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Speaking a Native language is one thing. Reading and writing it often takes another level of effort and understanding, especially for adult language learners. To help keep languages thriving, Alaska is looking for ways to develop Native language standards in public schools. A number of other tribes utilize technology, adult classes and even games to promote their written languages.

GUESTS

Dr. Melissa Lewis (Cherokee Nation), assistant professor at the University of Missouri  

Dr. Jennifer Wheeler (Diné), long-time educator of Navajo and English  

Tirzah Toya-Waconda (Laguna Pueblo), director of family engagement and the Indigenous languages facilitator at Native American Community Academy (NACA)

Break 1 music: Going Back (song) Paula Nelson (artist) C.H.A.N.T. Cherokee Hope and New Traditions (album)

Break 2 Music: She’s an Elder (song) Joanne Shenandoah (artist) LifeGivers (album)

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In the coming U.S. Supreme Court session, justices will hear arguments against a law that prevents people with domestic violence restraining orders from possessing guns. Native advocates for domestic violence survivors are worried a decision in favor of gun owners will jeopardize the lives of women, who are, by far, the most frequent victims of domestic violence. For Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to mark the 29th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, we’ll find out what actions help—and hurt—potential domestic violence victims.

GUESTS

Shawn Partridge (Mvskoke), director of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s Center for Victim Services (formerly known as the Family Violence Prevention Program)

Melody Ybarra (enrolled member of Apache Tribe of Oklahoma), domestic violence advocate with the Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s House of Hope 

Dayna Schultz (Native Hawaiian), executive director and founding member of Pouhana O Nā Wāhine

Kathy Gibson (member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley), rural project coordinator for the Napuha Kha Nii Programs, the domestic violence and sexual assault programs for the Shoshone-Paiute tribes on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation 

Jeana Lungwitz, clinical professor in the Domestic Violence Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law 

Break 1 Music: Break ft. Kelly Fraser (song) Kristi Lane Sinclair (artist)

Break 2 Music: She’s an Elder (song) Joanne Shenandoah (artist) LifeGivers (album)

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Young climate activists are zeroing in on environmental protections built into a handful of state constitutions as the basis for lawsuits to combat climate change. The Montana Supreme Court will soon hear the state’s appeal of a historic court decision that Montanans are entitled to a stable climate. A similar case is underway in Hawaii where Indigenous plaintiffs as young as 13 are suing to protect what they say is their constitutional right to healthy life and future. We’ll meet with climate activists about a new legal strategy in the face of growing concerns about the future.

GUESTS

Jordan Harmon (Muskogee Creek Nation), policy analyst and legislative advocate for the Indigenous Environmental Network

Isaac Moriwake, Managing Attorney in the Earthjustice Mid-Pacific regional office in Honolulu, Hawaii

Pahonu Coleman, high school senior and one of 14 plaintiffs in Nawahine v. the Hawaii Department of Transportation 

Brandi Upshaw (Navajo and Chiricahua Apache), freshman at the University of San Diego

 

Break 1 Music: Stomp Dance (song) Various Artists (artist) Stomp Dance Songs Of The Muscogee Nation, Volume 1 (album)

Break 2 Music: She’s an Elder (song) Joanne Shenandoah (artist) LifeGivers (album)

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Bylines for Native women are increasingly showing up in newspapers and in TV news, adding an important perspective for general readers and viewers. Once virtually absent in mainstream newsrooms, Native women are reporting on hard-hitting political issues and are often driving the narrative on issues important for all Native people. They are winning awards and recognition from established news sources.

GUESTS

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Minneconjou Lakota), founder and director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance which publishes news on Buffalo’s Fire

Arlyssa Becenti (Diné), Indigenous affairs reporter and an editor for the Daily Focus at the Arizona Republic

Jill Fratis (Unangan from the Aleut Community of St. Paul), associate news producer for KNBA and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation

Karyn Pugliese (Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation), editor-in-chief of CANADALAND

Break 1 Music: Women’s Honoring Song (song) Red Hawk Medicine Drum (artist) New Beginnings (album)

Break 2 Music: Cadillacs Don’t Care (song) Gary Farmer & the Troublemakers (artist) Fool for Love (album)

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Basket designs, rug patterns, tribal images, and corn illustrations are all among the graphics many Indigenous tattoo wearers display. Some traditional images date back to tribal origin stories. Tribal members are embracing a revival of tattoo images handed down through the generations—some were all but lost because the practice fell out of fashion. We’ll hear about how Indigenous tattoo artists are reviving and perfecting their tattoo traditions.

GUESTS

Shay Milford (Navajo), a founding member of the Indigenous Tattoo and Music Fest 

Olivia Morgan (citizen of the Choctaw Nation and Chickasaw descendant), co-host of the Inchunwa podcast

Faithlyn Seawright (Chickasaw and Choctaw), member of the board of directors for the Inchunwa podcast

Hotvlkuce Harjo (Muscogee Creek), multidisciplinary artist  

Holly Nordlum (Inupiaq), artist, tattooist, and activist  

Break 1 Music: Ancestors (song) Darksiderz (artist) Ancestors EP (album)

Break 2 Music: Cadillacs Don’t Care (song) Gary Farmer & the Troublemakers (artist) Fool for Love (album)

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Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians citizens overwhelmingly voted in favor of allowing recreational cannabis use on the tribe’s reservation. If approved by the tribal council, the Qualla Boundary could be positioned as the only location for legal marijuana sales in the southeastern United States. Supporters say it is necessary to diversify a tribal economy heavily dependent on gaming. But they’ll have to persevere against opposition including some tribal officials and at least one North Carolina congressman who proposes withholding public funds from tribes that utilize their sovereign right to sell cannabis.

GUESTS

Forrest Parker (member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), general manager for Qualla Enterprises, LLC  

Mary Jane Oatman (Nez Perce and Delaware Tribe descendant), founder of the Indigenous Cannabis Coalition & THC Magazine and the executive director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association 

Tom Rodgers (Blackfeet), founder of Carlyle Consulting and the Global Indigenous Council, an advocacy organization focusing on Native American issues

Break 1 Music: Blue Dream Wedding Cake (song) Def-I (artist) Blue Hour (album)

Break 2 Music: Cadillacs Don’t Care (song) Gary Farmer & the Troublemakers (artist) Fool for Love (album)

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A man opened fire on a group in New Mexico protesting a decision to re-install a statue many of the state’s Native Americans consider offensive. Police say the man wore a red MAGA hat and posted pro-Trump statements on social media. Ryan David Martinez is charged with attempted murder after one person was wounded in the shooting. Witnesses report he tried to antagonize the protestors beforehand. It’s the second time someone opened fire in the state during protests over controversial monuments. And it’s the latest in a growing series of shootings and other violence against protestors. We’ll hear from activists about the growing challenges to peaceful protests over racial issues.

GUESTS

Jennifer Marley (citizen of San Ildefonso), member of the Red Nation

Raymond Naranjo (Santa Clara and Odawa), chef, business owner, and community member

Kate Bitz, program manager, trainer, and organizer with the Western States Center

Break 1 Music: Mean Things (song) Sihasin (artist) Never Surrender (album)

Break 2 Music: Cadillacs Don’t Care (song) Gary Farmer & the Troublemakers (artist) Fool for Love (album)

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Henry Boucha (Ojibwe) served as an inspiration for many Native hockey athletes and fans. He was a star high school athlete who went on to become a member of the silver medal-winning U.S. ice hockey team in the 1972 Winter Olympics. He also played for the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars and the Detroit Red Wings. A debilitating eye injury cut his playing career short. Off the ice, he worked as an advocate for better Native representation in sports. We’ll get insights about Henry Boucha’s sports legacy with relatives and others.

GUESTS

Sky Boucha (member of Animakee Wa Zhing #37), granddaughter of Henry Boucha 

Gaabi Boucha (member of Animakee Wa Zhing #37), grandson of Henry Boucha

David Glass (enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe), president of the National Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media

Tom Hauser, Chief Political Reporter at KSTP-TV

Lou Nanne, former National Hockey League defenseman and general manager

Mary Scholfield, author of Henry Boucha: Star of the North

Break 1 Music: Ojibwe Honor Song (song) Darren Thompson (artist)

Break 2 Music: Cadillacs Don’t Care (song) Gary Farmer & the Troublemakers (artist) Fool for Love (album)

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After three seasons, the hit FX series Reservation Dogs has come to an end after its finale dropped on Wednesday. It combined entertaining writing and characters, with rich Native representation in front of and behind the cameras. We’ll miss Bear, Willie Jack, Elora, and Cheese. In this program, we’ll recap hilarious and important scenes and episodes – and discuss how this show sets the bar for Native comedy TV higher than it’s ever been before.

GUESTS

Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk)

Jason Asenap (Comanche/Muscogee)

Richard Ray Whitman (Yuchi-Muscogee/Creek)

Justin Eagle Gauthier (citizen of the Menominee [Omāēqnomenēw] Nation of Wisconsin)

Break 1 Music: Stadium Pow Wow (feat. Black Bear) (song) A Tribe Called Red (artist) Stadium Pow Wow (feat. Black Bear) (single)

Break 2 Music: Mahk Jchi (song) Ulali (artist) Heartbeat: Voices of First Nations Women (album)