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After the recent historic change in the Cherokee constitution opening the door to Black Cherokee citizenship, the Choctaw Nation is now facing a fight pitting sovereignty against formal recognition for Choctaw Freedmen. The chief of the Choctaw Nation opposes proposed language in congressional legislation that would require the tribe to allow Freedmen enrollment. The bill is in response to Freedmen—descendants of slaves who also claim Choctaw heritage—who say they are denied citizenship because of their race. But Choctaw Chief Gary Batton says the tribe, not Congress, determines enrollment. We’ll get an update on the status of the ongoing Choctaw Freedmen issue.

Guests: 

Marilyn Vann (Cherokee Nation) – president of the Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes Association

Shelby Ward (Choctaw Freedman) – co-founder of the Oklahoma Freedmen Collective and Tennessee Representative for the Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes Association

Break 1 music: Red Man Groove Thing (song) Anthony Wakeman & Aaron White (artist) Handprints Of Our People (album)

Break 2 music: The Unforgotten (Stars Mix) (song) Iskwé (artist) The Stars (album)

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A Mi’kmaw man in Nova Scotia is mounting a legal challenge in the ongoing fight over lobster fishing rights. Wet’suwet’en Nation traditional leaders continue their stand against a pipeline in western Canada. And advocates are calling for better services after a Yellow Quill First Nation woman froze to death following her release from jail. We’ll catch up on the major issues in Canada and how Indigenous people are setting the course to influence change.

Guests:

Cheryl McKenzie (Anishinabek and Cree) – executive director of news and current affairs for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

Rob Smith (Dzawada’enuxw First Nation) – video journalist at Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

Sleydo’ (Wet’suwet’en Nation) – spokesperson for the Gidimt’en Checkpoint on Wet’suwet’en Territory

Break 1 music: Speakers of Tomorrow (song) Bruthers of Different Muthers B.O.D.M. (artist) Speakers of Tomorrow (album)

Break 2 music: The Unforgotten (Stars Mix) (song) Iskwé (artist) The Stars (album)

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Hawaii’s Queen Liliuokalani (Kanaka Maoli) is remembered as a fierce advocate for her people. Wilma Mankiller (Cherokee) was a trailblazer and an important figure in developing the Cherokee Nation’s self-governance. Those are among the many Native women who distinguished themselves in the face of adversity. For Women’s History Month we’re celebrating prominent Native American women leaders.

Guests:

Jenelle Roybal (Pueblo of Pojoaque) – governor of the Pueblo of Pojoaque

Ka’iulani Mahuka (Kanaka Maoli) – show host of “Songs of Sovereignty” and Hawaiian activist

Kimberly Teehee (Citizen of Cherokee Nation) – director of government relations for the Cherokee Nation and the Cherokee Nation delegate to Congress

Break 1 music: Tapwe Oma (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album)

Break 2 music: The Unforgotten (Stars Mix) (song) Iskwé (artist) The Stars (album)

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A new study just released by John Hopkins Medicine researchers suggests lab tests could help predict the likelihood of serious kidney problems. In the UK, health officials are trying out a smartphone app that uses artificial intelligence to diagnose kidney disease earlier. Those are among the advances that offer promise for earlier detection of kidney disease, one of the key factors for saving lives. It’s all the more important now, since one out of every 7 people hospitalized for COVID-19 end up with kidney injury. For Kidney Health Awareness Month we’ll learn the biggest threats to kidney health and how to avoid them.

Guests:

Dr. Ann Bullock (Minnesota Chippewa Tribe/Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) – director of the Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention at the Indian Health Service

Dr. Silas Norman – transplant nephrologist at University of Michigan Division of Nephrology and member of the American Kidney Fund medical advisory board

Break Music:  

Baa hozhoogoo (song) Blackfire (artist) [Silence] is a Weapon [Disc 2] (album)

Stomp (song) The GrayHawk Band (artist) Worth The Wait (album)

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Indigenous women in the United States and Canada are leading efforts to reclaim culture and knowledge through matrilineal power. On International Women’s Day, we’ll learn about re-matriation to honor Mother Earth and to change the narrative about Indigenous women.

Guests:

Corrina Gould (confederated villages of the Lisjan) – director of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and tribal chair of the Confederated Villages of the Lisjan

Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz (Tewa and Chicana) – traditional healer of Kitchen Curandera

Michelle Schenandoah (Haudenosaunee Confederacy territory ) – founder of Rematriation Magazine and Media

Break Music:  

A Song for Mosom (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Kikāwiynaw (album)

Stomp (song) The GrayHawk Band (artist) Worth The Wait (album)

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Sewing was an important tradition for Native Americans long before it became a popular pandemic pastime. Many tribes, especially the Seminoles and those from the Great Plains, took up quilting around the turn of the 20th Century. The intricate patterns in Native quilts reflect tribal heritage and the artistry of the individual quilters. Native quilts are used to tell stories and are offered as gifts to honor achievements. We’ll talk with quilters about how their craft goes beyond merely making covers for beds.

Guests:

Diane Hill (Creek/Cheyenne/Arapaho) – quilter for over 30 years

Marie Tozier (Inupiat) – quilter and a poet

Rick Kagigebi (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians) – blanket maker

Break 1 music: We (single) Thunderbirds Raised Her (artist)

Break 2 music: His Spirit Reflected in the Moon (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) They Forgot They Survived (album)

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A U.S. Supreme Court decision in March, 1978 continues to hinder tribal sovereignty on a daily basis. The ruling in Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe stripped tribes of most criminal prosecutions against non-Indians. Those cases became the responsibility of the federal government. In his dissent, Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote “I am of the view that Indian tribes enjoy, as a necessary aspect of their retained sovereignty, the right to try and punish all persons who commit offenses against tribal law within the reservation.” The Violence Against Women Act was an attempt to remedy the persistent trend of non-Native abusers of Native women slipping through the cracks of the federal justice system. We’ll look at the distressing consequences of Oliphant and efforts through the years to fix it.

Guests:

Mary Kathryn Nagle (Cherokee Nation) – partner at Pipestem & Nagle P.C.

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

Break 1 music: Strong Together (song) Sihasin (artist) Fight Like A Woman (album)

Break 2 music: His Spirit Reflected in the Moon (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) They Forgot They Survived (album)