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Fifty years after his untimely death, actor and martial arts master Bruce Lee’s legacy resonates with fans across the globe. But Lee has a unique and enduring connection with Native audiences who relate to his philosophical drive, the sense of justice he portrayed on the screen, and how he propelled positive representations of his race in popular media. His films have been translated into at least two Indigenous languages. We’ll reflect on what Bruce Lee means to Native fans.

GUESTS

Fritz Bitsoie (Diné), film director 

Sifu JoAnn Wabisca (Métis-Cree), co-founder of Ekata Training Center and instructor

Simon Bird (Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation), educator and Cree language advocate 

Shannon Lee, CEO and owner of the Bruce Lee Family Companies, president of the Bruce Lee Foundation, author of Be Water, My Friend, and daughter of Bruce Lee

Break 1 music: Be Like Water (song) The RZA (artist)

Break 2 music: Peace Calls (song) Robert Mirabal (artist) The River (Album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:45 — 25.5MB) | Embed

Structural racism is a contributing factor to the ongoing disparity for Native people when it comes to oral health. That’s the conclusion of a report published this year by a collection of non-profit oral health organizations. The report’s authors say poor oral health has far-reaching, life-long implications. We’ll hear about the need for recruiting and retaining more Native dentists and what else can be done to improve the oral health divide.

GUESTS

Dr. George Blue Spruce (Laguna/Ohkay Owingeh), assistant dean of American Indian Affairs at A.T. Still University Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health and Assistant Surgeon General (Retired) at U.S. Public Health Service

Dr. Chloe Craig (Cherokee), Wy’ east Dentistry Program Manager at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry and At-Large Board Member for the Society of American Indian Dentists

Mariah John (Navajo), undergraduate student at the University of Arizona and part of the Mayo Clinic’s 2023 Native American Pathway Program

Dr. Darlene Sorrell (Navajo), president of Nizhoni Smiles board and first Navajo dentist

 

Break 1 music: Totah (song) The Delbert Anderson Trio (artist) MANITOU (album)

Break 2 music: Peace Calls (song) Robert Mirabal (artist) The River (Album)

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The Lake Traverse Reservation is easy to find on most maps put out by the federal government and apps like MapQuest. But the home of the federally recognized Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate is nowhere to be seen on the state’s Department of Transportation map. It’s one of three reservations the agency chooses to leave off. The reasons are complicated and come down to interpretations of the legal definitions of each reservation. We’ll talk about what’s behind the omission and what Native scholars and others are doing to change it.

GUESTS

Angelique EagleWoman (member of Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), law professor and director of the Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and chief justice of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Supreme Court

State Rep. Tamara St. John (member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate/R-SD 1), tribal archivist

Chairman J. Garret Renville (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), tribal chairman of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate

Break 1 music: “Sovereign Land” – Summit Dub Squad (song) The Native Movement Native Music Compilation (artist) Written in Blood (album)

Break 2 music: Peace Calls (song) Robert Mirabal (artist) The River (Album)

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Sophisticated barbecue methods predate contact with Europeans. The Indigenous Taino people first introduced pit barbecue to colonial travelers as they wandered through the Caribbean Islands. The barbecue traditions for Native Hawaiians also have a long tradition and a unique, tropical flavor. Native people in between those two locations all developed their own barbecue cooking and seasoning that grew from the ingredients they have on hand. We’ll explore the various styles of barbecue and where they came from.

GUESTS

Robert Rosa (Taino), Florida representative of the United Confederation of Taino People and president of the American Indian Movement Florida Chapter

James Anderson (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe), owner of Old Southern BBQ and motivational speaker

Luke Black Elk (Lakota from Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe), farm director at Hohwoju

Dave Smoke-McCluskey (Mohawk), chef and owner of The Corn Mafia

Chris Szewczyk, owner of Taino Smokehouse

Break 1 music: Gathering Song (song) Red Hawk Medicine Drum (artist) New Beginnings (album)

Break 2 music: Peace Calls (song) Robert Mirabal (artist) The River (Album)

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Nearly 17 million tons of textiles are thrown away every year, according to estimates by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Some Indigenous fashion designers have an eye and mission to recycle and upcycle clothing or create from more sustainable fabrics as a way to offset the waste in the business that is creating environmental harm. We’ll take a look at the environmentally conscious side of Indigenous fashion.

GUESTS

Amy Denet Deal (Diné), founder of 4Kinship 

Ira Vandever (Diné), owner of Turquoise Indigo Fibers

Rebekah Jarvey (Chippewa, Cree, and Blackfeet enrolled at Rocky Boy Indian Reservation), fashion show coordinator and indigenous designer

Thómas Lopez Jr. (Chicano and Sičháŋǧu Lakota), artist and content creator

Caitlin Hein (Sičháŋǧu Lakota), owner of Garbage Tale Vintage

 

Break 1 music: Kwelosoet (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Kikāwiynaw (album)

Break 2 music: Where I Walk, I Live (song) Jay Begaye (artist) The Long Walk – Hwééldi (album)

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Nearly 12,000 amateur athletes over 50 years of age are competing in this year’s National Senior Games in Pittsburgh. The Games have an enduring focus on Indigenous elder athletes. Another long-time annual tournament, the Native American Basketball Invitational, kicks off more than 400 games over five days in Phoenix. We’ll find out who to watch at these notable summer competitions.

GUESTS

Simeon Gipson (Cherokee and Choctaw), National Senior Games Association athlete

Stephanie Spencer (United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians), National Senior Games Association athlete

Harley Sundown (Yup’ik), teacher and basketball coach

Danny McCarter (citizen of the Cherokee Nation), interpretive guide for Cherokee Nation cultural tourism

Del Moon, National Senior Games Association communications & media director

GinaMarie Scarpa, president and CEO of the Native American Basketball Invitational

 

 

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

Break 2 music: Where I Walk, I Live (song) Jay Begaye (artist) The Long Walk – Hwééldi (album)

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The Nez Perce Tribe completed a number of new real estate acquisitions including a golf course within driving distance of their tribal resort and casino. Tribal officials say the links business was losing members, but is now back in the black. It’s one of several of the big and small tribal enterprises we’re featuring as promising new ventures.

GUESTS

Zeke Domebo (Nez Perce, Nimiipuu), golfer and outreach supervisor for the Red Wolf Golf Club

JT Willie (Diné), CEO of Navajo Arts and Crafts Enterprise

SABA – Shawna Dayish (Navajo and Jemez Pueblo) and Orlando Cruz (Navajo), owners of Arrowsoul Trading Post 

 

Break 1 music: Groove Warrior (song) Delbert Anderson Trio (artist) Manitou (album)

Break 2 music: Where I Walk, I Live (song) Jay Begaye (artist) The Long Walk – Hwééldi (album)

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:08 — 38.6MB) | Embed

Construction on a portion of a nearly $70 million highway expansion project is halted after workers discovered multiple sets of human remains. Tribes say the costly delay and potential project redesign could have been avoid had state transportation officials took warnings about the site seriously more than a quarter century ago. Another project — a luxury apartment building in Miami — is moving ahead, even after workers discovered some human remains and culturally and historically significant structures and artifacts.

GUESTS

Kathy Bancroft (member of the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe), tribal historic preservation officer for the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe 

Danelle Gutierrez (Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley), tribal historic preservation officer for the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley

Martha Tommie (member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida from the Deer Clan), American Indian Movement Florida Chapter member 

Robert Rosa (Taino), president of the American Indian Movement Florida Chapter and chairman of the Florida Indigenous Alliance

 

Break 1 music: Taino-Arawak Welcome Song (song) Joan Henry (artist) Kanogisgi – Song-Carrier (album)

Break 2 music: Where I Walk, I Live (song) Jay Begaye (artist) The Long Walk – Hwééldi (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:04 — 38.5MB) | Embed

Two climate tracking agencies say the Earth just reached its hottest average temperature on record and scientists predict it will only get hotter. That has implications for the health and comfort of Native people coping with the heat, and for those whose livelihoods depend on specific climate conditions and access to water. We’ll get perspectives from environmental health experts, farmers, and others about the risks of rising heat and what a hotter future might hold.

GUESTS

Duran Andrews (Tohono O’odham), farm manager at San Xavier Co-Op Farm  

Dave Lawrence, meteorologist and emergency response specialist with the National Weather Service 

Robert Knapp, environmental planning program manager for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe 

Nelson Andrews (Mashpee Wampanoag), tribal councilman and emergency management director for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

 

Break 1 music: The Last World of Fire and Trash (song) Joy Harjo (artist) Native Joy for Real (album)

Break 2 music: Where I Walk, I Live (song) Jay Begaye (artist) The Long Walk – Hwééldi (album)