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As the nation ponders the election of the 45th president later this year, we take time on this President’s Day to consider the previous 44 office holders. Who are regarded as the best and worst U.S. presidents for Native America? What makes someone a good president? Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but he also approved the hanging of 38 Dakota warriors in 1862. Many are calling for the removal of Andrew Jackson’s face of the twenty dollar bill because of Indian Removal. And Richard Nixon ushered in a new era of Native self-determination. Who measures up—in hindsight—as the most and least beneficial president?

Guests:

Dr. Doug Kiel (Citizen of Oneida Nation of Wisconsin) – assistant professor of American studies at Williams College

Break Music: Smokedance remix (song) Eastern Sky Ambassadors (artist)

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Services and conditions at Indian Health Service facilities in the Great Plains area are “simply horrifying and unacceptable,” U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs said at a hearing last week. Based on a report by U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), the IHS has continuously administered inadequate care that puts patients at risk. “They have led to multiple patient deaths,” Barasso said.

In this program, we’ll discuss the issues some of these IHS facilities are having and what solutions patients and communities leaders want. Are there issues at your local IHS that you would like to see addressed and fixed?

Find the Senate committee oversight hearing and the listening session here.

 

Guests:

Dorothy Dupree (Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes) – IHS Deputy Director for Quality Health Care

Jerilyn Church (Cheyenne River Sioux) – CEO of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Health Board

Stacy Bohlen (Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa) – executive director of the National Indian Health Board

 

Break Music: Stomp Dance (song) George Hunter (artist) Haven (album)

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Whether you’re looking for something tacky, funny, beautiful or thought-provoking, there’s a T-shirt for it. There are T-shirts for candidates, events, concerts and political and religious views. Native American-designed t-shirts have their own flair. Do you have a “F.B.I. Fry Bread Inspector” T-shirt? How about a “Fighting Terrorism Since 1492” T-shirt? What’s your favorite T-shirt? Why are T-shirts an important part of our wardrobe and culture?

Guests:

J.R. Lonelodge (Arapaho and Cheyenne) – owner and artist of War Child Society

Terry Fisher (Coushatta, Jena Band Choctaw and Alabama-Coushatt) – Screen printer

Saba (Navajo and Jemez Pueblo) – graffiti artist, screen printer and owner of Barricade Culture Shop

Cody Bigjohn (Ojibwe and Odawa) – co-owner and co-operator of WarPaint Clothing Co. and graphics designer for Powwow Jamz

Break Music: Let It Fall (song) Def-I (artist) Shields For Rainning Arrows (album)

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Hoop dance is a colorful form of storytelling through dancing with hoops. Dancers can use as many as 50 hoops with intricate moves that combine skill and grace. Tony White Cloud from Jemez Pueblo created more popularity for Hoop Dancing in the 1930s with public performances at fairs in the US and even across Europe with Gene Autry promoting war bonds. The Heard Museum will hold the World Championship Hoop Dance Competition. How has hoop dance changed through the years? What does it take to be a hoop dance champion?

Guests: 

Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Santee Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) – cultural specialist at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and co-founder of the World Championship Hoop Dance Contest

Leslie Deer (Muscogee) – Native apparel designer and judge for the World Championship Hoop Dance Contest

Break Music: Wild Band Of Comanches – Men’s Fancy (song) Gathering Of Nations Powwow (artist) A Spirit’s Dance (album)

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There may be no way to fully get over the death of a child. It’s a whole other world of grieving that lasts a lifetime. What makes the pain bearable? Is there ever complete healing after a child dies? What can friends and loved ones on the outside do to support bereaved parents?

Guests:

D.J. Eagle Bear Vanas (Odawa Nation) – motivational storyteller and owner of Native Discovery Inc.

Dr. Joanne Cacciatore- associate professor at Arizona State University and founder of the MISS Foundation

 

Break Music: Intertribal (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Pakosiyimitan (album)

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People living in rural areas often struggle to get adequate health care because of the distance and access to medical care. Telemedicine uses a variety of technologies to serve patients in need of medical care. Have you ever connected with your doctor using a computer? How else can technology be used to help keep people healthy?

Guest:
Dr. Dale Alverson – medical director of the Center for Telehealth at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
Dr. Stewart Ferguson – chief technology officer for the Alaska Native Medical Center

Break Music: East Winging It (feat. Black Bear) (song) Cris Derksen (artist) Cris Derksen: Orchestral Powwow World

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Six indigenous filmmakers debuted works at the Sundance Film Festival that just wrapped up. They include an animated short film, a light-hearted feature about a man and his nephew, and a drama about a rootless woman who makes a life-changing choice. The notable festival also featured 11 Native Fellows who are part of programs to offer support for film makers. We’ll talk with the filmmakers about what it takes to get into the festival and what’s ahead for them.

Guests:

Adam Piron (Kiowa and Mohawk) – manager of the Native and Indigenous Film Program at Sundance

Heather Rae (Cherokee) – filmmaker

Shaandiin Tome (Diné) –Full Circle Fellow

Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chuck and Pechanga) – filmmaker, director video artist

Break Music: For the Light (song) Digging Roots (artist) For the Light (album)

 

 

 

 

 

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The First Nations band, Digawolf, embraces the diverse cultural landscape of Canada’s Northwest Territories. The band blends tradition with new world alternative rock. The songs on their latest 10-track album, “Great Northern Man,” switch between English and the Tlicho language. Vocalist and lead guitarist Dzǫetsè aka Jesse James Gon from the Tlicho First Nation is our guest for the February Music Maker edition. Hear him explain how they developed their sound and their music philosophy.

Break Music: Digawolf (artist)  Seta (My Father) (song) Great Northern Man (album)

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Fake Native American art is typically made with inferior materials and stolen designs. It can be hard for the untrained eye to detect, but it undercuts the livelihoods and legitimacy of true Native American artists. In October, the FBI charged three non-Natives with violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. The sellers allegedly passed off jewelry manufactured in the Philippines as Native American made. Experts estimate Native American art fraud costs authentic artists as much as $1 billion per year. What questions should consumer ask sellers when purchasing jewelry?

Guests:

Gene Billie (Diné) -silversmith and representative for the Native Jewelers Society

Darryl Dean Begay (Navajo) – silversmith and one of the founders of the Native Jewelers Society

Dr. Joe Candillo (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) – artist and owner of Authentic Native American Arts

Break music:  I’M NOT A MASCOT – I’M NOT A STEREOTYPE – I’VE BEEN WATCHING (single song) Michael Bucher (artist)

 Full interview, Indian Arts and Crafts Board Chairman Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne/Arapaho) and Ken Van Wey – program specialist: