cultural resurgence, and queer Indigenous joy, Jeremy’s work is medicine, reclamation, and revolution.Jeremy was recently honoured with the 2025 National Arts Centre Award from the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, joining his growing list of accolades, including a JUNO and two Polaris Prize wins.IG: @jdutchermusic www.jeremydutcher.com-Relentless Reflection:Where are you still performing colonial compliance in your life, and what radical act of refusal can you implement today?How does your understanding of time, identity, and connection differ from Western linear narratives, and how can you weaponize that difference?Relentless Action:Actively create or join a community that celebrates your full, intersectional indigenous identity - no apologies, no compromises.Research and expose how museums, archives, and academic institutions have historically stolen and silenced Indigenous narratives, then develop a personal strategy for reclamation.Relentless Resources Two Spirit and IndigiQueer Resource Toolkits Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions!Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW WebsiteMusic Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat