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The Makah Tribe is one step closer to resuming whale hunts, decades after their last grey whale harvest. After numerous legal challenges, a federal judge how recommends the tribe be allowed the practice that is at the heart of their cultural and spiritual identity. Their last hunt—after grey whales were removed from the endangered species list—was marred by protests, active interference and even death threats against members of the tribe. We’ll learn the cultural importance behind whale hunting and discuss the prospect it will begin again.

 

Guests:

Timothy Greene (Makah) – chairman of the Makah Tribe

Patrick DePoe (Makah) – vice chairman of the Makah Tribe

 

Break 1 music: Ocean Prayer (Version A) (song) Pamyua (artist) Side A/Side B (album)

Break 2 music: Raven’s First Dance (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) Heen (album)

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When businesses or media productions take on Native themes, images or storylines, they turn to Native consultants to avoid stereotypes or offensive messages. It takes a broad knowledge of Native cultures and often requires standing up to executives with entrenched ideas. We’ll hear from Native consultants about what the job is like and the growing importance to have Native voices in the corporate and media world.

 

 

Guests:

Adrienne Benjamin (Anishinaabe) – reconciliation advisor, Anishinaabe artist and local community activist

Caleb Abrams (Seneca Nation) – Seneca consultant for “Dexter,” filmmaker and media artist

Grace Dillon (Anishinaabe) – Native consultant for “Antlers” and professor of Indigenous Nations studies at Portland State

 

Break 1 music: Joy (song) RiverFlowz (artist) RiverFlowz Rural Recordings Atauciq (album)

Break 2 music: Raven’s First Dance (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) Heen (album)

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In many Native American cultures, there’s an understanding and respect for those who identify with a gender that is neither male nor female. Only recently have the terms “nonbinary,” “them” and “they,” entered the mainstream lexicon in reference to gender. “Nonbinary” is a catch-all term meaning not strictly male or female. That includes many—but not all—of those who call themselves “Two-Spirit.” We’ll learn more about nonbinary identities how some advocates want to change the way nonbinary Native people are treated in healthcare settings.

Guests:

Shayai Lucero (Acoma and Laguna Pueblo) – parent and owner of Earth and Sky Floral Designs

Maityaitsa Fry (Laguna, Acoma, Cherokee and Chickasaw) – student at the Native American Community Academy

Emma Antoine (Anishinaabe) – advocacy and outreach coordinator for the Native Youth Sexual Health Network

Morgan Thomas-Contractor – member of the Native Advocacy Work Group for Trans Health

Jessica Leston (Tsimshian) – clinical programs director for the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

 

Break 1 music: Singing Together (song) Drumming Hill Singers (song) Memories (album)

Break 2 music: Raven’s First Dance (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) Heen (album)

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Tribal members hoping to purchase a home on tribal land often face a gauntlet of red tape, delays and complicated legal arrangements. Even if they manage to satisfy all the requirements, they may still be unable to get a mortgage from a standard lender. In addition, some tribal members who benefited from HUD’s Indian Home Loan Guaranteed Program are coming up against constraints.

Guests:

Juel Burnette – branch manager at 1st Tribal Lending

Isaac Perez – San Felipe pueblo Housing Authority executive director

Colleen Steele (Oglala Sioux Tribal member) – executive director at Mazaska Owecaso Otipi Financial Inc.

 

Break 1 Music: This Land (song) Keith Secola (artist) Native Americana – A Coup Stick (album)

Break 2 music: Tanokumbia (feat. El Dusty & Black Bear) (song) The Halluci Nation (artist) Tanokumbia (feat. El Dusty & Black Bear) (single)

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California officials are still tallying the damage from an underwater oil pipeline rupture that leaked nearly 150,000 gallons of oil along a sensitive Pacific Coast area. National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp issued a statement urging the federal government and others to “take this opportunity to engage with Tribal Nations to protect our natural resources and find solutions to prevent these devastating events from happening again.” It’s also a harbinger of the threat confronting tribes that have unsuccessfully fought against pipelines on their ancestral homelands.

Guests:

Dr. Jeffery Darensbourg (Atakapa Ishak Nation) – writer, artist and culture bearer

Douglas Taylor (Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi) – tribal historical preservation officer for Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi

John Rodwan – environmental director for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi

Bill McCabe (Navajo) – principal of McCabe and Associates, a consulting business for tribal energy resource development and management

 

Break 1 music: Money Cannot Be Eaten (song) Rosary Spence (artist) Maskawisiwin (album)

Break 2 music: Tanokumbia (feat. El Dusty & Black Bear) (song) The Halluci Nation (artist) Tanokumbia (feat. El Dusty & Black Bear) (single)

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Some civic-minded young Native people are devoting their energy to promoting healthy living for themselves and those around them. Several groups are hoping to deploy Native youth to help improve statistics for Native Americans who are disproportionately affected by many adverse health problems, from diabetes to obesity.

Guests:

Cami Riley (Laguna Pueblo) – high school senior at Del Norte High School and a member of the Native Health Initiative

Alicia Gallegos (Acoma and Laguna Pueblo, Chicana and Diné) – 3rd year student at UNM majoring in family and child studies and doubling minoring in Native American studies and psychology

Dr. Anthony Fleg – physician with the University of New Mexico and co-founder of the Native Health Initiative

 

Break 1 music: Honestly (song) Ailani (artist) Heartbroken Bones (album)

Break 2 music: Tanokumbia (feat. El Dusty & Black Bear) (song) The Halluci Nation (artist) Tanokumbia (feat. El Dusty & Black Bear) (single)

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The Black Lives Matter social justice movement called attention to just how unbalanced public awareness and recognition is for Native American issues. Native people and their allies took to the streets, toppling statues and monuments that civic leaders long ago established to promote a decidedly white, colonialist—sometimes racist—viewpoint. Now elected officials are pondering what to do with statues of Christopher Columbus, Father Junipero Serra, and others. Meanwhile the number of places recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day is growing and getting more organized.

Guests:

Carrie Wood (Navajo) – member of Three Sisters Collective

Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai (Diné) – Arizona senator representing the 7th district

René Oswaldo González Pizarro (Ayuuk) – a member of the Colmix Collective

Jennifer Marley (San Ildefonso) – member of the Red Nation and Ph.D student at the University of New Mexico

 

Break 1 music: Unconquered (song) Injunuity (artist) Unconquered (album)

Break 2 music: Tanokumbia (feat. El Dusty & Black Bear) (song) The Halluci Nation (artist) Tanokumbia (feat. El Dusty & Black Bear) (single)

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Tribes in Nevada are among those turning to the federal government to permanently protect almost 400,000 acres of land with a National Monument designation. The area known as Avi Kwa Ame is sacred or culturally significant to at least 10 tribes. There’s pressure from developers who want to establish wind energy farms that supporters of the protections say would significantly harm the beauty and cultural importance of the landscape.

Guests:

Taylor Patterson (Bishop Paiute) – executive director of Native Voter Alliance Nevada

Nora McDowell (Fort Mojave Indian Tribe) – project manager for the Topock Remediation Project

Paul Jackson Jr. (member of Fort Mojave) – Mojave culture and language bearer and cultural artist

 

Break 1 music: Land Back Ft. Boogey The Beat & Chippewa Travellers (single) A Tribe Called Red (artist)

Break 2 music: Bonus FOOTPRINTS (song) Randy Boogie (artist) THE BLESSINGWAY BOOGIE (Deluxe Edition) (album)

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Farming kelp provides a nutritious food source as well as habitat for sea creatures further up the food chain. It’s also a potentially profitable venture for some coastal tribes. That’s just one of the plants and animals that show promise for cultivation for economic development. And aquaculture connects to traditional Indigenous methods while also fitting in with efforts to offer long-term employment solutions that are environmentally sustainable.

 

Guests:

Dune Lankard (Eyak Athabascan) – president of the Native Conservancy

Lloyd Davis (Lingit and tribal member of the Organized Village of Kake) – housing and construction coordinator for the Organized Village of Kake, sea captain

Dr. Melissa Poe – social scientist at the University of Washington Sea Grant

Mentioned in the show: the Indigenous Aquaculture Collaborative

 

Break 1 music: Bring The Water (song) Digging Roots (artist) We Are (album)

Break 2 music: Bonus FOOTPRINTS (song) Randy Boogie (artist) THE BLESSINGWAY BOOGIE (Deluxe Edition) (album)