Native Americans are among the populations with the lowest rate of vaccinations, whether it’s for flu, measles, COVID-19, or hepatitis B. Health professionals urge parents to immunize their infants against more than a dozen serious diseases including polio, pertussis, diphtheria, and mumps. But poverty, lack of health insurance, and distance to health providers are among the barriers that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says keep rates for Native Americans low. On top of that, misinformation and confusion about vaccines creates additional hesitation for parents. We’ll talk with doctors about the factors that might improve immunization rates as a way to improve overall health.
Coming Up on NATIVE AMERICA CALLING
Friday, April 19, 2024 – Remembering the 1974 Navajo border town murders
The torture and gruesome murders of three Navajo men by white high school students touched off a series of racially-fueled conflicts in Farmington, N.M. on the border with the Navajo Nation. The murders in April 1974 became known as the Chokecherry Massacre. One protest organizer at the time called Farmington “the Selma, Alabama of the Southwest,” referring to the simmering racial tensions. Demands by Navajos and other Native activists since then have improved relations in the border town and surrounding areas somewhat. But many residents and observers say the sources of the problems remain just below the surface. We’ll recount this little-known period of Four Corners history and discuss what community relationships are like 50 years later.
Commemorating Gary Fife
Gary Fife (Muscogee), “the Voice of Mvskoke”, spent more than a half century working to change the way the journalists cover Indigenous peoples – and was still hosting radio shows and writing a weekly column when he died Sunday at the age of 73.
Fife devoted the last years of his life to his tribe in Oklahoma and the news organization Mvskoke Media, which is owned by the tribe. He was also the first host of National Native News.
Listen to Native America Calling’s commemoration of Gary Fife with guests Angel Ellis (citizen of the Muscogee Nation), director of Mvskoke Media, treasurer for the Indigenous Journalists Association, and Oklahoma Media Center board member; and Sterling Cosper (citizen of the Muscogee Nation), Mvskoke Media editorial board president and Indigenous Journalists Association membership manager.
Through The Decades
Wednesday, July 27, 2022 — Through The Decades: 1990s
The U.S. Congress passed both the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the Indian Arts And Crafts Act in 1990—two pieces of legislation with significant power to protect culture. On the international front, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in Mexico rose up in an effort to reclaim their land and resist globalization. Dances With Wolves captured audiences’ attention with a Native cast and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Graham Greene, while a new generation of Native writers and directors made their voices heard. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce remembers the Native ’90s, as part of our series Through The Decades. Shannon Keller O’Loughlin (Choctaw), executive director of the Association on American Indian Affairs, and Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk), editor of NativeViewPoint.com and certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.
Wednesday, July 20, 2022 – Through the Decades: 1980s
The 1980s saw the rise of gaming on Native nations, a momentum that brought about the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988 with revenue quickly hitting $100 million. Wilma Mankiller became the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation and Ben Nighthorse Campbell started his long and historic career as an elected leader. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce has the next installment of our new series Through the Decades with Dr. James Riding In (Pawnee), a retired professor and founding member of the American Indian Studies program at Arizona State University focusing on repatriation, sacred sites protection, and Pawnee history and culture; Larry Nesper, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and American Indian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of the book The Walleye War: The Struggle for Ojibwe Spearfishing and Treaty Rights; and America Meredith (Cherokee), writer, visual artist, independent curator, and publishing editor of “First American Art Magazine”.
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 – Through the Decades: the 1970s
Watergate, Vietnam, and disco are some of the major highlights that define the 1970s. For Native people, it’s the decade of the Wounded Knee occupation, Self-determination, the federal Boldt decision, and Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love”. Today on Native America Calling, as we continue our trip through the decades, Shawn Spruce looks at some of the highs and lows of the ‘70s through a Native lens with Dr. David Wilkins (Lumbee), professor at the University of Richmond; Dr. LaNada War Jack (Shoshone-Bannock), writer, activist, and the chair of Indians of All Tribes in San Francisco, CA; Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk), editor of NativeViewPoint.com and certified Rotten Tomatoes critic; and Pat Vegas (Mexican/Yaqui/Shoshone descent), singer, songwriter, producer, and bass player for the band Redbone.
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 — Through the Decades: The 1960s
The 1960s were the genesis of Native American activism. Urban Native communities, formed by the American Indian Urban Relocation program of the 1950s, were tough and deplorable places to live. The American Indian Movement formed as a result and by 1968, the Indian Civil Rights Act was passed. This decade is also marked by the arrival of the color TV, an explosion of (rock) music, and a new style of Native art. In the first episode in our new series “Through the Decades”, Shawn Spruce remembers the politics, significant events, and pop culture that helped shape Native America with Donovin Sprague (Cheyenne River), author, historian, and professor of history at Sheridan College; actress Dawn Little Sky (Standing Rock and Cheyenne River); Dr. Jonathan Tomhave (MHA Nation), lecturer at the University of Washington; America Meredith (Cherokee Nation), publishing editor of First American Art Magazine, art writer, visual artist, and independent curator; and Deanna Aquiar (Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo), director of programs and development for the National Indian Youth Council.
Past Shows
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 – Eyes in the sky for development, public safety, and recreation
Drones are for more than just appealing aerial videos. Native drone pilots are building careers using drones for scoping out landscapes for construction, searching for lost hikers, and even assessing potentially sacred areas. One First Nations enthusiast sees the novelty factor of drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, as a means to attract young Native people into STEM fields. We’ll talk to Native drone pilots about how they’re using their skills for enterprise and to help make their communities better.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 — Three new films offer diverse views of Native life
Two Native sisters venture out of their Native community to chase their dreams, only to run head on into the threats of urban life in the new film, The Heart Stays. The Native-made drama is produced by a Native multi-arts organization and features a Native cast including Nathalie Standingcloud, Jon Proudstar, and Irene Bedard. Another film by Spirit Lake Dakota artist Marlena Myles is her own account of creating an augmented reality installation in St. Paul, Minn. And Bad River documents a Wisconsin tribe’s struggle with efforts to build an oil pipeline through their reservation.
Monday, April 15, 2024 – Protecting young people from the down sides of social media
Citing a troubling disparity for Native youth suicides, two tribes are suing the country’s most prominent social media companies. The lawsuit by the Spirit Lake Dakota Tribe and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin alleges the addictive pull of the platforms is driving a mental health crisis for young people – and Native youth are particularly vulnerable. They join a long list of states and other entities taking on social media corporations saying they are degrading the country’s mental health. We’ll discuss how to recognize when social media is becoming a problem and some ideas for a healthier approach.
Friday, April 12, 2024 – New Native voices in poetry
Ojibwe writer Marcie Rendon takes a break from her popular Cash Murder Mystery series for a new collection of poems, Anishinaabe Songs For A New Millennium. She invokes the plants, animals, wind, and people of her White Earth home. She challenges readers to listen along to the songs of their ancestors. Rendon is among the poets helping us mark National Poetry Month.
Thursday, April 11, 2024 – Indiginerds descend on Oklahoma City
It’s the time of year when Native nerds, cosplayers, comic geeks, and gamers assemble for the first and biggest convention devoted to them. IndigiPopX is back at the First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma City for the second year, featuring panel discussions, vendors, musicians, a glowstick ball match, and a whole day devoted to the TV series Reservation Dogs. Amid the festival fun is the message that Native Americans enjoy Mandalorians just like everybody else. We’ll hear what’s new from the IPX organizers.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024 – Political leaders target tribes with unfounded claims
With no supporting information, Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) claimed tribal leaders in her state are “personally benefiting” from the presence of drug cartels. While campaigning for re-election, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) warned about tribes setting up “abortion-on-demand” clinics to subvert the states new abortion laws. No Oklahoma tribe expressed any intention of setting up clinics. We’ll examine the fallout from such unfounded claims by high-ranking officials and what recourse tribal officials have to counter them.
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 – Tackling a troubling trend for Native women in prison
Numerous studies over the years point out the overrepresentation of Native American women in U.S. prisons. The Sentencing Project found a 525% increase over more than 20 years in the incarceration of women and girls. Juvenile Native American girls had the highest rate, at more than four times that of their white counterparts. We’ll talk about the factors driving a growing trend and what advocates are doing to turn the numbers around.
Monday, April 8, 2024 – How will $1.5 billion in opioid settlement money help the populations hit the hardest?
The Lummi Nation is among the tribes that continue to face serious threats from the ongoing opioid epidemic, despite their best efforts. Lawmakers in Washington State are poised to allocate millions of dollars in opioid litigation settlement money to Lummi and other tribes in an effort to stem troubling statistics that show Native Americans are overwhelmingly affected by opioid abuse. All across the country, tribes are working to find the most promising opioid treatments funded by dozens of settlements with pharmaceutical giants. We’ll check in with the ongoing problem of Native opioid addiction and the best prospects for the $1.5 billion earmarked to help solve it.
Friday, April 5, 2024 – Protecting the night sky
Most tribes have important traditional connections to the stars and other celestial bodies in the night sky. But increasing encroachment from artificial lights is diminishing those connections. A handful of tribes are supporting a dark skies initiative to preserve what night sky visibility is left and promoting methods to limit light pollution. In the process, they’re raising awareness of their own night sky traditions.