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Next month the Canadian government will begin a national inquiry into thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women. We’ll find out what that means for the families and the 1.4 million people with Aboriginal identity in the country. We’ll also take a look at other Aboriginal issues making headlines for our neighbors to the north, including mining fights, racism, and politics with two of our favorite Indigenous journalists.

Guest:

Duncan McCue (Anishinaabe) – host of Cross Country Checkup

Tim Fontaine (Ojibway) – reporter for CBC Aboriginal

Cheryl McKenzie (Anishinaabe/Cree) – host/producer, APTN National News and InFocus on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

Break Music: O Canada (song) Asani (artist) Listen (album)

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“You need to exercise more.” How many times has your doctor told you that? Doctors frequently prescribe exercise as a way to fight obesity and high rates of diabetes in Native America. But where and how you exercise depends on what you have available. Many rural tribal communities lack gyms. It can be hard for urban residents to find a safe place to go for a jog. Lack of exercise facilities could cut into a person’s motivation. How do you get yourself off the couch and working up a sweat when there’s not many places available?

Guests:

LaRita Laktonen-Ward (Alutiiq) – mother, professional figure competitor and health coach with Tru-Life Fitness

Casandra Stouder (Navajo/Seminole) – personal and group trainer, a master trainer for the Native American Fitness Council, motivational speaker, and counselor

Also featured on the show: Monday, July 20, 2015 – Changing Offensive Names

Break Music: Intertribal (feat. Northern Cree) (song) K.A.S.P. (artist) Intertribal (feat. Northern Cree) – Single (album)

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Collectors paid thousands of dollars for sacred items at a recent auction in Paris. But some of the items for sale were art pieces that are appropriate for sale. How does the consumer know the difference? When buying jewelry or pottery from vendors, how do you know you’re not buying a cheap knock-off? In both cases, the burden is on the buyer to be responsible and informed. We’ll talk with artists and experts in the industry about where to go and what it takes to be an informed collector.

Break music: Calling (song) RiverFlowz (artist) RiverFlowz Rural Recordings Malruk (album)

Teachers have a tough job. They often get little credit for educational achievements and all the blame for failures. And the profession is one of the lowest paying. But each fall, millions of teachers head back into the classroom. We’ll speak with some teachers about why they choose the classroom and what benefit teachers can bring to Native American students.

Guests:

Nepthys Justo (Santee Sioux Nation) – 3^rd grade teacher

Dr. Joe Martin (Navajo) – professor of educational leadership in the college of education at Northern Arizona University and director of the American Indian School Leadership Program

Agatha John-Shields (Yup’ik) – assistant professor at the University of Alaska-Anchorage college of education

Vida Stabler (Omaha Nation) – Indian Education Director for Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation Public School

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Tribes and two Native American organizations embarked on a historic nation-to-nation mission to Cuba. The diplomatic exchange comes as the Obama administration works to normalize relations with the communist country after decades under embargo. We’ll hear from those on the trip about what they saw and what they hope comes from it.  Representatives from several tribes and the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA) and National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) visited health care facilities and met with government officials. Is this the beginning of new opportunities with Cuba?

Guests:

Brian Cladoosby (Swinomish) – Chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and NCAI President

Wayne “Rick” Mitchum (Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians) – Economic Development Corporation Board Member & Council Member for the Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians

Maurice A. John Sr. (Seneca Nation of Indians) – President of the Seneca Nation of Indians

Cristina Danforth (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin) – Oneida Nation Chairwoman and President of the Native American Finance Officers Association

Break Music: Rumba a Yemoja (song) Quetzal Guerrero (artist) Now (album)

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Far too often, whenever you read a magazine article or research paper about Native Americans, the author is non-Native. At the very least, representations of Native life lack the sensitivity that a Native observer could bring. Even medical research can cross the line that tribes hold dear. Today many tribes are gaining control of how, when and if research is conducted. We’ll explore the appropriate ways outsiders can approach research in Native communities.

Guests:

Brian Vallo (Acoma Pueblo) – director of the Indian Arts Research Center at the School for Advanced Research.

Karen Francis Begay (Navajo) -assistant vice president of Tribal Relations for the University of Arizona

Break Music: Treaty Six and Coastal Hand Game Song (song) Fawn Wood & Dallas Waskahat (artist) Blessings (album)

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Once you’ve seen the pictures, it’s hard to get the image of the toxic yellow plume of mining waste that contaminated the Animas and San Juan rivers out of your mind. The spill occurred a year ago. It created numerous problems for businesses, farmers and residents downstream, including those on a part of the Navajo Nation. The Environmental Protection Agency admitted fault for causing the spill. Now, a year later, the yellow color is long gone. But is the water as safe to use as before the spill? Did the EPA pay for the damage? What is being done to prevent another spill of this magnitude?

Duane Chili Yazzie (Southwest Diné) – Shiprock Chapter President

LoRenzo Bates (Diné)  – Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council

Dr. Paloma Beemer – associate professor of public health at the University of Arizona

Lenore Williams (Navajo) – Vice President of the Upper Fruitland Chapter

Break Music: Anasazi Sun (song) Injunuity (artist) Fight For Survival (album)

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Landowners in several Native communities, including Fort Hall, the Navajo Nation and Quinault are facing deadlines with the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. The $1.9 billion program is part of the Cobell Settlement set up to purchase “fractionated interests in trust” from Native landowners. Trust land and land issues in Indian Country can get confusing very fast. We’ll get a status update on the program and review the basics of how it works. What should landowners know before they sell their land?

Guests:

John McClanahan – Land Buy-Back Program manager

Katy Grounds (Navajo, Seminole, Creeek) – Senior Advisor for Land Buy-Back Program

Break Music: Peace Calls (song) Robert Mirabal (artist) The River (Album)

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A pack of feral dogs mauled a three year old boy to death on the Navajo Nation last month. Kayden Colter Begay was visiting his grandparents at the time. His family expressed outrage at the Navajo Nation’s lack of animal control. Chapter officials say they don’t have resources for adequate enforcement. What more can be done about pets-turned-feral in Native America? Where does responsible pet ownership come into play?

Guests:

Diana Webster (White Earth Band of Ojibwe) – president and CEO of the Native America Humane Society

Rory Haaland (White Earth Nation) – community service officer for the Leech Lake Tribal Police

Stacey Daw (Navajo) – senior animal control officer for the Navajo Nation Animal Control Program

Elaine Fleming – chair of the arts and humanities department at Leech Lake Tribal College and an animal advocate

 Break Music: Clark Tenakhongva (artist) Rolling Thunder (song) Su’Vu’Yo’Yungw (album)

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We turn to the Hopi Nation to hear the latest from Clark Tenakhongva. His album “Su’Vu’Yo’Yungw” is a mix of music that pays tribute to his tribal Nation and resonates with many others. His path as a veteran, community leader, rancher and farmer also influence his music. We’ll hear more about the album and Tenakhongva’s creative process on our August Music Maker.

Break Music: I Came to Entertain (song) Clark Tenkahongva (artist) Su Vu Yo Yungw (album)