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Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, comes from the Aztec celebration of loved ones who’ve walked on. It’s now a Mexican holiday with customs and traditions that are catching on in the United States. But the American version is often more about sugar skull imagery and less about the original intent. We’ll get some reminders about what the holiday is really about and some tips on avoiding cultural appropriation.

Guests:

Dr. Gabriela Spears-Rico (Purépecha) – assistant professor at the University of Minnesota in American Indian Studies

Jessica Lopez Lyman (Xicana) – artist and Chicana and Latinex studies scholar at the University of Minnesota

Break 1 Music: Mirror Song (song) Michael Heralda (artist) Miccailhuitl (album)

Break 2 Music: Evolution Revolution (song) Indigenous (artist) Circle (album)

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It’s the time of year when Native people brace for the commercial costumes that others don at Halloween parties. They’re scary in a different way. Scantily-clad Native “princesses” and Indian “maidens” in buckskin bikinis and cheap headdresses are among the classics that remain popular. NBC host Megyn Kelly is under fire for publicly wondering what’s wrong with “blackface” costumes. Uproar by fans of the TV series “Handmaid’s Tale” got one company to pull a version of the show’s signature red, hooded robes. But for Native Americans, it’s another year of head-shaking over inappropriate costumes.

Guests:

Amanda Blackhorse (Diné) – activist and social worker

Rebecca Nagle (Citizen of Cherokee Nation) – writer and advocate

Break 1 Music: Monster Mash (song) Black Lodge (artist) Kids’ Pow-Wow Songs (album)

Break 2 Music: Evolution Revolution (song) Indigenous (artist) Circle (album)

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European fur traders first brought fiddle music to Alaska more than 150 years ago by way of the Hudson Bay Company. Now it’s grown into a style of music all itself, with additional influences from miners and Alaska Natives. Next week, the Athabascan Fiddle Festival commemorates its 36th year in Fairbanks. We’ll learn more about the music’s unique history, what we can expect at this year’s festival and hear some of the event’s notable fiddlers.

Guests:

Josephine Malemute (Koyukon Athabascan) – festival volunteer and instructor with Dancing With the Spirit

Wilbert Kendi (Gwich’in) – Singer-Songwriter/Musician and instructor with Dancing With the Spirit

Kelly May (Yupik) – Music Instructor with Dancing with the Spirit and Young Native Fiddlers

Marc Brown (Koyukon Athabascan) – Musician, Marc Brown and the Blues Crew

Break 1 Music: Indian Rock And Roll (song) Marc Brown & The Blues Crew (artist) Lonely Hearts (album)

Break 2 Music: Evolution Revolution (song) Indigenous (artist) Circle (album)

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A New Jersey auction house pulled several cultural Native American items from an upcoming sale. The Association on American Indian Affairs requested they be removed from the auction block, although it’s unclear where the items came from or if they are, in fact, sacred. It’s the latest incident in a long line of recent struggles between tribes and auction houses over sacred and culturally important items being offered to the highest bidder. We’ll get an update on this auction and some others planned in the coming weeks. We’ll also hear from those who keep an eye on the issue about any progress on protecting tribal patrimony.

Guests:

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

Nina Sanders (Apsáalooke Nation) – curator, writer, and cultural consultant

Scott Hale – IRS qualified personal property appraiser and accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers specializing in Native, Western and Spanish colonial art and antiques

Shannon Martin (Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians/
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) – director of the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways

Break 1 Music: Beautiful Flower (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Kihtawasoh Wapakwani-Beautiful Flower (album)

Break 2 Music: Evolution Revolution (song) Indigenous (artist) Circle (album)

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The National Congress of American Indians conference is wrapping up in Denver, with resolve to confront what members say is an assault on tribal sovereignty. The organization is also facing an internal challenge as the lead staff member remains on leave pending an investigation into management complaints. Not least of which is the handling of sexual harassment complaints against NCAI long time lead attorney. We’ll also reflect on a very eventful week at the annual Alaska Federation of Natives conference in Anchorage and hear about a reporter’s take on a growing homelessness crisis in Minnesota.

Mentioned on the show:

Indianz.com: Prominent Indian Country attorney reassigned after #MeToo allegations

Indianz.com: National Congress of American Indians under #MeToo fire

Indianz.com: National Congress of American Indians outs senior attorney after #MeToo outcry

Indianz.com: Former employees take aim at National Congress of American Indians in #MeToo scandal

Indianz.com: National Congress of American Indians suspends highest-ranking staffer

The Guardian: City camp is site of Native American homelessness, heroin…and hope

Medium: Wall of Forgotten Natives

Indian Country Today: Why is red face ok? (It’s not)

Indian Country Today: ‘We have to do better!’ Humor and honesty from Cecelia Firethunder

Guests:

Kevin Abourezk (Rosebud Sioux) – managing editor of Indianz.com

Emily Schwing – correspondent for the Northwest News Network 

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

Jenni Monet (Laguna Pueblo) – independent journalist

Break 1 music: Smoke Dance One (feat. Frazer Sundown) (song) DJ Shub (artist) PowWowStep – EP (album)

Break 2 Music: Little Earthlings (song) The Jir Project Band (artist) Sun Child (album)

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Canada’s decision to legalize recreational marijuana has set up a jurisdictional dispute among some First Nations. The Sakamay First Nation and several others say they have no intention of seeking provincial permission to establish cannabis operations as required by the new law. At the same time, other Aboriginal peoples are heralding the end of the cannabis prohibition as a boost to their own economic ventures. We’ll talk about what legalized recreational marijuana means for First Nations in Canada. Are there lessons for the future of U.S. cannabis policy?

Guests:

Jorge Barrera – journalist for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Onekanew Christian Sinclair (Opaskwayak Cree Nation) – Onekanew (chief) of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, co-chair of Manitoba’s Northern Economic Development Strategy and on the board of directors at National Access Cannabis, director of Trichome Financial

Grant McLeod (Métis) – co-founder of Seven Oaks

Rebecca Chartrand (Anishinaabe from Pine Creek Fist Nation and Métis) – executive director of Indigenous Strategy

Break 1 Music: Ideal Dub (song) Casper Loma Da-Wa (artist) Honor the People (album)

Break 2 Music: Little Earthlings (song) The Jir Project Band (artist) Sun Child (album)

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Activists are publicly deriding an online clothing store called “The Spunky Squaw.” The business has been around more than a year, but was reviled on social media only recently. The business owner, a college student, is holding her ground, insisting the term ‘squaw’ is not offensive. We’ll examine the history and current meaning of the word with historians and activists.

Guests:

Dr. Jennifer Denetdale (Diné) – associate professor and historian in American Studies at the University of New Mexico

Sunny Red Bear (Cheyenne River Sioux) – advocate for sexual abuse survivors and community organizer for the MMIW movement

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

Break 2 Music: Little Earthlings (song) The Jir Project Band (artist) Sun Child (album)

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Tribal leaders, Native politicians, researchers and activists all piled on a heavy helping of backlash when Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren revealed her DNA results. Her attempts at having the last, scientific word followed years of insults by Donald Trump, going back to even before he was elected president, mocking her decision to claim Native heritage. She has her defenders, but Warren managed to inflame one feud while trying to settle another. Why is there such sensitivity toward DNA ancestry?

Guests:

Dr. Kim Tallbear (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) – Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment and Associate Professor at the University of Alberta

Norbert Hill (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin/ Mohawk/Cree) – former director of Education for Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and
co-editor of “The Great Vanishing Act”

Doug Kanentiio George (Mohawk Nation) – vice president of the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge

Break 1 Music: Northern Lights Are Dancing (song) Lisa Muswagon (artist) Buffalo And Rabbits (album)

Break 2 Music: Little Earthlings (song) The Jir Project Band (artist) Sun Child (album)

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From an orchestrated flash mob to a traditional appeal to the prospective bride’s family, there are plenty of ways to pop the question. Traditional Native customs might include exchanging goods or seeking consent from extended family members. Either way, asking “will you marry me” is meant to be—and usually is—a memorable occasion. We’ll hear about some modern proposals and review the history of certain tribal practices. We’ll also get advice about when a relationship is ready to go to the next level.

Guests:

Roger Kuhn (Poarch Band of Creek Indians) – licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice in San Francisco

Terrance LaFromboise (Blackfeet) – recently wedded husband

Dr. Laurelle Myhra (Red Lake Ojibwe Nation) – director of behavioral health at the Native American Community Clinic

Break 1 Music: Won`t You Be My Sweetheart (song) William Horncloud (artist) Rabbit Dance Songs Of The Lakota (album)

Break 2 Music: Little Earthlings (song) The Jir Project Band (artist) Sun Child (album)

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Personal finance experts will tell you following a monthly budget is one of the most important steps for managing your money. But starting and sticking to that budget takes discipline. That doesn’t mean you have to give up eating out once in a while or treating yourself to a stylish new jacket. There are even ways to get on top of emergency expenses. We’ll talk with finance gurus and ordinary folks about managing debits and credits and needs versus wants as a way to get on top of personal spending.

Guests:

Hattie Mitchell Prairie (Band Potawatomi Nation) –  director of finance for AMERIND Risk and treasurer for NAFOA

Shawn Spruce (Laguna Pueblo) – financial education consultant

Madonna Analla  (Laguna Pueblo) – certified bookkeeper and works in accounts payable

Nathalie Martin – professor of law at University of New Mexico and financial literacy teacher

Break 1 Music: Song 56 (song) Judy Trejo (artist) Stick Game Songs Of The Paiute (album)

Break 2 Music: A Winter Dream (song) Nitanis “Kit” Largo (artist) Serenity (album)