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The federal government will investigate the tragic legacy of American Indian boarding schools through a new program that will search for and identify remains of children who did not return home. The initiative follows the grim discovery of previously undocumented remains of 215 children on the grounds of a Canadian residential school. Also, the Supreme Court ruled that Alaska Native Corporations can receive a share of federal funding for COVID-19 relief. And Shawnee leaders travel to the Serpent Mound in Ohio to educate tourists and new agers about the significance of the area to their tribe.

Guests:

Christine Diindiisi McCleave (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe) – Chief Executive Officer of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition

Matthew Fletcher (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians) – law professor at Michigan State University’s college of law and author of the “Turtle Talk” blog

Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Ojibwe) – national correspondent for Indian Country Today

Break 1 music: Battlefields (song) Twin Flames (artist) Omen (album)

Break 2 music: Mewasin Oma (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Kihtawasoh Wapakwani-Beautiful Flower (album)

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Spring and early summer means many Native communities are celebrating the cultural and culinary significance of strawberries. For many tribes, the strawberry symbolizes the heart and carries origin stories, medicine and good teachings. In the culinary world, strawberries are a blessing for the palate and commonly used in myriad traditional diets and drinks.

Guests: 

Blu Waters (Cree,/Mi’kmaq/Métis) –  elder in the community of Toronto and Seneca College

Qwustenuxun (Cowichan Tribe) – chef of the Cowichan Tribe, writer and journalist

Terrylynn Brant (Mohawk) – traditional Mohawk seedkeeper

Break 1 music: Four Two-Step Songs (song) Pyawasits, Silas & Webster (artist) Wild Rice: Songs From The Menominee Nation (album)

Break 2 music: Mewasin Oma (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Kihtawasoh Wapakwani-Beautiful Flower (album)

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The Battle of Greasy Grass was over in an hour, but its legacy continues to this day. The fight continues over how the story is told and who deserves honors after the major defeat of the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry on the banks of Montana’s Little Bighorn River on this day in 1876. The combined force of the Oceti Sakowin along with other tribes ended Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s repeated violent attacks in violation of the Treaty of Fort Laramie. We’ll go over the history of the battle and its reverberations 145 years later.

Guests:

Jim Real Bird (Apsáalooke) – with the Battle of Little Big Horn re-enactment

Dr. Jeffrey Means (Oglala Lakota) – associate professor in the department of history and American studies at the University of Wyoming

Henry Real Bird (Apsáalooke) – rancher, former schoolteacher, and writer

Break 1 music: Little Big Horn Battle Song (song) Porcupine Singers (artist) Traditional Lakota Songs (album)

Break 2 music: Way of Life (song) Lakota Thunder (artist) Way of Life (album)

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Scientists have deemed the current drought in the western states a “megadrought.” That’s because the extreme dry conditions have already lasted two decades and there’s no end in sight. The U.S. Drought Monitor calls it the worst on record. The resulting constrictions on surface and ground water is creating hardships for Native farmers and ranchers. It’s also further endangering salmon and other wildlife important to tribes.

Guests:

Barry McCovey Jr. (Yurok tribal member) – Yurok tribal fisheries department director

Darryl Vigil (Jicarilla Apache) – water administrator for the Jicarilla Apache Nation and co-facilitator of the Water & Tribes Initiative

Dr. Kynda Curtis – professor of agricultural business in the department of applied economics at Utah State University

Break 1 music: Little Earthlings (song) The Jir Project Band (artist) Sun Child (album)

Break 2 music: Way of Life (song) Lakota Thunder (artist) Way of Life (album)

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The panel that oversees health recommendations for the U.S. is lowering the age that adults should get colon cancer screenings. In May, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force reduced the recommended screening age from 50 to 45. Native American colon cancer rates are higher than the population as a whole. We’ll talk with experts about the types of colon cancer screenings available and who should consider talking to their doctor about them.

Guests:

Alexandra Rosson (Inupiaq) – senior case manager for family medicine at the Tanana Chiefs Conference

Brian Burt – physician assistant in the Department of Surgery of Phoenix Indian Medical Center

Dr. Alisa Alexander (Vuntut Gwichin) – a family physician at the Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center and the Senior Medical Officer at Tanana Chiefs Conference

Break 1 music: Cree Sunrise (song) Art Napoleon (Travelling Sun) (artist) Miyoskamin (Early Springtime) (album)

Break 2 music: Way of Life (song) Lakota Thunder (artist) Way of Life (album)

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How many apples grow on a tree? All of them.
Bad puns, one-liners to nowhere, and corny punchlines. Dad jokes are infamous for being real groaners. Most dads aren’t comedians, but that doesn’t stop them from dispensing their own brand of humor. Many dads also consider themselves creative pranksters. For Father’s Day we’ll zero in on the special humor that only Native dads know about. Do you have a funny story about your funny dad?

Guests:

Darren Brown (Cochiti Pueblo/Choctaw) – senior content producer for Cheyenne and Arapaho TV

Ernie Tsosie III (Navajo) – actor and comedian

Mike Jetty (Spirit Lake Dakota Nation) – Indian education specialist with the Montana Office of Public Instruction

Break 1 music: Ask Dad (song) Floyd Wayne Silas III (artist) True – Round Dance Songs (album)

Break 2 music: We Yaa Naa (song) A Navajo Woman Sings (artist) We’ll Be in Your Mountains, We’ll Be in Your Songs (album)