Native America Calling

01/28/2025

Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians say it will keep road access open for now on tribal land. The announcement comes in a dispute with a nearby town over easements to non-Native homeowners on tribal land.

Tribes are advising members of their constitutional rights after reports that Native people are among those being questioned and detained by ICE agents in ramped up immigration raids.

GUESTS

Matthew Fletcher (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians), law professor at the University of Michigan Law School and author of the Turtle Talk: Official Blog of the IL&PC

Danielle Kaeding, reporter with Wisconsin Public Radio

State Sen. Theresa Hatathlie (Diné/D-AZ-Coal Mine Mesa)

Justin Ahasteen (Diné), executive director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office

Thomas Badamo (Nansemond Indian Nation), Nansemond tribal council treasurer

Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians say it will keep road access open for now on tribal land. The announcement comes in a dispute with a nearby town over easements to non-Native homeowners on tribal land. Tribes are advising members of their constitutional rights after reports tha...

01/27/2025

Even as digital sources dominate the way people get their information, television news remains a go-to source for people looking to stay up-to-date. Representation on TV is a powerful medium to provide the public with a more rounded view of Native Americans. It’s a competitive and high-skilled line of work and we’ll talk to some talented Native professionals about what it takes to be in front of the camera.

GUESTS

Aliyah Chavez (Santa Domingo Pueblo and Jemez Pueblo), reporter at KOAT Action 7 News

Victor Organista (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Kickapoo, and Sac and Fox), student at Haskell Indian Nations University and news anchor for "Good Morning Indian Country" and "UNITY News"

Dr. Melissa Greene-Blye (Miami Tribe of Oklahoma), professor at the KU William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications

Colton Shone (Diné), co-anchor and reporter for "Good Morning Arizona" on azfamily 3TV CBS 5

Even as digital sources dominate the way people get their information, television news remains a go-to source for people looking to stay up-to-date. Representation on TV is a powerful medium to provide the public with a more rounded view of Native Americans. It’s a competitive and high-skilled lin...

01/24/2025

A Kanaka Maoli student at Yale is working on an AI tool to help clear criminal records of fellow Native Hawaiians. A Kiowa writer and artist is developing creative pathways to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. And a Tohono O’odham knowledge protector is archiving recordings and pictures from her tribe. Those are among this year’s young people selected as Champions for Change by the Center for Native American Youth. We’ll hear from them and get their stories of inspiration.

GUESTS

Lily Painter Kiowa name is Brings Water (Kiowa & Winnebago), 2025 Champion of Change

Lourdes Pereira (Hia-Ced O’odham and Yoeme and a citizen of the Tohono O’odham Nation), 2025 Champion of Change and community memory protector

Katie Lynch (Citizen Band Potawatomi Nation), 2025 Champion of Change and PhD student at the University of Michigan

Joshua Ching (Native Hawaiian), 2025 Champion of Change and student at Yale University

A Kanaka Maoli student at Yale is working on an AI tool to help clear criminal records of fellow Native Hawaiians. A Kiowa writer and artist is developing creative pathways to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. And a Tohono O’odham knowledge protector is archiving recordings and pi...

01/23/2025

Before taking office this week, President Donald Trump promised swift and decisive actions to get his agenda moving. In addition to major reforms for immigration and pardons for participants in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol, he also signaled policy directions that affect Native Americans. Among them are proposed cuts to Medicaid, changes that affect Native foster care, and reductions in protected lands. He also eliminated federal government diversity programs and took steps to reverse the decision to name North America’s highest peak that refers to the traditional Koyukon Athabascan word. We’ll take stock of some of Trump’s immediate priorities.

GUESTS

Nagruk Harcharek (Iñupiaq), president of the Voice of the Arctic Inupiat

Evon Peter (Gwich’in and Koyukon), board member of the Gwich'in Council International and former chief of Arctic Village, Alaska

Nazune Menka (KoyukonX and Lumbee), assistant professor of law and faculty director at the center for Indian Law and Policy at Seattle University School of Law

Juanita Cabrera Lopez (Maya Mam), executive director of the International Mayan League/USA

Before taking office this week, President Donald Trump promised swift and decisive actions to get his agenda moving. In addition to major reforms for immigration and pardons for participants in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol, he also signaled policy directions that affect Native Americans. Amo...

01/22/2025

With the support of area tribes, President Joe Biden just designated the Chuckwalla National Monument using his authority under the Antiquities Act. That same law created the path for President Barack Obama to designate the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Both actions stirred opposition from ranchers, oil drillers, and other profit-driven entities who see a better use for that land. Now, that opposition is surfacing in Congress, as a bill to strip the president’s use of Antiquities. We’ll talk about what the Antiquities Act does, and how it protects — and hinders — Native American interests.

GUESTS

Shannon O’Loughlin (citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), chief executive and attorney for the Association on American Indian Affairs

Arnold Thomas, tribal vice-chairman for the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation

Matthew Campbell (enrolled member of the Native Village of Gambell on the Saint Lawrence Island in Alaska), deputy director of the Native American Rights Fund

With the support of area tribes, President Joe Biden just designated the Chuckwalla National Monument using his authority under the Antiquities Act. That same law created the path for President Barack Obama to designate the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Both actions stirred opposition from r...

01/21/2025

Leonard Peltier will spend the remainder of his prison sentence at home after the 11th-hour action by President Joe Biden. Friends, family, and supporters expressed surprise and relief as they heard the news Monday. National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro said President Biden’s decision comes after "50 years of unjust imprisonment" and is a powerful act of compassion and an important step toward healing.” In December, President Macarro personally asked Biden to take action on Peltier's behalf. Among the many advocates for Peltier's release over the past five decades include South African President Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights. We'll hear from Peltier's family and others who have followed his case about what this action means for him and how it will be viewed historically.

GUESTS

Chauncey Peltier (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa), founder and president of Peltier Justice

Lenny Foster (Diné), spiritual advisor to Leonard Peltier and retired program supervisor for the Navajo Nation Corrections Project

Nick Tilsen (Oglala Lakota), founder and CEO of the NDNCollective

Jenipher Jones, managing attorney at the firm For the People and lead counsel for Leonard Peltier’s case

Leonard Peltier will spend the remainder of his prison sentence at home after the 11th-hour action by President Joe Biden. Friends, family and supporters expressed surprise and relief as they heard the news Monday. National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro said Biden’s decision ...

01/20/2025

What’s your response to former-President Joe Biden’s commutation of Leonard Peltier’s sentence? Join the discussion here and tune in tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. MT.


https://www.nativeamericacalling.com/monday-january-20-2025-special-edition-biden-commutes-leonard-peltier-sentence/

01/20/2025

On our show today, we heard from Leonard Peltier's attorneys, Jenipher Jones and Moira Meltzer-Cohen.
What's your reaction to Biden commuting Peltier's sentence? Join the discussion here and tune in to our live show tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. Mountain Time.

Leonard Peltier, an enrolled Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe citizen, will go home after nearly 50 years in prison. In the final minutes of his term in office, President Joe Biden commuted Peltier's sentence. Peltier was convicted in 1975 for the deaths of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation...

01/20/2025

BREAKING
Tune in to our show today at 11 a.m. Mountain Time. We'll be talking with legal representatives and advisors of Leonard Peltier in the last segment of our show.

President Joe Biden has commuted the sentence of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents and is serving life in prison.

01/20/2025

Seven children died in the first year of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School’s operation. Another 220 died over the school’s next 38 years. They are among the more than 3,100 students a year-long Washington Post investigation finds died while separated from their families in Indian Boarding Schools. Their tally is three times that of the recent investigation by the U.S. Department of Interior. Many of the deaths are attributed to illness, accidents, or neglect. Others have no official explanation or remain suspicious. We’ll discuss the Post’s investigation and why having an accurate accounting is important.

GUESTS

Jim LaBelle (Iñupiaq), board member for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition

Benjamin Jacuk (Dena’ina Athabascan and Sugpiaq), researcher at the Alaska Native Heritage Center

Dana Hedgpeth (Haliwa-Saponi), reporter at the Washington Post

Seven children died in the first year of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School’s operation. Another 220 died over the school’s next 38 years. They are among the more than 3,100 students a year-long Washington Post investigation finds died while separated from their families in Indian Boarding Sc...

01/17/2025

Ted Nolan’s home on the Garden River First Nation reserve in northern Ontario didn’t have electricity or running water, but it did have a hockey rink in the backyard that Nolan built to satisfy his own passion to play. That passion grew into a successful hockey playing and coaching career that included the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. In his book, "Life in Two Worlds: A Coach's Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back", Nolan recounts both pride in his Indigenous identity and overt racism as he worked to excel in his sport.

GUEST

Ted Nolan (Garden River First Nation), President of 3 NOLANS, former NHL player, award-winning NHL coach, and former Olympian

Ted Nolan’s home on the Garden River First Nation reserve in northern Ontario didn’t have electricity or running water, but it did have a hockey rink in the backyard that Nolan built to satisfy his own passion to play. That passion grew into a successful hockey playing and coaching career that i...

01/16/2025

President-elect Donald Trump has promised at least 100 executive orders as soon as he takes office. Many of those are, in his words, aimed at undoing "much of what Biden did". Tribes and Native organizations are preparing to fight, and in some cases benefit from, what they expect based on Trump’s comments and his record during his first term. We’ll look at what those expectations are – from fewer protections for important land to greater access to extraction resources.

GUESTS

Donald Medart Jr., a tribal council member for the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe

Myron Lizer (Diné), former Navajo Nation Vice President and professional development consultant for Prestige with Partners LLC

Curtis Yanito (Diné), Navajo Nation council delegate and a co-chair of the Bears Ears Commission

President-elect Donald Trump has promised at least 100 executive orders as soon as he takes office. Many of those are, in his words, aimed at undoing "much of what Biden did". Tribes and Native organizations are preparing to fight, and in some cases benefit from, what they expect based on Trump’s ...

01/15/2025

Wildfires in Los Angeles have killed at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes. The traditional homelands of the Tongva and Chumash people, among others, is now home to the largest urban Native American population in the U.S. United American Indian Involvement, Inc. and Pukúu Cultural Community Services (Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians) are providing support for displaced locals. Tribes across the country are sending firefighting crews, supplies and cash. Amid the chaos, incoming President Donald Trump falsely blamed water management policies in Northern California for inoperable fire hydrants in Los Angeles. Conservative commentators extended that complaint to include the decision to remove Klamath River dams in favor of salmon restoration. We’ll talk with those affected by the fires and learn more about the political rhetoric arising from it.

GUESTS

Courage Escamilla (Tarahumara and Lakota), activist

Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), founder of Grim Native

Bodie Shaw (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs), deputy regional director for the Northwest Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Don Gentry (Klamath Tribes), natural resources specialist and former chairman of Klamath Tribes - The Official Klamath Tribes Page.

Pamela Villaseñor (member of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians), executive director of Pukuu Cultural Community Services

Wildfires in Los Angeles have killed at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes. The traditional homelands of the Tongva and Chumash people, among others, is now home to the largest urban Native American population in the U.S. United American Indian Involvement, Inc. and Pukúu Cultural Com...

01/14/2025

The Orthodox New Year in Alaska is a mix of seal meat, tea cakes, and Alaska Native and Slavonic languages. It’s a cultural blend more than 150 years after Russia formally withdrew from what would become America’s 49th state. In that time, the Orthodox Christian customs continued to flourish and merged with Native traditions. In many ways, they are more established than in their home country, which saw religious persecution during the time of the Soviet Union. We’ll hear from Alaska Native adherents of Russian Orthodox Christianity about how they’re welcoming the New Year on January 14.

GUESTS

Archpriest Martin Nicolai (Yup’ik), retired Archpriest of St. Nicholas Church

Benjamin Jacuk (Dena’ina Athabascan and Sugpiaq), director of Indigenous research at the Alaska Native Heritage Center

Jill Fratis (Unangan), news producer and reporter for KNBA 90.3 FM and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation

Sperry Ash (Sugpiaq), educator and Russian Orthodox deacon

The Orthodox New Year in Alaska is a mix of seal meat, tea cakes, and Alaska Native and Slavonic languages. It’s a cultural blend more than 150 years after Russia formally withdrew from what would become America’s 49th state. In that time, the Orthodox Christian customs continued to flourish and...

01/14/2025

Thank you for the mention, Bob Dylan Center

Joy Harjo, three-term U.S. Poet Laureate and Bob Dylan Center Artist-in-Residence, is a co-curator of the current exhibition "Jesse Ed Davis: Natural Anthem." Harjo recalls meeting Davis in Los Angeles, shortly after a poetry performance, through fellow poet John Trudell. Trudell took her to Davis's garage recording studio, where they recorded a few tracks together under Davis's sound engineering expertise.

Listen to Harjo speak more about the exhibit and Davis's legacy, along with co-curator Doug Miller and Bob Dylan Center director Steven Jenkins, on a recent episode of the Native America Calling podcast: https://www.nativeamericacalling.com/wednesday-december-25-2024-celebrating-the-life-of-musician-jesse-ed-davis/

On Thursday, Feb. 6, she'll perform at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center alongside other Davis collaborators, such as Taj Mahal, Jackson Browne and The Grafitti Band as part of "Red Dirt Boogie: A Concert Tribute to Jesse Ed Davis." Get your tickets now: https://bobdylancenter.com/event/red-dirt-boogie/

Photo by Shawn Miller, courtesy of Joy Harjo.

01/10/2025

When Ross Anderson (Cheyenne and Arapaho) was clocked at more than 154 miles per hour in 2006, he set an American speed skiing record that has yet to be broken. He’s translated his talent on the slopes into outreach for Native American youth. He is among a handful of Native skiers who have made a name for themselves in competitive winter sports.

GUESTS

Ross Anderson (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and Chiricahua Apache), All-American record holder for speed skiing and a multiple hall of fame inductee including the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and the North American Indigenous Athletic Hall of Fame

Connor Ryan (Hunkpapa Lakota), athlete, skier, and filmmaker

Ernie St. Germaine (Lac du Flambeau), tribal elder, former tribal judge, and founder with American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation - Birkie

When Ross Anderson (Cheyenne and Arapaho) was clocked at more than 154 miles per hour in 2006, he set an American speed skiing record that has yet to be broken. He’s translated his talent on the slopes into outreach for Native American youth. He is among a handful of Native skiers who have made a ...

01/09/2025

Among California’s efforts to fight homelessness is an allocation of more than $91 million to boost tribal housing efforts. The Cherokee Nation is putting $40 million toward affordable housing this year. That’s on top of a $120 million housing investment two years ago. HUD is disbursing almost $73 million toward housing programs for 38 tribes. The aim is to offset the persistent disparity in Native American homelessness. We’ll hear about what that money is being spent on and what hurdles remain.

GUESTS

Jamie Navenma (Hopi), executive director for Laguna Housing and Management Enterprise, president of the Southwest Tribal Housing Alliance, and a representative of region 8 for the National American Indian Housing Council

Evelyn Immonen (Turtle Mt. Band of Chippewa Indians), senior program officer for the Tribal Nations and Rural Communities team at Enterprise Community Partners

Jody Perez (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), executive director of the Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority

Among California’s efforts to fight homelessness is an allocation of more than $91 million to boost tribal housing efforts. The Cherokee Nation is putting $40 million toward affordable housing this year. That’s on top of a $120 million housing investment two years ago. HUD is disbursing almost $...