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A number of states are working on legislation that affects Native residents. New Mexico is considering a bill to help Native public school students succeed by requiring a needs assessment. It’s proposed by Representative Derrick Lente (Isleta/Sandia Pueblo). Montana and Oklahoma are among the states discussing permanently setting aside a day to recognize Native Americans. Washington State is moving ahead with a bill to ensure Native voting rights. We’ll hear about the notable state laws proposed with Native people in mind that could be model legislation elsewhere.

Guests:

Derrick Lente (Isleta/Sandia Pueblo) – representative for New Mexico’s 65th district

Michelle Dauphinais Echols (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) – attorney and advocate for child sex abuse survivors from Native American boarding schools

Moroni Benally (Diné) – coordinator of advocacy and public policy for Restoring Ancestral Winds

Break 1 Music: Learned from the Late Ralph Kotay (song) Kenneth Cozad & Group (artist) Songs of Our Old People – Old-Time Round Dance Songs of Oklahoma (album)

Break 2 Music: Umumutayayata (Rolling Thunder) (song) Clark Tenakhongva (artist) Öngtupqa (album)

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A nurse at a Phoenix facility faces rape charges for impregnating a resident. The woman, an incapacitated San Carlos Apache tribal member, surprised the staff at the skilled nursing facility when she gave birth. A DNA investigation links the child to the accused nurse. It’s a troubling incident that triggers fears by those who have elders or other loved ones in the care of institutions. We’ll talk about questions families should ask and what they should look for when considering a care facility.

Guests:

Joseph Ray (Laguna Pueblo/ Zuni/Maidu) – vice chair of the board of directors for the Laguna Rainbow Corporation and an officer on the board of directors with United Nursing Homes in Tribal Excellence

Rebecca Morgan (Eastern Band Cherokee/Choctaw ) – project coordinator of the elder equity program at National Indian Council on Aging

Cynthia LaCounte (Turtle Mountain Chippewa )- director of the Office for American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiian programs administration on aging within Health and Human Services

Tami Reed (Turtle Mountain Chippewa ) – director of the Office for American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiian programs administration on aging within Health and Human Services

Break 1 Music:  Unconquered (song) Injunuity (artist) Unconquered (album)

Break 2 Music: Umumutayayata (Rolling Thunder) (song) Clark Tenakhongva (artist) Öngtupqa (album)

 

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Canada’s new food guide has some interesting changes: it doesn’t include serving sizes, it pushes a plant-based diet and it acknowledges traditional food and food insecurity. Canadian health officials are working with Indigenous representatives to develop guidelines that take them into account. Food guides, like the USDA’s MyPlate aim to promote the latest thinking on healthy and balanced diets. They are also a reference for schools and tribal nutrition programs.

Guests:

Margaret Robinson (Lennox Island First Nation) – assistant professor in the department of sociology and social anthropology at Dalhousie University

Lois Ellen Frank (Kiowa) – chef and owner of Red Mesa Cuisine. She has a Ph.D in culinary anthropology from the University of New Mexico focusing on Native American cuisine

Lynn Lane (Diné) – community health nutritionist

Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz (Tewa and Chicana) – chef and holistic healer

Break 1 Music: Awita Noosisim (song) Violet Naytowhow (artist) Wind Of The North (album)

Break 2 Music: Umumutayayata (Rolling Thunder) (song) Clark Tenakhongva (artist) Öngtupqa (album)

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The Washington State Legislature is considering a Native American Voting Rights Act. Among other things it would ensure tribal IDs are valid at polling places. It also allows for alternative methods to listing physical addresses. The bill comes following concern about barriers to voting during the midterm elections in places like North Dakota where voters are required to provide a physical address rather than a post office box number in order to vote. We’ll hear about the Washington bill and also get updates on the status of other elections issues facing Native Americans.

Guests:

Jacqueline De Leon (Isleta Pueblo) – staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund

Mathew Tomaskin (citizen of the Yakama nation) – Yakama Nation legislative liaison

Yvette Joseph (member of the Colville Tribe) – elected precinct committee officer in Spokane County, state committee person with the Washington State Democrats for the 6th legislative district and vice chair for the Native American Caucus of the Washington State Democrats

Break 1 Music: Itchick (Tim Yellowtail’s Song) (song) Supaman (artist) Illuminatives (album)

Break 2 Music: Umumutayayata (Rolling Thunder) (song) Clark Tenakhongva (artist) Öngtupqa (album)

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A number of scientific studies link unrealistic beauty standards and low self-esteem. Research in the past year from a Florida mental health and treatment facility adds social media to the influences that might encourage poor body image among women. Louise BigEagle (Nakota and Cree) tells the CBC she was once told that she’s “too pretty” to be Native. She also said she is treated differently when she’s in casual clothes or isn’t wearing makeup. Some Native people—both men and women—are tired of feeling the pressure to conform to colonized beauty standards. They say they’re reclaiming what it means to be a beautiful and Indigenous.

 

 

Break 1 Music: Beauty Way (song) Eli Secody (artist) Rhythm Of A Songmaker (album)

Break 2 Music: Umumutayayata (Rolling Thunder) (song) Clark Tenakhongva (artist) Öngtupqa (album)

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A new four-part TV series airing on PBS explores topics like Indigenous food systems, renewable energy and subsistence hunting. At the same time, “Growing Native” takes viewers on a tour of traditional and contemporary Native culture. We’ll talk with the series creators about what the show is about and what it takes to bring engaging Native issues to a large audience.

Guests:

Chris Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho) – award-winning director and producer of film and television and host of “Growing Native”

Stacey Thunder (Red lake and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe) – host of “Growing Native”

Shirley Sneve (Sičháŋǧu Lakota) – executive director of Visionmaker Media

Break 1 Music: Canoe Song (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) They Forgot They Survived (album)

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

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Navajo weaving traditions are rich in culture and creativity. Generations of weavers have gifted their knowledge to their loved ones. Our January Book of the Month, “Spider Woman’s Children: Navajo Weavers Today” by Lynda Teller Pete (Diné/Navajo) and Barbara Teller Ornelas (Diné/Navajo) includes several profiles of today’s Navajo weavers. They range in age from sixteen years old all the way up to 88. The beauty of the work comes out in their stories, but they also talk about the challenges they and their nation have overcome. We invite you to join us as we visit with the fifth-generation Navajo weavers who put the book together.

Break 1 Music: Red Ochre Cheek Clan (Tl’ááshchí’í) (song) Radmilla Cody (artist) K’é Hasin (album)

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

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Dozens of tribes are suing pharmaceutical companies and distributors over the opioid abuse epidemic. Overdose deaths have been steadily increasing over the past few years, although there is some evidence the numbers are leveling off. For American Indian and Alaska Natives, the rate of opioid overdose deaths remain slightly above the national average. We’ll check in with law enforcement, lawyers, and health care providers about the current status of the opioid abuse epidemic in Native America and also discuss the legal efforts to head it off.

Guests:

Brendan Johnson – partner and co-chair of the American Indian Law and Policy Group at Robins Kaplan LLP

Jessica Leston (Tsimshian) – clinical program director at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

Dr. Danica Brown (Choctaw Nation) – behavioral health manager at the Northwest Area Portland Indian Health Board

Dr. Barbara McAneny – president of the American Medical Association

Mike Lasnier – chief of police for the Suquamish Tribe

Break 1 Music: Maskwa’s Journey (song) Asani (artist) Rattle And Drum (album)

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

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The first days and weeks as a new parent are an exciting time. But they can also be filled with anxious worry about making the best choices. Several programs in Native America send parenting experts into homes with new babies. From when to feed an infant to how much sleep parents should expect to get, the questions tribal in-home visitation specialists tackle range from mundane to critical.

Guests:

Rebecca Riley (Acoma Pueblo) – program director of Tribal Home Visiting at Native American Professional Parent Resources Inc.

Crystal Kee (Diné) – dissemination manager for the Family Spirit Model

Karla Decker Sorby (Dakota) – tribal nurse consultant at the Minnesota Department of Health

Break 1 Music: This Little Light of Mine (song) Twice As Good (artist) That’s All I Need (album)

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