Native America Calling

Mi’kmaq fiddler and songwriter Morgan Toney’s brand new album hopes to Heal The Divide for listeners. Shoshone poet and writer Tanaya Winder is releasing her first album of music, Call Back Your Heart, soon. And Navajo-fronted Tucson band The Reztones are bringing their high energy psychobilly sound on the road in their home state of Arizona and packing songs from their latest album, Chest Full of Arrows. We’ll add these artists to our Native Playlist and hear samples of their work. GUESTS Morgan Toney (Mi’kmaq), Mi’kmaq fiddler, singer, and songwriter Ace Begay (Diné), vocalist for The Reztones Tanaya Winder (Southern Ute, Pyramid Lake Paiute, Diné, and enrolled with the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe) musical artist, writer, and motivational speaker

Ahtna Athabascan elder Katie John’s efforts to get the state of Alaska to open up subsistence fishing in her Native Village of Batzulnetas turned into a series of legal and policy decisions that continue to protect Alaska Native fishing rights to this day. Daring Chickasaw aviator and legislator Eula Pearl Carter Scott was the youngest person in the country to fly an airplane solo. By age 14, she was working as a commercial pilot. She retired from flying to go on to work as the tribe’s Community Health Representative, and later as a tribal legislator. We’ll learn about the contributions of these and other notable Native women. GUESTS Jeannie Barbour (Chickasaw Nation), Chickasaw Nation creative development director Heather Kendall-Miller (Dena'ina Athabascan [Curyung tribe]), Native American Rights Fund attorney Liz Lovejoy Brown, executive director of the Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center

The Donald Trump Administration is using the full force of the federal government to compel colleges and universities to do away with scholarships, recruiting, academic programs and any other initiatives that help Native students succeed. Schools risk losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding in addition to defending against investigations by the Department of Justice and other agencies. At least 50 schools are facing such investigations for what the U.S. Department of Education calls “race exclusionary” practices. We’ll get a look at the sweeping changes the Trump Administration is bringing about and how Native education advocates are responding. GUESTS Cheryl Crazy Bull (Sicangu Lakota), president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund Carrie Billy (Diné), education consultant and former president and CEO of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Zonnie Gorman (Diné), historian and daughter of Dr. Carl Gorman, one of the original Navajo Code Talkers

Author Marcie Rendon (White Earth Nation) continues to put her favorite Ojibwe protagonist, Cash Blackbear, into a nail biting search for another murderer in Broken Fields. It’s the fourth in Rendon’s Cash Blackbear series about a tough independent young woman who loves working the land of the Red River Valley as a farm hand and has a special intuition for solving crime. There’s more than the usual slots and tables at the ocean-themed Hidden Atlantis Casino on the fictional Languille Lake Reservation. Something dark has the power over casino patrons and only Marion Lafournier and his cousins know what’s up. Passing Through a Prairie Country by Dennis E. Staples (Red Lake Nation) takes readers through dimensions that Marion must navigate to save the souls of his people.

Two Native students are among the recent winners of one of the most prestigious science research competitions for high school students. Logan Lee (Native Hawaiian) and Ava Grace Cummings (Lumbee and Coharie) placed in the top 10 among thousands of contestants in the Regeneron Science Talent Search. It’s the first time two Indigenous students were awarded prizes in the competition’s 83-year history. We’ll hear about their drive for science excellence. We’ll also check in with the author of Kindred Spirits: Shilombish Ittibachvffa. It’s a children’s book by Leslie Stall Widener and illustrator Johnson Yazzie highlighting the enduring connection between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland. GUESTS Ava Grace Cummings (Lumbee and Coharie), senior at North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Logan Lee (Native Hawaiian), senior at ‘Iolani School Leslie Widener (Choctaw), author of Kindred Spirits: Shilombish Ittibachvffa

At least 1.2 million Americans have died from COVID-19; thousands of them just since January. As the nation marks five years since the pandemic-causing virus appeared in this country, we’ll look at how Native Americans have recovered — and how they haven’t. Businesses closed down or have yet to regain their pre-pandemic levels, school enrollment remains weakened, and trust in medical science — something Native Americans already lacked — is diminished. We’ll examine what we learned from the unprecedented public health emergency five years later. GUESTS Gwendena Lee-Gatewood (White Mountain Apache), former chairwoman of the White Mountain Apache Tribe Dr. Rebecca St. Germaine (Lac Courte Oreilles), director of tribal health care administration at St. Germaine Data Innovations Jonathan Nez (Diné), former Navajo Nation President Lavinia Cody (Diné), certified school Diné counselor

An entire wall of one school building is buckling after a leaky roof went unattended for 19 years. Students at another school have to go home to use the bathroom during the day because the school’s water pipes burst. Exposed insulation hangs from the ceiling in another school. For more than a quarter century, the Alaska legislature has devoted only a fraction of the funds needed to keep the public school buildings that serve a predominantly Alaska Native student population functioning properly. We’ll hear about the investigation by KYUK in collaboration with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network and NPR’s Station Investigations Team that exposed a problem many years in the making. GUESTS Emily Schwing, KYUK senior reporter Jason Dropik (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), National Indian Education Association executive director

The death of a 14-year-old San Carlos Apache girl is spurring questions nationally about what could have been done to prevent the tragedy. Emily Pike’s remains were found three weeks after she went missing from a Mesa, Ariz. group home. A candlelight vigil over the weekend honored her memory. At least one other community event is scheduled. Her death also comes after authorities identified the remains found at a Winnipeg landfill as one of the women suspected to be a victim of a serial killer. We’ll hear about both cases in context of pressure to improve the outcomes for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. GUESTS Mary Kim Titla (San Carlos Apache), executive director of United National Indian Tribal Youth Jolyana Begay-Kroupa (Diné), chief executive officer of the Phoenix Indian Center Kim Wheeler (Anishinaabe and Mohawk), journalist and host of The Kim Wheeler Show on Sirius XM Sandra DeLaronde (Cross Lake First Nation and Métis), MMIWG2S advocate

Military veterans make up just under a third of the thousands of federal job cuts that the White House has imposed since January. On top of that, the Trump Administration indicates it intends to cut 80,000 jobs from Veterans Affairs. We’ll explore how those cuts are being felt by the population that traditionally has the highest military participation compared to any other group. GUESTS Dean Dauphinais (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians), business owner, entrepreneur, and Marine Corps veteran Robert Hunter Sr. (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, and Northern Cheyenne), director of MHA Veterans Affairs and Army veteran

Native Americans have a lower risk of developing skin cancer than their white counterparts. But a more comprehensive look at the disease over ten years’ time shows gaps in how skin cancer among Native people is counted. It also signals problems in awareness, diagnosis, and treatment among people who live in poverty or in rural areas. We’ll look at the links between Native Americans and skin cancer, and get a reminder about what to look for. GUESTS Dr. Anna Chacon (Maya), board certified dermatologist Dr. Rachel Asiniwasis (Plains Cree and Saulteaux First Nations), dermatologist and clinician researcher Melissa Buffalo (Meskwaki Nation), Chief Executive Officer at American Indian Cancer Foundation

Tribal and state public health efforts in New Mexico are credited with cutting the Native American suicide rate in that state by 43% over a year’s time. It’s even more notable in that the percent reduction is more than five times that of the rest of the population. There are still troubling statistics, including a study that shows Native American young people at most risk. We’ll hear from suicide prevention experts about where problems persist and what is being done to offset them. GUESTS Shelby Rowe (Chickasaw), executive director of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center Dr. Deidre Yellowhair (Diné), research assistant professor in the division of community behavioral health for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of New Mexico Lynette Hepa (Iñupiaq), director of the department of health and social services for the North Slope Borough Amanda WhiteCrane (Northern Cheyenne), director of the Native & Strong Lifeline with the Volunteers of America Western Washington

A play in Burbank, Calif. exposes the frustrations Native Americans often express about the ongoing tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). The largely Native production, Four Women In Red, portrays a group of women who learn they’re largely alone in finding out information about missing loved ones. The play comes at a time of job cuts for Department of Interior officials and federal law enforcement officers. At the same time, the Trump Administration announced new efforts to identify remains of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and reunite them with their families. Some states, including New Mexico, are making moves to reinforce their efforts to solve MMIP crimes. GUESTS Sen. Angel Charley (Acoma Pueblo and Navajo) (D-Acoma, NM) Laura Shamas (Chickasaw) playwright LaRenda Morgan (Cheyenne and Arapaho) MMIP chapter chair and government affairs officer for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes William J. Horton (Choctaw) Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit regional agent in charge Darlene Gomez, attorney and activist for MMIP

Iowa is testing new legal limits as the first state to remove gender identity as a protected class in the state’s civil rights code. The Trump administration is also removing transgender service personnel from the military. And the State Department is using existing law against fraud to bar foreign transgender athletes from entering the country, something critics worry could be used to ban any trans traveler. After years of progress, Native American trans residents are facing a major rollback of favorable laws and policies. We’ll hear about the current public climate and what might be in store for the future. GUESTS Shelby Chestnut (Assiniboine), executive director of the Transgender Law Center Stephanie Byers (Chickasaw), former Kansas state representative Vernon Gonzales (Houma), trans advocate Shuína Skó (Klamath Tribes), Two-Spirit poet, author, & cultural consultant

Among the shows and films touching on Native American themes is the start of season three of the suspenseful Dark Winds crime saga on AMC. The well-received show has new mysteries with Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), and Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) among many other Native characters. The show just got confirmed for a fourth season. The Netflix limited series American Primeval is a violent retelling of the American West with several significant Native storylines and characters. And fresh off its Academy Award nomination, Sugarcane is a hard-hitting documentary about the Canadian residential school system. GUESTS Julie O’Keefe (Osage Nation), Indigenous cultural consultant for American Primeval Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk), editor and founder of NativeViewpoint. com and a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic Dezbaa’ (Diné), SAG-AFTRA union actor, WGA union writer, independent filmmaker, and Helen Atcitty in Dark Winds

President Donald Trump has promised to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. Education advocates worry about what that means for the $119 billion the federal government sends to public K-12 schools and what becomes of the programs supporting Native American students. We’ll get a sense of what the future for Native primary and secondary education along with concerns from Native educators and policy advocates.

Federal staff layoffs, spending freezes and other executive orders by the Donald Trump administration jeopardize food pathways for tribes and federal grants and loans for Native farmers. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is helping conservation of an endangered fish called the Sicklefin Redhorse. It has a long and traditional relationship with the tribe in the southeast. The first children’s book by Squamish ethnobotanist Leigh Joseph teaches young about Indigenous plant knowledge and harvesting. This Land Knows Me: A Nature Walk Exploring Indigenous Wisdom is an engaging lesson on the plants around us and the cultural stories that go along with them. That’s all on The Menu, our regular special feature on Indigenous food hosted and produced by Andi Murphy. GUESTS Carly Griffith Hotvedt (Cherokee Nation), executive director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative Styawat / Leigh Joseph (Skwxwú7mesh). ethnobotanist, knowledge keeper, professor at Simon Fraser University, and owner of Sḵwálwen Botanicals Dr. Caleb Hickman (Cherokee Nation), supervisor fisheries and wildlife biologist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Compensation for college athletics is changing fast. University sports programs are having to adapt to the evolving market for athletes through what is known as name, image and likeness. The issue is being debated in state legislatures and Congress. A settlement between the NCAA and current and former athletes could open the door to schools directly compensating athletes and revenue sharing among institutions. We’ll find out how some Native athletes are navigating the new N.I.L. reality and what some of the potential benefits and pitfalls could be. GUESTS Taybor Moss (Cherokee), senior softball player for Piedmont High School Xavier Guillory (Nez Perce), recent graduate of Arizona State University where he played college football for the Sun Devils Jaelyn Bates (Navajo and Sioux), junior women’s basketball player Mark Branch (Kaw Nation), head coach of the University of Wyoming wrestling team Natalia Chavez (Cochiti Pueblo), women’s basketball player at Abilene Christian University

The good news is overdose deaths dropped significantly in the most recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bad news is Native Americans and other people of color are not enjoying the same statistical headway against the persistent scourge of fentanyl, heroin, and other dangerous drugs. We’ll look at the efforts that are showing promise in saving people’s lives and explore ways to eliminate disparities for populations that are losing ground. GUESTS Philomena Kebec (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians), economic development coordinator for the Bad River Tribe Adam Fairbanks (White Earth Nation), executive director of Anishinaabe Endaad Harold Peralto (Navajo), certified peer support worker for New Mexico Behavior Health Services Division’s Office of Peer Recovery and Engagement George Green (Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska), certified peer recovery specialist for the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis

Haskell Indian Nations University lost nearly a quarter of its staff in the Trump administration’s mass terminations. It’s one of two higher education institutions that rely on federal funds through the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education that are scrambling after the sudden and unprecedented job cuts. The reduction of more than a thousand National Park Service employees prompted worries over certain sacred and important Native treasures protected by federal workers. We’ll check on how the fast-paced federal job restructurings are affecting issues Native people are following. GUESTS Chuck Sams (Cayuse and Walla Walla), former National Park Service director Pearl Yellowman (Diné), former vice president of college operations at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute Paige Willett (Citizen Potawatomi), former communications specialist at the Bureau of Indian Education Angel Ahtone Elizarraras (Wichita), Student Government Association president at Haskell Indian Nations University

Repatriation advocates have had some recent progress in both policy and practice when it comes to getting important items returned to tribes. But the ongoing effort to educate the elected officials, institutional leaders and the public requires time and resources. We’ll get an update on the eve of the biggest annual conference for people working in the repatriation field. We’ll also get an update on a Florida repatriation dispute. GUESTS Shannon O’Loughlin (Choctaw), Chief Executive and attorney for the Association on American Indian Affairs Samuel Kohn (Apsáalooke), attorney Kim Mettler (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), Next Generations Director at the Association on American Indian Affairs and life coach Betty Osceola (Miccosukee), environmental educator