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Ever since a non-Native anthropologist lifted the sacred Zia symbol for the New Mexico state flag contest in the 1920s, it’s appeared on everything from beer labels to album covers to t-shirts. Rarely does anyone using it think to ask Zia Pueblo first. The tribe unsuccessfully tried to copyright the symbol. In recent years, the state of New Mexico has taken steps to formally recognize the symbol’s origin. We’ll explore its history, meaning and subsequent popularity.

Guests:

Peter Pino (Member of the Pueblo of Zia) – tribal council member of the Pueblo of Zia, former governor and former tribal administrator for the Pueblo of Zia

Rachel Moore (Hopi) – curator of the exhibit at the IPCC

Michael Padilla – New Mexico state senator

Chris Lang – owner of Organ Outfitters

Break 1 Music: The Pueblo (song) The Jir Project Band (artist) The Pueblo (album)

Break 2 Music: Vipismal – The Hummingbird Song (song) Earl Ray (artist) Traditional Songs Of The Salt River Pima (album)

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The headdress is one of the most iconic items associated with Native Americans. They are prominent in countless photos and illustrations of Native people. But not all tribes have headdresses, and these cultural items can vary from tribes to tribe. For many nations, headdresses are earned and they often come with protocols and prayers that need to be followed to show respect. Recently a powwow organizer in Canada bestowed a headdress and a Blackfoot name to a non-Native female politician. The event stirred discussion about who has the right to wear or own a headdress. We’ll hear from different tribal members about what the headdress represents.

Guests:

Danny Seaboy (Dakota) – traditionally raised in culture, language and history of the Dakota tribe and a Dakota language teacher

Edmond Nevaquaya (Comanche Nation) – cultural technician counselor for the Comanche Nation

JJ Neepin (Fox Lake Cree Nation) – writer and director

Break 1 Music: Intertribal Song (song) Dakota Nation (artist) Home Of The Champions (album)

Break 2 Music: Vipismal – The Hummingbird Song (song) Earl Ray (artist) Traditional Songs Of The Salt River Pima (album)

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Autumn Adams spent a good portion of her life in foster care. She says the Indian Child Welfare Act saved her life because she was able to stay in her tribal community. ICWA is called the ‘gold standard’ of child welfare policy. At the same time, the 40-year-old law is under fire through a number of court cases, including a recent federal court ruling out of Texas that deemed the law unconstitutional. We’ll hear from individuals who have been affected by ICWA.

Guests:

Allie Greenleaf Maldonado (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians) – Chief Judge of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians

Autumn Adams (Yakama Nation) – student at Central Washington University and a 2019 Center for Native American Youth Champion for Change

Sarah Kastelic (Allutiq) – executive director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association

Break Music:  Native Superstars (song) Corey Allison (artist) Eclpitic Sessions (album)

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Making it as a stand-up comedian takes talent, commitment, thick skin and a lot of hard work. Even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll ever have a viable comedy career. At the same time comedians are in demand. Forbes reports comedy club revenue increased 17 percent over three years with an additional 13 percent growth projected for the next five years. Many Native comedians are developing loyal audiences in clubs, on YouTube and with digital podcasts. We’ll hear from some of them about what their day is like and what it takes to make it in the business.

Guests:

Ernest Davis Tsosie III (Navajo) – Comedian, actor and motivational speaker

Isiah Yazzie (Navajo) – Comedian and actor

Rob Fairbanks (Leech Lake band of Ojibwe) – Comedian aka The Rez Reporter

Break 1 Music: Rita(HHhh) (song) Vincent Craig (artist) Boarding School Fish Stories (album)

Break 2 Music: Euphony (song) Nitanis “Kit” Largo (artist) Serenity (album)

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Tribes and voting advocates warned that a North Dakota law could have severely hampered voter turnout on reservations last November. Instead, many precincts on tribal land posted record voter participation rates. And get-out-the-vote efforts helped propel several Native candidates into elected office, including the state’s first Native Democratic female legislator. National Native News, along with Prairie Public Broadcasting and Solutions Journalism Network looked into how a potential setback turned into a win for tribes, voters and Native candidates.

Guests:

Christine Trudeau (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) – freelance journalist and a fellow for Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting

Prairie Rose Seminole (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara) – organizer

Tim Purdon – partner at Robins Kaplan LLP

Break 1 Music: Remembering The Warrior (song) Porcupine Singers (artist) Alowanpi – Songs Of Honoring – Lakota Classics: Past & Present, Vol. 1 (album)

Break 2 Music: Euphony (song) Nitanis “Kit” Largo (artist) Serenity (album)

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The number of young gardeners is at an all-time high, according to the 2018 National Gardening Survey. And backyard or community gardens are a great way for people to gain a better connection and understanding of food. The Native food sovereignty movement encourages people to grow their own food and to eat more Indigenous foods to promote health. But gardening doesn’t always come naturally, even for some motivated gardeners. We’ll have seasoned Native gardeners and farmers on the line to answer your gardening questions.

Guests:

Reyna Banteah (Zuni) – farm owner of Ts’uyya Farm

Sue Menzel –  farm manager Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College farm

Nick Hernandez (Oglala Lakota) – director of the food sovereignty initiative at Thunder Valley CDC

Jessika Greendeer (enrolled at the Ho-Chunk Nation) – seed farmer at Dream of Wild Health

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

Break 2 Music: Euphony (song) Nitanis “Kit” Largo (artist) Serenity (album)

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So you’ve got a great idea, you have a plan and you have the energy. Now you need to find money to bring your ideas to fruition. Some projects, like documentary films or large art projects take a lot of funding and might require benefactors or more than one foundation grant to complete. Smaller projects, like getting new jerseys for a basketball team and traveling to a national sports event, might require crowd sourcing and fundraisers or 5K benefit runs. We’ll discuss how to set financial goals and then ask for what you need to get your project complete.

Guests:

Jaime Gloshay (White Mountain Apache, Navajo and Kiowa) – co-founder for Native Women Lead, project manager for Roanhorse Consulting

Jim Swan (Chippewa Cree) – chief executive officer RJS & Associates, Inc.

Krystal Langholz  – chief operating officer at Oweesta

Break 1 Music: Ask YourMom for Fifty Cents (song) Black Lodge Singers (artist) Kids’ Pow-Wow Songs (album)

Break 2 Music: Euphony (song) Nitanis “Kit” Largo (artist) Serenity (album)

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President Trump pledged a ‘moonshot’ level effort to end HIV by 2030 during his State of the Union Speech. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is implementing the directive. They’ve since committed to an ambitious but slightly lower goal of a 90 percent reduction of new HIV transmissions in ten years. For Native Americans, infection rates increased from 2011 through 2015 according to HHS. We’ll talk with representatives from the Indian Health Service and HIV prevention advocates about the president’s laudable goal and how it fits in with their efforts. We’ll ask them how realistic it is to eliminate HIV in ten years.

Guests:

Dr. Michael Toedt – chief medical officer for the Indian Health Service

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

Ayn Whyte (Diné) – STI/HIV/AIDS prevention director for the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board Inc.

Break 1 Music: Te Orokohanga (song) NRG Rising (artist) Te Orokohanga (single)

Break 2 Music: Euphony (song) Nitanis “Kit” Largo (artist) Serenity (album)

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Inuit throat singing is an ancient tradition that is getting increasingly modern recognition. The style that developed in Canada and Alaska is notable for its distinctive low, guttural and rhythmic sounds from female singers as they breathe both in and out. It was banned in boarding schools for decades but is enjoying a resurgence and is even mixed in with contemporary Indigenous music. We’ll listen to some throat singing and hear from the artists about what it brings to their cultures.

Guests:

Inuksuk Mackay (Inuit) – half of PIQSIQ

Tiffany Ayalik (Inuit) – half of PIQSIQ

Nancy Mike (Inuk from the Canadian Arctic) – throat singer for The Jerry Cans

Nikki Komaksiutiksak (Inuit originally from Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, Canada) – Throat singer

Break 1 Music: Nirliit (song) The Jerry Cans (artist) Innusiq/Life (album)

Break 2 Music: Kaaka-ggua Cauyalriitqa (song) Pamyua (artist) Mengluni (The Beginning) (album)

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Every Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, Mardi Gras Indians play a big part in the celebration. It’s a long-held tradition, but the origins combining African-American, Cajun and Native cultures is unclear. Dozens of Mardi Gras Indian tribes use terminology and practices similar to Native American tribes; they have members, chiefs and a particular way of dressing. We’ll get a snapshot of the Mardi Gras Indians and how they have evolved over time.

Guests:

Big Queen Mary Kay Stevenson  with the original Wild Tchoupitoulas Indians

Lora Ann Chaisson (Houma) – tribal council for the United Houma Nation

Break 1 Music: Fire On the Bayou (song) Big Chief Alfred Doucette (artist) Rollin’ Wit Da Legends & Marie Laveau (album)

Break 2 Music: Kaaka-ggua Cauyalriitqa (song) Pamyua (artist) Mengluni (The Beginning) (album)