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Her voice was a frequent back-up to stars like Eric Clapton, Leon Russel and Stephen Stills. Grammy Award-winning Cherokee singer and songwriter Rita Coolidge also had solo hits like “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher” and “We’re All Alone.” Now Coolidge is out with a memoir, Delta Lady, that recalls her days with the icons of music. As our July Native in the Spotlight, Coolidge relives her memories as a sought-after singer and muse in the L.A. music scene.

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Fermented fish eggs and sheep’s head are considered delicacies to some tribes. But since burgers and pizza made their way to Native communities, our palates changed and we don’t eat them as often. The more traditional Native food can be hard to find and even hard to stomach for some of us. But they reflect the diversity of our tribal cultures and still occasionally make it to our plates. In this program, we celebrate unique delicacies and the efforts by some people to keep them vital. What’s considered a delicacy in your Native community?

Guests:

Nephi Craig (White Mountain Apache and Navajo) – executive chef at the Sunrise Park Resort Hotel and founder of the Native American Culinary Association

Terrol Johnson (Tohono O’odham) –  artist and food activist, CEO of Tohono O’odham Community Action

 

Also mentioned on this program: Native Foodways Magazine

The Menu Song (song) Arigon Starr (artist) The Red Road – Original Cast Recording (album)

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A “devastating epidemic” is the phrase used by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell to describe opioid abuse. Treatment for addicts continues to evolve. One approach, Medication-assisted Treatment (MAT), uses drugs like methadone or buprenorphine. Another relies on an abstinence-based treatment program. Which approach is the best treatment for opioid addiction? Is it the same for everyone?

Guests:

Dr. Dan Duhigg – addiction psychiatrist and associate professor at the University of New Mexico in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

Don Coyhis (Mohican) – founder of White Bison Inc.

Joe Jenkins (Cherokee) – program sponsor and executive director to the Keetowah Cherokee Treatment Services

 

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

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Fewer than 3,000 police officers patrol more than 56 million acres in Indian Country. That’s the sobering statistic from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. All tolled, tribal law enforcement agencies need to double that number to be on par with other communities. What can be done to recruit and retain more cops?

Guests:

Ed Reina (Salt River Pima Maricopa) – retired tribal chief of police

Laddimer Clifford (Oglala Lakota) – lieutenant for Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety

Bill Denke – chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Indian Country law enforcement section

Break Music: Chant (song) Robert Mirabal + ETHEL (artist) The River (album)

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Sex offenders pose a pervasive threat to our sense of security. There are hundreds of registered sex offenders in our Native communities. Many pose little risk and have lived in their communities for decades without incident. Others are considered high risks for reoffending. Officials struggle with the best ways to keep the public safe while also protecting people’s right to privacy. Tribal governments have varying ways of monitoring sex offenders. We’ll get a snapshot of the situation and learn some of the options are for communities and individuals.

Guests:

Marnie Dollinger- senior policy advisor in the Office of Sex Offenders Sentencing, Monitoring Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART)

David Adams (Sioux Saint Marie Chippewa) – tribal liaison for the U.S. Department of Justice and assistant U.S. attorney in New Mexico

Break Music: Snakes And Ladders (song) Cris Derksen (artist) The Cusp (album)

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The Supreme Court handed a victory for tribal court sovereignty in a case involving domestic abuse sentencing. We’ll examine the details behind the unanimous ruling in US v Bryant and what it means for the future of tribal courts. In the wake of the mass shooting of 49 people in Orlando Florida, some people are questioning the headlines “Worst Mass Shooting in US History.” We’ll discuss the criticisms and appropriateness of such arguments. And as always, until November, we keep an eye on the elections.

Guests:

Mark Trahant (Shoshone-Bannock) – journalist

Suzette Brewer (Cherokee) –  journalist with Indian Country Today Media Network

Also mentioned in the show: Indian Bummer: Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

#NativeVote16 Data Sets from Trahant Reports

Victory for Tribes as SCOTUS Ties in Dollar General

Break Music: Crooked World Blues (song) Lakota John (artist) Lakota John and Kin (album)

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Residential fires are steadily declining. Still, an average of seven people die each day from home fires, according to the latest figures from the National Fire Protection Association. And Native Americans are second on FEMA’s list of populations with the highest rates of fire fatalities. June is National Safety Month. It’s a good time to review to simple ways to be safer and to go over the basics of fire prevention and planning. Do you test your smoke alarms once a year? Do you know how to put out a grease fire?

Guests:

Kenneth Ruthardt (Mescalero Apache) – safety manager for AMERIND Risk

Derek Valdo (Acoma Pueblo) – CEO of AMERIND Risk

AMERIND Risk Arson Tip Line 1-888-998-7362

Break Music: Hummingbird (song) The Jir Project Band (artist) The Pueblo (album)

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Maybe it’s their weird-looking faces, leathery wings and wild flight patterns that creep people out. But the truth is bats are next to harmless. They are very important to the environment as pollinators and voracious predators of pesky insects. And just like a lot of other animals, bats hold a special place in Native culture. Right now some bat populations are threatened. We will talk to experts leading the efforts to help bats survive.

Guests:

Elmer Atlookan (Ojibwe) – co-host of Seers from the First People and a spiritual advisor

Dave Arquette (Mohawk Nation) – Director of the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force

Dr. Jeremy Coleman – national White-Nose Syndrome coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Pat Gwin (Cherokee) – administration liaison for the Cherokee Nation

Break Music: Nanakmel Ha-Ki – The Bat’s Cave (song) Earl Ray (artist) Traditional Songs Of The Salt River Pima (album)

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Some activists proudly refer to themselves as ‘radicals’. But “radicalized” has become the term to describe how people turn passive discontent with the government into violent action. It’s been used to describe the motivation behind the shooting attack on a nightclub in Orlando, the attempts by men from Minnesota to join the terror group ISIS, and the occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon by a group of land owners. But what really is radicalization and how do Native American activists react to increasing scrutiny–and consequences–of their actions? It’s normal to have a healthy skepticism towards elected officials or governmental policy, Where do you draw the line?

Guests:

Klee Benally (Diné) – project coordinator for Indigenous Action Media

Dr. Andrew Curley (Diné) deputy director of the Diné Policy Institute

Amanda Lickers (Seneca Six Nations) – curator for Reclaim for Turtle Island

Break Music: Matariki (song) Whiri Tū Aka (artist) Whiri Tū Aka (album)