Native America with Colton Shone

Natalie Benally is a Native American performer who has experience on stage and in film. She has been heard by thousands of Diné families as the Diné-dubbed voice of Dory in Finding Nemo. An up-and-coming filmmaker, Benally is currently working to produce her own short films.

Dr. Shawna Begay is from Window Rock, Ariz. She has always wanted to pioneer a way for Navajo children to learn their native tongue. After receiving her PhD from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Dr. Begay started to make her dream into a reality with a new puppet show called Dine Binaalkid Time.

I recently went on a road trip to South Dakota with my mom and sister, Autumn. I talked to her about what it's like to be an indigenous woman working in education on the Rosebud Reservation. Autumn talks about her experience at Yale University, protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline on the Standing Rock Reservation, and culture preservation. This is also a fun look at our relationship as brother and sister!

This episode contains two interviews with journalist Antonia Gonzales and fashion designer Loren Aragon. Gonzales anchors and produces National Native News that airs on radio station across the country. She talks about her experience covering indigenous issues and how she hopes to inspire other Native storytellers. Aragon hails from the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico. He took home the title of Designer of the Year for Phoenix Fashion Week for his couture fashion line Emergence. He hopes to tell the story of Acoma people through his Native designs.

Shaandiin Tome is a young Navajo filmmaker. Her short film Mud premiered at Sundance Film Festival. It deals with heavy subject matter including alcoholism and addictin in Native communities, estrangement and cultural identity crisis.

Andrea B. Good is a Navajo actress from New Mexico. She's been in dozens of film and television shows. Her goal is to break down stereotypes of Natives in film and television.