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Information from Brazil’s National Space Research Institute shows the number of fires in the Amazon tropical rainforest are nearly double what they were last year. There’s no consensus on the cause of the increase, but Indigenous tribes and environmental groups say it’s because the policies under President Jair Bolsonaro encourage land grabs and deforestation by farmers, ranchers and mining companies. Tribal leaders say it’s another example of Bolsonaro’s well-documented hostility toward Indigenous people that poses their most serious existential threat in at least a half century.

Guests:

Leila Salazar-López (Chicana/Latina) – executive director at Amazon Watch

Tim Coulter (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) – executive director of the Indian Law Resource Center

Lydia Simas – solidarity program officer for Special Projects at Grassroots International

Break 1 Music: Rebel Music (song) Quese Imc (artist) Bluelight (album)

Break 2 Music: Eagle Dance REMIX (single) Jason Brown/Decontie & Brown (artist)

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A Shoshone-Bannock citizen could be the first prison inmate to have court ordered gender confirmation surgery. The 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court judge, ruling that by denying Adree Edmo the surgery while in custody, the Idaho Department of Corrections is violating her constitutional rights. Edmo argues having the surgery is life-saving. She had previously attempted suicide. One 2015 study from the National Center for Transgender Equality found more than half of the Native transgender people included in a larger, national survey said they attempted suicide. We’ll explore the legal implications for the federal court decision and expand the discussion to the factors that go into a person’s decision to have sex reassignment surgery.

Guests:

Mattee Jim (Diné) – supervisor of the HIV prevention programs for First Nations Community Healthsource

Nazbah Tom (Navajo) – somatic practitioner and teacher

Renee Gray (Navajo) – independent consultant on LGBTQ issues

Break 1 Music: Healing Song (song) Judy Trejo (artist) Circle Dance Songs of the Paiute and Shoshone (album)

Break 2 Music: Eagle Dance REMIX (single) Jason Brown/Decontie & Brown (artist)

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At least 2 million people are signed onto Facebook event page for storming the top secret Nevada military site, Area 51, on Sept. 20. It started as a joke by organizers saying they wanted to find evidence for alien conspiracy theories. We’re taking the opportunity to learn more about the roles Star People and Star Beings play in Native culture and origin stories.

Guests:

Warren Pratt Jr. (Ski-dee Pawnee) – Skidi chief, public school teacher and adjunct professor

Adrian SpottedHorsechief (citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska) – cultural preservationist

Avery Tafoya (Jicarilla Apache) – paranormal investigator

Break 1 Music: Mud & Stardust (song) Fly My Pretties (artist) String Theory (The Complete Show) (album)

Break 2 Music: Eagle Dance REMIX (single) Jason Brown/Decontie & Brown (artist)

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It’s a given that the fashion runway is about making statements with fabric and design. The catwalk is also being used to tell Indigenous stories and bring awareness to issues that test the strength of our Native nations. We’ll hear from Native designers about the role fashion can play in conveying emotions that come with issues ranging from stolen relatives to colonization to a resurgence of culture.

Guests:

Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo) – Designer/ PM Waterlily

Jason Brown (Penobscot) – Designer/ Decontie & Brown

Donna Decontie-Brown (Penobscot/Algonquin First Nation of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg) – Designer/ Decontie & Brown

Jordan Craig (Northern Cheyenne) – Designer/Shy Natives

Break 1 Music: Killin It (single) Jason Brown/Decontie & Brown (artist)

Break 2 Music: Eagle Dance REMIX (single) Jason Brown/Decontie & Brown (artist)

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A chorus of resilient voices have united through song and spoken word to push back against the pervasive issue of gender and sexual violence that challenges our communities. The compilation CD “Spirit Line: Woven Together for Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives,” features artistic compositions from different Indigenous nations. We’ll visit with those behind the project to find out how they hope their artistic expressions will create more awareness on the issue of our stolen relatives.

Guests:

Annita Luchessi (Southern Cheyenne descendant) – PhD student at the University of Arizona and the executive director of Sovereign Bodies Institute

Dr. Christina Castro (Jemez Pueblo/Taos Pueblo/Chicana) – Founder/Three Sisters Collective

Clara Natonabah (Diné/Dutch) – singer and songwriter

Anja Soto (Diné/Japanese) – singer and songwriter

Break 1 Music: Say Her Name (song) Spirit Line Collective (artist) Spirit Line: Woven Together For Our Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives (album)

Break 2 Music: Talking with Grandmothers (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Kikāwiynaw (album)

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Many tribes organize wellness events and develop programs to educate people about healthy choices and food options. For the most part, involvement is voluntary. Some tribes go a step further to try and improve the health of their citizens. The Navajo Nation president banned throwing candy at the popular Navajo Nation Fair parade. It sparked a public discussion about the best ways to create healthful changes. The Navajo Nation is also known for adding a tax on soda and junk food. What do you think is the best way to go about improving health and wellness in an entire tribal community?

Guests:

Jonathan Nez (Diné) – president of the Navajo Nation

Lynn Lane (Diné) – community health nutritionist

A-dae Romero-Briones (Cochiti Pueblo/Kiowa) – director of program for the First Nations Development Institute

Break 1 Music: Walking In Beauty (song) Jay Begaye (artist) The Beauty Way (album)

Break 2 Music: Talking with Grandmothers (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Kikāwiynaw (album)

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There’s a reasonable chance you’re not getting enough sleep. A number of surveys find anywhere from a third to 45% of Americans don’t get the amount of sleep recommended by experts. And the lack of sleep is linked to serious health problems like diabetes, heart disease, depression and obesity according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One 2017 study of sleep health among Native Americans found a link between poor sleep and anxiety, mood disorders and alcohol dependence. Sleep experts will share their knowledge about the importance of sleep health and ways to get a more substantial night’s sleep.

Guests:

Dr. Melissa Begay (Diné) – sleep physician with the Veterans Affairs Hospital

Dr. Frank Ralls – associate professor of internal medicine at the University of New Mexico and the fellowship training director of sleep medicine

Break 1 Music: Lullaby (song) Pamyua (artist) Mengluni (The Beginning) (album)

Break 2 Music: Talking with Grandmothers (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Kikāwiynaw (album)

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Native architects draw from their tribal traditions and collective knowledge for the modern discipline of creating permanent structures. Among the influences for Native architects is using natural building materials and designs that emphasize interaction with the land and each other. From the multi-level pueblo dwellings in the Southwest to the log frame longhouses in the Northwest, tribes have a long history of architecturally significant contributions. And more Native architects are entering the field, adding an important voice that extends Native design, communication and functionality along with individual creativity.

Guests:

Duane Blue Spruce (Laguna and Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) – Architect and project manager for the National Museum of the American Indian

Summer Sutton (Lumbee) – Architect and PhD student at Yale University

Chris Cornelius (citizen of the Oneida Nation) – Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the founding principal of Studio Indigenous

Break 1 Music: Bui yo oh wanina (song) Judy Trejo (artist) Circle Dance Songs of the Paiute and Shoshone (album)

Break 2 Music: Talking with Grandmothers (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Kikāwiynaw (album)

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Pleas from tribes, elected leaders and the Association on American Indian Affairs were not enough to stop an auction house in France from going ahead with a sale of cultural items earlier this summer. It’s one in a string of auctions by the Paris auction house that chooses to ignore admonitions against the harm they’re causing. The Yaqui Nation has been working for almost two decades to repatriate a sacred Maaso Kova that the tribe says was never meant to be out of the tribe’s possession or on public display. We’ll get an update on some repatriation efforts and what’s being done to influence international traders in cultural items.

Guests:

Andrea Carmen (Yaqui Indian Nation) – executive director of the International Indian Treaty Council

Peter Yocupicio (member of the Pascua Yaqui) – vice chairman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe

Shannon Keller O’Loughlin (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) – executive director of the Association on American Indian Affairs

Break 1 Music: Heart of Gold (song) Midnight Shine (artist) High Road (album)

Break 2 Music: High Above The Eagle Soars (song) Blackstone (artist) On The Oregon Trail (album)

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You have a unique invention or business idea. Now what? Good ideas and inventions have the potential to change people’s lives and become a thriving venture for their creators. But turning a concept into an ongoing enterprise requires a number of behind-the-scenes steps. One of those is ensuring the original invention is legally protected. We’ll help navigate the legal side of inventions and map out what it takes to see an idea through to fruition.

Guests:

David Petite (Fond du Lac Tribe) – business entrepreneur, inventor and co-founder of Native American Intellectual Property Enterprise Council

Brad Rousseau (Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe) – inventor

Break 1 Music: Creation Story (song) John-Carlos Perea (artist) Creation Story (album)

Break 2 Music: East Winging It (feat. Black Bear) (song) Cris Derksen (artist) Cris Derksen: Orchestral Powwow World