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After three seasons, the hit FX series Reservation Dogs has come to an end after its finale dropped on Wednesday. It combined entertaining writing and characters, with rich Native representation in front of and behind the cameras. We’ll miss Bear, Willie Jack, Elora, and Cheese. In this program, we’ll recap hilarious and important scenes and episodes – and discuss how this show sets the bar for Native comedy TV higher than it’s ever been before.

GUESTS

Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk)

Jason Asenap (Comanche/Muscogee)

Richard Ray Whitman (Yuchi-Muscogee/Creek)

Justin Eagle Gauthier (citizen of the Menominee [Omāēqnomenēw] Nation of Wisconsin)

Break 1 Music: Stadium Pow Wow (feat. Black Bear) (song) A Tribe Called Red (artist) Stadium Pow Wow (feat. Black Bear) (single)

Break 2 Music: Mahk Jchi (song) Ulali (artist) Heartbeat: Voices of First Nations Women (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:25 — 38.7MB) | Embed

It’s been a year since Pope Francis officially apologized for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the abuses and forced assimilation of Indigenous people at Canadian residential schools. At the time, officials said it was an important step toward healing and reconciliation. But others said it was more important for the Church to take action in addition to rhetoric. We’ll get different perspectives about the weight of the papal apology one year later.

GUESTS

Chief Wilton Littlechild (Cree), International Chief for Treaty Six and the former commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Piita Irniq (Inuk), elder, residential school survivor, and Inuit cultural teacher

Andrew Carrier (Métis), Red River Métis Government Minister for Residential & Day Schools

Dr. Apooyak’ii, Tiffany Prete (Kainai [Blood Tribe]), assistant professor of sociology at the University of Lethbridge

Break 1 Music: Healing Song (song) Red Hawk Medicine Drum (artist) New Beginnings (album)

Break 2 Music: Mahk Jchi (song) Ulali (artist) Heartbeat: Voices of First Nations Women (album)

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A coalition of tribal organizations is warning about the potential damage of a federal government shutdown to tribal citizens. Among other things, Native officials say it could disrupt important appropriations for at-risk tribal members. At the same time, COVID-19 infections are on the rise and distribution of vaccines is off to a rocky start. We’ll get perspectives on two significant events in the news.

GUESTS

Dr. Rebecca St. Germaine (Lac Courte Oreilles), evaluator for the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center and program director for the Tribal Epidemiology Center Public Health Infrastructure

Stacey Bohlen (citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), chief executive officer of the National Indian Health Board

Dr. Matthew Clark, chief medical officer for the Alaska Area Native Health Service and chair of the IHS National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

Break 1 Music:  Intertribal (song) Thunder Hill (artist) Relentless (album)

Break 2 Music: Mahk Jchi (song) Ulali (artist) Heartbeat: Voices of First Nations Women (album)

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The British acquired a large expanse of North American territory following the French and Indian War. But their oppressive treatment of the resident Native Americans fostered discontent. It all boiled over in 1763 as Odawa Chief Pontiac or Obwaandi’eyaag, formed an alliance among several tribes against the British occupation. Violence spread from the Great Lakes region to West Virginia. The resistance forced the British to change their official stance toward Native people. We’ll recount how Chief Pontiac and his allies changed the direction of colonial expansion 260 years ago.

GUESTS

Ben Hinmon (citizen of Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians), elder, education program administrator with Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa, and the great-great-great-great grandson of Chief Pontiac

Leon Sam Briggs (Tonawanda Seneca [Hawk Clan]), historical reproduction specialist and traditional teacher

Break 1 Music: Prayer Loop Song (song) Supaman (artist) Illuminatives (album)

Break 2 Music: Mahk Jchi (song) Ulali (artist) Heartbeat: Voices of First Nations Women (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:25 — 38.7MB) | Embed

At first officials identified Navajo, Apache, and other Arizona tribal members as among those who were victims of a massive Medicaid fraud scam. Now tribes in Montana, North and South Dakota, and other states are taking stock of their members who were also caught up in the fake substance abuse treatment con that reaches into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The Blackfeet Nation declared an emergency to help gain resources to repair the fallout for its citizens. We’ll find out the latest on the efforts to help the people who were harmed and hold those responsible accountable.

GUESTS

Reva Stewart (Diné), grassroots advocate with the #StolenPeopleStolenBenefits campaign 

Jeri Long (Diné), Native American advocate and director of business development at Milestone Recovery 

Shelly Hall (Blackfeet), member of the Blackfeet Tribe Business Council

Break 1 Music: Intertribal (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Confederacy Style (album)

Break 2 Music: Blue Dream Wedding Cake (song) Def-I (artist) Blue Hour (album)

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Until this month, one of Colorado’s highest peaks was named for the former state governor who fostered and supported what became known as the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864. It took years of pressure and an awareness campaign to get the name changed. Still, support is not universal. We’ll get the story on changing the Mount Evans name to Mount Blue Sky – and some updates on other important place name changes.

GUESTS

Fred Mosqueda (Southern Arapaho), Arapaho Language and Culture Program Coordinator for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma

Chester Whiteman (Southern Cheyenne), Cheyenne coordinator of the Culture Program of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes

Dr. David Lewis (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde), assistant professor of Anthropology and Indigenous Studies at Oregon State University and blogs at NDN History Research 

Roman Rain Tree (Dunlap Band of Mono Indians, Choinumni, Wukchumni), chief impact officer for Seeds of Sovereignty and community organizer for the Industrial Areas Foundation

Tom Rodgers (Blackfeet), senior advisor for the Rocky Mountain Tribal Council

Break 1 Music: I’M NOT A MASCOT – I’M NOT A STEREOTYPE – I’VE BEEN WATCHING (single) Michael Bucher (artist)

Break 2 Music: Blue Dream Wedding Cake (song) Def-I (artist) Blue Hour (album)

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Neighbors are helping each other rebuild after the historic deadly fire on Maui. The community is in line for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and state funds, in addition to private donations from all over the world. More than a month after the blaze swept through the city of Lahaina and the surrounding area, officials are still sorting out the cause and the factors that contributed to its severity. And, while not as bad as originally feared, the death toll approaches 100 people. We’ll check back in with the rebuilding effort in Hawaii and what some of the major challenges are as residents look to the future.

GUESTS

Kaliko Kaauamo (Kanaka Maoli), taro farmer, musician, and Hawaiian language advocate  

Kyle Kawakami, chef and owner of Maui Fresh Streatery

Marlene Rice, developmental director for the Maui Food Bank

Dr. Lance D. Collins, private practice attorney in Maui  

Break 1 Music: Kaulana Na Pua (song) Marlene Sai (artist) Mele No Ka ‘Oe (Digital Only, Re-mastered) (song)

Break 2 Music: Blue Dream Wedding Cake (song) Def-I (artist) Blue Hour (album)

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The newest survey from the Pew Charitable Trusts concludes suicide is an urgent public health issue. Their data shows that while the suicide rate increased an alarming 30% across the board over a 20-year span, the rate for Native American and Alaska Native females rose a staggering 135% over the same time. The number for Native males is close behind. At least half of those people had contact with the health care system within a month of taking their own lives, indicating an opportunity for trained professionals to intervene. It’s Suicide Awareness Month, and we’ll look at the promising work to turn around a dire trend.

GUESTS

Dr. Antony Stately (Ojibwe/Oneida), executive officer and president of the Native American Community Clinic

Dr. Dolores Subia BigFoot (enrolled member of the Caddo Nation), presidential professor who directs the Indian Country Child Trauma Center within the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Shaun Griswold (Laguna/Zuni/Jemez), editor of Source New Mexico

Raymond Daw (Diné), behavioral health consultant

Break 1 Music: Healing Song (song) Judy Trejo (artist) Circle Dance Songs of the Paiute and Shoshone (album)

Break 2 Music: Blue Dream Wedding Cake (song) Def-I (artist) Blue Hour (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:40 — 38.2MB) | Embed

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling denying race-conscious college admissions has Native business owners on alert over the far-reaching implications beyond higher education. A recent federal judge’s decision puts an additional hurdle in front of Native businesses when it comes to a program in place to diversify federal contracts. Some experts and Native small business owners worry it’s only the beginning of a new system that will mean fewer successful Native entrepreneurs.

GUESTS

Annette Hamilton (member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas), vice president and Chief Operating Officer of Ho-Chunk, Inc.

Stephine Poston (Sandia Pueblo), CEO and president of Poston and Associates, LLC

 

Break 1 Music: Keep Rising (song) House of Shem (artist) Keep Rising (album)

Break 2 Music: Blue Dream Wedding Cake (song) Def-I (artist) Blue Hour (album)