Ep. 65: Becoming Deer Lady: Matriarchal Rage as Creative Fuel with Kaniehtiio Horn

"Rage is love on fire."This episode feels like a long-awaited conversation between kindred spirits. Host, Dr. Candace Manitopyes, connects with Kaniehtiio (Tiio) Horn and unravel Indigenous sterotypes from the very beginning of their talk. The two women immediately get into convos about the complicated, beautiful, and sometimes jagged truth of existing as light-skinned Indigenous women.They also talk about rage. Tiio shares how she carried a quiet shame about her anger for years after surviving the Oka crisis; trying to fit herself into boxes that never held her. Now, she uses that energy as creative fuel.Her work, including her role as the Deer Lady in Reservation Dogs and her horror-comedy (and quite cathartic) film Seeds, serves as a vessel for that unbridled spirit. She creates art that demands we look at the reality of who we are, and how there is deep strength in admitting that we all have violence inside us. It's just a matter of learning to channel it into our stories instead of against ourselves.This conversation serves as an invitation to every person who has felt silenced. Tiio reminds us that we possess the agency to craft our own narratives. We are reclaiming our joy, rage, and futures.Relentless ReflectionsStop labeling your rage as something that needs to be hidden or suppressed. Spend time this week sitting with your rage, naming its source, and acknowledging that your anger is a valid response to your history and your environment.Identify the spaces in your life where you are defaulting to people-pleasing to maintain a false peace. Question whether you are shrinking your own voice or your boundaries to keep others comfortable, and sit with the reality of what that silence is costing you.Relentless ActionsSelect one specific area of your life—whether it is your creative work, your advocacy, or your daily decisions—where you will consciously pour your energy instead of swallowing it. Use that force to build, write, or act on something that serves your truth.Actively seek out people in your life who refuse to be "yes" people for you. Ask them for unfiltered feedback on your goals, your ideas, and your blind spots so you can stop second-guessing your own power and move forward with clarity.Relentless ResourcesFollow Tiio's journey on Instagram here: @kaniehtiioCheck out Reservations Dogs (Hulu) to watch Tiio's iconic role as Deer lady or check out her horror-comedy film Seeds (a MUST watch) 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