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A blend of funk, jazz and Indigenous hip-hop soul is what happens when DDAT steps on the stage. In their self-titled album DDAT is showing what happens when music genres dance together. The group is comprised of Navajo MC Def-I and the Delbert Anderson Trio, whose members have ties to the Navajo Nation. The rapid pace of rhyme and lyrics is what the group calls a pure fusion fire of tracks. We’ll hear about the process of making the DDAT sound.

Break Music: In Tongue (song) DDAT (artist) DDAT (album)

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Art for the sake of art is great, but for many artists, at some point bills need to be paid. That moment when real cash money is exchanged for hard work can be exhilarating. But there are a lot of questions about getting to that point and how to keep it going. What is a fair price to ask for your art work? Do you charge by the hour or by the inch? And what do you do when customers think you are asking too much? We’ll talk with artists and experts about the business side of art.

Guests:

Nocona Burgess (Comanche/Kiowa) – student coordinator and student government advisor at IAIA and a painter

Linda Infante Lyons (Alutiiq) – visual artist and painter and a 2018 National Arts Fellowship recipient from the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation

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

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

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Warming shelters for the homeless in Rapid City are well-intentioned but ultimately “do more harm than good” says Police Chief Karl Jegeris. He says the shelters are partly to blame for the recent deaths of Connie Red Nest and Ernie Evans. Officials believe they died of exposure in sub-zero temperatures. Rapid City is just one place working against the odds to try and help people—many of them Native Americans—who don’t have a safe harbor from weather, violence, and their own addictions. Shelters struggle with the balance between keeping people alive while not enabling drug and alcohol abuse. We’ll catch up on the latest strategies for keeping our unsheltered relatives safe?

Guests:

Ramona Herrington (Oglala Lakota) – community organizer for One Rapid City

Don Hedrick – Assistant Chief of the Rapid City Police Department

Norine Hill (Oneida) – executive director and founder of Mother Nation

Break Music: Jingle Dress Slide (World) (song) Young Grey Horse (artist) Thunder Across the Plainz – Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live in Lapwai (album)

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The shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school sparked a new level of discussion about school safety and gun policy. It culminated most recently with a nationwide walkout by thousands of students protesting the inability to effectively address gun violence. The discussion rarely gets much past arming teachers on one side and banning certain guns on the other. Native school administrators and teachers are continually looking for ways to protect their students. We’ll talk about some of the realities and concerns about safety for Native students.

Guests:

Darrell DeCoteau (Sisseton Wahpeton) – middle and high school Dakota studies teacher at Tiospa Zina Tribal School

Thomas Barrett (Red Lake Band of Ojibwe) – hip-hop artist

LoriLei Chavez (Kiwa Pueblo) – Native American liaison at Bernalillo High School and Native American Studies student at the University of New Mexico

Break Music: Lummi Morning Song (song) Chenoa (artist) Spirit of Salishan (album)

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The Transportation Security Administration is requiring cultural sensitivity training for agents at selected airports. That comes after the TSA settled a lawsuit with the Native American Church over agents mishandling sacred items. The lawsuit articulates the persistent problem of non-Native people undermining Native culture and belief by reaching out to touch Native regalia, eagle feathers, hair or sacred items without permission. In this case the traveler asked the agent to avoid desecrating the items. We’ll hear from people about how they protect sacred and sensitive items.

Guests:

Sandor Iron Rope (Lakota from the Pine Ridge agency) – chairperson for the NAC of South Dakota and former chairperson for the NAC of North American

Forrest Tahdooahnippah (Comanche Nation of Oklahoma) – lawyer with Dorsey & Whitney LLC, lead council for the TSA case

Lawrence Baker (Mandan, Hidatsa, Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians) – emcee for the Denver March Powwow

Robert “Tree” Cody (Maricopa and Dakota) – award-winning Native American flutist, actor and powwow dancer

Break Music: Encouragement Song (song) Joseph Shields, Jr. (artist)Wahancanka [Remember Me Grandfather] (album)

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A group of Indigenous 20-somethings gathered last summer to answer two questions: What does healing mean to your generation? How does your generation heal? Organizers scheduled a two hours conversation. It ended spanning seven hours and left the participants with a mission to create change. They issued themselves a momentous challenge to end intergenerational trauma with their generation. We talk with members of the Indigenous 20-Something Project about how they plan to achieve this task.

Guests:

Jordan Cocker (Kiowa/ Tongan) – project coordinator for the Indigenous 20-Something Project

Tecpatl Kuauhtzin (Nahua /Cherokee/Cucapá) – sophomore at UCLA and member of Indigenous 20-Something Project

Shalene Joseph (A’aniih) – graduate student at UCLA and a member of the Indigenous 20-Something Project

Siera Begaye (Navajo) – member and content creator for the Indigenous 20-Something Project

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

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KSUT is one of the pioneers of Native radio. The Southern Ute Tribe’s station started in 1976 in Ignacio, Colo. Most of the programming back then was in the Ute language. It has grown over the years and is now a go-to place for Native programming, music and cultural affairs. A new documentary, “Tribal Radio,” is also helping to tell their story. We throw the spotlight on this tribal radio station to hear how they’re making a difference.

Guests:

Sheila Nanaeto – KSUT TRIBAL RADIO STATION MANAGER

Tami Graham – KSUT Executive Director

Sean Owen – Filmmaker

Mike Santistevan – TRIBAL RADIO PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Robert L. Ortiz, the man, the myth, the legend (Taos Pueblo tribal member and a descendent of the Southern, Northern and Ute Mountain Utes tribes)  – Host “REZ-olution Radio Hour”

Break Music: Sing With Me (song) Northern Cree Singers (artist) Dancerz Groove (album)

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Basketball madness is upon us and many high school teams from Native communities are vying for state championships. High school basketball is one of the main events for Native athletes and fans. The competition brings out some serious talent from players and an entertaining Friday night for enthusiastic crowds. We’ll talk with some coaches about their seasons and how basketball plays a vital role in their communities.

Guests:

Tanisha Bitsoi (Navajo) – head coach for the Tohatchi, New Mexico Lady Cougars

Vanen Pitts (Salish Kootenai Tribe) – head Arlee, Montana Warriors boys basketball coach

Oitancan Zephier (Yankton Sioux) – assistant boys high school basketball coach at Little Wound School on the Pine Ridge Reservation

Larry Callison (Cherokee) – head girls basketball coach for the Sequoyah, Oklahoma Lady Indians

Charles Pulliam – sports broadcaster in Alaska

Break Music: Hornet Pride (World) (song) Tinesha Begaye (artist) Rhythm of Love (album)

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Compared to the United States, Canada incarcerates a small number of people. But who Canada locks up is alarming. A report in the Canadian news magazine MacLean’s found that while incarceration rates are falling overall, they are surging for Indigenous people. The increase is more than double for Indigenous women over the last decade. The article finds Indigenous people are ten times more likely to be locked up than non-Indigenous people. Critics point to racism and a criminal justice system that still doesn’t recognize Indigenous experiences and culture.

Guests:

Dr. Niigaan Sinclair (Anishinaabe) – assistant professor and Native studies department head at the University of Manitoba

Caitlyn Kasper (Anishinabek) – lawyer with Aboriginal Legal Services

Break Music: Straight (song) The Boyz (artist) For A Lifetime (album)

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Three women are on the record with allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct against writer Sherman Alexie (Coeur d’Alene). More allegations could surface. Alexie issued a preemptive response to the allegations with a statement admitting “there are women telling the truth about my behavior” but also stating he has “no recollection of…threatening anybody or their careers.” It’s bringing up larger questions about sexual assault or harassment in Native America. What do the allegations against Alexie mean for his legacy? How do fans reconcile his alleged conduct with his body of work?

Guests:

Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) – independent photo journalist and writer

Deleana Otherbull (Crow and Northern Cheyenne) – executive director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women

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