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Growing hemp is not as simple as putting seeds into the ground. The St. Croix Chippewa Indians tribe in Wisconsin is suing the state’s attorney general. It’s legal to grow hemp in the state, but the tribe insists they shouldn’t have to submit to the state’s oversight. Other tribes are also getting pushback in their attempts to turn hemp into a cash crop. The plant is related to marijuana but does not contain the psychoactive effects. It is listed as a Schedule I drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The 2014 Farm Bill allows hemp for academic research. But large scale commercial industrial hemp is still in a legal grey area. Are the legal risks worth it?

Guests:

Marcus Grignon (Menominee Nation) – campaign manager at Hempstead Project Heart

Jeffrey A. Cormell – general counsel for St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin

Garrett L. Davey – attorney for McAllister Garfield P.C.

Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe) – executive director of Honor the Earth and owner of Winona’s Hemp and Heritage Farm

Break Music: Tipi To A Tesla – Annie Humphrey (song) Annie Humphrey (artist) Uncombed Hair (album)

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The new president of the National Congress of American Indians, Jefferson Keel (Chickasaw Nation) delivers the State of Indian Nations address. This is Keel’s third nonconsecutive term as NCAI president. We’ll bring you the speech as well as the congressional response.

Guest:

Tadd Johnson (Bois Forte Band of Chippewa) – director of the Master of Tribal Administration and Governance department at the University of Minnesota Duluth

Break Music: Grass Dance (song) Tha Tribe (artist) Warriors In The Mist (album)

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Native women die younger compared to their peers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports cardiovascular or heart disease is at the top of the list when it comes to taking the lives of women in this country. Factors like diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure put women at higher risk of heart complications. We discuss ways Native women are reducing their risks and why more women are sharing their stories.

Guests:

Barbara Marquez (Isleta Pueblo) – Heart Survivor

Joshua Martinez – New Mexico Community Impact Director for the American Heart/Stroke Association

Kirsten Courtney Concha-Moore (Taos/Jemez Pueblos) – M.D. Candidate Class of 2019/University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson

Debra Gee (enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and is also affiliated with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation) – Board Member – WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease

Break Music: In My Heart (song) Alex Smith (artist) Rain in July – Native American Vocal Harmony (album)

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Social media and dating apps are among the places teens go to find love and companionship. Occasionally puppy love turns unhealthy or even abusive. It can be hard for parents to track. February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. We’re talking about healthy dating for young people and how parents can talk to their children about it. What tips do you give to your teens about dating?

Guests:

Daniel Guilfoyle (Seneca) – youth advocacy manger and youth wellness coordinator for NAYA

Kristen Butcher (enrolled in the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and Lakota Sioux – NativeLove youth ambassador

Rebecca Balog (Oglala, Mohawk and Lautari) – National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center grant manager and NativeLove team leader

Tanae Le Claire (Yankton Sioux) – NativeLove challenge winner

Break Music: ’96 Love Song (song) Black Lodge (artist) Enter the Circle – Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live At Coeur D’Alene (album)

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Environmental rollbacks, job creation and the tax law from the past year all affect tribal governments and their people. Even counting his legislative accomplishments, President Donald Trump’s first year in office was anything but ordinary. We’ll look back and take the hour to discuss how his policies—and rhetoric—play out in Native America. We’ll hear from both supporters and detractors and map out what the next year might hold.

Guests:

Eric Henson (Chickasaw) – executive vice president at Compass Lexecon and a research affiliate for the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Karen Diver (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) – faculty fellow for inclusive excellence – Native American affairs at the College of St. Scholastica and former special assistant to the President for Native American affairs

Stacy Bohlen (Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa) – executive director of the National Indian Health Board

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

 

Listen to an interview (below) with Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla) about President Trump’s first year in office

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Corruption, exploitation of the land, and an attack on a Native cultural way of life are the things that Nataanii Means is challenging in his new album “Balance.” This Oglala Lakota, Navajo and Omaha recording artist has used his lyrics to bring awareness of what Native people face for years. Join us as we hear his words and music on our February Music Maker.

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Kirby Cleveland, a Navajo man, faces a possible death sentence if convicted on charges he killed a Navajo Nation police officer last year. If Cleveland is sentenced to death, he would join 26 other Native Americans on death row in U.S prisons, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The Navajo Nation outlawed the death penalty, as have many other tribes. But does that have any sway over how federal prosecutors approach justice for tribal members who commit capital crimes?

Guests:

Kevin Washburn (citizen of the Chickasaw Nation) – professor of law at the University of New Mexico and former assistant secretary for the Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of Interior

Melissa Tatum – law professor at the University of Arizona

Break Music: Dance of the Coyote (song) Tony Duncan (artist) Earth Warrior (album)

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In Oregon, the graduation rates for Native students remain well below all other groups. A new report from the state’s Department of Education shows graduation is up by six percent overall from four years ago. But Native students are at the bottom. But there is some hope in Warm Springs centered around a curriculum that includes Native history and culture. The creators of the curriculum have confidence that students exposed to their culture are more likely to stay in school and achieve future success.

Guests:

Jaylyn Suppah (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) – member of the Warm Springs Education Committee

Carina Miller (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) – agency district Tribal Council representative for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs

Hunter Onstad (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) – co-chair of the Warm Springs Youth Council

Break Music: Intertribal (song) Sweetgrass (artist) Follow The Trial (album)