Can you name the Super Indian comic book character whose name sounds a lot like a 70s rock musician? How many members of Congress are Native American? What historical event precipitated colonial encroachment on California tribes. Those are some of the questions that careful listening to Native America Calling this year could provide answers to. We’ll test listeners’ knowledge of Native history, current events and pop culture.
Monday, December 23, 2024 – Native Playlist 2024
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Native America Calling runs down some of the standout Indigenous tracks from the past year. We get expert recommendations from The Mainstream‘s Brett Maybee (Seneca), Indigenous in Music’s Larry K (Ho-Chunk), and Sounds of Survivance’s Tory J (Quinault) from KEXP. They give us a wide range of selections that include rock, folk, jazz-fusion, soul, and more, in addition to the insightful stories behind the music. We wrap up the 2024 Native Playlist with music you don’t want to miss.
Top five artists and songs of 2024 picked by guests and staff:
Larry K’s 2024 top artists and songs:
- “Ocean Child I Am” by Khu.éex’
- “Strawberries and Champagne” by Indian City
- “Ista Nts Ali” by Nuxalk Radio
- “Bay City Blues” by The Bloodshots
- “Movimento” by Jalmy
Tory J’s 2024 top artists and their songs:
- “In My Way” by Liv Rion
- “Purity” by Indian Giver
- “Seeing Two” by Deerlady
- “Glass in The Sage” by Under Exile”
- Carefree” by Wyatt C. Louis
Brett Maybee’s 2024 top artists and songs:
- “Reservation Road” by Nadjiwan
- “Bounce, Boogie & Bump” by C.W. Ayon
- “Ridin’ Out the Storm” by Samantha Crain
- “Sugarcane” by Mali Obomsawin
- “FEE FI FO FUM” by Mato Wayuhi (feat. Black Belt Eagle Scout)
Honorable Mention: “Ocean Child I Am” by Khu.éex’
Shawn Spruce’s 2024 top artists and songs:
- “Who’s Your Favorite Indian” by The Jir Project
- “Thunder Medicine” by Geneviève Gros-Louis
- “Growing Pains” by Sage Nizhoni
- “Last Call” by Melody McArthur
- [Posthumously] “Doctor My Eyes” by Jackson Browne (featuring Jesse Ed Davis)
Andi Murphy (producer) 2024 top artists and songs:
- “COME TO LIFE” by Toni Heartless
- “Everyday” by Celeigh Cardinal
- “We Up” by Barkaa
- “KALEIDOSCOPE” by Snotty Nose Rez Kids feat. Travis Thompson
- “Warriors” by Black Braid
Sol Traverso (producer) 2024 top artists and songs:
- “Dirt Roads” by Tia Wood
- “Brown Fool Eyes” – Hatallii
- “Alpha and Omega” by The Zonies
- “Slash and Gash” by Red-209
- “RESIDENT EVIL” by Toni Heartless
Thursday, December 26, 2024 – 38 + 2: Healing and reconciliation
After a hiatus, horse riders resumed a tradition to remember the Dakota men hanged by the U.S. Government on December 26, 1862 in Mankato, Minn. The original organizer of the ride, Jim Miller, died in March 2023. A new group of riders has now taken up the task and reformed under the title Makota Reconciliation and Healing Horse Ride – from the Crow Creek Reservation in North Dakota to Mankato. We’ll hear from the riders about the journey and the history they are highlighting. We’ll also check on the work to have the federal government rescind the medals given to the U.S. Army soldiers who participated in the Wounded Knee Massacre Dec. 29, 1890.
Wednesday, December 25, 2024 – Celebrating the life of musician Jesse Ed Davis
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Guitarist Jesse Ed Davis (Kiowa) was an in-demand session player starting in the mid 1960s, appearing on dozens of recordings with artists such as Taj Mahal, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, and Jackson Browne. He appears on solo albums by three of the four Beatles. Davis toured with The Faces, alongside Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. The Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Okla., is mounting an exhibition celebrating Davis’ life and work along with a tribute concert featuring Jackson Browne, Taj Mahal, and Joy Harjo. We’ll hear from some of the people who knew and worked with the man Bonnie Raitt called “one of the most original, and soulful, and cool guitar players.” We hear about Davis and the exhibition honoring him in this encore show (we won’t be taking live telephone calls from listeners).
GUESTS
Joy Harjo (Mvskoke), 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate, musician, playwright, and co-curator of the Jesse Ed Davis: Natural Anthem exhibition
Chebon Tiger (Seminole and Mvskoke), musician
Douglas Miller, author of Washita Love Child: The Rise of Indigenous Rock Star Jesse Ed Davis and co-curator of the Jesse Ed Davis: Natural Anthem exhibition
Steven Jenkins, director of the Bob Dylan Center
Tuesday, December 24, 2024 — Native in the Spotlight: Rebecca Jim
Rebecca Jim (Cherokee) was a school counselor in 1979 when she witnessed Tar Creek run orange with pollution from nearby mining tailings. The federal government eventually made it a Superfund site. She has been an environmental advocate ever since and is even known as the Tar Creek Keeper, raising awareness for the 11-mile waterway and leading a non-profit organization dedicated to ongoing cleanup and holding polluters accountable. Jim is our December Native in the Spotlight.
Friday, December 20, 2024 – Storytelling season
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Snow is on the ground and that means it’s story time. Storytelling is an art. But it is also the primary method for so many tribes to convey history, cultural lessons and spiritual guidance. The Diné story about the coyote and the lizard warns listeners to be wary of who they trust. A Chickasaw story explains how two brothers split up on their journey, becoming the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes. We’ll hear those and some other selected stores by experienced Native storytellers.
GUESTS
Ogimaawab aka Joseph Sutherland (Nishnawbe Aski First Nation), Ojibwe language and culture educator
Sunny Dooley (Diné), blessing way Hané teller
Dancing Star aka Donna Courtney (Chickasaw), Chickasaw Nation Storytelling program manager
Gene Tagaban (Tlingit, Cherokee, and Filipino), storyteller, performing artist, and wellness and health trainer
Break 1 Music: Ridin’ Out the Storm (song) Samantha Crain (artist)
Break 2 Music: Ballad of Athabascan Theory (song) Hataałii (artist) Waiting for a Sign (album)
Thursday, December 19, 2024 – Tribes celebrate major landback wins
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The Osage Nation successfully transferred more than 40,000 acres of land it purchased years ago into trust. It’s the second largest tribal trust land transfer in history. Their Oklahoma neighbor, the Cherokee Nation, is celebrating the transfer of five former boarding school properties into trust. The tribe says the properties on their reservation present opportunities to improve their surrounding communities. We’ll hear from each of the tribes and others about significant tribal land agreements.
GUESTS
Geoffrey Standing Bear, principal chief of the Osage Nation
Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation
Lora Ann Chaisson, principal chief of the United Houma Nation
Break 1 Music: Sovereign Land by the Summit Dub Squad (song) The Native Movement Native Music Compilation (artist) Written in Blood (album)
Break 2 Music: Ballad of Athabascan Theory (song) Hataałii (artist) Waiting for a Sign (album)
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 – A look at 2024 news from a Native perspective
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President Joe Biden’s apology for the federal government’s role in Indian Boarding School abuses was among the top news stories for Native Americans this year. It was an unprecedented event, but received a mixed reaction from Native policy watchers. Other notable news includes a survey showing significant Native voter support for Donald Trump in the presidential election. We’ll get additional insights into the stories important to Native Americans, plus a few you may have missed.
GUESTS
Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post reporter
Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi), publisher and editor of Native News Online and Tribal Business News
Shaun Griswold (Laguna, Zuni, and Jemez Pueblo), journalist
Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Ojibwe), national correspondent for ICT
Break 1 Music: Over and Over (song) Celeigh Cardinal (artist)
Break 2 Music: Ballad of Athabascan Theory (song) Hataałii (artist) Waiting for a Sign (album)
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 – Solving school absenteeism
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A focus on reducing chronic absenteeism for Native American students is paying off in a Cheyenne-Arapaho school system. It’s a hands-on initiative with an intensive interest in reaching students in the Oklahoma tribe. It comes as absenteeism remains at high levels for all students since the COVID-19 pandemic, but especially so for Native students. We’ll hear about promising methods to help keep kids on the track for learning.
GUESTS
Hollie Youngbear (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes), Watonga Public Schools Indian Educator
Jacob Metoxen (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin), legal specialist with the Tribal Law and Policy Institute
Johanna Farmer (Rosebud Sioux Tribe), program attorney with the National American Indian Court Judges Association
Break 1 Music: Children’s Honoring Song (song) Red Hawk Medicine Drum (artist) New Beginnings (album)
Break 2 Music: Ballad of Athabascan Theory (song) Hataałii (artist) Waiting for a Sign (album)
Monday, December 16, 2024 – Reclaiming and growing Hawaiian kapa traditions
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After a period of colonial suppression, traditional kapa making is enjoying a sustained resurgence. In recent decades, a growing number of Native Hawaiian artists have mastered the labor-intensive process of harvesting, scraping, and soaking the bark of the wauke plant and embellishing the resulting fabric with colorful traditional designs. A new generation of artists is benefiting from this reclaimed expertise.
GUESTS
Dalani Tanahy (Native Hawaiian), Hawaiian kapa artist
Lehuauakea (Native Hawaiian), Hawaiian kapa artist
Roen Hufford (Native Hawaiian), Hawaiian kapa artist
Break 1 Music: Wahine U`i (Beautiful One) (song) Linda Dela Cruz (artist) Linda Dela Cruz Hawaii’s Canary (album)
Break 2 Music: Ballad of Athabascan Theory (song) Hataałii (artist) Waiting for a Sign (album)
Here’s an extended interview with 2023 National Heritage Fellow Roen Hufford (Native Hawaiian). She spoke with producer Sol Traverso about her favorite part of the kapa making process and being taught by her mother Marie Leilehua McDonald.
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