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The new Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” has suicide experts debating the appropriate ways to address suicide in the media. Some are praising the show’s candid look at bullying, sexual assault and suicide, while others say it glorifies troubling issues for a vulnerable population. A show centered around suburban, white teenagers may not resonate with some Native youth. But the series does present an opportunity to revisit the many ways to reach out to Native youth that experience dramatically higher rates of suicide than any other group. We’ll talk with experts and youth about what it takes to save young lives.

Guests:

Teresa Baldwin (Inupiaq) – suicide prevention advocate

Shelby Rowe (Chickasaw Nation) – Youth Suicide Prevention Program Manager for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services

Angelita Lee (White Mountain Apache) – Research Program Coordinator for the Johns Hopkins University Center for American Indian Health

Break music: Mahk Jchi (song) Ulali (artist) Heartbeat: Voices of First Nations Women (album)

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The editor of “Write” magazine came under fire for an editorial he wrote called “Winning the appropriation prize.” In it, he encouraged authors to appropriate more; to write more about cultures and people they don’t identify with. That sparked a debate on appropriation as other editors and authors from Canadian media weighed in. Are people missing something about appropriation? We’ll talk with Indigenous writers from Canada about what appropriation is and how it affects Native people.

Guests:

Alicia Elliott (Tuscarora) – Tuscarora writer

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm (Chippewas Nawash First Nation/ Saugeen Ojibwe Nation) – writer, publisher and consultant, Kegdonce Press

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

Break music: Big Crow (feat. Black Lodge Singers) (song) DJ Shub (artist) PowWowStep – EP (album)

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Full interview with Hal Niedzvieski

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Tobacco smoke contributes to 41,000 non-smoker deaths every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A handful of studies, including one by the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, suggest even thirdhand smoke—chemicals and residue from tobacco smoke that settle on walls, clothes and furniture—might also cause harm, mostly for people in smokers’ homes. Some tribes ban commercial tobacco smoking in certain areas. But is that enough to protect children and other nonsmokers?

Guests:

Jovian Henio (Mescalero Apache and Diné) – Outrech cc, currently working on smoke-free signals project

Char Day – program manager for Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights

Carla Feathers (Pawnee and Cherokee) – Tobacco Prevention Program manager for the Muscogee Creek Nation

Break music: Strongheart (song) Sissy Goodhouse (artist) The Third Circle (album)

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Knowing how to apply for a job or resolving conflicts with friends are among the wide range of basic life skills that aren’t directly taught in school. Young people might pick up such skills from family or community members if there are good role models. We’ll talk with folks from NativeVision, a sports and life skills camp that has spent more than 20 years making life skills a priority. They tell us why it’s important for Native youth to zero in on the basics.

Mentioned on the show: 2017 NativeVision Sports and Lifeskills Camp
June 15-17, 2017 in Whiteriver, AZ
Sports offered: football, lacrosse, basketball, soccer, volleyball and track
For youth ages 8-18

NativeVision camp registration: local non-local

Guests:

Bill Walker (Chickasaw) – southwest regional director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and assists with NativeVision

Justin Giles (Muscogee Creek/Cherokee) – lacrosse coach at NativeVision

Olivia Trujillo (Diné) – year round program coordinator for Native Vision

Break music: I Walk With You (song) Joseph Fire Crow (artist) Face the Music (album)

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Did you know there is a law still on the books that allows children to be placed in boarding school without parental consent? There is also still a provision for denying government money to ‘hostile Indians’. U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., wants to remove some antiquated laws about Native Americans. He proposes the Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act to do that. On this show we’ll explore that effort and a few of the other racist images, names and laws of the past that don’t stand the test of time.

Guests:

Greg Ablavsky – assistant professor of law at Stanford Law School

Donovin Sprague (Mnikȟówožu Lakota) – historian, university instructor, author, and archivist for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Carly Bad Heart Bull (Flandreau Santee Sioux) – member of the community advisory council in Minneapolis and a lawyer

Break music: The Back And Forth (song) A. Paul Ortega (artist) Two Worlds/Three Worlds (album)

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Full interview with U.S. Senator Mike Rounds

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Before he left office, President Barack Obama designated Bears Ears in Utah a National Monument to protect 1.3 million acres that contain many sites significant to several tribes. Now, President Trump is calling for a review of that decision and dozens of other monument designations since 1996. That could open the door for more oil drilling, mining and other development in those places. Interior Department Sec. Ryan Zinke made his first visit to Bears Ears as a decision on the monument status looms. Is there a precedent for stripping a National Monument designation? What would that mean for the coalition of tribes that worked to ensure the area’s protection?

Guests:

Natalie Landreth (Chickasaw Nation) – senior staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund

Ethel Branch (Navajo) – Attorney General of the Navajo Nation

Break music: Buc Wild – Teen Boy’s Southern Straight (song) Gathering Of Nations Powwow (artist) A Spirit’s Dance (album)

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Full interview with Ryan Benally (Navajo) – vice president of Stewards of San Juan County

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Louisiana is losing coastal land to encroaching water from the Gulf of Mexico, driving away plants and animals tribes traditionally rely on. In Alaska, thinning ice prevents subsistence hunters from reaching game that provide food for their communities. Those are just two examples of how climate change is affecting traditional Native food ways. We’ll discuss how tribes are taking preventative measures to keep their traditional foods alive as their environments change.

Guests:

Dr. Kyle Whyte (enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation) – Timnick chair in the humanities and professor of philosophy and community sustainability at Michigan State University

Malia Nobrega-Olivera (Native Hawaiian) – director of community engagement for the school of Hawaiian Knowledge and director of LAMA

Break music: Sweet Grass Water Is Life (single song) Miracle Dolls (artist)

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Self-taught playwright, Larissa FastHorse (Sičháŋǧu Lakota), tells an interesting story in her newest play, “What Would Crazy Horse Do?” The satirical play explores issues of racial preservation and cultural pride. We’ll talk to FastHorse about her new play and why it’s important to have a Native presence on the stage.

Mentioned on the show:

“What Would Crazy Horse Do?” at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre

Indigenous Direction 

Break music: Buffalo Heart (song) Art Napoleon (Travelling Sun) (artist) Miyoskamin (Early Springtime) (album)

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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all mothers breast-feed exclusively for a baby’s first six months. That’s because breast milk has long-lasting health benefits for both babies and mothers. Numbers are scarce, but one 2012 study reveals fewer than six out of ten Native American and Alaska Native mothers start breast-feeding. Most of those stop before the six month mark. Breast-feeding advocates say Native women face a number of barriers, including lack of education and poor access to work environments that support nursing mothers.

Guests:

Amanda Singer (Diné) – Navajo Nation Breastfeeding Coalitions coordinator

Camie Goldhammer (Sisseton Wahpeton) – clinical social worker and lactation consultant, founder and chair of the Native American Breast-feeding Coalition of Washington

Break music: Strongheart (song) Sissy Goodhouse (artist) The Third Circle (album)

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About 500 young Native athletes from across Alaska gather every year to test strength, balance, agility and teamwork. The annual NYO (Native Youth Olympics) Games just wrapped up in Anchorage. In addition to acknowledging physical feats, the games also emphasize traditional subsistence activities and encourage academics. We’ll hear from some of the young athletes about what drives them and how they connect to Alaska Native culture and tradition.

Guests:

Autumn Ridley (Inupiaq) – three time world record holder

Austin Sumdum (Tlingit) – Native games instructor

Nicole Johnston (Inupiaq) – Native Games instructor and head official of the NYO Games

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