Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Three women are on the record with allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct against writer Sherman Alexie (Coeur d’Alene). More allegations could surface. Alexie issued a preemptive response to the allegations with a statement admitting “there are women telling the truth about my behavior” but also stating he has “no recollection of…threatening anybody or their careers.” It’s bringing up larger questions about sexual assault or harassment in Native America. What do the allegations against Alexie mean for his legacy? How do fans reconcile his alleged conduct with his body of work?

Guests:

Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) – independent photo journalist and writer

Deleana Otherbull (Crow and Northern Cheyenne) – executive director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women

Break Music: The Eagle (song) Black Eagle (artist) Flying Free (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Four Native women are throwing their hats into the ring for the chance to become the first Native woman elected to the U.S. Congress. In addition there are two Native women running for governor and one for lieutenant governor. What’s behind the surge in Native female candidates? We’ll get insights from some of them about what prompted their run for office and what issues they think are important.

Guests:

Andria Tupola (Samoan/Kanaka Maoli) – representative and the minority leader for the Hawaii State House of Representatives and a candidate for the governor of Hawaii

Debra Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) – candidate for the first US congressional district of New Mexico

Sharice Davids (Ho-chunk) – candidate for Kansas’ third congressional district

Amanda Douglas (Cherokee Nation) – candidate for the first congressional district of Oklahoma

Eve Reyes-Aguirre (Izkaloteka Aztec) – candidate for Arizona United States Senator

Break Music: Grandmother’s Song (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Two-time Grammy award winner, Robert Mirabal (Taos Pueblo) and renowned ballet dancer and instructor Jock Soto (Navajo) are teaming up for an live production honoring Native culture and history in New Mexico. The stage production is a combination of dance, music and spoken word. They’ll join us in Studio 49 to talk about their collaboration and their decades of influential work.

Break Music: Wi-wa (song) Robert Mirabal + ETHEL (artist) The River (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Advance directives or living wills deal with the painful discussions about the end of life and resorting to artificial life support. But one health organization in Alaska is taking a different approach to the subject. They are starting with a simple question ‘how do you want to live’? In classes and conversations, health professionals are guiding people through the process of creating a legal document that let’s loved ones know their wishes in case of accident or major health issue. They tackle difficult decisions like whether you want to machines to help you breathe and who you entrust to carry out your wishes. We’ll speak with experts about the importance of having these vital conversations ahead of time.

Mentioned on the show: Your Care, Your Choices

Guests:

Rona Johnson (Kenaitze Indian tribe/Aleut) – adult gerontology nurse practitioner

Dr. Christopher Piromalli – palliative care physician and palliative care medical director Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

Stacy Kelley – palliative care program manager Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

Break Music: The Center of the Universe (song) Clark Tenakhongva (artist) Su’Vu’Yo’Yungw (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

When you think of “Native American music” flutes and drums probably come to mind right away, right? But that’s not all there is. Native musicians are producing tunes in every genre. They’re even engineering their own sounds by mixing music and audio from wherever their imagination takes them. In this program, we’ll hear what it sounds like when a Native DJ gets behind the decks and scratches up some records.

Guests:

Wae Fonkey (Jemez and Acoma) – DJ (Hip Hop/Soul/Funk/House/Top 40/Multi-genre)
Web:

Prod. By Native AKA DJ Young Native (Diné) – Producer/DJ

Wanderlust (from Laguna Pueblo) – DJ (EDM/Top 40/Multi-genre)

DJ Kookum (Dene, Cree) – DJ (EDM)

Break Music: Bow Down Refix (Song) Prod. by Native (Artist)

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

A book on Canadian residential schools was too traumatic for a third grader according to one mother who complained to the CBC. The book, I am Not a Number, tells a story of a Jenny Kay Dupuis’ grandmother, a residential school survivor. The school apologized for sending the book home, but the incident brings up a good question: when is it appropriate to introduce difficult topics like boarding schools, genocide and forced removal of Native people? We’ll talk with educational experts about how and when these topics can make their way into the classroom.

Guests:

Dr. Jenny Kay Dupuis (Nipissing First Nation) – co-author of “I am Not a Number” and an educator

Dr. Star Yellowfish (Keetoowah Cherokee) – director of Native American Student Services at Oklahoma City Public Schools

Jameson Lopez (Quechan) – researcher and PHd candidate at Arizona State University

Break Music: Lummi Morning Song (song) Chenoa (artist) Spirit of Salishan (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Traditional foods like caribou and seal meat were not on the menu at an elder care center in Kotzebue, Alaska. That’s because the center couldn’t allow anything the U.S. Food and Drug Administration didn’t approve of. Some residents went from their traditional diets to eating cafeteria spaghetti and packaged pudding. That all changed when the Maniilaq Association helped build a traditional foods processing center. Tribes are finding the importance of restoring traditional diets for their people in institutional settings, even though it can take years to satisfy state and federal rules.

Guests:

Cyrus Harris (Native village of Kotzebue) – works for the hunter support program under the Maniilaq Association

Val Kreil – administrator of the long term care center at Utuqqanaat Inaat

Chris Dankmeyer – environmental health manager for the Maniilaq Association and he’s a lieutenant in the U.S. Indian Health Service

Joanie Buckley (member of the Oneida Nation) – division director for internal services at the Oneida Nation

Break Music: Anasazi Sun (song) Injunuity (artist) Fight For Survival (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

The good news is the list of Native artists voting in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences grew by three in the past year. The bad news is no film featuring Native actors, characters or story lines was nominated for an Oscar. Still, there were some notable films to talk about, including the Hollywood dramas “Wind River,” and “Hostiles,” and a documentary about Wilma Mankiller. As we gear up for the film industry’s biggest night, we will look back at some of the highlights for Native artists in the last year and get some insights from the voting members. What was your favorite film?

Guests:

Sonny Skyhawk (Rosebud Sioux) – actor, producer and voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Dr. Joely Proudfit (Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians) – co-president and co-founder of the Native Networkers

Break Music: Fancy Dance Song (song) Yellow Hammer (artist) Yellow Hammer (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

The opioid epidemic continues to rise and affect families. Pregnant mothers can expose their unborn children to these addictive substances while in the womb. The newborns face what’s known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), and it can lead to serious health problems. We’ll talk about treatments for addicted Native mothers, caring for babies with NAS, the short and long term medical problems, and the resources available.

Guests:

Nikki Baker (Cherokee) – Executive Director of Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare—ICWA

Shirley Cain (Red Lake Nation) – Native American equity policy specialist in the child safety and permanency division at the Minnesota Department of Human Services

Mina Spalla (White Earth Nation) – Nurse Manager with the MOMs program

Dr. Jonathan Gilbert – Chief Medical Officer of IHS in Billings, MT

Break Music: Edge Of The Rez, Part 2 (song) The Blue Stone Project (artist) Blue Stone (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

If done right, the discipline of archaeology is a powerful tool to help tell the stories of the past. But archaeologists haven’t always adequately respected Native culture, leading to mistrust between tribes and outside scientists. New methods are taking hold and more Native people are bringing their perspectives to the field. More and more, tribes are finding ways to collaborate with those who study the past. We’ll talk with a Native archaeologist who encourages others to consider archaeology as a profession.

Guests:

Dr. Kristen Barnett (Unangan) – lecturer in Archeology at Bates College

Jason Nez (Diné) – independent archaeologist

Break Music: Groovy (song) Dallas Arcand (artist) Modern Day Warrior (album)