The Mythic Masculine

My guest today is indigenous activist and comedian Dallas Goldtooth (Diné/Dakota).  I first crossed paths with Dallas at the Bioneers conference back in 2016, as he arrived from the height of the action at Standing Rock - where water protectors clashed with police against the Dakota Access Pipeline. This massive energy project would have cut through their sacred lands and polluted the water, and Standing Rock became a global icon of indigenous resistance.

Dallas is also a key member of the media team for the Indigenous Environmental Network, a non-violent direct action trainer, and a Dakota cultural/language teacher.  When he’s not fighting on the frontlines, Dallas travels with his all-indigenous comedy troupe, the 1491s.

In our conversation we touch upon a number of themes, including the subject of toxic masculinity, how much of modern men’s work unconsciously enacts settler-colonialism and cultural appropriation, and the power of humour to connect and create change.

We begin with a short excerpt from one of his talk’s at the Bioneers conference. Enjoy.