Native America Calling - The Electronic Talking Circle

The rate of overdose deaths linked to fentanyl is skyrocketing and Native Americans are many times more likely to be affected. The cheap and potent drug is replacing its related cousins — heroin and oxycodone — as the biggest addiction threat. Among the bright spots: the Cherokee Nation is investing in a state-of-the-art in-patient treatment facility to combat the ravages of opioid addiction. GUESTS Chairwoman Angela Elliott-Santos (Manzanita Band of Kumeyaay Nation), chairwoman of the Manzanita Band of Kumeyaay Nation Juli Skinner, senior director of behavioral health for the Cherokee Nation Dr. Joseph Gone (Aaniiih), professor of Anthropology and of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard University Joseph Friedman, researcher at UCLA

Mortgage interest rates have trended down recently, but they're still relatively high compared to previous years. Inflation is also going in a positive direction, but remains a factor for those in the market to buy a home. Whatever the outside variables, there are several resources for Native home buyers. We'll get the latest trends on what is typically the largest single purchase in peoples' lives. GUESTS Jonelle Yearout (enrolled at the Nez Perce Tribe), executive director of the Nimiipuu Community Development Fund Rudy Soto (Shoshone-Bannock), USDA Rural Developoment Idaho State Director Pamela Ranslam, homeownership services manager for Nixyáawii Community Financial Services Dave Castillo, CEO of Native Community Capital

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) is readying a new tool to help people search for information about their relatives who attended more than 500 U.S. boarding schools. The online archive will start with digitized versions of 50,000 federal documents. Those organizing the project hope to build on the number and scope of the records over time. Tens of thousands of Native children attended the schools. Some never returned home. What records there are for those children are scattered among various institutions. The NABS's efforts are among a handful aimed to increasing and consolidating access to information about the boarding school era. GUESTS Selena Ortega-Chiolero (Tarahumara), museum specialist for the Chickaloon Village Traditional Council Fallon Carey (Cherokee Nation), digital archives assistant for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition Deidre Whiteman (Meskwaki, Dakota, Ojibwe, Hidatsa), director of research and education for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition Shelly Lowe (Diné), chair of the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities

The Citizen Potawatomi Nation offers online college-level language courses. They're among the efforts to bring new life to Bodéwadmimwen, with only four fluent speakers remaining. And a private Salish immersion school is working with elders to develop lessons. School administrators say they've produced dozens of new speakers of their language, both young and old. We'll hear from Native language educators about the classroom's role in revitalizing languages. GUESTS LaRae Wiley (Sinixt Arrow Lakes Band), Salish School of Spokane executive director  Christopher Parkin, Salish School of Spokane principal  Robert Collins (Citizen Potawatomi), Potawatomi Language Professor at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center Dr. X̱'unei Lance Twitchell (Lingít, Haida, Yup'ik, and Sami), Professor of Alaska Native Languages at University of Alaska Southeast

Every weekday in Gualala, Calif., radio listeners can tune into the long-running show "Peggy's Place" on KGUA to learn about their neighbors and the rest of the world. The show is just one of the many projects spanning the 50-year radio career of its host, Peggy Berryhill. She started with the show "Living on Indian Time" on KPFA in Berkeley, Calif. in 1973. She has since worked at National Public Radio, helped develop Native stations, mentored Native broadcasters, and founded the Native Media Resource Center. She has picked up numerous awards and accolades along the way. We'll get her take on her notable accomplishments and the future of Native radio. GUEST Peggy Berryhill (Muscogee [Creek] Nation), General Manager of KGUA

Taking on motherhood-by-marriage comes with its own rewards and challenges. The bond between a woman and her partner's children is often strong and fulfilling. But it might take some informed effort to get there. We take a special focus on stepmothers as we head into Mother's Day. GUESTS Paula Johnson-Jefferson (Samson Cree), small business owner, wife, and stepmother    Nico Williams (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma), chef and stepmother Dr. Roger Kuhn (Poarch Band of Creek Indians), licensed marriage and family therapist and college professor of American Indian Studies at San Francisco State University Rebecca Spradlin (Prairie Band Potawatomi), student and storyteller working in media

It's the time of year for graduations in small, reservation high school auditoriums, big city convention centers, tribal college quads, and manicured Ivy League grounds. It will be a year with and without regalia, depending on where you are. Native graduates are taking the next step in their educational journey. GUESTS: Dr. Lennon Audrain (Cherokee and Shawnee), assistant research professor at Arizona State University and high school teacher at Mesa Public Schools Keely Jones Aliseo (Lumbee), UNC Pembroke graduate and recent Army ROTC second lieutenant Jay Locklear (Lumbee), bachelor's in mass communication Dr. Johnny Poolaw (Delaware, Chiricahua Apache, Comanche, Kiowa), Director of Student Success for American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) AJ Begay (Diné), recent graduate of Ft. Lewis College 

Indigenous activists in Central and South America are literally putting their lives on the line trying to protect their land and culture. Places like Brazil, Honduras, Colombia, and parts of Mexico are rife with murders and disappearances of Indigenous people speaking up to save their land and people from large scale mining operations, logging, and other extractive industries. In many cases, those responsible are never brought to justice. We'll explore the factors that contribute to the threat to Indigenous people standing up against corporate development. GUESTS María Martin, award-winning multimedia journalist, founding executive director of Latino USA, and director of GraciasVida Center for Media Nati Garcia (Maya Mam), capacity building manager for Cultural Survival Edson Krenak (Krenak), Cultural Survival lead on Brazil Karla Mendes, investigative and feature reporter for Mongabay and a Rainforest Investigations Fellow with the Pulitzer Center

For more than 30 years, the Indian Arts and Crafts Act has been an important tool for protecting the authenticity and economic value of work produced by Native Americans. It also helps buyers know they're getting what they pay for. Now the U.S Department of Interior is reviewing the law and among the outstanding questions is whether it goes far enough. Should artwork from state-recognized tribal artists be excluded as authentic? How should artwork from Native Hawaiians be identified? GUESTS Chuck Hoskin Jr. (Cherokee Nation), Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Dr. Sylvia Hussey (Native Hawaiian), chief executive officer for Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Rachel Cushman (member of the Chinook Indian Nation), tribal secretary and treasurer for the Chinook Indian Nation Dr. Joe Candillo (Pascua Yaqui), owner of Authentic Native America Arts

Hawai'i has a long association with pineapples. Although the precious fruit likely came to the islands in the 18th Century, it wasn't until industrialized agriculture arrived with the Dole corporation — backed by U.S. military support to overthrow the existing Hawaiian government — that the pineapple became so ubiquitous. Sugar cane has a similar role in colonizing places like Hawai'i, Puerto Rico, and the American Southeast with plantations that flourished at the expense of Indigenous people and culture. GUESTS José Barreiro (Taino), scholar emeritus from the Smithsonian Institution, writer and author of Taino: A Novel Dr. Sydney Iaukea (Native Hawaiian), author of The Queen and I: A Story of Dispossessions and Reconnections in Hawaiʻi and Kekaʻa: The Making and Saving of North Beach West Maui Dr. Gary Okihiro, visiting professor of American studies at Yale University; professor emeritus at Columbia University

After decades of drought, the Navajo and Apache reservations in Arizona are now recovering from flooding that destroyed homes and property. Tribes in California endured record-breaking rains and are bracing for overflowing rivers from mountain snowmelt. California flooding also threatened sacred tribal burial grounds. Tribes are working with state and federal sources to both prepare for such natural disasters and also recover from the devastating damage in the wake of climate change. GUESTS Lisa Christensen (Washoe tribal member), Washoe Tribe Emergency Operations Center operations planning chief Dr. Crystal Tulley-Cordova (Diné), principal hydrologist for the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie (Diné), assistant professor of community and regional planning at the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of New Mexico Sandra Warlie (Bishop Paiute Tribe), public works director for the Bishop Paiute Tribe Brian Adkins, environmental director for the Bishop Paiute Tribe

Longform stories, deep dives into exclusive content, and vivid photos all presented on glossy pages are some of the reasons people continue to read magazines. Titles like “First American Art” and “Native Max” are among the Indigenous-led magazines in the evolving industry that mixes social media, online extras, and the printed page to keep readers coming back. We'll talk with Native publishers about the continuing appeal of magazines. GUESTS America Meredith (enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation), publishing editor of First American Art Magazine, writer, visual artist, and independent curator Kelly Holmes (Cheyenne River [Mnicoujou] Lakota), founder and editor-in-chief of Native Max Magazine Montoya Whiteman (Cheyenne and Arapaho), managing director of editorial and special projects at American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

The Boy Scouts of America is asking its membership whether the organization should reconsider its long practice of incorporating Native words, concepts and ceremonial dances. We look at the organization's history of problematic appropriation including headdresses, fake ceremonies, and public performances based on dances tribes consider sacred.   GUESTS Graham Lee Brewer (citizen of Cherokee Nation), investigative reporter for NBC News Stewart Koyiyumptewa (Hopi), Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Hopi Tribe Robert DesJarlait (Red Lake Ojibwe), writer, artist, and dancer Chief Brad Kills Crow (Delaware Tribe of Indians), Chief of the Delaware Tribe of Indians

The battle over transgender rights is playing out in school bathrooms, sports fields, and doctors' offices. States are enacting strict rules over gender-affirming care, and trans athletes, and even dress codes. Many of the laws face legal challenges over constitutional bans on discrimination. Native trans and Two-Spirit people look at how the new trend could play out. GUESTS Mattee Jim (Diné), trans advocate   Stephanie Byers (Chickasaw), former Kansas state representative for district 86    Montana Wilson (Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, and Sioux), vice chair for Western Native Voice

Earl Old Person was a respected Blackfeet leader and strong proponent of cultural preservation. He was the longest serving elected tribal official in the country. He was an advocate for education up until his death in October 2021 at the age of 92. He lived by example, embodying the language, culture, and accomplishments of the Blackfeet Nation. GUESTS John Murray (Blackfeet), Blackfeet tribal historic preservation officer Erlina Old Person (Blackfeet), daughter of Chief Sen. Susan Webber (Blackfeet), Montana State Senator (D-MT 8th)

Jir Anderson's Native music project is coming off a successful series of concerts in Las Vegas. He brings his unique artistic vision back to Albuquerque for a multi-venue celebration of music, art, and fashion. GUESTS Jir Anderson (Cochiti Pueblo), lead singer for the Jir Project band and founder of Native Guitars Tour Alicia Ortega (Santa Clara and Pojoaque Pueblo), Native Guitar Tours development strategist Scotti Clifford (Oglala Lakota) singer-songwriter Rod Lacey (Navajo and Mescalero Apache) - guitarist and songwriter with The Old Main

The annual Gathering of MCs event in Albuquerque enters its second decade, celebrating hip-hop with a Native punch. Vel Nine, MAZZI & S.O.U.L Purpose, and Nataanii Means are among the artists appearing live. We talk with musician and Gathering of MCs founder DEF-I (Diné) and rapper/singer A$h Da Hunter (Yavapai-Apache Nation) about the event and the direction of Native hip-hop.

Twitter is one of the social media outlets that help individuals connect with each other - and is a tool for outlets like Native America Calling to connect with the public. But Twitter has been making some erratic decisions lately, some of which are giving people misleading information. And some could be dangerous. Are they crossing the line for some Twitter users? GUESTS B. Toastie Oaster (citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), staff writer at High Country News Raven Payment (Ojibwe and Mohawk), member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Task Force of Colorado Jourdan Bennett-Begaye (Diné), editor for Indian Country Today and member of the board of directors for the Native American Journalists Association

Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman was named a TIME100, the magazine's list of 100 most influential people of 2023. He's a high-profile leader in the Native American food movement, the founder of non-profit groups advocating for food sovereignty, and the founder of the award-winning restaurant Owamni. Also shaking things up in the kitchen is Kickapoo chef and owner of Wahpepah's Kitchen, Crystal Wahpepah. She went head-to-head with celebrity chef Bobby Flay on the Food Network culinary competition show “Beat Bobby Flay”. In this episode of The Menu, we catch up with both chefs and also hear about how all the tribes in one state are providing traditional foods for their elders.   GUESTS   Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota), chef and owner of Owamni, co-founder of The Sioux Chef and North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS)   Crystal Wahpepah (Kickapoo and Sac and Fox), chef and owner of Wahpepah's Kitchen   Marlon Skenandore (Oneida Nation citizen), manager, Oneida Emergency Food Pantry

Denise Lajimodiere (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe) is approaching her fifth decade in education as an elementary school teacher, principal, and college professor. She is among the founders of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. A vote by North Dakota's legislature has just named Lajimodiere the state's first Native American poet laureate.

Ojibwe inventor Danielle Boyer is on a quest to make technology more accessible to interested Native students. She's given away some 8,000 robots through her program Every Kid Gets A Robot. She's also developed a low-cost, wearable robot that helps teach Indigenous languages. She's among groups of creative, science-savvy Native young people working to make connections between robots and education.  GUESTS Danielle Boyer (enrolled citizen of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), robotics inventor  Myra Mendez (Mescalero Apache and Gros Ventre), elementary secretary for Mescalero Apache Schools  Nate Raynor, high school science teacher for Mescalero Apache Schools

The Shinnecock Nation is seeing their first cannabis dispensaries opening. They are among a rush of weed businesses among New York tribes as the state starts welcoming recreational use sales. The same is happening all across the country—in Minnesota, New Mexico, California, and Nevada—as tribes see new economic development opportunities in places where cannabis is no longer prohibited by state law.   GUESTS Mary Jane Oatman (Nez Perce and descendant of the Delaware Tribe), founder of the Indigenous Cannabis Coalition & THC Magazine and the executive director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association  Rob Pero (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), founder and president of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association and owner of Canndigenous Chenae Bullock (enrolled member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation), managing director of Little Beach Harvest Gary Farmer (Cayuga, Tuscarora and Mohawk), actor and musician

As the nation continues to debate restrictions on guns, a number of Native nations have their own gun laws that visitors aren't always aware of. A number of tribes, including the Navajo Nation, prohibit possessing guns of any kind, even in vehicles on their reservations. Violating the law could mean permanently forfeiting your firearms.  At the same time, proposed federal legislation would make it easier for tribal citizens to acquire guns using only their tribal ID. GUESTS: Joe Talachy (from the Pueblo of Pojoaque), owner and founder of Indigenous Arms Katherine Florey, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at UC Davis Ann Tweedy, professor at the University of South Dakota School of Law

It's coming down to the wire for the South Dakota State Board of Education Standards to decide on the social studies standards submitted by the state Department of Education. Those standards took out many references to Indigenous history recommended by a workgroup comprised of tribal representatives and educators from across the state. Tuesday on Native America Calling, we find out why South Dakota's nine tribes and the state School Superintendents Association oppose the standards as written with Dr. Sherry Johnson, education director for the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate (enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate); Sarah White (Oglala Lakota), executive director of the South Dakota Education Equity Coalition; and Josie Green (Oglala Lakota), executive director for Waawanglake, the South Dakota region of Teach for America.

Researchers and environmental advocates don't know much yet about mining minerals off the bottom of the ocean floor, but the race to learn is on because large mining companies will soon start scooping up unrefined cobalt, manganese, copper, and nickel from the sea bed to help satisfy growing demand for such metals for things like batteries. The environmental activist group Greenpeace lists Indigenous groups from at least 34 nations that have come out against the practice. Today on Native America Calling, we do a deep dive with Dr. Brittany Kamai (Native Hawaiian), astrophysicist, water woman, and ocean advocate, and Noah Paoa (Rapa Nui), Ph.D candidate with a focus on sea level rise at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.

When the United States took action to preserve what is now known as Yosemite National Park, they encountered a major problem: it was home to a number of Indigenous people from several tribes. The federal government expelled the Native residents. Some right away, others over time. It's a scene that continues to play out across the globe. Today on Native America Calling, we take a look at a new graphic comic by Gord Hill (member of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation) and a series of articles from Grist which reveal the bloody legacy of conservation in light of the current push to preserve 30% of the Earth's land by 2030 with Tristan Ahtone (Kiowa), editor-at-large at Grist; environmental journalist Blanca Begert; and Maria Parazo Rose, spatial data analyst at Grist.

The nation's largest federally-owned public utility is making moves to repatriate nearly 4,800 human remains and 1,400 ceremonial objects. It is just a portion of what ProPublica reports is the 8th largest collection of unrepatriated Native American remains in the U.S. held by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). TVA collected the remains it encountered as it developed land in at least three states. The agency, and five affiliate institutions including the University of Tennessee, are holding the remains. Today on Native America Calling, we learn more about this major repatriation effort with Shannon O'Loughlin (Choctaw), attorney and CEO of the Association on American Indian Affairs; Meg Cook, TVA senior archaeologists and NAGPRA; and Marianne Shuler, TVA senior specialist and tribal liaison.

After removal from their home and an arduous and deadly forced march, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation arrived in Oklahoma with little more than a promise that they could revive and rebuild their homeland. Now, a century and a half later, the U.S. Supreme Court re-established the keystone of that promise in the McGirt v. Oklahoma decision that reasserted Muscogee agency over the land provided in treaty. Today on Native America Calling, Robert Miller (Eastern Shawnee), law professor at Arizona State University and tribal judge. and Robbie Ethridge, professor emerita of anthropology at University of Mississippi, explore the importance of the decision in its historical and legal context, as laid out in their new book A Promise Kept: The Muscogee (Creek) Nation and McGirt V. Oklahoma.

A new study confirms many tribes' oral histories that Native Americans utilized horses long before Europeans entered the picture. Previous theories attributed Spanish settlers with introducing horses to the Indigenous people they encountered in North America. Today on Native America Calling, we dig into a new study, published in the journal Science, that finds anthropological evidence which suggests tribes domesticated horses almost a century before the Spanish brought horses to tribes in New Mexico with Chance Ward (Lakota from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe), grad student at the University of Colorado Boulder and a graduate research assistant at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History; Carlton Shield Chief Gover (Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma), assistant professor of anthropology at Indiana University and curator of public archaeology at the Indiana University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology; Yvette Running Horse Collin (Oglala Lakota Nation), Executive Director and Principle Science Officer of Taku Škaŋ Škaŋ Wasakliapi: Global Institute for Traditional Sciences; and Will Taylor, Assistant Professor, Curator of Archaeology, University of Colorado Boulder.

A proposed gold mine in southwest Alaska promises riches for investors and Alaska Native workers alike over nearly three decades. The open pit Donlin Gold Mine has the necessary federal permits in place. But several Alaska Native villages and environmental groups say the cost to retrieve the gold is too high, harming the health and livelihoods of the people who live there. A coalition of tribal and environmental groups are suing to halt the mine. Today on Native America Calling, we hear more about the history, economic promise, and potential threats to the people, wilderness, and wildlife the Donlin Gold Mine poses with Thom Leonard (Tribal member, Chevak Native Village), Calista Vice President of Corporate Affairs; Tisha Kuhns (Tribal member, Akiachak Native Community), Calista Vice President of Land and Natural Resources; Tom Waldo, senior advisor for Earthjustice and the tribes; Sophie Swope (Yup'ik), director of Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition; Council member and elder John Andrew (village of Kwethluk); and Organized Village of Kwethluk president Boris Epchook.

This week the Reservation Economic Summit (RES) is celebrating the new class of Native 40 under 40. The annual group selected by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development includes attorneys, educators, business owners, visionaries, and elected leaders who are making a difference in their respective communities, including Andi Murphy, our own senior producer and host of the Toasted Sister podcast. Today on Native America Calling, we meet Travis Ruiz (Cheyenne and Arapaho), speaker of the legislator for the Arapaho District 3 of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes; model and activist Quannah Rose Chasinghorse (Hän Gwich'in and Sicangu-Oglala Lakota); and Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren (Diné).

Spring is the time when many Native athletes dust off their running shoes and compete in events like the 400 meter sprint, hurdles, relay, high jump, and shot put. Today on Native America Calling, we speak with Kutoven "Ku" Stevens (Yerington Paiute), cross country runner at the University of Oregon; Ahli-sha Stephens (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Cherokee High School head track and field coach and head cross country coach (boys and girls); Tiajhae Nez (Navajo), Haskell Indian Nations University sophomore and long distance runner; and Jeremy Bockus (Blackfeet), Haskell Indian Nations University freshman and middle distance runner.

For Native folx, raising public awareness about the importance of hair is an ongoing struggle. Some North Carolina families are fighting a school policy that says their first graders must cut their hair. Their parents say the school is forcing the boys to give up an important part of their culture. A Native hair dresser helped change policy about hair in her states. And bestselling author Carole Lindstrom (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe/Métis) and illustrator Steph Littlebird (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde) are working to inform people with their children's book My Powerful Hair. Today on Native America Calling, we check in on the meaning and importance of Native hair with Carole Lindstrom, author of My Powerful Hair; Ashley Lomboy (Waccamaw Siouan), mother of Logan Lomboy; and Afro-Indigenous activist Amber Starks (Muscogee Creek Nation and African-American) in a pre-recorded interview.

The Vatican's recent repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery has been described as a "major step" by some Indigenous leaders, but for others, the Holy See has a long way to go before it can heal the centuries of pain caused by the doctrine's colonization and control. Today on Native America Calling, we speak with Steve Newcomb (Shawnee and Lenape), author of Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery and cofounder and director of the Indigenous Law Institute, and Bruce McIvor (Métis), lawyer and partner at First Peoples Law.

There are three dozen tribal colleges and universities around the country. None of them have a doctoral program. But that's all set to change this fall when Navajo Technical University starts up an accredited advanced degree track in Diné culture and language sustainability. Administrators say it will bolster language preservation, but also lead to research aimed at tackling specific issues on the Navajo Nation. The new program also represents a major leap forward for Native higher education and could be a model for other tribal colleges that are looking to both increase their educational attainment and provide culturally-specific academic insights to help tribal citizens. Today on Native America Calling, we speak with Dr. Wafa Hozien, dean and head of Diné and graduate studies, and Dr. Colleen Bowman (Navajo), provost for Navajo Technical University.

Native agriculture producers and the federal government have an opportunity right now to collaborate in everyone's best interests. That's one of the messages from the first-ever State of Native Agriculture Address hosted by the Native American Agriculture Fund. And the thawing ground means it's time to start planning your garden. Today on Native America Calling, our resident foodie Andi Murphy serves up the latest helping of The Menu, our regular special feature on Native food news and sovereignty, with Zach Ducheneaux (Cheyenne River Sioux), USDA Farm Service Agency administrator; Nick Taylor (Navajo), CEO of NN Shopping Centers Inc.; and Rowen White (Akwesasne Mohawk), farmer, seed keeper, and founder of Sierra Seeds. Plus, a special treat from Andi's sister Alisha Murphy, who caught up with Victoria Largo, the new brick-and-mortar restauranteur who defied the odds in one Navajo community when she opened Victoria's PIZZA.

Lozen (Chiricahua Apache) was known as a fearless warrior, battle strategist, and healer in New Mexico and Arizona. Buffalo Calf Road Woman (Northern Cheyenne) fought next to her husband at the Battle of Little Bighorn and was even believed to have delivered the fatal blow to George Armstrong Custer. Today on Native America Calling, as we wrap up National Women's History Month, we learn more about these two Native female warriors and others with Carol Murray ([Blackfeet] Pikuni), retired administrator for the Blackfeet Community College; Eryn Wise (Jicarilla Apache and Laguna Pueblo), land and body sovereignty advocate; and Sgt. First Class Keshon Smith (Ft. McDermitt Paiute and Shosone Indian Reservation), president of Native American Women Warriors (NAWW).

A spate of preventable deaths from suicide, drugs, violence, and inadequate health care has prompted a regional First Nation body in Canada to declare a state of emergency. The Keewatin Tribal Council is calling for immediate government action to correct what 11 First Nations are calling a dire situation. Today on Native America Calling, we find out how the First Nations are coping with Keewatin Tribal Council Grand Chief Walter Wastesicoot (from York Factory First Nation) and George Neepin (Fox Lake Cree Nation), chief executive officer of the Keewatin Tribal Council.

The Yurok Tribe hired its own investigator to pursue unsolved cases of their citizens who are missing or murdered. Arizona is among the states establishing an MMIP task force that the new governor says will “ensure that not one more Indigenous man, woman, or child is a target of violence, abuse, or exploitation.” The actions are part of the attempts to address the slow momentum to investigate and solve cases with Native victims. Today on Native America Calling, we speak with Jessica Carter (Yurok), Yurok Tribal Court Director; Daisy Bluestar (Southern Ute), member of the MMIR Taskforce in Colorado; Skye Alloway (Forest County Potawatomi tribal member), co-chair of Wisconsin's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force; and Annie Forsman-Adams (Suquamish), program director for the Washington State Native American Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (Women Spirit Coalition).

Kelli Mosteller (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) is the executive director of Harvard University's Native American Program. Prior to that position, she was the director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center, as well as the tribal historic preservation officer. For over a decade she has been working on repatriating remains under the Native American Graves Protection Act (NAGPRA). Recently, it was announced she would also serve on the National Museum and Library Services Board, which does advisory work with museums, libraries, and information services throughout the country. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce speaks with Mosteller about her work with Harvard and her tribe on our regular feature Native in the Spotlight.   

In Defense of Sovereignty: Protecting the Oneida Nation's Inherent to Self-Determination by author Rebecca Webster (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin), assistant professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota, examines a 20-year jurisdictional dispute between the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and the town of Hobart. Today on Native America Calling, we talk with Webster on our regular feature Native Bookshelf as well as Kinsale Drake (Diné), poet and founder of NDN Girls Book Club.

Indigenous-owned businesses like The Rez Life, The NTVS, OXDX, and Section 35 help drive casual Native fashion by turning out jackets, shorts, and beanies stitched with Native art and shirts splashed with words and phrases like “Land Back”, “Resilient”, and “Skoden.” Streetwear is casual fashion that draws from the aesthetic elements of sportswear, hip-hop, punk, and skateboard - and mixes in community vibes and coolness. Indigenous fashion shows include the latest in streetwear and Indigenous celebrities like Amber Midthunder and the cast of Reservation Dogs drip Native streetwear and carry with them messages of cultural vibrancy, strength, and resistance everywhere they go. Today on Native America Calling, we speak with Ricko DeWilde (Athabascan), hunter and owner of HYDZ Gear; Justin Louis (member of the Samson Cree Nation), creative director and founder of Section 35; and Sean Rayland-Boubar (Anishinaabe from Sagkeeng First Nation), founder and owner of Red Rebel Armour.

The nation's only live, call-in radio show devoted to Native issues and from a Native perspective is approaching its 28th year on the air. There have been many changes over the years, but one constant vision: to amplify the Native voices who are most needed when it comes to Native issues. Today on a special edition of Native America Calling, we hear from some of the people who make this program possible that you may not have heard from before and look to the future.

As Muslims prepare for the holy month of Ramadan, a small number of Native Americans are among them. Whether they've converted to Islam or it was brought into their culture by marriage, Native people who practice Islam often have to seek out fellow Muslims. Today on Native America Calling, we examine the intersection of Islam and Native culture with Ashley Wolford (Choctaw), community organizer and participant of the Native American and Indigenous Muslim Stories (NAIMS) project; NAIMS participant LaTanya Barlow (Navajo); and Samira Brotherson (African American), founder of Hidaya Women's Resource and Advocacy Program.

Listen to the full ceremony audio above or watch the video below.    Koahnic Broadcast Corp. Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 20, 2023 Native America Calling, produced by Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, receives National Humanities Medal   Anchorage, Alaska – Koahnic Broadcast Corporation is pleased to announce that its daily public affairs show Native […]

The Indian Child Welfare Act is more than a legal argument. The law, now more than 40 years old, is an important element in individual child development, family structure, and the continuation of culture. A decision is pending from the U.S. Supreme Court that could determine the fate of ICWA. Supporters of the law worry the decision could erode the most important legacy it has forged over the decades. Today on Native America Calling, in a special live broadcast from Washington, D.C., Shawn Spruce gets a perspective of ICWA from those who have lived it with Adriann Ricker (enrolled member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes), research associate at Johns Hopkins School for Nursing; Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Ojibwe), national correspondent for ICT; and Julia Lurie, journalist at Mother Jones.

YVHIKV (Mvskoke) and Hayatheus make up the group T H R O N E and they're out introducing audiences to their latest single "Eels in the Water//Night". Since their debut album "Lionfish," released last year, T H R O N E has been garnering a big following on social media with their soulful and melodic sound. Pete Sands (Diné) & the Drifters keep releasing new singles and even ended up on the popular series "Yellowstone". The band says it embodies the true spirit of the term "Dirt Floor Honky Tonks". Today on Native America Calling, we sample new music with T H R O N E and Pete Sands as well as country artist Jade Turner (member of Misipawistik Cree Nation) and Hataaliinez “Hataałii” Wheeler (Diné) on our regular feature Native Playlist.