S3 E04: Teresa Suydam, Filipino & First Nations Ojibwe artist, on being a ”Lost Bird”, reconnecting with their biological mom, and making deliberate e...

GUEST BIO

Teresa Suydam is a lost bird songwriter and producer of Indigenous and Filipino descent who makes cinematic pop infused with honey-like vocals. Based out of Denver, Colorado, Teresa chases their own culture and identity with their music, and is a safe haven to other multicultural individuals who don’t feel at home in their own skin. In 2022, Teresa's music video for "Take Me to the Water" was nominated for the Native American Music Awards (NAMA)..

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DEFINITIONS

• Smudging is a cultural ceremony practiced by Native peoples. It involves burning sacred herbs like tobacco, sweetgrass, sage, and cedar for medicinal, practical, and spiritual purposes. The smoke carries prayers and healing powers. A vessel holds the herbs, and the smoke is guided over the body using a feather (preferably eagle) or hand. Smudging a room involves directing smoke while praying for positive energy and removing negative energy. Ashes are placed outside to symbolize removing negative energy from our lives.
• Smudging is a cultural ceremony practiced by Native peoples. It involves burning sacred herbs like tobacco, sweetgrass, sage, and cedar for medicinal, practical, and spiritual purposes. The smoke carries prayers and healing powers. A vessel holds the herbs, and the smoke is guided over the body using a feather (preferably eagle) or hand. Smudging a room involves directing smoke while praying for positive energy and removing negative energy. Ashes are placed outside to symbolize removing negative energy from our lives.
• A powwow is a ceremony held by Native American peoples involving feasting, singing, and dancing.
• Side note: You may have heard or used the term "powwow" to refer to meetings that are completely unrelated to the original Indigenous context. This is an example of cultural appropriation and is offensive to Native Americans because it strips the word from its great cultural importance.

TAKEAWAYS

1. 1. When your people have been driven to near extinction by colonialism and constantly subjugated to brutal treatment, being alive today and occupying space is a form of resistance in itself.
   2. For people who have grown up with no connection to their roots, it can take a while to warm up to the idea but with the unrelenting, gentle support of their mentors, Teresa did start to learn more about their cultures.
   3. Sometimes we don't know what we've been missing until we experience it. Teresa had this experience both when connecting with their cultures and when reconnecting with their biological mom and described it as feeling more like themselves, more whole, and more at peace with who they are.
   4. Learning can feel overwhelming when we know next to nothing, be it a language, a culture, or music production. But it gets easier if we start small and give ourselves some grace to make mistakes in order to learn.
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CONTACT

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Host: Lazou

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