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Those offering their support for the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline represent dozens of tribes around the country. But there are also many non-Native people adding their voices to the cause. Their efforts can help amplify the message. But their methods can sometimes go against Native interests and cause friction. How can non-Native allies be most effective when attempting to help Native causes?

Guests:

Jen Deerinwater (citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) – a contributing writer for Resist Media and social media manager for Indigenous Resistance: Crushing Colonialism

Alex Soto (Tohono O’odham) – Hip-hop MC

Dixie Pauline – grassroots community organizer and herbalist

Break music: Power in the Blood (song) Buffy Sainte-Marie (artist) Power in the Blood (album)

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Alaska Natives take time out in February to recognize activist Elizabeth Peratrovich. She was instrumental in boosting the state’s civil rights through the Alaska Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945. We’ll note Peratrovich’s contributions by getting a primer on what civil rights means for Native Americans and explore one specific workplace civil rights complaint.

Guests:

Thomas Birdbear (enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation) – lawyer and consultant

Jody Tallbear (Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma/Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) – lawyer and employee of the Department of Energy

Break music: Sweet Grass​/​Water Is Life (single song) Miracle Dolls (artist)

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Some enduring images from the Dakota Access Pipeline protest over the past year include throngs of people getting doused with water hoses in freezing temperatures and clashing with police in riot gear. Protesting and civil disobedience have long histories both in and out of our Native Nations. From Wounded Knee to the Oceti Sakowin Camp, demonstrations are a show of force for a pressing issue. But what purpose do they serve?

Guests:

Dr. Robert Warrior (Osage) – the Hall Distinguished professor of American Literature and Culture at University of Kansas

Jennifer Marley (San Ildefonso Pueblo) – organizer with Red Nation, vice president of the KIVA club and a student at the University of New Mexico

Demetrius Johnson (Diné) – President of KIVA club, organizer with Red Nation

Jennifer Cook – policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota

Break music: An Act of Liberation (song) Klee Benally (artist) Respect Existence Or Expect Resistance (album)

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A major standoff over an oil pipeline in North Dakota, a new U.S. president and new priorities for federal decision-making; A lot has changed since the last State of Indian Nations address a year ago. We will hear the annual State of Indian Nations speech by National Congress of American Indians President Brian Cladoosby as well as the congressional response.

Break music: Red Rocks The Earth (song) Tiger Tiger (artist) New Era (album)

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Listen:

The entire State of Indian Nations address by NCAI President Brian Cladoosby and the response by Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)

The question-and-answer session after the address:

Comments to NCAI from Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee:

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“Cradle to the Grave” is the latest by Crow musician Cary Morin and it’s in invitation to take an some skilled finger picking fun. Continuing on his journey of solo acoustic exploration Morin is giving blues rock roots lovers almost a dozen tracks on his fourth solo album. The lyrics are also a passage through his life and lessons learned and from it this artist says he’s come to the understanding that life is fleeting. We invite you to fall in the notes and lyrics with us as we visit with Cary Morin our February Music Maker.

Break music: Ghost Dog (song) Cary Morin (artist) Cradle to the Grave (album)

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Love can lead us down many new paths. Sometimes the journey is toward a culture different than the one we’re born into. One of our guests honors her husband’s Salish culture by mastering traditional weaving. We’ll talk to others, as well, about the rewards and obstacles of navigating a spouse’s Native culture. Are you ever fully accepted?

Guests:

Dr. Susan Pavel – Coast Salish weaver

Enei Begaye Peter (Diné and Tohono O’odham) – executive director of Native movement  director and board president of the Indigenous Leadership Institute

Break music: Can’t Take My Eyes off You (song) Temuera Morrison (Artist) Tem (Album)

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An Oregon-based program aims to help Native American teens make better decisions when it comes to sex. Organizers with the STAND program hope their weekly education sessions that incorporate culture and language will help cut rates for sexually-transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. They are among several culturally-based programs that see a need for solid, research-based curricula to help teens get the basics about sex education.

Guests:

Michelle Singer (Navajo) – project manager for Native STAND

Dr. Stephani Craig Rushing – project director at the northwest Portland area Indian health board

Nicole Martin (Diné) – recent Fort Lewis graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Indigenous studies and a minor in gender and women’s studies

Break music: Simple Love Song (song) Anuhea (artist) For Love (album)

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The mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota found himself in the hot seat for poorly-worded comments about Native Americans and panhandling. The comments came as the city near the Pine Ridge Reservation is trying to improve relations after several ugly interactions between Native American and non-Native residents. Towns near reservations often struggle with the outward expressions of entrenched prejudice. We’ll talk with community members about the long, slow process of reconciliation in border towns.

Guests:

Whitney Rencountre (Crow Creek Sioux) – graphic artist and director of the Ateyapi youth program

LeMoine LaPointe (Sičháŋǧu Lakota) – facilitator with the Barbara Schneider Foundation and coordinator for Indigenizing Crisis Intervention Teams in Indian Country project

Break music: Powwow Rhapsody (feat. Chippewa Travellers) (song) Cris Derksen (artist) Cris Derksen: Orchestral Powwow (album)

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The decision to end a relationship is almost never easy. Whether it’s a marriage or a long term relationship, breaking up can be painful for everyone. Experts have advice on how to know it’s time to break it off and some ways to do it. They also have insights on what to expect afterwards and some things to think about ahead of time.

Guests:

Juliet Kinkade-Black (Blackfoot) – licensed marriage and family therapist with All Faiths

Bobbi Outten (Anishinaabe from White Earth Reservation) – licensed professional counselor and director for the Family Wellness Warriors Initiative under the Southcentral Foundation

Robert Heffle (Inupiaq, Eskimo) – manager of clinical training for the Family Wellness Warriors Initiative

Break music: Edge Of The Rez, Part 2 (song) The Blue Stone Project (artist) Blue Stone (album)

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What are the next steps now that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will grant the easement to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline project near Standing Rock? The number of people remaining at the camps in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline is estimated at a few hundred. Thousands of people have set up camp, at one time or another, at Oceti Sakowin, Sacred Stone and several other camps along the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers in North Dakota. They’ve endured harsh conditions, violent encounters with police, rubber bullets, water hoses and, now, extreme winter weather. But there are also stories of camaraderie, ceremony and hope. We’ll talk with people and take your calls about what the camps can accomplish.

Guests:

David Archambault, Chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Joye Braun (Cheyenne River Sioux) – frontline community organizer with Indigenous Environmental Network and very first camper at Sacred Stone camp

An interview with Lakota attorney Chase Iron Eyes (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) about his arrest and other recent events:

Break music: Strongheart (song) Sissy Goodhouse (artist) The Third Circle (album)