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The action by Republican Texas lawmakers to redraw congressional voting boundaries to favor Republican candidates has clear implications for the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas. The new contorted boundaries put the tribe at least four times the distance away from their elected representative’s base of operation. The Texas move has also spurred other states to do that same and voting advocates worry about losing hard-fought ground for Native voter representation at the polls. We’ll look at what the latest potential problem areas are and how it relates to the midterm elections.

Also, we’ll talk with a New Mexico District Attorney Bernadine Martin (Diné). She is fighting to keep her job amid allegations of incompetence and misconduct. Martin is the only female Native American district attorney in the state. She says she is being unfairly targeted.

GUESTS

Cecilia Flores (Alabama-Coushatta), tribal council chairwoman of the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas

Nita Battise (Alabama-Coushatta), tribal council member of the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas

Lenny Powell (Hopland Band of Pomo Indians), Native American Rights Fund staff attorney

Daniel McCool, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Utah

Bernadine Martin (Diné), McKinley County District Attorney

Break 1 Music: Red Dust Rising (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

Break 2 Music: Fancy Dance (Song) Yellow Hammer (artist) Yellow Hammer (album)

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Among the informational signs flagged for review under the Trump administration’s purge of “improper ideology” at National Parks is language at the Sitka National Monument Russian Bishop’s House explaining how missionaries worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and languages in Alaska. A panel at Florida’s Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is being questioned for including text about forced assimilation of imprisoned Native Americans. They are part of the ongoing review of parks, museums, and other institutions for information deemed disparaging to Americans. The review has prompted considerable concern over who is making decisions about how historical events are portrayed and whether Native historians have any input.

GUESTS

Michaela Pavlat (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), Indigenous partnerships program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association

Julie Reed (Cherokee), associate professor of history at the University of Tulsa

Morning Star Gali (Pit River Tribe), executive director of Indigenous Justice and the California tribal and community liaison for the International Indian Treaty Council

Kimberly Smith (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), community conservation specialist for The Wilderness Society

Break 1 Music: 500 Years O’ Blues (song) Digging Roots (artist) Seeds (album)

Break 2 Music: Seeing Two (song) Deerlady (band) Greatest Hits (album)

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Propelled by the success of her runaway bestseller, “Braiding Sweetgrass”, Robin Wall Kimmerer (Citizen Potawatomi) continues a passion for weaving together the science, the cultural knowledge, and the beauty of the natural environment and importance of taking notice of it. In her new children’s picture book, “Bud Finds Her Gift,” a young girl discovers what it means to receive and give the gifts of nature. And her book, “The Serviceberry,” lands on the small fruit clusters as a starting point to awaken one’s gratitude for the environment’s abundance. We’ll hear from Kimmerer about the arc of her work and the additional knowledge she’s collected from it.

Break 1 Music: My Wild Rose (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

Break 2 Music: Seeing Two (song) Deerlady (band) Greatest Hits (album)

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After two decades of work, supporters of an international agreement are celebrating ratification of a tool aimed at reversing ongoing threats to oceans around the globe. Sixty nations have signed onto the High Seas Treaty. It’s a legally-binding document that maps a direction for marine biodiversity in international waters. It addresses threats such as pollution, overfishing, and damage caused by climate change. The goals align with those of many Indigenous populations, many of whom are bearing the brunt of diminished ocean diversity. At the same time, there are concerns about the ability to enforce the agreement against nations that choose to ignore it.

GUESTS

Steve MacLean (Iñupiaq), managing director of the World Wildlife Fund U.S. Arctic Program

Solomon Kahoʻohalahala (Native Hawaiian), chairperson of the Maui Nui Makai Network, a former Hawaii State Representative, and elder

Roberto Múkaro Borrero (Taino), Kasike of the Guainía Taíno Tribe, president of United Confederation of Taíno People, and UN Programmes Coordinator for the International Indian Treaty Council

Guillermo Ortuño Crespo, co-lead of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) High Seas Specialist Group 

Break 1 Music: Ocean Prayer [Version A] (song) Pamyua (artist) Side A/Side B (album)

Break 2 Music: Seeing Two (song) Deerlady (band) Greatest Hits (album)

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The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona is considering a new law to banish tribal members convicted of violent crimes. A bill awaits a signature from the New York governor that aims to strengthen the Seneca Nation’s ability to enforce tribal laws, which includes removing people convicted of drug trafficking and other crimes. Those are among efforts by tribes to formalize the traditional practice of banishment as tool to combat crime, but such efforts sometimes conflict with modern legal systems. In Alaska, the Native Village of Togiak faces a legal challenge after tribal members forced a man suspected of illicit alcohol sales onto an airplane to another city. We’ll get insights from tribal leaders and Native legal experts on how banishment fits in with modern justice.

GUESTS

David E. Wilkins (Lumbee), professor at the University of Richmond

Matthew Fletcher (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians), law professor at the University of Michigan Law School and author of the “Turtle Talk” blog

J.C. Seneca (Seneca), president of the Seneca Nation

Anecia Kritz (Yup’ik), president of Togiak Traditional Council

Alex Cleghorn (Tangirnaq Native Village), chief operating officer for the Alaska Native Justice Center and Tangirnaq Native Village council member

Break 1 Music: This Land (song) Keith Secola (artist) Native Americana – A Coup Stick (album)

Break 2 Music: Capoeirablues (song) XOCÔ (artist) XOCÔ (album)