Archives for February 2018

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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)

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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)

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If history’s any guide, President Trump’s most recent budget proposal has zero chance of passing Congress intact. But the spending decisions tell a story of the administration’s priorities. On one side, the budget includes an increase to the Indian Health Service, including funding for opioid addiction programs. But it also calls for cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and Native housing help. The administration also proposes eliminating a handful of programs—like low income home heating assistance and youth job education—that benefit Native Americans. We’ll speak with experts about the consequences of these proposed funding changes.

Guests:

Ahniwake Rose (Cherokee Nation) – executive director of the National Indian Education Association

Dr. Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) – chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and first vice-president of the National Congress of American Indians

Amber Ebarb (Tlingit) – program manager with the National Congress of American Indians’ Policy Research Center

Break Music: Duck and Dive (song) Black Thunder Singers (artist) Black Thunder

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A lot of news happens during the sweetest, shortest month of the year. We’ll talk with Native journalists who are covering big issues that face Native America. From national policy to tribal politics, we’ll take time to check in with journalists, newsmakers and others about the important issues of the day. Join us for our regular news round-up.

Mentioned on the show:

“Native American” Facebook pages that push fake news are actually run out of Kosovo

A tale of two housing crises, rural and urban

Healing from Dysfunction by Dallas Goldtooth

Walking Eagle News

Guests:

Alex Kaplan – research coordinator for Media Matters for America

Julian Brave Noisecat (Canim Lake Band Tsq’escen/ Lil’Wat Nation of Mount Currie) writer/journalist

Dallas Goldtooth (Diné and Dakota) Keep it in the Ground campaign organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network

Tim Fontaine (Ojibway)  founder of the satirical website, Walking Eagle News and host of The Laughing Drum on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

 

Break Music:  Wapaha Olowan (Feather Staff Song) (song) Porcupine Singers (artist) Alowanpi – Songs Of Honoring – Lakota Classics: Past & Present, Vol. 1 (album)

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“Heart Berries” is memoir that takes readers to a reality that counters a Hollywood romanticized version of what it means to be an Indigenous person. Terese Marie Mailhot from the Seabird Island Indian Reservation doesn’t hold back on what it means to live through a heavy childhood and everything after. She gives insights from her deepest thoughts and reflections on healing from trauma and all that she’s witnessed. Join us for our February Book of the Month to hear about Mailhot’s journey.

Break Music: Digital Tongues (single) Wake Singers (artist)

 

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A white Canadian farmer is cleared in the shooting death of Colten Boushie, a Cree man from the Red Pheasant First Nation. The verdict from a jury with no apparent Indigenous members prompted an angry outcry and calls to address flaws in the justice system. The premier of Saskatchewan says there needs to be a dialogue on racism across Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented an agenda to Parliament that would overhaul relations between the government and Indigenous peoples. Can this tragedy help find a new path toward solving a persistent problem in Canada?

Guests:

Chris Murphy – lawyer for Colten Boushie’s family

Veldon Coburn (Algonquin) – lecturer at McGill University

Ray Orb – president of Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities

Break Music: Singing Together (song) Drumming Hill Singers (artist) Memories (album)

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Growing hemp is not as simple as putting seeds into the ground. The St. Croix Chippewa Indians tribe in Wisconsin is suing the state’s attorney general. It’s legal to grow hemp in the state, but the tribe insists they shouldn’t have to submit to the state’s oversight. Other tribes are also getting pushback in their attempts to turn hemp into a cash crop. The plant is related to marijuana but does not contain the psychoactive effects. It is listed as a Schedule I drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The 2014 Farm Bill allows hemp for academic research. But large scale commercial industrial hemp is still in a legal grey area. Are the legal risks worth it?

Guests:

Marcus Grignon (Menominee Nation) – campaign manager at Hempstead Project Heart

Jeffrey A. Cormell – general counsel for St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin

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

Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe) – executive director of Honor the Earth and owner of Winona’s Hemp and Heritage Farm

Break Music: Tipi To A Tesla – Annie Humphrey (song) Annie Humphrey (artist) Uncombed Hair (album)

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The new president of the National Congress of American Indians, Jefferson Keel (Chickasaw Nation) delivers the State of Indian Nations address. This is Keel’s third nonconsecutive term as NCAI president. We’ll bring you the speech as well as the congressional response.

Guest:

Tadd Johnson (Bois Forte Band of Chippewa) – director of the Master of Tribal Administration and Governance department at the University of Minnesota Duluth

Break Music: Grass Dance (song) Tha Tribe (artist) Warriors In The Mist (album)

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Native women die younger compared to their peers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports cardiovascular or heart disease is at the top of the list when it comes to taking the lives of women in this country. Factors like diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure put women at higher risk of heart complications. We discuss ways Native women are reducing their risks and why more women are sharing their stories.

Guests:

Barbara Marquez (Isleta Pueblo) – Heart Survivor

Joshua Martinez – New Mexico Community Impact Director for the American Heart/Stroke Association

Kirsten Courtney Concha-Moore (Taos/Jemez Pueblos) – M.D. Candidate Class of 2019/University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson

Debra Gee (enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and is also affiliated with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation) – Board Member – WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease

Break Music: In My Heart (song) Alex Smith (artist) Rain in July – Native American Vocal Harmony (album)