# Episode 25: Unmarked Burials, Denialism, and the Role of Youth in Reconciliation ft. Benjamin Kucher Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/under-the-mat-a-dark-history-podcast-7022252/episode-25-unmarked-burials-denialism-and-the-role-of-youth-in-reconciliation-ft-benjamin-kucher Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/under-the-mat-a-dark-history-podcast-7022252/episode-25-unmarked-burials-denialism-and-the-role-of-youth-in-reconciliation-ft-benjamin-kucher.md Podcast: [Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/under-the-mat-a-dark-history-podcast-7022252) Published: 2025-09-29T06:01:00+00:00 Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/under-the-mat/episodes/68d5d8d3099369ce42a81214 Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/66ecf454d4cef78b2b23d038/e/68d5d8d3099369ce42a81214/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/under-the-mat-a-dark-history-podcast-7022252/episodes/episode-25-unmarked-burials-denialism-and-the-role-of-youth-in-reconciliation-ft-benjamin-kucher Duration seconds: 2137 ## Resource CORRECTION: 2025 marks the fifth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, not the fourth. Host Aubrianna Snow speaks with Benjamin Kucher about unmarked burials, residential school denialism, balancing academic and community responsibilities, and the future of reconciliation. Benjamin Kucher is a Métis archaeologist, writer, and activist from the Métis Nation of Alberta and a descendant of the Michel First Nation. He is the former Chair of the National Indigenous Advocacy Committee and currently a researcher at the University of Alberta where his research focuses on Métis identity, material culture, and the role of trade beads in shaping cultural practices. Beyond his academic work, Benjamin has been deeply involved in national conversations about truth and memory. He has attended all seven National Gatherings on Unmarked Burials organized by the Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor, where he served as Chair of the Youth Advisory Committee, helping to facilitate dialogue, hold space for Survivors and families, and ensure that youth perspectives are carried into national reports and recommendations. Benjamin is also the Chair of the Canadian Archaeological Association’s Indigenous Issues Committee, where he works alongside the CAA’s Working Group on Unmarked Graves to advance Indigenous leadership, data sovereignty, and the protection of traditional knowledge within the discipline. His writing and advocacy often center on confronting residential school denialism, pushing institutions to move beyond silence, and protecting truth against erasure and distortion. He is the author of We Were Never Theirs, a powerful work that blends scholarship and testimony to confront colonial silencing and to reclaim Indigenous memory. His voice has been featured i… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/under-the-mat-a-dark-history-podcast-7022252/episodes/episode-25-unmarked-burials-denialism-and-the-role-of-youth-in-reconciliation-ft-benjamin-kucher/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/under-the-mat-a-dark-history-podcast-7022252/episode-25-unmarked-burials-denialism-and-the-role-of-youth-in-reconciliation-ft-benjamin-kucher.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.