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As fans mark the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop, we’ll zero in on contributions by Native artists. Diné rapper Def-i is among the big winners at this month’s International Indigenous Hip-Hop Awards in Vancouver, B.C. Gary Paul Davis aka Litefoot is one of the OGs of Native hip-hop, winning a handful of Native American Music Awards. We’ll hear from them and other artists about what’s fresh and current among Native talent as hip-hop pushes past middle age.

GUESTS

Litefoot (Cherokee), rapper, filmmaker, and actor

Def-i (Diné), hip-hop artist

JB The First Lady (Nuxalk and Onondaga), mother, hip-hop artist, fashion designer

SABA (Navajo and Jemez Pueblo), graffiti artist and co-owner of Arrowsoul Trading Post

Break 1 Music: OOTG (song) JB The First Lady (artist) Meant to Be (album)

Break 2 Music: Losing Control (Song) Qacung (Artist) Miu (Album)

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Millions of low-income people will lose Medicaid coverage over the next year after a pandemic safety net is expiring. A confluence of events is creating confusion that is causing people who are otherwise eligible to be kicked out of the system. Native Americans are among the populations that are especially affected. We’ll find out the important information and what people can do to prepare.

GUESTS

Kristen Bitsuie (Navajo), tribal health care reform outreach and education policy coordinator for the Tribal Health Reform Resource Center, a project of the National Indian Health Board  

Kitty Marx, director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Tribal Affairs 

Kris Winterowd, State Health Insurance Assistance Program and Senior Medicare Patrol program manager for the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department

 

Break 1 Music:  Sneak Up (song) Red Bull (artist) Greatest Hits (album)

Break 2 Music: Losing Control (Song) Qacung (Artist) Miu (Album)

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Officials are still sorting out the human and financial toll of the unprecedented fire on Maui. Many Native Hawaiians remain missing, hundreds more sustained serious damage to their homes and businesses. Meanwhile, Canada is dealing with a record-setting wildfire season with evacuations affecting many First Nations reserves. As the hottest summer on record winds down, we’ll get an assessment of what Native emergency management officials view as the path ahead.

GUESTS

Jake Heflin (Osage/Cherokee), president and CEO of the Tribal Emergency Management Association (iTEMA)

Leela Gilday (Dene Nation), award-winning singer-songwriter

April Sells (member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians), Poarch Band of Creek Indians Tribal Emergency Management Administrator (EMA) Director

Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi (Native Hawaiian), reporter for Hawaii Public Radio

Adam Weintraub, communication director for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency

 

Break 1 Music: K’eintah Natse Ju (song) Leela Gilday (artist) North Star Calling (album)

Break 2 Music: Losing Control (Song) Qacung (Artist) Miu (Album)

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After penning iconic songs like “The Weight” and “Up on Cripple Creek” as a member of The Band, Robbie Robertson (Mohawk, Cayuga descent) went on to produce solo albums and major motion picture soundtracks including the upcoming Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon. He was the voice narrating the Native America series on PBS. Along the way he crossed paths with a number of Native musicians and admirers.

GUESTS

Brian Wright-McLeod (Dakota/Anishinabe), author of The Encyclopedia of Native Music and Indigenous musicologist

Pura Fé (Tuscarora Indian Nation and Taino), musician and founding member of the trio Ulali

Ava Hill, former chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River

Elliott Landy, photographer and writer

Murray Porter (Mohawk from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory), Juno award-winning musician

Elaine Bomberry (Anishinabe and Cayuga, from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory), radio and television producer and artist manager

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Tribes in northern California say waterways are increasingly compromised because of the state’s outmoded water management methods. They are joining environmental groups who say the state’s water management authority is appeasing large corporate interests over ecosystems and the people who utilize the water. It’s another fight over water in the west in which tribes say they are left out of the discussion, at the expense of tribal citizens and the environment.

GUESTS

Vice Chair Malissa Tayaba (Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Band of Indians)

Chief Caleen Sisk (Winnemem Wintu tribe)

Stephanie Safdi, clinical supervising attorney and lecturer for the Environmental Law Clinic at Stanford Law School

 

Break 1 Music: Sweet Grass Water Is Life (single song) Miracle Dolls (artist)

Break 2 Music: Akua Tuta (song) Robbie Robertson (artist) Kashtin (album)

 

Statement on EPA’s decision to review Title VI Complaint against SWRCB 

State Water Resources Control Board
August 2023 

On Aug. 8, U.S. EPA’s Office of Civil Rights determined that it would investigate a complaint regarding the State Water Resources Control Board’s protection of tribal water uses and prevention of harmful algal blooms in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The State Water Board will cooperate fully with the investigation and believes U.S. EPA will ultimately conclude the board has acted appropriately.  

U.S. EPA’s decision to accept the complaint is not a determination of any factual or legal issues. At this stage, the board has not had sufficient time to respond formally. As with any investigation, the board will work collaboratively with U.S. EPA and provide it with information to demonstrate that the board has complied with all civil rights laws. The board will submit its formal response to the complaint by Sept. 7.   

The State Water Board deeply values its partnership with tribes to protect and preserve California’s water resources. The board’s highest water quality planning priority has been restoring native fish species in the Delta watershed, which are central to the lifeways of many tribes.  

The board and the nine California Regional Water Quality Control Boards have been at the vanguard of efforts to recognize, designate and protect beneficial uses of water associated with tribal cultural practices and tribal subsistence fishing.  With respect to the Delta watershed in particular, the board held an informational item at its June 7, 2023 meeting and received input on the possible addition of two tribal beneficial uses (tradition and culture, subsistence fishing) to the State Water Board’s Bay-Delta Plan. The Draft Staff Report on the plan update, to be released this summer, will evaluate inclusion of these uses.  

As we face increasing climate impacts, harmful algal blooms are an escalating threat to public and environmental health. The board has partnered with state agencies, federal agencies, tribal governments, local agencies, community groups, and leading academic and research bodies to identify, report, and ultimately mitigate the effects of harmful algal blooms everywhere in California, including the Delta. The board participates in the California Cyanobacteria and Harmful Algal Bloom Network which maintains a notification and response protocol that sets a nationwide example, while working with partners to collect data to support preventative actions.

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Facebook’s parent company Meta is blocking all news content in Canada after the government demanded the media giant share profits with news companies. That’s a particular problem for people and agencies trying to get news about devastating wildfires in the country. A similar showdown is brewing in California as that state also ponders a revenue-sharing arrangement. The tussle over content affects both Native consumers and Native news operations.

GUESTS

Jourdan Bennett-Begaye (Diné), editor for Indian Country Today and vice president and board member of the Indigenous Journalists Association

Alex Freedman, executive director of the Community Radio Fund of Canada

Mike Rispoli, senior director of Free Press focusing on local news and civic information policy

 

Break 1 Music: Navajo Radio (song) Arigon Starr (artist) Meet the Diva (album)

Break 2 Music: Akua Tuta (song) Robbie Robertson (artist) Kashtin (album)

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Retirement doesn’t just mean spending your days playing dominoes at the senior center. A lot of Native elders are taking up second careers or at least new part time jobs after retiring. A 2022 survey by U.S. News and World Report found the percentage of workers over age 62 has increased significantly in the past ten years. Inflation is part of the reason. So is the desire for meaningful work. From per caps to the availability of senior housing, Native workers considering retirement have specific concerns when it comes to winding down their working years.

GUESTS

Jim Cordry (Rosebud Sioux), retired federal employee and investment advisor for 21 years  

Larry Curley (Navajo), executive director of the National Indian Council on Aging  

Leilani Wilson Walkush (Tlingit), chief compliance officer for Breakwater Investment Group, LLC

 

Break 1 Music: Intertribal (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Pakosiyimitan (album)

Break 2 Music: Akua Tuta (song) Robbie Robertson (artist) Kashtin (album)

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If you’ve been watching “Reservation Dogs”, you know the music of Mato Wayuhi. He’s a young Lakota composer who drives the musical storyline for the show. He’s also a hip-hop artist and rapper who’s getting ready to release another album. We’ll talk with Wayuhi about his work and future projects. Plus, Vincent Schilling joins us to discuss “Reservation Dogs” and other Native shows and films making waves right now.

GUESTS

Mato Wayuhi (Oglala Lakota), composer, musician, rapper

Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk), editor of NativeViewPoint.com and a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic

 

Break 1 Music: Fall Out Boy (song) Mato Wayuhi (artist)

Break 2 Music: Akua Tuta (song) Robbie Robertson (artist) Kashtin (album)

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Santa Fe Indian Market, the nation’s oldest and largest celebration of Native arts, draws more than 100,000 artists and collectors from around the world. Native America Calling continues its tradition of bringing a snapshot of the film, fashion, and other creative talent at the event organized by the Southwest Association of Indian Arts (SWAIA).

GUESTS

Dawn Houle (Chippewa Cree from Rocky Boy Montana), President and CEO of Sun Slinger Consulting; Vice Chairman of the SWAIA Board

Mandolin Rain Song (Taos Pueblo), Segment producer for Native America, season 2 on PBS

Jennifer Johns (Diné), Series Producer for Native America, season 2 on PBS

Jason Garcia (Santa Clara Pueblo), contemporary artist

You can see a trailer for the second season of Native America here.

Break 1 Music: Wim Ah I Wem, Tiwa (single) Gregg Analla (artist)

Break 2 Music: Riders on the Storm [Live] (song) Keith Secola (artist) Grassroots Festival, Trumansburg, NY 7​/​20​/​19 (album)

 

 

Koahnic Broadcast Corporation is proud to mention, airing this Fall 2023
Native America Season 2
Premiering on PBS October 24 through November 14 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings)