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The death of Chadwick Boseman sparks a new national discussion about colon cancer. It also highlights racial disparities for what doctors say is among the most preventable and curable cancers. Boseman, the actor known for the lead role in the film, Black Panther, was only 43 when he died of the disease. Native American colon cancer rates are about the same as other minority groups, which are generally higher than the population as a whole. We’ll get reminders on prevention, treatment and warning signs.

Guests:

Cindy Borassi – interim president of the Colon Cancer Foundation

Dr. Diana Redwood – Senior Epidemiologist at the Alaska Native Epidemiology Center, at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

Dr. Matthew Cusick – Chief of Surgery at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center

Dr. Verlyn Corbett – senior medical director at Southcentral Foundation

 

Break 1 music: Watch It Now (crow hop) (song) Bear Creek (artist) Right Now (album)

Break 2 music: Singing Together (song) Drumming Hill Singers (artist) Memories (album)

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Another series of destructive fires in California prompt new questions about how best to prevent and prepare for wildfires. Many of the state’s tribes have cultural fire management practices that go back centuries, and include minimizing wildfire risks through controlled burns, something California officials once banned. We’ll take a look at wildfires in California and elsewhere through a Native lens and hear from tribes that are on the ground about what it takes to heal with fire rather than just fight it.

Guests:

Bodie Shaw (the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) – Northwest deputy regional director of trust services for the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Rick O’Rourke (Yurok tribal member) – Fire and Fuels coordinator for the Cultural Fire Management Council and traditional fire practitioner

Ron Goode (North Fork Mono Tribe) – tribal chairman for the North Fork Mono Tribe

 

Break 1 music: Wapaha Olowan (Feather Staff Song) (song) Porcupine Singers (artist) Alowanpi – Songs Of Honoring – Lakota Classics: Past & Present, Vol. 1 (album)

Break 2 music: Singing Together (song) Drumming Hill Singers (artist) Memories (album)

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(Pre-recorded show) Since 2007, the Leadership Institute has invited Native American high school and college students in New Mexico to its Summer Policy Academy out of the Santa Fe Indian School. The students team up with professionals in different fields including law and cultural revitalization. The Academy encourages the students to draw from the richness of their culture to build strong leadership skills. The goal is to get them thinking critically about how public policy affects their communities and bring about positive changes. We’ll hear from the organizers of this unique opportunity about utilizing the gifts handed down from past generations to fortify a resilient future.

 

Break 1 music: Wim Ah I Wem, Tiwa (single) Gregg Analla (artist)

Break 2 music: Singing Together (song) Drumming Hill Singers (artist) Memories (album)

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Many Native college students are starting classes thanks to scholarships that pay for tuition, books or other expenses during the school year. The fall semester may be under way, but there are a number of scholarships that are still available, including COVID-19 recovery funds. We’ll hear about money that’s still on the table for Native college students and what some of the key deadlines are coming up. We’ll also learn what effect COVD-19 has on scholarship availability and Native student enrollment.

Guests:

Dera Iyotte (Sicangu Lakota) – student and consultant

Dezbah Evans (Yuchi, Navajo Chippewa) – teaching assistant for the Yuchi Language Project and cosplayer

Dr. Corey Still (citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians) – director of scholarship operations at the American Indian Graduate Center

Elisabeth Johnson (Navajo) – seciwa assistant at the American Indian Student Support Services  at Arizona State University

 

Break 1 music: Plant The Seeds (song) Digging Roots (artist) We Are (album)

Break 2 music: Rumble (Remastered) (song) Link Wray (artist) Rumble (Remastered) (single)

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Groups of Native civilians are helping watch over reservation communities and urban Native neighborhoods. In Minneapolis, the American Indian Movement was instrumental in protecting properties during the unrest following the death of George Floyd. Now, volunteers are patrolling that city’s Little Earth community. In Regina, Canada volunteers with the non-profit White Pony Lodge walk the streets of the predominantly Native North Central neighborhood that experiences high rates of gun violence and Native gang activity.  They pick up trash and used needles. They are ready to administer aid to drug overdose victims. They’re known for giving out fresh-baked bread to people they meet up with. We’ll talk with organizers about their efforts to help make their communities safer.

Guests:

Gene Small – one of the founders of the Peoples Camp

Kevin Walker (Metis and Ojibwe) – interim executive director for Bear Clan Patrol

Leticia Racine – with the White Pony Lodge

Mark Brave Rock (Blackfoot Confederacy) – leader of the Sage Clan Patrol

 

Break 1 music: Euphony (song) Nitanis “Kit” Largo (artist) Serenity (album)

Break 2 music: Rumble (Remastered) (song) Link Wray (artist) Rumble (Remastered) (single)

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The U.S. Department of Justice opened six offices around the country dedicated to solving Native missing and murdered cold cases. There are technological advances that help solve older cases, but it remains a difficult task. Over time, witness memories may fade, evidence may get lost or degrade. The FBI counts about 250,000 unsolved homicides in the United States, and less than two-thirds of new cases are successfully closed each year. We’ll hear from cold case experts about what goes into securing justice for Native victims and their families.

Guests:

Janet Franson – retired homicide investigator, founder of Lost and Missing in Indian Country

Liz Carr (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) – senior Native affairs advisor at National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center and Strong Hearts Native Helpline

Shaunta Roubideaux (Sicangu Lakota) – murdered and missing Native person’s advocate and a survivor

 

Break 1 music: Plains Vs Coast, Pt 2 (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album)

Break 2 music: Rumble (Remastered) (song) Link Wray (artist) Rumble (Remastered) (single)

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Stories we’re taking a look at during our news round-up: Politics took the national stage with the national party conventions, but did Native issues? We’ll get a run-down.  Also, the city of Omaha is paying a $550,000 settlement to the family of Zachary Bear Heels. The Lakota and Kiowa man died after Omaha police punched him and shocked him repeatedly with a Taser. And a school district in New Mexico is using some innovative work-arounds to help students learning from home who don’t have adequate internet access.

Guests:

Kolby KickingWoman (Blackfeet/A’aniih) – reporter/producer for Indian Country Today

Shaun Griswold (Jemez/Laguna/Zuni) – reporter for New Mexico in Depth and Report for America

Kevin Abourezk (Rosebud Sioux) – managing editor of Indianz.com

Sherriann Moore (Sicangu’ Lakota) – Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women Tribal Affairs Division

Mentioned on the show: COVID-19/Violence Against Women Assistance to Tribes Solicitation

Frequently Asked Questions on the OVW FY 2020 COVID-19/Violence Against Women Assistance to Tribes Solicitation

 

Break 1 music: Steamboat Akalii Song (song) Jay Begaye (artist) Horses Are Our Journey World (album)

Break 2 music: Sunrise Song (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) They Forgot They Survived (album)