(Ottawa, ON) – April 8, 2026 - On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, we are joined by Dr. Lynn Gehl, a member of Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation. Dr. Gehl joins us from Peterborough, as she shares important reflections on Wampum diplomacy, Algonquin history and the ongoing land claim process, along with her work on advocating for Indigenous veterans and Indigenous women and girls with disabilities.

Dr. Gehl has built a career as an author and speaker. She is an advocate, academic, author, and artist. She shares how the concept of Debwewin, meaning a truth that is rooted in one’s heart and mind, has guided much of her work. In this conversation, she is generous in sharing her knowledge of Algonquin history and territories, including how Wampum belts were used as a form of symbolic literacy for many First Nations. It is an interesting point in the conversation where she discusses early historic records of Algonquin people on the Ottawa River and yet how there was no treaty made between them and the Crown, tying into the arduous land claim process that is still ongoing.

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Advocacy for Indigenous veterans is important to Dr. Gehl and she is currently writing a book on her late great-grandfather, Joseph Gagnon, an Algonquin World War I Veteran. Upon return from war, Joseph was denied land and forced to leave his reserve due to sex discrimination in the Indian Act. He was also denied Soldier Settlement Benefits to land and farming equipment, noting the many ways he and his family suffered as a result of this double discrimination. 

On the topic of Reconciliation, Dr. Gehl remains honest and critical in her reflections. There is ongoing colonization happening to Indigenous lands, waters and bodies. Where she does find hope are the eternal gifts and knowledge that come from the land, specifically with the maple tree as she boils sap to make maple syrup, reminded that the tree knows what to do, and offers the sweetest gift.

About the Legacy of Hope Foundation

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 25 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate Canadians about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Child Welfare System on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, and their communities to address discrimination against Indigenous Peoples, and to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage Canadians to address discrimination and injustice to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples.

The LHF has 30 educational exhibitions that promote awareness of Indigenous history, which are free to borrow, and we are working on making exhibitions available online. LHF also has curricula for K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops, and Training, two Podcast series, all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Child Welfare System, and other colonial acts of oppression. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding to eliminate ongoing racism against Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation in Canada.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Teresa Edwards, B.A., LL.B / J.D.
Directrice générale et conseillère juridique interne
Fondation autochtone de l’espoir
tedwards@legacyofhope.ca