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Los Angeles is the latest city to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day. Salt Lake City will celebrate both in tandem. They join dozens of other locations in recent years that are putting a day on the calendar for Indigenous people. Following pressure from Native American groups, cities and states are also realizing the drawbacks of officially recognizing Christopher Columbus. There is some pushback, including from Italian Americans, who hold up Columbus’ achievements as something that boosts their culture. What does swapping out Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples’ Day achieve?

Guests:

Moroni Benally (Diné) – co-founder of the Utah League of Native American Voters

David Bender (Standing Rock Sioux/Bad River Chippewa) – community organizer at the American Indian Center in Chicago

Becky Tallent (Cherokee of Oklahoma) – vice chair of the Moscow Human Rights Commission, associate professor of journalism at the University of Idaho

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

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The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is opening up a new round of public hearings over a key permit for the Line 3 oil pipeline replacement plan. The multi-billion dollar project is the largest ever for the Canadian oil company, Enbridge. The White Earth Band of Ojibwe is among the tribes fighting the pipeline because they say it cuts through the heart of their treaty land, their traditional wild rice beds and the pristine waters of northern Minnesota. Opposition is mounting as state and federal officials march toward a final decision.

Guests:

Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe) – executive director of Honor the Earth

Levi Brown (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe) – environmental land director for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

Paul Eberth – project director for Line 3 replacement at Enbridge

Breaks Music: Wi-wa (song) Robert Mirabal + ETHEL (artist)The River (album)

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When 16-year-old Chris Apassingok killed a whale and brought it back to his village, he was living out an important part of his culture and providing food for his people. He was in no way prepared for the resulting backlash that erupted on social media and grew into vulgar insults and even death threats. We’ll look at the issue from a Native perspective and discuss what whaling means and how outside views affect this long-standing hunting tradition.

Guests:

Chris Apassingok (Yupik) – whaler

Daniel Apassingok (Yupik) – boat captain

Chris Koonooka (Yupik) – Yupik teacher at Gamble School

Craig George – senior wildlife biologist with the North Slope Borough department of wildlife management

Break Music: Calling (song) RiverFlowz (artist) RiverFlowz Rural Recordings Malruk (album)

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President Donald Trump says NFL owners should fire athletes who do not stand during the national anthem. The comment revived the debate over the proper respect for national symbols. The American flag and the national anthem prompt mixed reactions among Native people. What does patriotism mean to you?

Guests:

Elizabeth Rule (member of the Chickasaw Nation) – Ph.D candidate at Brown University and assistant director for the AT&T Center for Indigenous Politics and Policy at George Washington University

Dr. Kalamaoka’aina Niheu (Kanaka Maoli) – organizer with Ohana Koa-Nuclear Free and Independence Pacific

Break Music: America The Beautiful (song) Radmilla Cody (artist) Seed Of Life: Traditional Songs Of The Navajo (album)

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A serious security breach of the consumer credit reporting agency, Equifax, exposes an estimated 143 million people to hackers and identity thieves. Having your identity stolen by criminals can create problems with your own credit and lead to months of hassles to clear up misdeeds done in your name.  Do you know the signs of identity theft? We’ll talk with experts about preventing and tackling identity theft.

Mentioned on the show:

Identity Theft Among American Indian and Alaskan Native Elders

To check if you were involved in the breach: Equifax Security website

Guests:

Jamie Yancy – Chief Technology Officer for the Native American Bank

Shawn Spruce (Laguna Pueblo) – financial education consultant with First Nations Development Institute

Break Music:  Trixter Trot (song) Tha Yoties (artist) Midnight Patrol (album)

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Indian Country Today Media Network is “taking a hiatus to consider alternative business models.” We’ll talk with Native journalists about the future of Native media. Also the leaders and members of the Navajo Nation are discussing lifting a 2002 moratorium on genetic research. And will the Trump administration dramatically reduce the boundaries of Bears Ears? It’s our regular news round up.

Mentioned on the show today:

Native Media Universe chart

Guests:

Mark Trahant (Shoshone-Bannock) – Charles R. Johnson Endowed Professor of Journalism at the University of North Dakota

Pauly Denetclaw (Navajo) – staff reporter for the Navajo Times

Tristan Ahtone (Kiowa) – Neiman fellow and reporter

Break Music:  Nou E Ha’eha’e (song) Mailani (artist) Manawa (album)

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In addition to the difficulty of relearning some daily tasks, sighted people who experience vision loss are more likely to report depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Eye Institute warns that 16 percent of Native Americans are at risk for developing diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in adults. Cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and stroke are some of the other causes of vision loss. We’ll discuss the causes of vision loss and healthy ways to prevent or manage them.

Guests:

Dr. Mark Horton – senior ophthalmologist at the Indian Health Service

Dr. Gregg Baldwin – optometrist that specializes in low vision

John Woolf (Cheyenne River Sioux) – President of Thundercloud Optical Services

Break Music: Song 514 (song) Judy Trejo (artist) Stick Game Songs Of The Paiute (album)

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The experiences of Indigenous women heading up their own businesses and the lessons they learned are the focus of our Book of the Month feature. “Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs of New Mexico: Surpassing Barriers and Stereotypes” opens the doors to the lives of a handful of women from different tribal nations. The book details their pursuit of business practice and philosophy that integrates their indigenous values and traditions. We meet some of the book’s contributors and learn how they carved out a space for their ambitions and ideas.

Guests:

Michele Justice (Navajo Nation) – Entrepreneur and President  and CEO of Personnel Security Consultants

Evalena Boone (Zuni/Cheyenne-Arapaho) – Adjunct Professor UNM and artist

Jaye Francis (Pueblo of Laguna) – Book Contributor and program coordinator UNM

Raul Gouvea, Phd – Book Contributor and professor UNM

Stephine Poston (Pueblo of Sandia) – Book Contributor and founder of Poston & Associates, LLC

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

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Resentment by Native people in New Mexico is rising over an annual reenactment of Spanish conquistadors retaking Santa Fe in 1692. Frustration boiled over this year, resulting in the arrest of eight people protesting the Entrada de Don Diego de Vargas.
Organizers of the annual pageant say they’re commemorating a “peaceful resettlement.” Native opponents say the demonstration does not accurately represent the bloody oppression that accompanied the actual historical events. Where do such reenactments fit in with current national discussions about race and making heroes out of flawed historical figures?

Guests:

Elena Ortiz (Ohkay Owingeh) – organizer for In the Spirit of Po’Pay

Demetrius Johnson (Diné) – President of KIVA club, organizer with Red Nation

Rob Martinez – deputy state historian for New Mexico

Break Music: Dat One (song) The Delbert Anderson Trio (artist) MANITOU (album)