The early bond between Native Americans and horses was both technical and spiritual. For centuries, horses amplified the range and power for tribes, especially in the west. New discoveries are potentially rewriting what we know about the use of horses by the earliest inhabitants of North America. Those ancient bonds translate into a lasting spiritual and vocational connection that continues for those who work with horses. We’ll hear from some of them about how Native knowledge and horses go together.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 – Safeguards on Artificial Intelligence
Some language advocates are excited about potential for AI to help revitalize and promote Native languages. The emerging technology could create more accessible tools for second-language learners. At the same time, AI has implications for both tribes and individuals when it comes to using information they hold dear. AI is advancing fast, and Native experts are expressing the need for policy and legal safeguards to make sure it doesn’t trample Native values.
Monday, April 22, 2024 – Earth Day assessment: new climate report and oil leases
Native Americans face a six-fold increased risk of flash floods because of climate change in the next two years. That is one of the predictions in a new study led by the University of Oklahoma. One of the study’s authors says “Indigenous communities are grappling with an imminent climate crisis.” And Native groups are both praising and lambasting the Biden Administration’s direction on oil leases on federal lands. Depending on where you stand, new policies are either protecting diminishing land, or denying Native people the jobs necessary to feed their families.
Friday, April 19, 2024 – Remembering the 1974 Navajo border town murders
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The torture and gruesome murders of three Navajo men by white high school students touched off a series of racially-fueled conflicts in Farmington, N.M. on the border with the Navajo Nation. The murders in April 1974 became known as the Chokecherry Massacre. One protest organizer at the time called Farmington “the Selma, Alabama of the Southwest,” referring to the simmering racial tensions. Demands by Navajos and other Native activists since then have improved relations in the border town and surrounding areas somewhat. But many residents and observers say the sources of the problems remain just below the surface. We’ll recount this little-known period of Four Corners history and discuss what community relationships are like 50 years later.
GUESTS
John Redhouse (Diné and Ute), longtime activist
Chili Yazzie (Diné), Shiprock community member
Dr. Jennifer Denetdale (Diné), professor and chair of American Studies at the University of New Mexico
Nate Duckett, Farmington mayor
Break 1 Music: Reservation of Education (song) XIT (artist) Silent Warrior (album)
Break 2 Music: Come to Life (song) Toni Heartless (artist) Dark Days (album)
Thursday, April 18, 2024 — Can the right approach close the Native immunization gap?
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Native Americans are among the populations with the lowest rate of vaccinations, whether it’s for flu, measles, COVID-19, or hepatitis B. Health professionals urge parents to immunize their infants against more than a dozen serious diseases including polio, pertussis, diphtheria, and mumps. But poverty, lack of health insurance, and distance to health providers are among the barriers that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says keep rates for Native Americans low. On top of that, misinformation and confusion about vaccines creates additional hesitation for parents. We’ll talk with doctors about the factors that might improve immunization rates as a way to improve overall health.
Break 1 Music: Wiconi (song) Primeaux & Mike (artist) Road to Peace (album)
Break 2 Music: Come to Life (song) Toni Heartless (artist) Dark Days (album)
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 – Eyes in the sky for development, public safety, and recreation
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Drones are for more than just appealing aerial videos. Native drone pilots are building careers using drones for scoping out landscapes for construction, searching for lost hikers, and even assessing potentially sacred areas. One First Nations enthusiast sees the novelty factor of drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, as a means to attract young Native people into STEM fields. We’ll talk to Native drone pilots about how they’re using their skills for enterprise and to help make their communities better.
GUESTS
Jacob Taylor (Curve Lake First Nation), CEO of Indigenous Aerospace
James Grimsley, executive director of Advanced Technology Initiatives for the Choctaw Nation
Robert Hart (Ho-Chunk and Ojibwe), owner and chief pilot of L.I.D.A.R. Drone Services
Break 1 Music: Eagle Dance REMIX (single) Jason Brown/Decontie & Brown (artist)
Break 2 Music: Come to Life (song) Toni Heartless (artist) Dark Days (album)
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 — Three new films offer diverse views of Native life
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Two Native sisters venture out of their Native community to chase their dreams, only to run head on into the threats of urban life in the new film,
The Heart Stays. The Native-made drama is produced by a Native multi-arts organization and features a Native cast including Nathalie Standingcloud, Jon
Proudstar, and Irene Bedard. Another film by Spirit Lake Dakota artist Marlena Myles is her own account of creating an augmented reality installation in St. Paul, Minn. And Bad River documents a Wisconsin tribe’s struggle with efforts to build an oil pipeline through their reservation.
GUESTS
Diane Fraher (Osage and Cherokee). writer, director, and producer
Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota), Spirit Lake Dakota artist
Mary Mazzio, producer, writer, and director of Bad River
Allison Abner, producer of Bad River
Break 1 Music: Ghost (song) Sierra Spirit (artist)
Break 2 Music: Come to Life (song) Toni Heartless (artist) Dark Days (album)
Monday, April 15, 2024 – Protecting young people from the down sides of social media
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Citing a troubling disparity for Native youth suicides, two tribes are suing the country’s most prominent social media companies. The lawsuit by the Spirit Lake Dakota Tribe and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin alleges the addictive pull of the platforms is driving a mental health crisis for young people – and Native youth are particularly vulnerable. They join a long list of states and other entities taking on social media corporations saying they are degrading the country’s mental health. We’ll discuss how to recognize when social media is becoming a problem and some ideas for a healthier approach.
GUESTS
Marisa Duarte (Pascua Yaqui Tribe), associate professor in the Program for Justice and Social Inquiry at the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University
Tim Purdon, partner at Robins Kaplan LLP
Andrea Wiglesworth (enrolled member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation [Deer Clan] and Shawnee Tribe), doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Minnesota
Alec Calac (Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians), PhD candidate in Public Health at the University of California-San Diego
Break 1 Music: Common Feelings (song) Darksiderz (artist) Ancestors EP (album)
Break 2 Music: Come to Life (song) Toni Heartless (artist) Dark Days (album)
Friday, April 12, 2024 – New Native voices in poetry
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Ojibwe writer Marcie Rendon takes a break from her popular Cash Murder Mystery series for a new collection of poems, Anishinaabe Songs For A New Millennium. She invokes the plants, animals, wind, and people of her White Earth home. She challenges readers to listen along to the songs of their ancestors. Rendon is among the poets helping us mark National Poetry Month.
GUESTS
Tiffany Midge (Hunkpapa Lakota ), poet, humorist, and author
Marcie Rendon (White Earth Ojibwe ), writer and author
Kimberly Blaeser (Anishinaabe from the White Earth reservation ), poet, author of Ancient Light, founding director of Indigenous Nations Poets “In-Na-Po,” and MFA faculty member at Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)
Kinsale Drake (Diné), poet and founder of NDN Girls Book Club
Break 1 Music: The Last House Creeley Left (song) Rd Kla (artist) Streaming (album)
Break 2 Music: 500 Years O’ Blues (song) Digging Roots (artist) Seeds (album)
Thursday, April 11, 2024 – Indiginerds descend on Oklahoma City
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It’s the time of year when Native nerds, cosplayers, comic geeks, and gamers assemble for the first and biggest convention devoted to them. IndigiPopX is back at the First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma City for the second year, featuring panel discussions, vendors, musicians, a glowstick ball match, and a whole day devoted to the TV series Reservation Dogs. Amid the festival fun is the message that Native Americans enjoy Mandalorians just like everybody else. We’ll hear what’s new from the IPX organizers.
GUESTS
Dr. Lee Francis IV aka Dr. Indiginerd (Laguna Pueblo), CEO and founder of Native Realities
Tom Farris (Otoe-Missouria and Cherokee), director of retail operations for FAM
Kristin Gentry (Choctaw), director of community engagement and outreach for Native Realities, artist, photographer, writer, and curator
Connor Alexander (Cherokee Nation), owner of Coyote & Crow Games
Sarah Wilkinson (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), oil painter and illustrator
Break 1 Music: Big Crow (feat. Black Lodge Singers) (song) DJ Shub (artist) PowWowStep – EP (album)
Break 2 Music: 500 Years O’ Blues (song) Digging Roots (artist) Seeds (album)
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