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Do you ever get looked down on for not speaking your Native language fluently? Or do you feel pressure to achieve more than your peers so they don’t label you an ‘Affirmative Action’ hire? You might fit into what psychologists describe as impostor syndrome. It’s the feeling that you don’t belong or that you don’t deserve success. There are a number of ways to cope with it and we’ll hear some of the strategies.

Guests:

Jillene Joseph (A’aninin) – executive director of the Native Wellness Institute

Dr. Symphony Oxendine (Cherokee/Choctaw) – assistant professor at University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Dr. Shandin Pete (Salish/Navajo) – instructor in the hydrology department at Salish Kootenai College

Break 1 Music: Awita Noosisim (song) Violet Naytowhow (artist) Wind Of The North (album)

Break 2 Music: High Above The Eagle Soars (song) Blackstone (artist) On The Oregon Trail (album)

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E-cigarettes might be a better alternative for adult commercial tobacco smokers. At the same time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns e-cigarettes are not safe for pregnant women and potentially pose serious health threats, especially for teens. Scientists are still learning about the long term health effects of vaping nicotine. We’ll talk with tobacco prevention experts about things to consider before taking up the e-cigarettes habit.

Break 1 Music: Smoke Dance One (feat. Frazer Sundown) (song) DJ Shub (artist) PowWowStep – EP (album)

Break 2 Music: Happy Birthday (song) Devin Whirlwind Soldier (artist) Northern Lights, Vol. 3 (album)

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Coffee is not Indigenous to North America, but more than 60 percent of Americans drink a cup of coffee every day, according to the National Coffee Association USA’s 2019 National Coffee Data Trends report. It’s also found a place in Native American pantries and is now a cherished and necessary part of Native life. Coffee cafes, roasters and wholesalers are all reliable economic development opportunities for Native entrepreneurs.

Guests:

Kelvin Long (Diné) – founder and owner of Yeego Coffee

Mark Marsolais-Nahwegahbow (Ojibwe, a band member of White Fish River First Nations) – founder of Birch Bark Coffee Company

Tudor Montague (Ft. Yuma Quechan Nation) – founder of Spirit Mountain Roasting Company

Loretta Guzman (Shoshone and bannock) – owner Bison Coffee House

Break 1 Music: Coffee (song) James Bilagody (artist) Near Midnight (album)

Break 2 Music: Happy Birthday (song) Devin Whirlwind Soldier (artist) Northern Lights, Vol. 3 (album)

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There’s a number of interpretations for the hunch-backed, flute playing figure known as Kokopelli. It’s variously described as a fertility deity, a male trader going from village to village with a sack of goods, or even an insect. Depictions of Kokopelli appeared on pottery and rock art in the Four Corners area. In the last 30 years, Kokopelli has been adopted as a commercial symbol on everything from skateboards and café signs to t-shirts and roadside tourist stops. We’ll hear from historians and tribal cultural experts on what’s known about Kokopelli and how it has become a modern symbol for Southwest Indigenous culture.

Guests:

Jon Ghahate (Pueblo of Laguna and Zuni) – museum cultural educator at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Dr. Greg Cajete (Santa Clara Pueblo) – professor in the college of education, former director of Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico

Daryn Melvin (Hopi) – staff assistant to the vice chairman of the Hopi Tribe

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

Break 2 Music: Happy Birthday (song) Devin Whirlwind Soldier (artist) Northern Lights, Vol. 3 (album)

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Are your kids reading books this summer? Many libraries are offering summer reading programs with incentives like movie tickets and gift cards to get children reading. A large body of research warns that an entire summer off from school can lower achievement levels by the time classes start again in fall. Joining a reading program or taking a summer class can help prevent the “summer slide.” Educators and book lovers share their recommendations and their joy of summer reading.

Mentioned on the show: American Indian Youth Literature Awards

American Library Association Inclusive Booklist

Kid Lit Collective 2019 Summer Reading List

Guests:

Sara Marie Ortiz (Acoma Pueblo) – Native student success program manager at Highline Public Schools

Jay Odjick (Kitigan Zibi Anishinabe) –  artist, writer, and TV producer 

Naomi Bishop (Gila River Indian Community) –  librarian, past president of the American Indian Library Association, past chair of the American Indian Youth Literature Awards

Break 1 Music: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (World) (song) Black Lodge Singers (artist) Kids’ Pow-Wow Songs (album)

Break 2 Music: Happy Birthday (song) Devin Whirlwind Soldier (artist) Northern Lights, Vol. 3 (album)

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The Washington state attorney general’s office must now obtain free, prior and informed consent on projects that affect the tribes. It’s a step up from consultation, which, in practice, typically falls short of adequate discourse on projects that include ancestral land. The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples sets a standard mandating consent with Indigenous people “before adopting and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.” We’ll talk with the tribal president who was instrumental in getting the policy in Washington adopted. We’ll also get a picture of how consent is utilized internationally.

Guests:

Fawn Sharp (Quinault Indian Nation) – President of the Quinault Indian Nation

Bob Ferguson – Attorney General for the state of Washington

Bruce McIvor (Métis) – principal of First Peoples Law

Andrea Carmen (Yaqui Nation) – executive director of the International Indian Treaty Council

Break 1 Music: The New Era (song) Blackstone (artist) On The Oregon Trail (album)

Break 2 Music: Happy Birthday (song) Devin Whirlwind Soldier (artist) Northern Lights, Vol. 3 (album)

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The Supreme Court affirmed treaty rights in the case of a Crow tribal member charged with hunting without a license in Big Horn National Forrest in Wyoming. The court ruled the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty granted rights to hunt in traditional territory. We’ll talk with a legal expert about what the ruling could mean for other cases. We’ll check in with Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) about her three part series on sexual harassment in Indian Country. Also we’ll talk with U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) about his priorities as chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources. And we’ll check in on the Cherokee Nation’s election.

Mentioned on the show:

Part 1: #MeToo in Indian Country; ‘We don’t talk about this enough’

Part 2: #MeToo What happens when Native women come forward with harassment complaints

Part 3: #MeToo. Toxic masculinity; Addressing a terrible truth

The Cherokee Nation’s next chief will have a big footprint in Indian Country

Guests:

Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) – independent journalist and writer 

Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) – U.S. Representative and Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources

Forrest Tahdooahnippah (Comanche Nation of Oklahoma) – partner Dorsey and Whitney LLP

Graham Lee Brewer (Cherokee Nation) – contributing editor for High Country News

Break 1 Music: Intertribal (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Pakosiyimitan (album)

Break 2 Music: Round Dance (song) High Noon (artist) Generations (album)

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It’s the time of year students sit through long graduation ceremonies with notable speeches to pick up their diplomas. But graduation marks years of hard work and dedication. As graduates prepare for the next chapter in their lives, we take the opportunity to celebrate their achievements. We’ll hear from educators, graduating seniors and their parents to help us honor the Native Class of 2019.

Guests:

Jonathan Sims (Pueblo of Acoma) – media creator, recent graduate with a MFA in fine arts in creative writing from IAIA low residency MFA program

Corwin Largo (Navajo) – Grad bachelors of science in industrial engineering, with a minor in mathematics from Navajo Technical University

Tvli Birdshead (Citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and descendent of Choctaw Nation, southern Cheyenne and Arapaho and Oglala Lakota) – recent high school graduate

Sienna Thomas (enrolled with the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community) – recent graduate at California Indian Nations College

Break 1 Music: Celebrate (song) Devin Whirlwind Soldier (artist)

Break 2 Music: Round Dance (song) High Noon (artist) Generations (album)

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People often take courses on how to help someone with a serious injury or health emergency. Responding appropriately to a mental health crisis can be just as valuable. Mental health professionals now offer training called mental health first aid. The program teaches people how to recognize signs of mental distress whether it’s brought on by anxiety, mental illness or substance use. It gives people tools for responding to someone in crisis. We’ll hear more about the training and how it’s helping people in Native America.

Guests:

Capt. Emily Williams – director of the division of behavior health for the Great Plains area of Indian Health Service

Ashley Lincoln (Cherokee Nation tribal member) – manager of administration operations at the Cherokee Nation

Break 1 Music: Rolling Stone (song) Burning Sky (artist) A Simple Man (album)

Break 2 Music: Round Dance (song) High Noon (artist) Generations (album)