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A number of programs like Niganawenimaanaanig and the IHS American Indians Into Nursing Program aim to recruit Native nurses. Still the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey finds Native Americans make up a tiny fraction of all registered nurses. We’ll hear from some Native nurses about what the profession is like and hear from recruiters who say Native representation is sorely needed in hospitals and clinics.

Guests:

Dr. Misty Wilkie (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) – associate professor at Bemidji State University

Loretta Heuer – professor at North Dakota State University school of Nursing

Rebekah Dunlap (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) – RN, BSN, PHN

Debbie Jeanotte (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) – retired registered nurse

Break Music: Sunrise Song (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) They Forgot They Survived (album)

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Stalking is a crime that victims sometimes have difficulty proving. That’s because victims often need to provide a detailed account of a stalker’s actions. Some tribes, including the Fort Peck Assiniboine Sioux, have stalking codes of their own. The Stalking Resource Center defines stalking as “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.” January is stalking awareness month. It’s a time reflect on the warning signs and causes of stalking. We’ll also explore what additional resources women’s advocates feel are needed.

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Tests on remains found in Alaska have some people rethinking what we knew about ancient Native ancestors. The process leading up to the genetic testing took years of discussions and consultation. We’ll talk with the lead researcher and tribal representatives from the Tanana Chiefs Conference and the Healy Lake Village Council about what they know about the findings and the work to uncover them.

Guests:

Dr. Ben Potter – archeology professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

Will Mayo (Native Village of Tanana) – executive director of tribal government and client services Tanana Chiefs Conference

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

Break Music: Geese (song) Tumivut (song) Tumivut (album)

They Will Know (song) Audio Pharmacy (artist) State of the Heart (album)

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Beaded medallions are come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Designs include traditional tribal symbols and clan emblems. They’ve branched out to include school colors, sports mascots and even cartoon characters. In this program we celebrate Native America’s favorite beaded ware and try to track down the origins of the craft.

Guests:

Lis Jackson (Navajo, Kiowa, Comanche, Mexican and Irish) – beader

Tahnee Ahtone Harjo Growing Thunder – (Kiowa and Muskogee Creek) – curator of American Indian and textiles collections at the Oklahoma History Center

Nina Sanders (Apsàalooke) – curator for the Ralph T. Coe Center in Santa Fe and writer for Heard Museum

Chase Manhattan (enrolled in the Muskogee Creek tribe, Oglala Lakota, Leech Lake Anishinaabe) – Minnesota’s chief of hip-hop

Break Music: They Will Know (song) Audio Pharmacy (artist) State of the Heart (album)

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions is cracking down on efforts to legalize marijuana use. A new Department of Justice memo rescinds the Obama-era policy that loosened marijuana prosecutions in states. What will this new direction mean for tribes getting into the cannabis business? We’ll talk with experts.

Guests:

Tina Braithwaite (Benton Paiute Tribe) – tribal chairwoman for the Benton Paiute Tribe

Dave Vialpando – executive director of the California Native American Cannabis Association

Garrett L. Davey – attorney for McAllister Garfield P.C.

Break Music: G-Love (song) Dallas Arcand (artist) Modern Day Warrior (album)

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Indian Motorcycles. Apache helicopters. Wigwam Motor Oil. Imagery of and inspired by Native Americans is pervasive in pop culture, advertising, artwork, fashion and film. In many cases throughout history Native images have been used as a mark of identity for the United States. Cigarettes, baking powder, motorcycles, TV character sidekicks, American currency and, of course, sports teams are among the places where the public encounters Native images or words. The National Museum of the American Indian’s new exhibition “Americans” focuses on Native American-themed products and references throughout history in context of how actual Native Americans are treated individually and collectively. We’ll talk with the curators about what the exhibition aims to address.

Guests:

Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche) – associate curator at the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of the American Indian and co-curator of the “Americans” exhibition

Cécile Ganteaume – associate curator at the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of the American Indian and co-curator of the “Americans” exhibition

Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe) – independent working artist and activist

Break Music: Remembering The Warrior (song) Porcupine Singers (artist) Alowanpi – Songs Of Honoring – Lakota Classics: Past & Present, Vol. 1 (album)

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A story about a U.S. Army captain escorting a dying Cheyenne chief to his homeland opens in movie theaters nationwide this week. The movie “Hostiles”, stars Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, and Wes Studi (Cherokee). The National Congress of American Indians praised the film for a “culturally accurate portrayal of Native peoples.” We’ll talk with Native consultants Chris Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho) and Dr. Joely Proudfit (Luiseño) who worked to make sure the film wasn’t another stereotype-filled disappointment.

Guests:

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

Chris Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho) – award winning director and producer of film and television and co-founder and co-president of the Native Networkers

Alaina Buffalo Spirit (Northern Cheyenne) – Cheyenne language translator for Hostiles film

Break Music: Sneak Up (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Confederacy Style (album)

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Students at Ayaprun Elitnaurvik, a Yup’ik immersion language school, are sharing a Yup’ik word of the week through animated YouTube videos. It’s one of the ways the school hopes to generate interest in their language as they face the loss of more and more first language speakers. Can social media expand the use of Native languages?

Guests:

John Active (Yup’ik) – radio host at KYUK in Yup’ik and English

Katie Basile – multimedia director and producer at KYUK

Tammy DeCoteau (Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe) – director of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Dakotah Language Institute

Amber Hayward (Puyallup/ Confederated Salish and Kootenai) – language program director for Puyallup Tribe of Indians

Break Music: Ayikis – The Frog Song (song) Asani (artist) Listen (album)

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The family of Ashley Loring HeavyRunner (Blackfeet) are desperate for information about the 21-year-old. She was last seen in June in Browning Montana. Also, family members of Olivia Lone Bear are offering a reward for information after the 33-year-old mother of five went missing from the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation in October. The two recent cases are a reminder of what advocates say is a serious issue. Canada has made strides in confronting the problem of missing and murdered Indigenous women. But there remain gaps in information and solutions about Native American women.

If you have any information on the disappearance of Ashley Loring HeavyRunner please call:

Blackfeet  Tribal police: 406-338-4000, Homeland Security: 406-450-1922, or Glacier Co. Sheriff’s office: 406-873-2711

If you have any information about the disappearance of Olivia Lone Bear please call MHA police at 701-627-6141 or leave an anonymous tip on 701-595-3114

Guests:

Caroline LaPorte (immediate descendant of Little River Band of Ottawa Indians) –  senior Native affairs policy advisor for the Strong Hearts Native Help Line and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center

Annita Lucchesi (Southern Cheyenne descendant) PhD student at University of Lethbridge 

Break Music: Iskwesis (song) Randall Paskemin (artist) Goodnight, Sweet Dreams, I Love You