258: Paul Bunyan and Indigenous Traditions (with Leah Lemm)

Sometimes you just gotta go off about Paul Bunyan and timber. We’re joined by Leah Lemm, who shares with us growing up with Paul Bunyan stories, how he became a villain in her eyes, and how to honor history without making things up.     Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of colonialism, ecoterrorism, deforestation, violence against Indigenous people, manifest destiny,  human rights violations, animal death, generational trauma, cannibalism, ableism, bullying, fire/burning, drowning, and animal attacks.    Guest Leah Lemm is a radio & podcast host/producer, singer/songwriter, and a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Her work revolves around sound/music/voice and community story-sharing, with the mission to Amplify Native Voices. She currently lives in Grand Rapids, MN with her husband, young son, and country dog. For information about her podcast, Wisdom Continuum, visit their website.    Housekeeping - MERCH! Get the Mothman Crewneck at spiritspodcast.com/merch! - Recommendation: This week, Amanda recommends wearing Mothman’s butt out in the world.  - Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books - Call to Action: Check out NEXT STOP: An audio sitcom that explores the turbulent time of your mid-to-late 20s when everyone is changing around you -- and you worry that you might not catch up. Season 1 is out now! Search for NEXT STOP in your podcast app or go to nextstopshow.com   Sponsors - Calm is the #1 app to help you reduce your anxiety and stress and help you sleep better. Get 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at calm.com/spirits. - Skillshare is an online learning community where you can learn—and teach—just about anything. Explore your creativity at Skillshare.com/spirits and get a free trial of Premium Membership. This week Amanda recommends “Portrait Photography: Shoot & Edit Instagram-Worthy Shots” with Jessica Kobeissi. - Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is the official continuation of the hit TV series that continues the journey of the sestras and explores the dangerous, life-changing consequences of having destroyed Project Leda for good. Learn more about Orphan Black: The Next Chapter at realm.fm, and be sure to listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.    Find Us Online If you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books. Transcripts are available at http://spiritspodcast.com/episodes. To buy merch, hear us on other podcasts, contact us, find our mailing address, or download our press kit, head on over to http://spiritspodcast.com.   About Us Spirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, an independent podcast collective and production studio. Our music is "Danger Storm" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.