ZONGWE
BINESIKWE
Sounding Thunderbird Woman
Social change through storytelling
ZONGWE BINESIKWE
Sounding Thunderbird Woman
Crystal "Zee" Hardy Zongwe Binesikwe (she/they) is a Two-Spirit Anishnawbe-kwe from the Bear Clan. They are a member of Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishnabek living in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Zongwe Binesikwe hosts a radio show called Zee’s Place on CILU 102.7FM and a podcast called Under the Same Stars. Find their creative non-fiction published in Golden Brick Road’s “Lighting the North”and “She’s No Longer Silent” and in the upcoming release of The Great Canadian Woman’s “She means Business".
Zongwe Binesikwe shares their stories guided by Spirit and includes their personal experiences healing through intergenerational trauma.
They hope to help create safer spaces for Indigenous people through positive media representation, education and social justice. The focus of their PhD in Nursing at Queen’s University is decolonizing trauma work.
They make thunder in with topics related to decolonizing healthcare practices through cultural humility, empowerment of Indigenous people, and missing and murdered Indigenous womxn in Canada.
In Anishinaabe culture, thunderbirds are supernatural, powerful Manitous (spirits) and can create rain, wind and violent thunderstorns with their wings and eyes.
Photo: Thunderbird by Norval Morrisseau (1987)
UNDER THE SAME STARS PODCAST
Zongwe Binesikwe created the podcast series Under the Same Stars to highlight Indigenous and non-Indigenous people working to create positivity and unity in their communities across Turtle Island.
Under the Same Stars is a free podcast powered by Anchor and can be found on all of your favourite podcasting platforms including Spotify & iTunes!
ZEE'S PLACE RADIO SHOW
CILU 102.7FM LU Radio Thunder Bay
Zongwe Binesikwe decolonizes the airwaves through music and storytelling, featuring Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists that support reconciliation.
Zee's Place airs Wednesdays from 2-4pm EST on CILU 102.7FM in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Listen live and stream online!
Decolonization
Decolonization once viewed as the formal process of handing over the instruments of government, is now recognized as a long-term process involving the bureaucratic, cultural, linguistic and psychological divesting of colonial power.
Decolonization is about shifting the way Indigenous Peoples view themselves and the way non-Indigenous people view Indigenous Peoples. This happens through restoring the Indigenous world views, culture and traditional ways of knowing and being. (Indigenous Corporate Training Inc, 2017).
Lighting The North: An Anthology of Feminism and Cultural Diversity from Across the Nation
Zongwe Binesikwe is a co-author in Golden Brick Road Publishing's Lighting the North. Canada thrives as a diverse country with a very unique culture. Lighting The North will help shed light on equality, freedom, and what it means to be a woman in Canada. The struggles and unrecognized achievements we face as women are just as present today as they were in the past. The women of the north share their secrets to their successes, the spirited stories of their failures, as well as incredible tips and insights for thriving in our multicultural country.
Order your copy from Golden Brick Road Publishing today! Apply discount code for 20% at checkout: CRYSTAL20
If you prefer signed copy, email your request below!
She's No Longer Silent:
Healing after Mental Health Trauma, Sexual Abuse, and Experiencing Injustice
She’s No Longer Silent is a collection of stories written by women who have found their strength and reclaimed their voices by overcoming trauma and tuning into their intuition. Zongwe Binesikwe explores her experience with intergenerational trauma in her poem titled, Daughters of Four Generations. Explore the raw and honest experiences of women who wish to assist you in discovering the unimaginable strength and courage within you. It is time to escape your turmoil and take back your life.
Order your copy from Golden Brick Road Publishing today! Apply discount code for 20% at checkout: CRYSTAL20
If you'd prefer a signed copy, email your request below!
NEWS
THE GREAT CANADIAN WOMAN:
SHE MEANS BUSINESS VOLUME 1
Stayed tuned for Zongwe Binesikwe's contribution in this amazing series available in spring 2021!
The Great Canadian Woman - She Means Business book series features Canadian womxn sharing their stories of achievements in career, business & entrepreneurship.
This series hopes readers can see that they too can overcome the pain or obstacles in their path and reclaim their inner strength and establish a sense of personal freedom.
The Great Canadian Woman - She Means Business series is a 5-year long project that will produce 12 books and feature hundreds of Canadian authors!
LOCAL HEALER IS HELPING CHANGE THE VOICE OF THUNDER BAY
Nurse practitioner Crystal “Zee” Hardy is a contributing writer in new book from Golden Brick Road Publishing House.
CRYSTAL “ZEE” HARDY IS DECOLONIZING THUNDER BAY’S AIRWAVES
Crystal “Zee” Hardy hit Thunder Bay's airwaves last September with her radio show Zee's Place.
WOMEN WITH PODCASTS!
Featuring five local amazing local women that are compelled to create and curate various media…including for your ears!
PODCAST INTERVIEWS
SHE SPEAKS PODCAST
I’m so grateful to be a part of the SHE SPEAKS Podcast by The Great Canadian Woman™
On The SHE SPEAKS Podcast by you can expect to learn something new, from someone new with each new episode covering anything and everything from business, the environment, social justice, parenting, travel and so much more!
On this episode, I speak about my Spirit name and how I use the Medicine Wheel to maintain balance in my life.
Subscribe to SHE SPEAKS Podcast and follow The Great Canadian Woman™ Platform to grow alongside other incredible Canadian womxn with something to say!
THAMICHAELATED SHOW
Thamichaelated show is about people like you and me. This in episode we talk about thunderbirds, dreams, smudging, podcasting, sacred medicine, boxing, motorcycles and community.
THE GREAT CANADIAN WOMAN PODCAST
In this episode you will learn Crystal's story of growing up as an Indigenous Woman in Northern Ontario; the reality that the BIPOC community is facing right now around being tired of being an advocate; and the importance of White people using their voices to help advocate, educate and continue to UN-Learn racial biases; breaking down the word "Decolonization".
Upcoming Events
- Sat, Mar 27Art Gallery of Mississauga Online Event
PAST EVENTS
NISHNAWBE ASKI NATION HEALTH SUMMIT 2019
Thunder Bay, ON
Keynote Address
"Cultural Humility: Essential Foundations When Working With Indigenous Patients"
THE UNCOMMON WOMAN CROSS COUNTRY TOUR
October 20, 2018 Vancouver, BC
The Uncommon Woman is an inspirational global platform for women who have incredible stories of strength from struggle. Crystal shared her story of breaking the cycle of disadvantage in her family. Her mother, Ruby, is one of the missing Indigenous women in Canada.
THE UNCOMMON WOMAN CROSS COUNTRY TOUR
October 6, 2018 Thunder Bay, ON
The Uncommon Woman is an inspirational global platform for women who have incredible stories of strength from struggle. Crystal shared her story of breaking the cycle of disadvantage in her family. Her mother, Ruby, is one of the missing Indigenous women in Canada.
TESTIMONIAL
Naomi Ruth Levitz
M.S.W., R.S.W., PhD (ABD)
Twice now, I have had the privilege of hearing Crystal Hardy speak, and both remain on my heart and in my head. She has the unique gift of being able to share authentically and openly from personal experience without losing her intention. Both opportunities held diverse audiences, once at the end of Feb 2020 for Executive Directors and Board Chairs for AIDS serving organizations across the province, and the other in June 2020 for a mid level college class in Windsor, Ontario.
Ms. Hardy weaves her lived and learned experiences into story in order to support learning and growth. During each engagement, she shifted her messaging to fit the listeners and was graceful in taking questions and crafting answers to meet the needs of those present. The topics of Indigenous Healing, and Trauma are especially complex when shared in a diverse audience, even more so when the speaker may be the only Indigenous identified person in the room. It is this bravery and commitment to cause that makes Ms. Hardy so exceptional.
There can be no reconciliation without truth, and this is made evident in Ms. Hardy’s presentation style. She is unapologetic about the need for each of us to do our own work, and honest about the personal work that she had, and continues to put in to grow. Surely, her resume is impressive and her extensive professional experience speaks to a wide skill set. Her presence however, makes her powerful and a great addition to any team.
Months, and weeks, after hearing her speak, I am still thinking about our time together, even though I was just one in an audience. I welcome the chance to hear her again and hope that many more will have the opportunity.
TESTIMONIAL
Marlo Ellis
Founder, The Uncommon Woman
“Let’s begin in the east where all life begins.” Lighting the North, Crystal Hardy Zongwe Binesikwe, Sounding Thunderbird Woman
I met Crystal in 2017 at the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Women and Girls. After she spoke, I stood in line waiting to take her hands and tell her that I knew her mother, the woman who she spoke of at the inquiry. Her mother, Ruby, presumed murdered by Robert Picton, was one of thousands of Indigenous women and girls forgotten by our society. She was there to remind us.
In the moment leading up to meeting Crystal I had no idea that she would become one of the most powerful voices in my own personal transformation and healing journey as I came to understand my own white privilege, and my role and responsibility as a woman who creates safe and inclusive spaces for all women to be seen and heard.
Crystal Hardy, or Zongwe Binesikwe, continues to tirelessly use her voice and bring awareness to issues that need to be exposed, issues that we are, collectively, still afraid to address and heal.
Speaking up on behalf of those who can no longer speak for themselves and those who go unseen is both a painful and loving experience. Yet, she continues. I admire her courage and commitment, and understand the toll it takes on her soul.
Over the past 3 years, I have had the honour of knowing and witnessing Crystal's journey into becoming a powerful Indigenous woman messenger and leader.
I am so excited for her most recent use of her Voice as she has co-authored two books ‘She’s No Longer Silent’ and ‘Lighting the North.’
By supporting Crystal's voice and message we are acknowledging that we acknowledge her truth, have much to learn, and have a responsibility to be part of the change that is long overdue in our country, a country starved for truth and reconciliation.
Keep Sounding Your Voice, Sister. We are listening.
Marlo xo
WISDOM & KNOWLEDGE
Fall 2020
INDIGENOUS REPORTERS PROGRAM
JOURNALISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
2019-2020
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER
MATAWA HEALTH COOPERATIVE
August 2017 to 2019
LECTURER
LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF NURSING
2016-2019
REGIONAL ABORIGINAL CANCER LEAD
CANCER CARE ONTARIO
2014-2017
MANAGER, HEALTH SERVICES
NURSE PRACTITIONER
ANISHNAWBE MUSHKIKI COMMUNITY HEALTH & WELLNESS
2010-2014
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER
DILICO FAMILY HEALTH TEAM
2018-2022
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN NURSING CANDIDATE
QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY
2015
MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH
NURSING SPECIALIZATION
LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY
2015
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
NURSE PRACTITIONER
COUNCIL OF ONTARIO UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS IN NURSING
2005
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING (COMPRESSED PROGRAM)
FIRST CLASS STANDING
LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY
ART AS CEREMONY
Paintings by Zongwe Binesikwe
