Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Summer is the time to get outdoors. But that also brings safety risks unique to this time of year. From extreme heat to wildfires to hiking injuries, there are a number of seasonal hazards that are worth thinking about ahead of time. For the Summer Solstice we will compile of list of safety tips specifically for the warmest months. We’ll also work to answer your questions to help you stay healthy and safe.

Guests:

Dr. Andrew Harrell – associate professor of Emergency Medicine at the University Of New Mexico School Of Medicine

Dr. John Molina (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) – compliance officer for Native Health

Break 1 Music: Summertime (single song) Shade featuring Dani Shay (artist)

Break 2 Music: Keep It Hopping Remix (feat. Cris Derksen) (song) Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie (artist) Keep It Hopping (Remix) [feat. Cris Derksen] (single)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

It’s a big decision to welcome a child into your home knowing it may be temporary. But it is a decision hundreds of foster parents take on every year. The need for Native foster parents in some states is great. Native children are disproportionately represented in the foster care system according to a report by the National Indian Child Welfare Association. We’ll talk with foster parents and child welfare experts about the challenges and rewards of being a foster parent.

Guests:

Alisa Lee (Fort Independence Paiute Tribe) – Indian child welfare program administrator for Utah Division of Child and Family Services

Stephanie Benally (Navajo) – Native American specialist for Utah Foster Care

Tawna Sanchez (Shoshone Bannock and Ute) – director of family services for the Native American Youth and Family Center

Break 1 Music: Grandmother’s Song (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album)

Break 2 Music: Keep It Hopping Remix (feat. Cris Derksen) (song) Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie (artist) Keep It Hopping (Remix) [feat. Cris Derksen] (single)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Many of those attempting to cross into the U.S. illegally are Indigenous people fleeing persecution or unbearable conditions in their home countries. They are vulnerable to criminal activity, weather extremes, illness or injury and they now face the increased possibility of separation from their children if caught. Some groups work specifically to help and work on behalf of documented and undocumented Indigenous migrants who face numerous challenges working a complex legal and bureaucratic system.

Guests:

Arcenio Lopez (Mixteco) – executive director of Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project

Leoncio Vasquez Santos (Mixteco) – executive director of Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueno (CBDIO)

Horatio Moreno-Campos – immigration attorney

Break 1 Music: Ixtakcuautli (World) (song) Xavier Quijas Yxayotl (artist) Aztec Dances (album)

Break 2 Music: Keep It Hopping Remix (feat. Cris Derksen) (song) Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie (artist) Keep It Hopping (Remix) [feat. Cris Derksen] (single)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

When Pauline Butler’s son came out as gay, it wasn’t really a shock. “He was apologizing and I told him he didn’t have to,” she said. Butler is among the parents with a supportive and accepting reaction to what is often a painful discussion for LGBTQ and Two Spirit children. But that’s not always the case. We’re talking with Native parents about their experiences.

Guests:

Kris Pacheco (Laguna tribal member) – mother and program manager for the Pueblo of Laguna Behavior Health Services

Pauline Butler (Navajo) – proud parent of two gay children and coordinator of community happiness at the STAR School

Kim Moore-Salas (Navajo) and Rob Salas (Gabrieleno Kizh and Mexican) – parents

Break 1 Music: Turtle Island Reggae (song) Cempoalli 20 & Quese Imc (artist) Osahwuh (album)

Break 2 Music: Keep It Hopping Remix (feat. Cris Derksen) (song) Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie (artist) Keep It Hopping (Remix) [feat. Cris Derksen] (single)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Do you know what to do when your engine light comes on? How do you know if you can trust the mechanic you take your car to? For every car owner, a little DIY knowledge can go a long way, especially if you’re living in a rural area miles from the nearest auto shop. We invite Native mechanics to share some of the basics you should know about your car. And if you’re interested in making a living as a mechanic, we’ll discuss what it takes to get going in the business and what to expect from the industry.

Guests:

O’Neil Bileen (Navajo Nation) – Owner of TC Automotive

Steve Harada – Automotive Technology Instructor at Fort Peck Community College

Timothy Clani Jr. (Navajo) – Owner of Min’s Automotive

Darreth Johnson (Diné) – student in automotive technology at Navajo Technical University

Break 1 Music: Indian Cars (song) Keith Secola (artist) Circle (album)

Break 2 Music: Cree Honor Song (song) Randy Wood (artist) The Gift of Life (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (38.6MB) | Embed

South Dakota Senator Neal Tapio recently called for abolishing reservations. He told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader “We need to renegotiate the treaties that are holding down a once very proud people.” President Trump said “we tamed a continent” in a recent commencement speech at the Naval Academy. And Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke suggested sending kids in the foster care system on the Fort Peck reservation to a boarding school in Oklahoma. Comments like this from politicians are nothing new, but they often spark concern from people on the receiving end. We’ll break down the context and intent of each of the latest political messages.

Listen to an interview with Senator Neal Tapio (R-Watertown, SD) talking about his desire to renegotiate South Dakota treaties:

Guests:

Dr. David Lewis (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde) – educator and ethno historian blogs at NDN History Research

Dr. James Riding In (Pawnee) – Interim Director of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University and Associate Professor

Break 1 Music: Spirit Dance (song) Aaron White and Anthony Wakeman (artist) Handprints Of Our People (album)

Break 2 Music: Cree Honor Song (song) Randy Wood (artist) The Gift of Life (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

The entire Department of Interior is currently going through a reorganization ordered by the president to create efficiency and cut waste. The proposal would increase the number of Bureau of Indian Affairs regions from 11 to 13 based on watersheds and ecosystems. Chairperson Aaron Payment (Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) calls the reasons justifying the administration’s reorganization like “lipstick on a pig”. Some tribes, like the Navajo Nation, are already voicing opposition to the plan. But others welcome what they see as an opportunity.

Guests:

John Tahsuda (Kiowa) – Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs

Matt Komalty (Kiowa) – Chairman of the Kiowa Tribe

Dr. Aaron Payment (Tribe of Chippewa Indians) – chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and first vice-president of the National Congress of American Indians

Liz Malerba (Mohegan Tribe) – director of policy and legislative affairs for United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund

Break 1 Music: Wiconi (song) Primeaux & Mike (artist) Road to Peace (album)

Break 2 Music: Cree Honor Song (song) Randy Wood (artist) The Gift of Life (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Prosecutors brought 835 cases related to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in North Dakota. Almost 40 percent of those were dismissed, according to the Water Protector Legal Collective. Since the end of the demonstrations more than a year ago there have been a handful of acquittals. About a fifth of those charged are still awaiting trial. We’ll get an update on the remaining legal cases and hear about how some of the individual cases turned out.

Mentioned on the show:

Freshet Collective

water protector prisoner page

Guests:

Leoyla Cowboy (Diné) – water protector

HolyElk Lafferty (Sičháŋǧu, Oglála and Mnikȟówožu Lakota) – advocate and water protector

Sam Saylor – attorney for the Freshet Collective

Break 1 Music: Standing Rock (feat. Nick Ørbæk Jacobsen) (song) Uyarakq (artist) Miseraq (album)

Break 2 Music: Cree Honor Song (song) Randy Wood (artist) The Gift of Life (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed

Those satirical pictures and GIFs known as memes bombard us on social media. Some incorporate well known images like Grumpy Cat, the Most Interesting Man in the World, and Kermit the Frog. Others, like ‘Skoden” are geared specifically at a Native audience. Usually, memes have a brief life on the internet, but allow us to smirk or even belly laugh about current events. Powwows, moccasins, frybread, IHS, the BIA—nothing is off limits with Native memes. We’ll talk about some of the more popular memes and discuss what makes them go viral.

Guests:

Majerle Lister (Diné) – editor in chief of Tlo’chi’iin News

Nicholet Deschine Parkhurst (Standing Rock Sioux and Navajo) – activist and scholar

Tatiana Benally (Diné) – heads the meme page Asdzaa Proletariat on Instagram

Brandon Benallie (Diné and Hopi) – heads Rezzy Red Proletariat Memes

Break 1 Music: Opener (song) DDAT (artist) DDAT (album)

Break 2 Music: Red River Jig (song) Bill Stevens (artist) Fiddlin’ Through The Years (album)