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As we settle into the new year, many of us are also settling into new workout routines. Exercise improves our mood and sleep patterns, according to the Mayo Clinic. It also reduces our risk for heart disease, diabetes and many other maladies. If exercise is so good for us, why is it so hard? Why do we make exercise resolutions every January and then give up by April? And how many of us think we need the right piece of equipment or the right gym environment before we even start?

Guests:

Chelsey Luger (Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Standing Rock Lakota) – founder of Well for Culture

Thosh Collins (Akimel O’odham, Osage, Seneca and Cayuga) – founder of Well for Culture

Lee Zahir (Hefquiaht from Vancouver Island) – digital communication specialist for the Qheft Life Program with the medical center

Acosia Red Elk (enrolled member of the confederated tribes of the Umatilla, Cayuse, and Walla Walla) – yoga teacher, motivational leader and jingle dress dancer

Break music: Smoke Dance One (feat. Frazer Sundown) (song) DJ Shub (artist) PowWowStep – EP (album)

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The Dakota Access Pipeline, sacred places, and cultural appropriation. Those are three of the important topics we explored this past year on Native America Calling. But we also talked about traditional weddings, fishing, the Academy Awards, a notable high school lacrosse team, and a particularly outspoken comedian. We take our traditional look back at some of our favorite shows of the past year.

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An expose in the Arizona Republic paints a damning picture of the Navajo Housing Authority. It’s a detailed account that attempts to add up the legacy—and lack thereof—of $1.6 billion in housing funds. We’ll talk to the reporters about their series and what’s being done now. We’ll also revisit some stories from 2016 including the Nooksack disenrollment fight and others.

Guests:

Jacqueline Keeler (Dakota and Navajo) – writer and co-founder of Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry

Dennis Wagner – reporter for the Arizona Republic

Nina Shapiro – reporter for the Seattle Times

Break Music:  Sneak Up (song) Red Bull (artist) Greatest Hits (album)

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Many notable Native Americans walked on this year. We’ll take a moment to remember a few of them through their friends and family members. Chilkat and Ravenstail weaver Clarissa Rizal, a Raven of the T’akdeintaan (black-legged Kittywake) Clan, walked on in December. We’ll learn about her work and weaving legacy. In July David Beautiful Bald Eagle made his final passage. He was a fluent Lakota speaker, WWII veteran, and an actor in over 40 films. We honor them and others.

Guests:

Rosita Worl (Tlingit) – president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute

Lily Hope (Tlingit) – daughter of Clarissa Rizal, weaver and teaching artist

Donovin Sprague (Mnikȟówožu Lakota) – archivist, university instructor, author, historian at Black Hills State University

Leonard Bends (Crow) – relative of Dr. Joseph “Joe” Medicine Crow

Break music: Song Of Encouragement (song) Porcupine Singers (artist) Alowanpi – Songs Of Honoring – Lakota Classics: Past & Present, Vol. 1 (album)

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For every nine men you know, odds are one of them has been behind bars. At least that’s a statistic from the Sentencing Project, which keeps track of incarceration rates. Our Native fathers, mothers sons and daughters who are behind bars face struggles with isolation, mental health, religious freedom and violence. Convicts also face difficulty readjusting to life after serving their sentences. We explore what life is like behind bars for Native inmates and the work to help support them and their families.

Guests:

Wesley Roach (Cheyenne River Sioux) – on the board of directors for Heal for Reentry

Gabe Galanda (Round Valley Tribe of Indians) – attorney with Galanda Broadman

Break music: Ho Ho Watanay (song) Dawn Avery (artist) Our Fire Native American Contemporary Songs (album)

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It’s time to look ahead to the coming year with the promises you make yourself to shed bad habits and make a new beginning. It’s also a chance to take stock of all you accomplished in the previous year. Did you make a New Year’s resolution for 2016? Did you keep to it? We’ll discuss how to make reasonable, realistic resolutions and what it takes to improve certain parts of your life. What is your New Year’s resolution?

Guests:

Dr. Dave Kemppainen (Keweenaw Bay Band of Chippewa) – substance abuse and mental health counselor and co-host of “Seers from the First People” radio show

Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk) – media company owner of Schilling Media and arts and entertainment editor for Indian Country Today

Break music: Dawn Of A New Day (song) Crystal Shawanda (artist) Dawn Of A New Day (album)

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A group of Native American high school girls defied tradition by playing—and excelling at—lacrosse. The documentary “Keepers of the Game” reveals both the triumphs and obstacles the team and the girls individually experienced. In this inspiring and emotional encore presentation, we talk with some of the key people featured in the documentary. We also hear from the director about making the film and how it’s received by audiences and critics. We’ll also explore the history of lacrosse and what it means for girls to take up the sport.

Guests:

Louise Herne (Mohawk) – Mohawk Bear Clan Mother

Tsieboo Herne (Mohawk) – college student and featured in Keepers of the Game

Judd Ehrlich – director and producer of Keepers of the Game

Break music: This Songs For You/Rock And Roll (Ladies Dance) (song) Sheldon Sundown (artist) Hand Drum/Smoke

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So often, masculinity is defined by strength, stoicism, and money-making ability. It wasn’t always like that in Native American societies. Our guests will outline what current Native masculinity looks like and how that relates or conflicts with traditional roles for men. How do you think masculinity and the roles for Native men have changed over time? What kinds of things are we teaching to our Native boys on how to be men?

Break music: Ke Aloha I Ka Pu’uwai / He ‘Ili ‘Ula Au a He Hawai’I (song) Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu (artist) Call It What You Like (album)