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Wild rice waters in Minnesota face threats on two fronts. Some Minnesota tribes worry a pipeline replacement project carries the potential for a devastating crude oil leak that would contaminate rice beds for generations. At the same time, state lawmakers are moving to eliminate 45-year old water quality standards—the nation’s only law designed to help wild rice habitat. We’ll get updates on tribes’ efforts to keep wild rice thriving.

Guests:

Nancy Schuldt – water projects coordinator for Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Gaagigeyaashiik [Dawn Goodwin] (Anishinaabe) – program assistance for White Earth adult basic education, expert witness for the Public Utilities Commission for White Earth in the Line 3 proceedings 111

Wayne Dupuis (Fond du Lac) – environmental program manager for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Paul Eberth – director for Line 3 Replacement Program

Break Music: Traditional Side Step Song (song) Little Otter (artist) Side Step Songs (album)

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Sheep used to roam the desert valleys and mesas of traditional Navajo lands in herds numbering in the thousands. Today, herds are much smaller. A nonprofit organization, Navajo Lifeway or Diné be’iiná, is dedicated to preserving and strengthening traditional herding, butchering and weaving. We’ll take a trip to a Navajo sheep camp and talk about what’s being done to preserve sheep culture.

Guests:

Aretta Begay (Diné) – director of Diné be’iiná

Crystal Littleben (Diné) – Miss Navajo Nation 17 to18

Roy Kady (Diné) – co-founder of Navajo-Churro Lamb Presidium and sheep herder

Break Music: Bah, Bah Black Sheep & Mary Had a Little Lamb (song) Radmilla Cody (artist) Precious Friends: Songs For Children (album)

Listen to producer Andi Murphy’s audio postcard from a sheep camp near Shiprock, New Mexico:

 

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A year after winning a Special Jury Award for Masterful Storytelling at the Sundance Film Festival, the documentary “Rumble: Indians Who Rocked The World” continues to win awards and accolades. The film’s producer recently took home the Canadian Screen Award for Best Documentary Feature. The documentary includes interviews with a list of prominent musicians  about the influence that different Native musicians on rock ‘n roll, jazz, folk and blues music. We’ll talk with some of the musicians featured in the documentary.

Guests:

Rickey Medlocke (Lakota and Cherokee) – former lead guitarist Lynyrd Skynyrd, and formerly of Blackfoot

Pura Fé (Tuscarora Nation) – Musician and founding member of the trio Ulali

Stevie Salas (Apache) – Guitarist and Executive Producer of Rumble

Break Music: Rumble (song) Derek Miller (artist) Rumble (album)

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A South Dakota lacrosse league expelled three predominantly Native American teams in March. Among the reasons league officials listed include uncertified coaches, unregistered players and unwarranted hostility toward players and administrators. The coaches of the expelled teams, however, say the action comes only after they insisted the league address racist incidents by other teams on the field. The coaches note the irony of expelling Native American players from a game invented by Native Americans in a league with a Native name. We’ll hear from the coaches and see if there’s a way to get at the root of the problem.

Guests:

Cody Hall (Mnikȟówožu Lakota) – director of the Seven Flames Lacrosse

Franky Jackson (Dakota from Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) – head coach for the Lightening Sticks

Dan Paur – one of the founders of the Lightening Stick Society

Bryan Brewer (Oglala Lakota) – founder of the Lakota Nation Invitational

Richard Roy – coach for the Burns Paiute Lacrosse team

Break Music: Learned from the Late Ernest Redbird, Sr. (song) Kenneth Cozad & Group (artist) Songs of Our Old People – Old-Time Round Dance Songs of Oklahoma (album)

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Are you having to make the choice between liking your cousin’s baby pictures and protecting your privacy? Your actions on Facebook and other social media leave an invisible footprint that companies pay a lot of money to uncover. If you’re on Facebook it’s likely your political preferences, shopping habits, educational status and other information is in the hands of sophisticated marketers. If you’re not on Facebook, you might be missing out on updates about friends and family across the country or even across town. How vulnerable are you to the influences of those who use social media for a commercial or political agenda?

Guests:

Taté Walker (Lakota) – Native activist and advocate and writer

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

Jenni Monet (Laguna Pueblo) – freelance journalist

Richard Davis – Native Public Media board secretary, All Things Considered host & reporter at KNAU Arizona Public Radio and founder of Self Determination Radio

Break Music: Intertribal (song) High Noon (artist) Generations (album)

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Elder wisdom is greatly valued in many Native nations. It isn’t usually something that makes its way into the university setting, however. But a handful of Native studies programs are inviting elders in as lecturers, mentors and tutors. They provide traditional knowledge and expand the resources available to students.

Guests:

Dr. Jordan Lewis – associate professor at WWAMI School Medical Education at the University of Washington

Elizabeth Sunnyboy (Yupik) – elder with the University of Alaska Fairbanks social work program

Robert Williams (Lumbee) – E. Thomas Sullivan Professor of Law and Faculty Co-Chair, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program, Regent Professor at University of Arizona

Dr. Chad Hamill (Spokane descendant) – vice president of the Office of Native American Initiatives at the Native American Cultural Center at Northern Arizona University

Break Music: Wild Herb (song) Southern Scratch (artist) How Sweet The Sound (album)

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April is a good time to brush up on sound money management principles. We’ve all heard that following a budget is a good practice. But what other words of wisdom about money are good to follow? Student loans, cell phone bills, and relatives down on their luck all eat into the daily effort to build a personal nest egg. Experts advise you to start good habits early, have a plan and stick with it. We’ll talk with experts and young folks about money mistakes and wins.

Guests:

Miranda Lente (Isleta Pueblo) – loan assistant and home ownership counselor at Tiwa Lending Services

Sheila Herrera – executive director Tiwa Lending

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

Morgan Bear (Meskwaki Tribe) – senior at University of Iowa and Student program coordinator for center for multi-culture education

Break Music: The Beautiful Dance (song) Black Eagle (artist) Flying Free (album)

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Native women make up half of all business owners in Native America according to estimates in the most recent “State of Woman-Owned Business Report” by American Express. At the same time they represent one of the smallest fractions of business owners in the country. The organizers of the first ever Native Women’s Business Summit aim to capitalize on the intelligence, creativity and resourcefulness Native women bring to their endeavors. But they also recognize Native women often have to overcome barriers like racial and gender pay gaps, wealth disparities, domestic violence, and even sexual trauma. We explore some expertise about raising capital, drafting business plans, self-promotion and other basics from the businesswomen’s perspective.

Guests:

Jaime Gloshay (White Mountain Apache, Navajo and Kiowa) – co-founder of the Native Women’s Business Summit and loan officer for Accion

Alicia Ortega (Pojoaque and Santa Clara pueblo) – exec director of the All Pueblo Council of Governors and co-founder of the Native Women’s Business Summit

Break Music: Joy (song) RiverFlowz (artist) RiverFlowz Rural Recordings Atauciq (album)

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We’re turning the mic over to Native poets to celebrate National Poetry Month. Their words can take readers and listeners on an intimately personal journey. They can also provide artistic narration for social and cultural movements. Which Native poets inspire you? Join our show and pitch in your own short poem.

Guests:

Joan Kane (Inupiaq) – writer and teacher at the Institute of American Indian Arts

Amber McCrary (Diné) – poet, writer and zinester

Tanaya Winder (Duckwater Shoshone and Southern Ute) – poet and motivational speaker

Elizabeth Woody (Navajo, Warm Springs and Yakama) – Poet Laureate of Oregon

Break Music: The Move (song) DDAT (artist) DDAT (album)

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Since the violent clashes between Dakota Access Pipeline protesters and law enforcement officers, states have passed dozens of laws restricting public protests and increasing penalties for convictions. Most recently, the Wyoming legislature passed a bill that would fine organizations as much as $1 million if they are found supporting protests that impede ‘critical infrastructure.’ The governor vetoed the measure. The First Amendment does not give permission to break laws, but protests and civil disobedience have a vaunted role throughout U.S. history for steering public discourse. Have modern protests crossed the line? Or is it the official reaction from lawmakers that’s going too far?

Guests:

Lynette Grey Bull (Lakota and Northern Arapaho) – founder and director for Not Our Native Daughters

Teresa Nelson – legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota

Monique Verdin (United Houma Nation) – councilmember representing district 7 for the United Houma Nation

Break 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)