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A major standoff over an oil pipeline in North Dakota, a new U.S. president and new priorities for federal decision-making; A lot has changed since the last State of Indian Nations address a year ago. We will hear the annual State of Indian Nations speech by National Congress of American Indians President Brian Cladoosby as well as the congressional response.

Break music: Red Rocks The Earth (song) Tiger Tiger (artist) New Era (album)

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Listen:

The entire State of Indian Nations address by NCAI President Brian Cladoosby and the response by Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)

The question-and-answer session after the address:

Comments to NCAI from Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee:

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“Cradle to the Grave” is the latest by Crow musician Cary Morin and it’s in invitation to take an some skilled finger picking fun. Continuing on his journey of solo acoustic exploration Morin is giving blues rock roots lovers almost a dozen tracks on his fourth solo album. The lyrics are also a passage through his life and lessons learned and from it this artist says he’s come to the understanding that life is fleeting. We invite you to fall in the notes and lyrics with us as we visit with Cary Morin our February Music Maker.

Break music: Ghost Dog (song) Cary Morin (artist) Cradle to the Grave (album)

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Love can lead us down many new paths. Sometimes the journey is toward a culture different than the one we’re born into. One of our guests honors her husband’s Salish culture by mastering traditional weaving. We’ll talk to others, as well, about the rewards and obstacles of navigating a spouse’s Native culture. Are you ever fully accepted?

Guests:

Dr. Susan Pavel – Coast Salish weaver

Enei Begaye Peter (Diné and Tohono O’odham) – executive director of Native movement  director and board president of the Indigenous Leadership Institute

Break music: Can’t Take My Eyes off You (song) Temuera Morrison (Artist) Tem (Album)

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An Oregon-based program aims to help Native American teens make better decisions when it comes to sex. Organizers with the STAND program hope their weekly education sessions that incorporate culture and language will help cut rates for sexually-transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. They are among several culturally-based programs that see a need for solid, research-based curricula to help teens get the basics about sex education.

Guests:

Michelle Singer (Navajo) – project manager for Native STAND

Dr. Stephani Craig Rushing – project director at the northwest Portland area Indian health board

Nicole Martin (Diné) – recent Fort Lewis graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Indigenous studies and a minor in gender and women’s studies

Break music: Simple Love Song (song) Anuhea (artist) For Love (album)

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The mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota found himself in the hot seat for poorly-worded comments about Native Americans and panhandling. The comments came as the city near the Pine Ridge Reservation is trying to improve relations after several ugly interactions between Native American and non-Native residents. Towns near reservations often struggle with the outward expressions of entrenched prejudice. We’ll talk with community members about the long, slow process of reconciliation in border towns.

Guests:

Whitney Rencountre (Crow Creek Sioux) – graphic artist and director of the Ateyapi youth program

LeMoine LaPointe (Sičháŋǧu Lakota) – facilitator with the Barbara Schneider Foundation and coordinator for Indigenizing Crisis Intervention Teams in Indian Country project

Break music: Powwow Rhapsody (feat. Chippewa Travellers) (song) Cris Derksen (artist) Cris Derksen: Orchestral Powwow (album)

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The decision to end a relationship is almost never easy. Whether it’s a marriage or a long term relationship, breaking up can be painful for everyone. Experts have advice on how to know it’s time to break it off and some ways to do it. They also have insights on what to expect afterwards and some things to think about ahead of time.

Guests:

Juliet Kinkade-Black (Blackfoot) – licensed marriage and family therapist with All Faiths

Bobbi Outten (Anishinaabe from White Earth Reservation) – licensed professional counselor and director for the Family Wellness Warriors Initiative under the Southcentral Foundation

Robert Heffle (Inupiaq, Eskimo) – manager of clinical training for the Family Wellness Warriors Initiative

Break music: Edge Of The Rez, Part 2 (song) The Blue Stone Project (artist) Blue Stone (album)

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What are the next steps now that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will grant the easement to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline project near Standing Rock? The number of people remaining at the camps in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline is estimated at a few hundred. Thousands of people have set up camp, at one time or another, at Oceti Sakowin, Sacred Stone and several other camps along the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers in North Dakota. They’ve endured harsh conditions, violent encounters with police, rubber bullets, water hoses and, now, extreme winter weather. But there are also stories of camaraderie, ceremony and hope. We’ll talk with people and take your calls about what the camps can accomplish.

Guests:

David Archambault, Chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Joye Braun (Cheyenne River Sioux) – frontline community organizer with Indigenous Environmental Network and very first camper at Sacred Stone camp

An interview with Lakota attorney Chase Iron Eyes (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) about his arrest and other recent events:

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

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Since taking office, President Trump, has taken action on promises to cut environmental regulations and advance energy industry projects from coal to oil pipelines. With that in mind, we’ll take a look at two proposed mines that could also get caught up in the pro-industry momentum. The Back Forty Project in Michigan promises large deposits of zinc and gold. But the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin opposes the project for environmental reasons and because of its close proximity to sacred places. In Arizona, the Resolution Copper mine is expected to cover 7,000 acres, take 10 years to build, and operate for another 40 years. The San Carlos Apache tribe opposes it because the land is considered sacred. We’ll get updates on these and what hopes tribal leaders and others have for fighting them.

Guests:

Wendsler Nosie Sr. (San Carlos Apache) – leader of the Apache Stronghold 

Gary Besaw (Menominee) – member of the Menominee Tribal Legislature and chairman of the environmental task force

Full interview with Clifford Nelson Jr., Vice President of U.S. Operations at Aquila Resources Inc.

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

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Nearly 9 percent of Native Americans experienced a major depressive episode according to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings. That means they experienced severe problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration, and self-worth—enough to interfere with their daily lives. The survey lists Native Americans as the group with the highest rate of depression. We talk to experts about the signs and treatments for depression and some of the suspected causes for the illness in Native populations.

Guests:

Miranda Carman (citizen Muscogee Creek Nation) – public health advisor for the Indian Health Service

Roger Kuhn (Poarch Band of Creek Indians) – licensed psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco, a Ph.D student at the California Institute of Integral Studies and chair of the Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits organization

Break Music:  Sisters (song) Tribe Called Red (artist) Nation II Nation (album)

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There are few U.S. cabinet positions that have more interaction with Native Nations than the head of the Interior Department. The job entails overseeing the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Education as well as protecting and managing federal natural resources. Congressman Ryan Zinke is President Trump’s Interior secretary choice. We’ll discuss Rep. Zinke’s track record with tribes and what his role means for critical issues in our Native Nations.

Guests:

Chairman Gerald Gray (Little Shell Chippewa) – Chairman of the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe

Mark Azure (Assiniboine) – President of the Fort Belknap Indian Community

Cris Stainbrook (Oglala Lakota) – president of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation

Davis Filfred (Navajo) – member of the Navajo Nation 23rd council

Break music: Kakiyaw Iyisinowak (All The People) (song) Young Spirit (artist) Akameyimoh Baby Boy (album)