VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 316
AIR DATE: 02 02 2024
FULL SHOW TRANSCRIPT


OPEN
((Open Animation))
((VO/NAT/SOT))
((Topic Banner))
Tribal Canoe Journey
((SOT))
((Ryder Smith Navajo
UW Shellhouse Canoe family))
I'm going to do it again and again. I actually got this. I accepted this necklace as a promise that I'm going to come back.
((Animation Transition))
((Topic Banner))
Beer Maker
((SOT))
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
I had to find a brewery that would accept me, accept my recipes, allow me to brew there, because obviously I didn't have my own facility and I still don't.
((Animation Transition))
((Topic Banner))
Vietnamese Coffee Sisters
((SOT))
((Shominic Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
We are taking a more modern take on coffee. We are not doing it’s traditional, traditional Vietnamese. We are doing it a little bit more modern, blending it with traditional.
((Open Animation))


((PKG)) TRIBAL CANOE JOURNEY
((TRT: 08:52))
((Topic Banner: Tribal Canoe Journey))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Natasha Mozgovaya))
((Map: Seattle, Washington))
((Main characters: 3 female; 6 male))
((Sub characters: 1 female; 2 male))
((Blurb: For thousands of years, dugout canoes were primary means of travel for the Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest. Tribal Canoe Journey brings together thousands of people on a quest to revive and practice native languages and ancient traditions.
((NATS: Canoe paddlers song))
((Locator: Seattle, Alki Beach, Tribal Journey canoe landing))
((NATS))
((Eric Day Stooltsa
Swinomish tribe))
We call this our ancestral highway, because that's how our ancestors traveled long before the coming of the white man.
((NATS))
((Marilyn Bard
Quinault Tribe, UW Shellhouse Canoe Family))
It makes me feel absolutely ecstatic that this has come from just an idea that my father wanted for the 100-year centennial for the state of Washington, and the Paddle to Seattle, which was coined by the Quileutes. And then from there, it turned into the Tribal Journeys, the Canoe Journeys.
((NATS))
((Eric Day Stooltsa
Swinomish tribe))
I was actually part of the first one in 1989. So, all the tribal leaders at that time got together and talked about bringing the canoe family way life back. And we use this as a catalyst to start that.
((NATS))
((Locator: Seattle, WA - Burke Museum, Carver’s studio))
((Philip H. Red Eagle
UW Native Knowledge In-Residence Program))
My name is Phillip H. Red Eagle. On journey, they call me Uncle Phil. We wanted to use the canoe as a training device for culture, a return to culture. Marilyn Bard, her father was Emmett Oliver. And she had been working for a number of years to make sure his legacy was moving and working.
((NATS))
((Locator: Seattle, UW Shellhouse))
((Marilyn Bard
Quinault Tribe, UW Canoe Family))
My father, because he was the coordinator for the Paddle to Seattle, he wanted to see 100 canoes land on the beach one time in his life. This year, the Paddle to Muckleshoot, already there are over 120 canoes.
((NATS))
((Jared Edge
Kuwlkadim, Willapa Spirit skipper, UW Canoe Family))
I remember us being students, were like, ‘Hey, we know canoe journey is going on. It would be so awesome if we could get together with a group and go do that.’
((NATS))
((Philip H. Red Eagle
UW Native Knowledge In-Residence Program))
The native students had been gifted a canoe called the Willapa Spirit. We wanted to get the paddles made for the canoe. So, I started teaching the making of these paddles.
((NATS))
((Lia-Tui Sarong
Native Hawaiian, UW Canoe family))
I'm trying to get down to the line and make it as flat as possible.
((Alika Bourgette
Native Hawai’ian, UW Shellhouse Canoe family))
I've been carving for a little over a year on this single paddle actually. And really, the process is twofold. You're making it as it's making you into a carver.
((NATS))
((Kariel Galbraith
Tlingit tribe, UW Canoe family))
There's no way to know if you can do it until you prove it to yourself. I'm from the coastal tribe, so we have a canoe culture. I grew up with them around me, but not a lot of people going out in them regularly. I think the main purpose was to find community, to find people who are kind of in similar situations, urban natives usually who are looking for that kind of.
((NATS))
((Locator: Tulalip Bay, Tulalip Reservation Canoe Journey stop))
((Jared Edge
Kuwlkadim, Willapa Spirit skipper, UW Canoe Family))
We’re going to wake up around three in the morning. All my early pullers, this is my first group pulling in the morning. They're going to start getting all of their personal stuff ready so the land crew can throw it in their cars. We're breaking down the tents, making sure people get fed. It [the canoe] can feel how we feel. So, if we're feeling uncomfortable or upset or something on the water, the canoe is going to start reflecting that kind of energy.
((NATS))
((Tulalip tribe member))
May the tide be with you!
O-see-em! [Lushootseed: Thank you, honorable ones!]
((NATS))
((Philip H. Red Eagle
UW Native Knowledge In-Residence Program))
It's both physically and mentally and emotionally a very challenging journey. It's supposed to be. You’re going out to accomplish something. If you're going to have to paddle 30 miles, you have to paddle 30 miles. And that's not easy.
((NATS))
((Eric Day Stooltsa
Swinomish tribe))
You get out there by yourself six to 12 hours a day. It really gives you a lot of time to think about who you are and where you're going in your life.
((NATS))
((Locator: Overnight stop at the Tulalip Reservation))
((Adia Bowen
Upper Skagit tribe, UW Shellhouse Canoe Family))
Canoe Journey is like a combination of so many different cultural things brought together. It's the singing. It's the gifts that you bring to other tribes. And you have to do so many different cultural practices just to go on journey, learn about the tides and understand our earth in a way that's different than your other daily life.
((NATS))
((Philip H. Red Eagle
UW Native Knowledge In-Residence Program))
This is basically a contract. We have the 10 rules of the canoe. An example would be, no abuse of self or others. So that basically means no drugs, no alcohol, and no nastiness.
((NATS))
((Wesley Carrasco
Lenca tribe, UW Shellhouse Canoe Family))
The great thing about journey is that a lot of politics, a lot of those relationships are really brought together, even if there's problems within each other, even if you're beefing with your cousin or your neighbor or whatnot, you really put that aside for journey. It's one of the largest journeys in history. And so, part of it is just waiting your turn to be invited to land ashore. One of the things is you got to always have your paddles up as you're landing to show that you are coming in peacefully.
((NATS))
((Locator: North Tide Canoe, Alaska))
A total of 1500 miles, and it’s our first ever tribal journey and it will not be our last! Our spirits are truly soaring today, being among you all.
((Text on screen: The Muckleshoot Tribe was the host of the 2023 Tribal Canoe Journey.))
You are now our family and we treasure you very close to our hearts. We're very hungry, we're very tired, and we humbly ask permission to come ashore.
((NATS))
((Donny Stevenson
Muckleshoot Tribal Council Vice Chairman))
Welcome, welcome. Welcome to our land. Welcome you to our waters. Welcome you to our shores. We know that our ancestors are here to greet you, and we know that your ancestors have traveled with you. Please come ashore. You have permission.
((NATS))
((Jaison Elkins
Chairman, Muckleshoot Tribal Council))
We rely on everybody to come together to host, from people who just cook fish and shellfish, to prepare medicines, to give away our many different giveaway items. And we expect 8,000 people or so, I’m not too sure, and over a hundred canoes.
((NATS))
((Ryder Smith
Navajo, UW Shellhouse Canoe family))
I'm going to do it again and again. I actually got this. I accepted this necklace as a promise that I'm going to come back.
((NATS))
((Adia Bowen
Upper Skagit tribe, UW Shellhouse Canoe Family))
It makes me feel so just proud and just hopeful. Culture never went away. It just like took a pause. I feel like I understand myself better. I understand my ancestors better.
((NATS))
((Philip H. Red Eagle
UW Native Knowledge In-Residence Program))
It's more than just changing us, ourselves, the native people, but to help change attitudes about how we're treating our planet, because basically Native American culture is very much a environmental process. Being able to share the responsibilities with the environment and the world, because it gives and you give. It's just going to take some time. It took a lot of time for the culture to be taken away, and it'll be at least take that much time to put it back.
((NATS: Canoe paddlers song))


TEASE
((VO/NAT/SOT))
Coming Up….
((Topic Banner))
Beer Maker
((SOT))

BUMP IN ((ANIM))
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((Social Media PKG: FEMALE BOXER))
((TRT: 1:02))
((Original Reporter/Editor: Faiza Elmasry))
((Original Camera/Editor: Mike Burke))
((Social Media Producer/Editor: Lisa Vohra))
((Blurb: Meet Tori "Sho Nuff" Nelson, a boxer who has earned the title of 13-time World Champion boxer while also juggling the responsibilities of being a mother of two kids.))
((Tori Nelson
Boxer, 13-time World Champion))
I didn't choose boxing. Boxing chose me.
((Tori Nelson
Boxer, 13-time World Champion))
I started boxing at like age 29.
((Tori Nelson
Boxer, 13-time World Champion))
Most people started like in their teens but I started very late. But that's to let you know, it's never too late to do anything you want to do.
((Courtesy: Tori Nelson))
Excited crowd here at the Turning Stone Resort. And here comes Tori Nelson.
((Tori Nelson
Boxer, 13-time World Champion))
The walk to the ring, I call it the walk of death because my anxiety would take over so bad, that most of the time I would throw up before a fight.
((Tori Nelson
Boxer, 13-time World Champion))
Once I get hit the first time, I'm like, “Okay, it's on now. Let's get it.” Like I'm smiling. I'm happy because I'm like, I'm up now and it’s fight time.
((NATS: Coach))
You’re trying to chop with those punches. Extend your arms.
((Tori Nelson
Boxer, 13-time World Champion))
You think about it, boxing is like life. You fight. You have to fight to get through life sometimes. I love boxing and I will always love it.
BUMP OUT ((ANIM))
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((PKG)) BEER MAKER
((TRT: 09:11))
((Topic Banner: Beer Maker))
((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))
((Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))
((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))
((Map: Brooklyn, New York))
((Main characters: 1 female; 0 male))
((Sub characters: 1 female; 2 male))
((Blurb: Zahra Tabatabai is brewing craft beer inspired by a grandfather’s recipes and the flavors and ingredients of Iran.))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
My family came originally from Iran to the States to attend university,
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
and they had the intention of going back to Iran, but while they were here, the revolution and the uprising happened in Iran and they decided to stay in the United States.
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
I just started homebrewing at home and creating recipes that had a lot of inspiration and influence from the flavors of the Middle East.
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
My grandfather used to make beer and wine, and there's a very rich history of fermentation and beer brewing specifically in Iran, and so that's what really sparked my interest.
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
It fell during COVID, and so there was this period of time where I was home and involved in remote learning for my son, and a period of time where I think a lot of people started to reflect on their lives and their jobs and what they wanted for the future.
And for me, that is when the shift really happened, was when I was spending more time with
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
my son and I wanted the opportunity to do that in the future.
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
It hasn't panned out that way because being a business owner really does take over your life. So, all morning I've been doing my route and the logistics for my deliveries. And so far, I have done five deliveries. I got one more in the neighborhood, and then I'm going to go load up the car again because this car can only fit so much. So, I'll go back, load up again and continue on the route.
((NATS: Zahra Tabatabai))
All right. Thank you.
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
What took me from homebrewing to bringing this to market was me really educating myself about the history of beer and alcohol in the Middle East and realizing that a lot of people don't realize that there was ever a connection between the two. And so, it was really important for me to highlight that and show people that we have this very rich history that we do not want to be erased from our country. So, my first brew was Persian Blue.
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
It's brewed with a blue salt that comes directly from Iran. That one was really an homage to my family who did put salt in their beer before they drank it. I think a lot of Persian people, a lot of people in that region, when they drink beer or when I saw my family drink beer, it was just a classic lager pilsner. So that's why I decided to go with that style first. When you add salt to it, it really brings out the other flavors. And so, I really feel like in this beer, some people say, “Oh, there's a hint of sweetness.” And I think that the salt does help to kind of pull that and have people taste the sweetness of the grain, and that comes through a little better with the salt.
((Shaun Littman
Owner, Textbook))
Yeah, this is the first time I’ve ever tried Persian Beer and it’s phenomenal. It’s changed our household. Customers love the Back Home Beer. It’s actually our biggest seller here at Textbook.
((NATS: Customers))
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
I had to find a brewery that would accept me, accept my recipes, allow me to brew there, because obviously I didn't have my own facility and I still don't. And so, I reached out just kind of cold, called a lot of different breweries, brewery owners to ask for space and in brewing these recipes. And that's how I landed here at Flagship Brewery.
((Jay Sykes
Co-Owner, Flagship Brewing Co.))
What's special about Back Home Beer is Zahra. She's using, you know, the suppliers and ingredients that we use a lot. But in each one of her beers, she adds something unique.
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
And that's what I think really brings out the story of her brand.
((NATS))
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
All right. So, I'm going to check the invoice. For me, the mission is really about educating people about the history and the culture and the richness of Iran, and also on top of that, the correlation
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
between alcohol and the Middle East, and a lot of misconceptions that people have about it. So that's really important to me. It's also important to highlight different flavors and recipes and ingredients that are familiar to me and bring them into the beer as well.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
I have brought six different beers to market. Some of them are core beers that I have year-round, and the other ones are seasonal drops that are loosely tied to different Persian traditions or holidays.
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
For example, I have New Day IPA, which comes around during Nowruz, which is the Persian New Year, and Nowruz directly translates into New Day. And so that was the name of the beer. I also incorporated three items from our table spread
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
for the New Year, which was apples and sumac and wheat in the beer for a holiday in December that Persians celebrate, where they stay up all night, and they eat, and they're with family, and they read poetry, and they play music. It's a beautiful holiday. And for that one,
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
I made Yalda Queen, and I featured pomegranate, which is one of the foods that people eat during Yalda Night. And most recently, I have the Summer Witte, which was what we loosely called Duality Witte, which was for Pride Month. And it tried to highlight the struggle that people within the LGBTQ [abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning] community have in Iran and specifically in the Middle East, that have this duality they're faced with, that they have to keep themselves hidden for fear of retribution in the region.
((MUSIC))
((Christine Sahadi Whelan
Partner, Sahadi’s (Store)))
My family is, as immigrants from the Middle East, I think that especially in the liquor and wine and wine and beer industry, it's an underrepresented community because people don't think traditionally of the Middle East with a huge beer or a winemaking culture. I really like to know the people that we do business with. I mean, personally, there's something uniquely charming about knowing, you know, the brewer and be able to speak directly to a connection between families. I mean, she gets her sumac from us, and then she makes her Sumac Gose from that. So, it's really, it's great. It makes an easy sell when you know the manufacturer or you know the maker.
((NATS))
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
The core beers that I have, which are the Persian Blue, the Sumac Gose, and the Orange Blossom IPA,
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
those were all designed by a young woman who lives in Tehran. And she had the idea to do a poetry series and to highlight different Persian poets, which is also very core to our culture. And so, we highlighted Omar Khayyam and Rumi, and we put different quotes that we thought were very special to us and spoke to the company. For example, the Sumac Gose can, that one is a Rumi quote that says, “If light is in your heart, you will find your way home.” And I thought that that was very special because that's kind of what we're trying to do with the beer. The beer that you see here, this is the Persian Blue, and this one is an Omar Khayyam quote that says, “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
((Courtesy: Mina M. Jafari))
And it was important for me to feature Iranian women as the designers of the can because I wanted to make sure that I was authentic in what I was trying to do: Give them the opportunity to show how talented they are, and how creative they can be, and how amazing Iranian women can be when given the opportunity.
((Zahra Tabatabai
Founder/Owner, Back Home Beer))
I think that a lot of people that are here in the United States that were displaced or part of the diaspora here in the United States, my parents included, they had every intention of going back to Iran, raising their family in Iran. And I'm hopeful that we'll get the opportunity at some point to do that, especially with what's happening
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
currently with the uprising. And I think that's everyone's dream that's here. They miss their home. And when they go back to Iran or when they see pictures, it's a foreign land to them. It's not something that they recognize because it's only been that way for about 45 years. And so, the hope is that for a free Iran for our people, and that we can go back freely, and that maybe, one day, I can brew the beer there as well.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Zahra Tabatabai))
“Beer is Not a Crime” mural artists Icy and Sot
((MUSIC))

((PKG)) VIETNAMESE COFFEE SISTERS
((Previously aired March, 2023))
((TRT: 05:25))
((Topic Banner: Vietnamese Coffee Sisters))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Scott Stearns))
((Map: Denver, Colorado))
((Main characters: 3 female; 0 male))
((Sub characters: 0 female; 0 male))
((Blurb: Three sisters in the Western U.S. state of Colorado have opened Denver’s first Vietnamese coffee shop, blending brewing traditions with modern tastes.))
((NATS))
((Sashaline Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
We knew we always wanted to open up our own business together. We come from a family of entrepreneurial parents. They did their own business for the longest time and we were always around that environment.
((Courtesy: Nguyen Family))
We each embrace creativity, innovation, something new,
((end Courtesy))
and we each bring something different to the table. So, we wanted to go into business. We thought, you know, what’s…what’s special to us? Vietnamese culture, embracing it, bringing something new. So, Vietnamese coffee shop.
((NATS))
((Shominic Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
So the name ‘ti’, we say ‘tee’ just so it’s easy to pronounce, but it’s actually pronounced ‘thee’ in Vietnamese. It is a term of endearment. It means small or tiny. But Vietnamese people, they also use it as a nickname for
((Courtesy: Nguyen Family))
like their kids or whatever.
((end Courtesy))
So, we just wanted to use it for our brand because we really pride ourselves on just like family. We are all very close-knit. Even in Vietnamese culture, family is a very big thing. And we thought it was important to name our shop that because we do value family so much. All of these little characters, they are our drawings that my mom kept when we were little. She kept all of our doodles and everything. So, each of these characters represents one of us. This one is my doodle when I was little.
((NATS))
((Shasitie Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
I think that having a Vietnamese coffee shop is impactful for our generation just because we have so many coffee shops, and coffee shops is such a culture for everybody. But how many Vietnamese coffee shops can you actually think of?
I think that Vietnamese coffee is completely underrated and not a lot of people know what exactly Vietnamese coffee is. And it is a huge part of coffee culture in general.
((NATS))
((Sashaline Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
This is how we brew our coffee. This is the phin-drip process. These are little phin filters. We have the tamper to put on top. So, it’s essentially a slow-drip coffee. We source it directly from Vietnam, but we roast them here in America, so that they are super fresh. This is what we saw growing up in our childhood. My dad always made Vietnamese iced coffee.
((NATS))
((Shasitie Nguyen that
Co-owner, tí cafe))
We definitely have to cater towards our parents, who were more traditional in their views and ways, and also be more modern, and trendy, and up to date with what’s going on. So, I think that being a Vietnamese coffee shop right in the middle of Denver, it kind of gives a home for those people who are in that third-culture realm.
((NATS))
((Shominic Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
We are taking a more modern take on coffee. We are not doing it’s traditional, traditional Vietnamese. We are doing it a little bit more modern, blending it with traditional. So, we were very nervous in the beginning that older, older Vietnamese groups would judge us for that. They would come…we were so scared they would come in and be like, ‘This is not Vietnamese coffee.’ But we were willing to take that step because we want to push it more towards modern. I think that’s very important with Vietnamese culture because we are so stuck in tradition, we need to take that step forward.
((NATS))
((Shasitie Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
I think that we opened during a peak time for people just because everybody was cooped up for such a long time and they were excited for new businesses. I think everybody came out of the pandemic a lot more open-minded. So, having new places to go visit, like Vietnamese coffee shops, the first Vietnamese coffee shop in Denver, everybody was just wanting to experience something that was new.
((NATS))
((Shominic Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
As a business, as a brand, one of our biggest values is community. And so, opening during the pandemic was great because, I mean obviously, there’s a six-foot difference [distance] thing, but being able to talk to people face-to-face again was a really comforting thing for people that really needed it, who have been like indoors all the time. Being those like consistent faces you see every single day, being able to interact with people was definitely really important to a lot of our regulars now, to our customers. So, I think opening during the pandemic was very vital and helpful for the world because we all needed that interaction. It’s just so important to celebrate our culture as Vietnamese, Asian Americans in America. We wanted to open this business for that.
((NATS))
((Sashaline Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
As sisters, we are comfortable with each other. But we know, we know what pushes each other’s buttons, and sometimes, we do it just out of spite. But in the end, you know, we know that we have to put our differences aside to make it work essentially, like we have our moments, but we’re sisters and we are always going to be sisters first, for sure.
You know, it’s all about compromise in a relationship, whether it’s any kind of relationship. But for the most part, we are lucky that we can go into business as sisters and make it work.
((NATS))
Thank you so much. We really appreciate you.

((PKG)) CONNECT AMERICA
((Title: Nature: Parkway Bike Ride))
((TRT: 2:05))
((Camera/Editor/Producer: Phillip Alexiou))
((Description: Riding along the George Washington Parkway in Alexandria, Virginia along the Potomac River.))

IN COMING WEEKS
((VO/NAT/SOT))
((Topic Banner))
In coming weeks…
Family Fish Camp
((SOT))
((Topic Banner))
Representation in Literature
((SOT))

BUMP IN ((ANIM))
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((Social Media PKG: PHOTOJOURNALIST))
((TRT: 1:00))
((Original Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))
((Original Camera: Aaron Fedor))
((Original Editor: Kyle Dubiel))
((Social Media Producer/Editor: Lisa Vohra))
((Blurb: We travel with a photojournalist who captures the humanity of people caught up in major events around the globe.))
((NATS/MUSIC)
((Adriana Zehbrauskas
Photojournalist))
I always wanted to be a storyteller.
((NATS/SE))
((Adriana Zehbrauskas
Photojournalist))
I did not choose to be a photojournalist.
Photojournalism chose me.
((NATS/SE))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Adriana Zehbrauskas
Photojournalist))
There are many, many challenges.
((Courtesy: Adriana Zehbrauskas))
You have to be ready to jump out of bed and fly to Haiti because there was an earthquake.
((Adriana Zehbrauskas
Photojournalist))
As a photojournalist, you cannot interfere with what's happening in front of you. And that means, I'm not going to stage anything.
((Courtesy: Thomas Fuller))
I'm not going to ask people to do what they're doing.
((Courtesy: Adriana Zehbrauskas))
((Adriana Zehbrauskas
Photojournalist))
It's important for me to take a step back and understand what is my position. To try to be a truthful observer as I can possibly be. ((Courtesy: Adriana Zehbrauskas))
((Adriana Zehbrauskas
Photojournalist))
I think it's a huge privilege to be able to witness and
share stories of other people.
((NATS/SE))
BUMP OUT ((ANIM))

CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
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SHOW ENDS