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Southern Arizona is seeing higher temperatures for longer periods and more intense storms. Those are among the effects of climate change in a report last summer by the University of Arizona in Tuscon. Another study last summer published in the journal, Science, predicts Mojave County—home to four reservations—would suffer the state’s largest economic loss because of climate change. We’ll talk with tribal representatives and climate experts about how the climate trends are already affecting the deserts and arid high plains in the Southwest.

Guests:

Phoebe Suina (San Felipe and Cochiti Pueblo) – owner of high water mark, project manager and environment specialist

Karletta Chief (Diné) – assistant professor and extension specialist in water for the University of Arizona

Ann Marie Chischilly (Diné) – environmental lawyer and executive director of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals at Northern Arizona University

Break Music: Medicine Power (song) Joseph FireCrow (artist) Face the Music (album)

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Zuni fetishes are carvings that represent animals and hold special ceremonial value. They are carved from a variety of materials including marble, pipestone and travertine. Fetishes have become a thriving part of the Native art market. We’ll talk with a few Zuni carvers about the history and practice of creating fetishes.

Guests:

Daryl Shack Sr. (Zuni Pueblo) – artist and fetish carver

Jeff Shetima (Zuni Pueblo) – artist and fetish carver

Sisters (song) A Tribe Called Red (artist) Nation II Nation (album)

 

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The mass shooting in Las Vegas has citizens in fear and policymakers once again on the defensive. Critics are calling for laws to prevent shootings. Others say restrictions on guns violate the Constitution and do nothing to stop someone from using them inappropriately. For Native Americans and Alaska Natives as a group, guns are more a factor in higher suicide rates than in homicides or mass shooting events. In either case, conclusive statistics are hard to come by. Can any limits on guns make us safer?

 

Break Music: A Simple Man (song) Burning Sky (artist) A Simple Man (album)

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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)