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Thomas X turned to composing hip-hop songs to cope with the aftermath of the Red Lake school shooting. Hip-hop helped Tall Paul connect to his language and restore his identity. Those are two of the stories of resilience through song portrayed in the Indigefi audio documentary “Definition of Resilience”. We’ll talk to the producers and hear from those who found healing through music.

Break 1 Music: Light of Mine (feat. Jessica Vines) (song) Mic Jordan (artist) Light of Mine (feat. Jessica Vines) (single)

Break 2 Music: Happy Sundance (song) Dallas Arcand (artist) Modern Day Warrior (album)

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For decades, various studies have confirmed that volunteering is good for you. It has measurable health benefits like lowering stress and increasing a sense of purpose. It’s also good for Native communities. Many tribal organizations call on volunteers to fulfill their missions and help people—from feeding elders to increasing literacy. The Cherokee Nation has a volunteer program to help elders around the house. Many reservations have volunteer programs to collect and distribute donated food.

Guests:

Loren Anthony (Navajo) – community warrior

Vicki Oehlke – career services director at Cankdeska Cikana Community College

James Favel (Peguis First Nation) – executive director of Bear Clan Patrol Inc.

Break 1 Music: Round Dance (feat. Northern Voice) (song) Cris Derksen (artist) Cris Derksen: Orchestral Powwow (album)

Break 2 Music: Happy Sundance (song) Dallas Arcand (artist) Modern Day Warrior (album)

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If Congress doesn’t act on an extension offered by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), the Violence Against Women Act will expire September 30th. The extension bill would include some key updates that include expanding the Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction. The previous reauthorizations passed with bi-partisan effort, but is there enough support on both sides this time around?

Guests:

Caroline LaPorte (immediate descendant of Little River Band of Ottawa Indians) –  senior Native affairs policy advisor for the Strong Hearts Native Help Line and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center

Cherrah Giles (Muscogee Creek/Cherokee) – chairwoman of the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center 

 

Break 1 Music: Strong Native Women (song) Karina Møller (artist) Simplify (album)

Break 2 Music: Happy Sundance (song) Dallas Arcand (artist) Modern Day Warrior (album)

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Raven’s friends include a bear cub, a beaver, a red fox, a turtle and a bald eagle. She’s the main character in the children’s TV series “Frybread Flats”. Her friends offer important life lessons like getting along with siblings. Along the way she teaches both the Cheyenne and Arapaho languages during the show. The production is the first of its kind for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Television channel. It’s one of a growing number of children’s shows for and about Natives.

Guests:

Darren Brown (Cochiti Pueblo/Choctaw) – senior content producer for Cheyenne and Arapaho TV

Adam Youngbear (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes) – content producer for Cheyenne and Arapaho TV

Princess Daazhraii (Lucaj) Johnson (Gwich’in) – creative producer of Molly of Denali

Break 1 Music: Change of Life (song) Young Bird (artist) Change Of Life (album)

Break 2 Music: Happy Sundance (song) Dallas Arcand (artist) Modern Day Warrior (album)

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We’re packing up Studio 49 and heading to the largest gathering of Indigenous artists in the world. The Santa Fe Indian Market, put on by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, is in its 97th year. It brings in an estimated 100,000 visitors to the city. The event has grown over the years to include events like Native Art Week and the Haute Couture Fashion Show. We’ll talk with some of Native America’s notable artists about how this juried arts market elevates their work.

Guests:

Ira Wilson (Diné) – executive director of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts

Pat Pruitt (Pueblo of Laguna) – metal smith

Sho Sho Esquiro  (Kaska Dene and Cree) – fashion designer

Break 1 Music: “Sovereign Land” – Summit Dub Squad (song) The Native Movement Native Music Compilation (artist) Written In Blood (album)

Break 2 Music: Happy Sundance (song) Dallas Arcand (artist) Modern Day Warrior (album)

 

 

 

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Angst, drama, and identity issues are common themes in young adult fiction. It’s a genre rich with willing readers offers thousands of new titles every year. Native authors. We’ll talk with two Native writers—one seasoned and one newly published—about getting into the minds of young people and the process of writing for them.

Mentioned on the show: Loon Song Writers Retreat

Guests:

Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek) – children’s and young adult author and writing teacher

Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) – author and professor

Monica Perez – executive editor of Charlesbridge

Arthur Levine – vice president and publisher of Arthur A. Levine Books an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

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

Break 2 Music: Happy Sundance (song) Dallas Arcand (artist) Modern Day Warrior (album)

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Dictionaries are a handy reference. Native language dictionaries are also a resource for those learning or re-learning their languages. The process of creating a Native language dictionary can be a difficult and time-consuming task. The Crow Language Consortium hoped to document 10,000 words at a recent 10-day session specifically for collecting words from fluent speakers. They ended up with 15,000. The words will go into an online and print dictionary. We’ll learn more about how various tribes are working to write down their languages.

Crow Language dictionary

Guests:

Dr. Janine Pease (Crow) – faculty member in humanities and social science at Little Big Horn College and principal of the Chickadee Lodge Immersion School

Abrianna Tubby (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians) – Choctaw language curriculum coordinator

Jason Lewis (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) – cultural content educator and trainer

De Laura Saunders (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) – coordinator of Tribal Language Programs at the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

Break 1 Music: Generations (song) P. Town Boyz (artist) P. Town Boyz (album)

Break 2 Music: Happy Sundance (song) Dallas Arcand (artist) Modern Day Warrior (album)

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San Juan County, Utah remains at the center of disputes over the collective voting power of Navajo residents. Just last week, a judge forced elections officials to return Navajo county commission candidate Willie Greyeyes to the November ballot. The judge admonished the county clerk for falsifying the official election form alleging Greyeyes lived outside the district. The county also faced contempt charges for not complying with a court order in December mandating officials redraw district boundaries. The judge said the existing boundaries were gerrymandered to contain Navajo voters. And, the Navajo Nation recently filed an election complaint with the state over what they see as voting irregularities during the June primary.

Guests:

Brian Maffly – public lands reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune

Willie Greyeyes (Diné) – board chairman of Utah Diné Bikéyah and Democratic candidate for the San Juan County Commission District 2

Ethel Branch (Navajo) – Attorney General of the Navajo Nation

Daniel McCool – professor emeritus of political science at the University of Utah

Break 1 Music: Tha Mash Up (song) Wayne Silas, Jr. (artist) Infinite Passion (album)

Break 2 Music: Happy Sundance (song) Dallas Arcand (artist) Modern Day Warrior (album)

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Grandparents usually welcome the chance to dote on their grandchildren. But taking them in on a full time basis is another story. President Donald Trump signed the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act into law in July that could offer some relief. It creates a federal task force that focuses on supporting grandparents. It also creates a one-stop resource center that connects elders to social services. Native American grandparents are most likely to live with and take care of their grandchildren According to The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey. The agency also found from the 2000 Census that about a third of Native elders live in poverty and only a quarter of those utilize social services.

Guests:

Sonya Begay (Diné) – grandparent and parent

Randella Bluehouse (Navajo) – executive director of the National Indian Council on Aging

Arra Carbajal – director of the early childhood program at Native American Professional Parent Resources

Jan-Ellen French (Mohawk from Kahnawake) – grandcaregiver

Break 1 Music: Grandmother’s Song (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album)

Break 2 Music: War Cry Movement I (song) Cris Derksen (artist) The Cusp (album)