Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

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)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

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)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

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)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Several tribal leaders and Native organizations issued statements of outrage after President Trump took another jab at Senator Elizabeth Warren, this time mentioning the sacred battle grounds at Wounded Knee and Little Big Horn. Also we’ll examine the coverage of the federal government shutdown and its impact on Native Americans. And the discussion continues about the video of Catholic high school students laughing and mocking a Native elder at the Indigenous Peoples March. Join us for those stories and more on our monthly news roundup.

Guests:

Mark Trahant (Shoshone Bannock) – editor of Indian Country Today

Julian Brave Noisecat (Canim Lake Band Tsq’escen/ Lil’Wat Nation of Mount Currie) – writer and independent journalist

Jourdan Bennett-Begay (Diné) – reporter and correspondent for Indian Country Today

Break 1 Music: Iceberg (song) Thee Express (artist) Express Yourself – Chicken Scratch (album)

Break 2 Music: The Real People (song) RiverFlowz (artist) RiverFlowz (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Neo-contemporary Navajo artist Randy L. Barton is known for his ability to slap the paint on the canvas and across large murals to make vibrant images. He sees art as a tool for educating people. His talent also extends to the musical art form. This month we visit with him about his album “The Blessing Way Boogie” that mixes in electric sounds brushed with B-Boy break beats and tribal rhythms including sounds from his Diné Nation. Much like his visual art, his music calls on indigenous knowledge and creation stories that are full of instructions on life and facing the world. Join us for our January Music Maker with as he’s known on the dance floor and behind the turn tables, Randy Boogie.

Break 1 Music: Diyin Creates Sound (song) Randy Boogie (artist) The Blessingway Boogie (album)

Break 2 Music: The Real People (song) RiverFlowz (artist) RiverFlowz (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

A video from the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, D.C. created a firestorm over the weekend. There’s a tug-of-war over the public message since the initial video surfaced showing Nathan Phillips drumming and singing as a group of students jeered and mocked him. Another group calling themselves Hebrew Israelites also heightened tensions. Tribes, tribal leaders, members of Congress, media pundits and even the school the students represented were quick to denounce what they say is obvious disrespect of an Omaha Nation elder. Parents, political commentators and even President Trump are now coming to the students’ defense, saying they acted appropriately. We’ll sort out the incident and the evolving reactions.

Guests:

Quese Imc (Pawnee/Seminole) – hip hop emcee and independent music producer

Nathan Phillips (Omaha) -U.S. Marine Vietnam Era Veteran and Elder

Lance Gumbs (Shinnecock Indian Nation) – a senior trustee and councilman of the Council of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and the regional vice president of the National Congress of American Indians

Marisa Duarte (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) – assistant professor of Justice and Sociotechnical Change in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University

Kansas Middletent (Lakota) – ambassador for Native Hope

Break 1 Music: Honoring The Homeland (song) Radmilla & Herman Cody (artist) Shi Kéyah (album)

Break 2 Music: The Real People (song) RiverFlowz (artist) RiverFlowz (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

As the partial federal government shutdown approaches the one-month mark, the effects on tribes and individuals who rely on services are growing: Nearly 9,000 Indian Health Service employees are working without pay; the Yomba Shoshone Tribe in Nevada shut off services and their tribal office administrator is working without pay; the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa in Minnesota is reducing workers’ hours; In addition, thousands of federal employees are going without pay, and those in power show no signs of coming to an agreement. We’ll get an update and hear from some of those experiencing difficulties stemming from what is now the longest government shutdown in United States history.

Guests:

Harold Frazier (Cheyenne River Sioux) – Chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Sue Parton (Kiowa) – president of the Federation of Indian Service Employees

Tony Rowe (Kodiak) – Bureau of Indian Affairs national union representative for the Federation of Indian Service Employees

Jonathan Nez (Navajo) – President of the Navajo Nation

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

Break 2 Music: The Real People (song) RiverFlowz (artist) RiverFlowz (album)