Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:36 — 38.2MB) | Embed

We are in the midst of a new surge of Native writing talent. And their skill for engaging readers with compelling stories is propelling a new, complex and more sophisticated narrative about who Native Americans are. Gone are the Louis L’Amour stereotypes. The new Native characters are miscreants, bored office workers, dysfunctional family members, and reluctant heroes. And they all have a story to tell, with a voice that readers wouldn’t hear otherwise. We’ll explore the arc of Native literature from two writers who are part of the torrent of creative representation.

GUESTS

Deborah Jackson Taffa (Kwatsaán and Laguna Pueblo), author of Whiskey Tender, director of the MFA in Creative Writing program at the Institute of American Indian Arts, and editor-in-chief of “River Styx” literary magazine   

Ramona Emerson (Diné), former forensic videographer and photographer, filmmaker, and author of Shutter

Break 1 Music: Totah (song) The Delbert Anderson Trio (artist) MANITOU (album)

Break 2 Music: Intertribal Song (song) Black Lodge (artist) Enter the Circle – Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Coeur D’Alene (album)

And listeners in Albuquerque can continue the conversation with a special live panel discussion moderated by Shawn Spruce with writers Deborah Jackson Taffa, Ramona Emerson, and Brandon Hobson at Bookworks at 6 p.m. Friday, April 25:

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:51 — 38.4MB) | Embed

The early bond between Native Americans and horses was both technical and spiritual. For centuries, horses amplified the range and power for tribes, especially in the west. New discoveries are potentially rewriting what we know about the use of horses by the earliest inhabitants of North America. Those ancient bonds translate into a lasting spiritual and vocational connection that continues for those who work with horses. We’ll hear from some of them about how Native knowledge and horses go together.

GUESTS

Dustina Abrahamson (Lemhi-Shoshone and Bannock), member of the Gathering of Nations Horse Parade Committee

George Goode (Yaqui), master farrier and president of the Native American Horseshoeing Education Foundation

Emerson Sam (Diné), horse trainer and farrier

Raquel Sam (Diné), Gathering of Nations horse and rider regalia parade competitor and fashion designer

Tommy Sam (Diné), horseback and professional bull rider

Break 1 Music: For the Horses (song) Randy Wood (artist) My Heart & Soul (album)

Break 2 Music: Intertribal Song (song) Black Lodge (artist) Enter the Circle – Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Coeur D’Alene (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:39 — 38.2MB) | Embed

Some language advocates are excited about potential for AI to help revitalize and promote Native languages. The emerging technology could create more accessible tools for second-language learners. At the same time, AI has implications for both tribes and individuals when it comes to using information they hold dear. AI is advancing fast, and Native experts are expressing the need for policy and legal safeguards to make sure it doesn’t trample Native values.

GUESTS

Dr. Ian Her Many Horses (Lakota), assistant teaching professor at the University of Colorado Boulder

Michael Running Wolf (Lakota and Cheyenne), Ph.D student studying computer science and a language advocate using AI

Dane Malenfant (citizen of Métis Nation Saskatchewan), AI researcher in Montreal

Robbie Jimerson (member of the Seneca Nation), Ph.D candidate at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

Break 1 Music: Awe Hai Hai (feat. Andrée Levesque Sioui / Lead vocal & Francois Dorion / Conductor) (song) Francois Couture, Andrée Levesque Sioui, Akienda Lainé & Francois Dorion (artist) Yahndawa’ (album)

Break 2 Music: Intertribal Song (song) Black Lodge (artist) Enter the Circle – Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Coeur D’Alene (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:30 — 38.8MB) | Embed

Native Americans face a six-fold increased risk of flash floods because of climate change in the next two years. That is one of the predictions in a new study led by the University of Oklahoma. One of the study’s authors says “Indigenous communities are grappling with an imminent climate crisis.” And Native groups are both praising and lambasting the Biden Administration’s direction on oil leases on federal lands. Depending on where you stand, new policies are either protecting diminishing land, or denying Native people the jobs necessary to feed their families.

GUESTS

Taylor Patterson (Bishop Paiute), executive director of the Native Voters Alliance Nevada 

Nagruk Harcharek (Iñupiaq), president of the Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat 

Dr. Farina King (citizen of the Navajo Nation), Horizon Chair of Native American Ecology and Culture and associate professor of Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma

Dr. Mengye Chen, research scientist at the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma 

James LeClair (Laguna Pueblo), Otoe-Missouria Tribe Emergency Manager

Break 1 Music: The Gift of Life (song) Randy Wood (artist) The Gift of Life (album)

Break 2 Music: Intertribal Song (song) Black Lodge (artist) Enter the Circle – Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Coeur D’Alene (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:30 — 38.8MB) | Embed

The torture and gruesome murders of three Navajo men by white high school students touched off a series of racially-fueled conflicts in Farmington, N.M. on the border with the Navajo Nation. The murders in April 1974 became known as the Chokecherry Massacre. One protest organizer at the time called Farmington “the Selma, Alabama of the Southwest,” referring to the simmering racial tensions. Demands by Navajos and other Native activists since then have improved relations in the border town and surrounding areas somewhat. But many residents and observers say the sources of the problems remain just below the surface. We’ll recount this little-known period of Four Corners history and discuss what community relationships are like 50 years later.

GUESTS

John Redhouse (Diné and Ute), longtime activist

Chili Yazzie (Diné), Shiprock community member

Dr. Jennifer Denetdale (Diné), professor and chair of American Studies at the University of New Mexico

Nate Duckett, Farmington mayor

Break 1 Music: Reservation of Education (song) XIT (artist) Silent Warrior (album)

Break 2 Music: Come to Life (song) Toni Heartless (artist) Dark Days (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:46 — 38.3MB) | Embed

Native Americans are among the populations with the lowest rate of vaccinations, whether it’s for flu, measles, COVID-19, or hepatitis B. Health professionals urge parents to immunize their infants against more than a dozen serious diseases including polio, pertussis, diphtheria, and mumps. But poverty, lack of health insurance, and distance to health providers are among the barriers that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says keep rates for Native Americans low. On top of that, misinformation and confusion about vaccines creates additional hesitation for parents. We’ll talk with doctors about the factors that might improve immunization rates as a way to improve overall health.

Break 1 Music: Wiconi (song) Primeaux & Mike (artist) Road to Peace (album)

Break 2 Music: Come to Life (song) Toni Heartless (artist) Dark Days (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:45 — 38.3MB) | Embed

Drones are for more than just appealing aerial videos. Native drone pilots are building careers using drones for scoping out landscapes for construction, searching for lost hikers, and even assessing potentially sacred areas. One First Nations enthusiast sees the novelty factor of drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, as a means to attract young Native people into STEM fields. We’ll talk to Native drone pilots about how they’re using their skills for enterprise and to help make their communities better.

GUESTS

Jacob Taylor (Curve Lake First Nation), CEO of Indigenous Aerospace  

James Grimsley, executive director of Advanced Technology Initiatives for the Choctaw Nation

Robert Hart (Ho-Chunk and Ojibwe), owner and chief pilot of L.I.D.A.R. Drone Services

Break 1 Music: Eagle Dance REMIX (single) Jason Brown/Decontie & Brown (artist)

Break 2 Music: Come to Life (song) Toni Heartless (artist) Dark Days (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:44 — 38.3MB) | Embed

Two Native sisters venture out of their Native community to chase their dreams, only to run head on into the threats of urban life in the new film,

The Heart Stays. The Native-made drama is produced by a Native multi-arts organization and features a Native cast including Nathalie Standingcloud, Jon

Proudstar, and Irene Bedard. Another film by Spirit Lake Dakota artist Marlena Myles is her own account of creating an augmented reality installation in St. Paul, Minn. And Bad River documents a Wisconsin tribe’s struggle with efforts to build an oil pipeline through their reservation.

 

GUESTS

Diane Fraher (Osage and Cherokee). writer, director, and producer  

Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota), Spirit Lake Dakota artist

Mary Mazzio, producer, writer, and director of Bad River

Allison Abner, producer of Bad River

Break 1 Music: Ghost (song) Sierra Spirit (artist)

Break 2 Music: Come to Life (song) Toni Heartless (artist) Dark Days (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:28 — 38.1MB) | Embed

Citing a troubling disparity for Native youth suicides, two tribes are suing the country’s most prominent social media companies. The lawsuit by the Spirit Lake Dakota Tribe and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin alleges the addictive pull of the platforms is driving a mental health crisis for young people – and Native youth are particularly vulnerable. They join a long list of states and other entities taking on social media corporations saying they are degrading the country’s mental health. We’ll discuss how to recognize when social media is becoming a problem and some ideas for a healthier approach.

GUESTS

Marisa Duarte (Pascua Yaqui Tribe), associate professor in the Program for Justice and Social Inquiry at the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University

Tim Purdon, partner at Robins Kaplan LLP

Andrea Wiglesworth (enrolled member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation [Deer Clan] and Shawnee Tribe), doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Minnesota

Alec Calac (Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians), PhD candidate in Public Health at the University of California-San Diego

Break 1 Music: Common Feelings (song) Darksiderz (artist) Ancestors EP (album)

Break 2 Music: Come to Life (song) Toni Heartless (artist) Dark Days (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:56 — 38.4MB) | Embed

Ojibwe writer Marcie Rendon takes a break from her popular Cash Murder Mystery series for a new collection of poems, Anishinaabe Songs For A New Millennium. She invokes the plants, animals, wind, and people of her White Earth home. She challenges readers to listen along to the songs of their ancestors. Rendon is among the poets helping us mark National Poetry Month.

GUESTS

Tiffany Midge  (Hunkpapa Lakota ), poet, humorist, and author  

Marcie Rendon (White Earth Ojibwe ), writer and author  

Kimberly Blaeser  (Anishinaabe from the White Earth reservation ), poet, author of Ancient Light, founding director of Indigenous Nations Poets “In-Na-Po,” and MFA faculty member at Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)

Kinsale Drake  (Diné), poet and founder of NDN Girls Book Club

Break 1 Music: The Last House Creeley Left (song) Rd Kla (artist) Streaming (album)

Break 2 Music: 500 Years O’ Blues (song) Digging Roots (artist) Seeds (album)