Eskasoni twins start podcast
Maisyn Sock says the podcast is a way to honour their grandmother
ESKASONI — A set of twins from Eskasoni First Nation in Cape Breton, N.S. has started a podcast about life as Mi’kmaw women in their early 20s.
Maisyn and Camyrn Sock, 21, started Burnt Toast & Pitewey, (tea in English), to share their personal stories and to honour their late grandmother, Elizabeth Paul.
The title was inspired by their grandmother, a lifelong Mi’kmaw language advocate and educator who died last year. The pair say their grandmother helped raise them and they picture her drinking tea, eating toast and laughing, so the name was obvious. Camyrn Sock came up with the name and they ran with it.
“It helps me feel more connected to my Kiju,” said Maisyn.
Maisyn said burnt toast is subjective — while one person may view a piece of toast as burnt, another may want it a little more toasted.
“It just spoke to me,” she said. Their first episod, “Who are you?” was uploaded on Nov. 5 and worked to introduce the pair to their audience.
They hope to keep it light and funny in honour of their grandmother, whom they describe as blunt and funny. However, they also want to explore identity and racism in upcoming episodes. Maisyn said she didn’t want it to be necessarily an
Indigenous podcast, but everything she does is Mi’kmaq, so the podcast is Mi’kmaq. And Camyrn hopes to meet new people.
“I’m thinking about people I want to have conversations with, and I don’t know where that will lead me but it’s people that I’m drawn to,” she said.
Maisyn sees their podcasts as an avenue to be vulnerable and tell stories about their experiences, like when Camyrn spent time in Ghana or how they helped each other heal. Maisyn said she could never have done a podcast without Camryn.
“My sister is an example of true love,” said Maisyn.
She said her sister is her rock and validates some of her opinions but also isn’t afraid to challenge her if she’s doing something wrong.
Camyrn feels the same way and described Maisyn as her biggest teacher.
And they do have some differences: Camyrn said her sister is a naturalborn leader who is often blunt and outspoken, while she sees herself as a little more reserved.
“She's my best friend,” said Camryn.
And Maisyn said they’re a workin-progress but have mostly heard positive feedback and they hope to continue to improve. Mostly, Maisyn said, their audience should expect to hear two sisters who love each other and share how they’re growing.
“We're just two regular rez chicks trying to have fun,” said Maisyn.
The podcast can be found on Spotify and Apple podcast and new episodes are uploaded every Monday and Thursday.