Interviews
The Friends United interviews bring together artists, community voices, educators, public figures, and supporters who speak about Indigenous art, reconciliation, cultural education, and respectful dialogue.
These conversations help document the people, stories, and relationships connected to the Friends United initiative and its work in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and beyond.
Explore Friends United media collections:
- Reconciliation Talks – in-depth conversations about culture, history, education, leadership, justice, healing and reconciliation
- Friends United Interview Series – with artists, participants, supporters and people connected to the Friends United initiative
- Videos & Performances – project films, performances, collaborations, event videos and other Friends United media
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Kerry Prosper, former Paqtnkek Chief and Knowledge Keeper at St. Francis Xavier University, about Indigenous heritage, language loss, reconciliation, and the passing of knowledge from Elders to younger generations.
The interview also remembers Sandra Simon, her porcupine quill basket work, and the importance of preserving cultural knowledge, personal stories, and hope for future generations.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Friends United founder Rolf Bouman about the story behind the Friends United Initiative, the role of First Nations art in building understanding, and the creation of the Friends United International Convention Centre in Unama’ki, Cape Breton.
The interview also explores friendship, cultural recognition, reconciliation, supporting Indigenous artists and knowledge keepers, and the importance of creating a place where art, dialogue, respect, and hope can come together.
At the Friends United International Convention Centre in Unama’ki, Cape Breton, Nancy Regan sits down with Hereditary Chief Stephen J. Augustine for a wide-ranging conversation about Mi’kmaq knowledge, cultural memory, art, education, and the deeper purpose behind Friends United.
Stephen J. Augustine reflects on his childhood, his hereditary role, his work in education and museums, and the importance of preserving stories, teachings, and cultural connections for future generations. The conversation also explores how art can become a bridge — between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, between memory and healing, and between ancestral knowledge and contemporary education.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Shannon Monk about reconciliation, Indigenous education, cultural confidence, and the importance of listening to stories from Indigenous communities and residential school survivors.
The interview also explores identity, cultural learning, youth leadership, Mi’kmaq art authenticity, Friends United’s role in supporting artists, and the power of walking together through education, creativity, respect, and hope.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Danny Graham about reconciliation, restorative justice, treaty relationships, and the importance of building trust through listening, humility, and lifelong learning.
The interview also explores Mi’kmaq leadership, Aboriginal rights, the Peace and Friendship Treaties, the Marshall decision, Engage Nova Scotia, Friends United’s role in bridge-building, and the power of art to open hearts, support healing, and create meaningful dialogue.
Gerry Sheena speaks with Nancy Regan and Rolf Bouman about totem pole carving, sobriety, second chances, cedar, legacy, and reconciliation through action at Friends United.
The conversation also explores artist support, the Seven Sacred Teachings, friendship, mentorship, and the lasting power of Indigenous art to create hope for future generations.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Mi’kmaq artist Shianne Gould about Mother Nature, Mi’kmaq art, family, emotional healing, intergenerational trauma, and reconciliation through creativity at Friends United.
The interview also explores Shianne’s journey as a full-time artist, her creative bond with her mother Loretta Gould, tattoo designs, Indigenous women’s leadership, her dream of opening a community gallery, and the role of truth, support, culture, and hope in her work.
Eric Schweig speaks with Rolf Bouman about carving, writing, heritage, healing, mentorship, and the role of art in transforming painful experiences into creative expression.
The conversation also explores the story behind his Tilikum sculpture and his belief that young people need creative spaces where imagination, truth, and hope can grow.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Hereditary Chief Stephen J. Augustine and retired Senator Dan Christmas about Mi’kmaq leadership, family, land-based memory, reconciliation, and the role of art in carrying Indigenous stories forward.
The interview also honours Dozay Christmas’s artwork and explores how Friends United helps create a place for cultural education, Indigenous art, respectful dialogue, and deeper understanding.
Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton and Mi’kmaq author Karen Bernard speak with Nancy Regan about reconciliation, women’s leadership, Grandmothers Gatherings, and cultural reconnection in Unama’ki. Their conversation explores relationship-building, language loss, inherited resilience, advocacy, and the Friends United International Convention Centre as a place for respectful dialogue.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Carla Arsenault and Vivek Saxena about education, Indigenous student support, Mi’kmaq art, and reconciliation through action at Nova Scotia Community College.
The interview also explores listening, campus Elders, newcomer perspectives, Cape Breton community relationships, and the responsibility each person has to keep learning.
Peter MacKay and Adam Rodgers discuss reconciliation, Indigenous justice, Arctic communities, victims’ rights, and the importance of listening to Indigenous knowledge.
The conversation also explores the Donald Marshall Jr. case, the Canadian Rangers, Leona Aglukkaq, and the power of Indigenous art to create understanding.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Leona Aglukkaq and Rodney MacDonald about reconciliation, residential school history, Inuit culture, Indigenous knowledge, and public service.
The interview also explores Northern livelihoods, Inuit art, authentic Indigenous art, and how listening, education, and cultural understanding can help shape a more respectful path forward.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with former Nova Scotia premiers Stephen McNeil and Rodney MacDonald about reconciliation, public leadership, trust, Mi’kmaq culture, and the importance of listening before acting.
The interview also explores how Friends United creates bridges between communities, political perspectives, artists, institutions, and future generations.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Rodney MacDonald about the story behind Friends United, his involvement since 2010, and the relationships that helped the initiative grow.
The interview also explores Rolf Bouman’s vision, support for Indigenous artists, reconciliation, music, and the possibility of bringing Friends United to a wider global audience.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Senator Mary Coyle, Jay Bell Redbird and Loretta Gould about Indigenous art, recognition, mentorship and the relationships at the heart of Friends United.
The interview also explores Rolf Bouman’s role in supporting artists, creating connections and helping Indigenous art become a bridge for understanding, healing and respect.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Patrick Lamey about Friends United, First Nations art, Rotary, law, music and community connection in Cape Breton.
The interview also explores EMM Law, the Wagmatcook courtroom, Rolf Bouman’s vision, and the path that brought Friends United to Rotary’s House of Friendship in Hamburg.
In this conversation, Nancy Regan speaks with Jay Bell Redbird and Halina Stopyra about art, collaboration, cultural connection, and the role Friends United has played in their creative journey.
The interview also explores how two artists from different backgrounds create together, share teachings through art, and reflect on support, mentorship, and connection.
Darren Julian speaks with Rolf Bouman about Mi’kmaq art, family influence, spiritual creativity, nature, quill baskets, and the way his paintings often evolve through instinct and meaning.
The interview also explores Mandy Julian’s artistic process, Sandra Simon’s traditional quill basket work, and how Friends United supports artists through original works, prints, and long-term relationships.
Eric Schweig speaks with Rolf Bouman about making knives from reclaimed car and truck spring steel, Japanese martial arts, and the discipline of learning through craft.
The conversation connects hands-on knife making with apprenticeship, humility, youth inspiration, and the Friends United vision of creating hope through art and shared experience.
Eric Schweig speaks with Rolf Bouman about learning totem pole carving from Gerry Sheena, beginning with the humility and discipline of apprenticeship.
The conversation connects carving knives, mentorship, repetition, youth inspiration, and Friends United as a place where artists continue to learn from one another.
Nancy Regan returns to Friends United in Unama’ki, Cape Breton, for an episode of Showing Up that explores Indigenous art, storytelling, ceremony and reconciliation.
The episode features Eric Schweig’s creative work with masks and recycled steel, as well as Hereditary Chief Stephen J. Augustine’s reflections on Mi’kmaq storytelling, creation and the deeper meaning of Friends United.