The Indigenous Collective is an ongoing video series that collaborates with Indigenous artists, musicians, performers, and storytellers in order to celebrate their creativity and vibrancy of life! Our production team has been travelling across the country, visiting cities and their homeland to conduct interviews, learn about diverse cultures, and capture stories and performances on camera.
Our founders filming in London, Ontario.
Meet the founders of The Indigenous Collective
Mko'Mosé Indizhnikaz (Andrew Judge)
Professor of Indigenous Studies & PhD Candidate
"My spirit name is Bear Walker. Meshekenh n’doodem (I am Turtle Clan), D'eshkan Ziibi n'doonjiba (I was born and raised along the Horned River [present day London, Ontario]). Anishinaabe, O’jibii’igay inini n’dow (I am an Anishinaabe Ojibway man)."
Mko'Mosé is currently in the process of completing a PhD in Education at Western University. The focus of his studies since his Masters has been increasing holistic well-being by utilizing Indigenous teachings. He practises and implements teachings from the medicine wheel in his life and work which has brought him to the doorstep of heirloom seed savers. These studies and practises have allowed him to become a professor of Indigenous studies, professional speaker, and apprentice of Mayan timekeeping, responsibilities he will continue to uphold indefinitely.
Sharad Kharé
Digital Journalist & Legacy Documentarian
Sharad Kharé has been a prolific collaborator with the Indigenous community, directing and producing video projects that capture First Nations stories and culture. His past projects include the documentary Breaking Down Walls, Building Bridges (BCIT), Diversity Circles project video series, James Hart: The Dance Screen (Vancouver Art Gallery, and an Indigenous-women awareness video featuring Ellena Neel (BWSS).
Sharad holds a Masters degree in communications, where his academic research focused on personal and digital legacy. He uses his background in journalism to bring out the best conversations between individuals and the people they impact. These video pieces act as a timeless record of achievement for the subject. He has spent the past several years travelling the world seeking out the most influential people in their fields in order to document their legacy for public and private consumption.
The Indigenous Foods Garden
The Indigenous Foods Garden at Rare is an ongoing Indigenous knowledges project founded and directed by Mkomosé (Bearwalker) - Dr. Andrew Judge, the 2018 recipient of the Ages scholarship. The project utilizes Indigenous knowledge frameworks in its design and philosophy to create an engaging environment that ignites all the senses. The spiralling terraced garden aims to inspire a revitalization of Indigenous foods systems and land based sustainability practices. Visiting the garden awakens community members to knowledge found within their own ancestral teachings. By contributing to this space, both in its construction and its long term goal of creating an engaging educational forum where Indigenous land-based teachings can be recovered, shared, and disseminated widely community members are directly participating in Truth and Reconciliation. The Indigenous Foods Garden seeks to foster a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment for all, a sanctuary where threads of ancient wisdom can be woven in to the tapestry of your consciousness.