On today's episode, Jessica speaks with Dr. Oona Paredes, Associate Professor of Southeast Asian Studies in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA. Oona discusses her understanding of Indigenous Peoples growing up in the Philippines and how her work with the Higaunon Lumad of northern Mindanao has directly challenged those early beliefs. She also describes how Western concept of Indigeneity doesn’t cleanly fit in the context of Southeast Asia. She discusses how she and the the Higaunon Lumad communities she works with have jointly shaped their work together and her vision for this work moving forward.