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The presidential race keeps surprising us with each passing week as a flamboyant businessman with no political experience continues his march to the GOP nomination. Meanwhile, what’s the effect for Native Americans more than two years since the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Voting Rights Act? Also, the outgoing president of the United States meets with the incoming prime minister of Canada and both have high regard in Indian Country. We catch up on all the top news stories from Native America.

Guests:

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

Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk) -Media company owner Schilling Media and editor at Indian Country Today

Paul DeMain (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin) – managing editor and CEO of The News From Indian Country/IndianCountryTV.com

Break Music: Sneak Up (song) Red Bull (artist) Greatest Hits (album)

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It’s unavoidable. Women in their 40s and 50s face a whole slew of physical changes ranging from hot flashes to mood swings. What should Native American women know about menopause and how can they prepare for it? What potential health complications should they discuss with their doctors?

Guests:

Dr. Patrisia Gonzales (Kickapoo, Comanche and Nahua) – associate professor at the University of Arizona and traditional birth attendant and author of Red Medicine: Traditional Indigenous Rights of Birthing and Healing

Dr. Shiloh Small (Northern Cheyenne) – MD at Southcentral Foundation

Break Music: Woman’s Song (song) Joanne Shenandoah (artist) Sounds Of Indian Summer: Contemporary Native Music From The National Museum Of The American Indian (album)

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Smart phones have radically transformed our lives. Information is at our fingertips whenever we want, as long as we have a signal. Applications, or apps, give us convenient answers to questions like “where am I going” and even, “what should I do right now so I’m not bored.” We’ll take a look at a number of apps specifically designed to make Indigenous lives better. How about a dating app that matches you with your perfect blood quantum soul mate? Or what about an app that gives you the exact distance to the nearest Indian taco? What app do you need in your life?

Guests:

Manny Pino (Acoma Pueblo) – professor of sociology and director of American Indian Studies at Scottsdale Community College

Michael Sheyahshe (Caddo) – author and technologist

Break Music: Tha Mash Up (song) Wayne Silas, Jr. (artist) Infinite Passion (album)

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All the world’s a stage—and some stages are used to showcase Native American stories and talent. Whether it’s drama or comedy, classic or avant garde, Native-centered theater is reaching more and more audiences. What makes theater “Native”? What kinds of plays are being written by Native playwrights? What are the audiences saying? Is it difficult to find Native actors?

Guests:

Muriel Miguel (Kuna and Rappahannock) – director of Spiderwoman Theater

Kim Delfina Gleason (Diné) – executive director of Two Worlds

Rhiana Yazzie (Navajo) – playwright and founder and artistic director of New Native Theater

Break Music: Sunrise (song) James Bilagody & The Cremains (artist) Sacred Stage (album)

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Christianity in Native America has a complicated history. Early Christian missionaries discouraged traditional religious and spiritual practices within the tribes. But today many Native Americans adhere to a variety of Christian denominations including Catholic, Mormon, and Southern Baptist. They sometimes merge traditional spiritual practices with longstanding Christian beliefs. Can you practice both? Is there room for the crucifix in the sweat lodge?

Guests:

Dr. Casey Church (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi) – Director of Wiconi International

Joe Herrera (Cochiti Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo) – former Native American Ministry Director for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe

Break Music: Sac and Fox (song) Brian Stoner (artist) with Love and Faith We Pray Volume II (album)

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Can you buy forgiveness for environmental damage? Carbon credits offer opportunities for companies and even individuals to balance out their greenhouse gas emissions by paying another entity that promises to lower emissions. Some tribes think selling carbon credits might be an economic opportunity as well as a way to protect resources. Whether or not you align with the conventional scientific thinking on global warming, carbon credits could be an economic boon for tribes. Are carbon credits something Indigenous people should be banking on?

Guests:

Dallas Goldtooth (Diné and Mdewakanton Dakota) – Keep It in the Ground Campaign Organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network

Erick Giles (Muscogee Creek Nation) – program director National Indian Carbon Coalition

Jonny BearCub (Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes) – director of business development for Native Energy

Break Music: 7 Fires (song) Red Slam Collective (artist)

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“Hear Indigenous Voices: Uniting the Bold Voices of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians.” That’s this year’s theme for National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (on March 20).  We’ll talk with advocates to hear how they are using their voices to prevent Native Americans from getting HIV. We’ll also hear about the latest ideas for supporting those who already it. Is it difficult to discuss HIV and AIDS in your Native community? Do we need to work on creating a space for open discussions?

Guests:

Lisa Neel (Cherokee) – program manager for the HIV/AIDS program at the Indian Health Service

Alexander White Tail Feather (Kashia Band of Pomo Indians) – executive director of the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center

Shana Christensen (Kiowa) – public speaker, grandmother and advocate

Mentioned on the show today:

Native VOICES video series

IHS HIV/AIDS info

National Native American AIDS Prevention Center phone number 720-382-2244

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

 

Break Music: Pimatisiwin (Life) (song) Young Spirit (artist) Save Me A Lead (album)

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Two non-Native authors are enjoying reasonable success with Native American-themed works. Jason Aaron’s comic series ‘Scalped’ is set on a fictional South Dakota reservation where tribal mobsters punish their enemies with violence the author depicts in graphic detail. TV network WGN picked it up for a possible TV series. And renowned Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling is under fire for appropriating Native American culture in her “History of Magic in North America” online story series. Are you fans of any of these works? Are you disappointed when respected writers try to portray Native American culture?

Guests:

Lee Francis IV (Laguna Pueblo) – national director of Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers

Jonnie Taté Walker (Mniconjou Lakota) editor of Native Peoples Magazine and media critic

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