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There is no one way to address the coronavirus threat. The state of Alaska has relatively few COVID-19 cases. But some vital modes of transportation are already shut down and Native villages are working on keeping potential virus exposures at bay. It’s a different story in urban centers that the U.S. Census says is home to nearly seven out of every 10 Native Americans. In Los Angeles, the Native population is large and diverse. Organizations like United American Indian Involvement is helping elders and others coping with a significant and growing health threat. We’ll hear the various ways leaders are tackling the coronavirus emergency to suit the needs of their people.

Guests:

Mark N. Fox (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara ) – Chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation

Jason Wilson (Tlingit from the Eagle and Killer Whale Clans) – public safety manager for Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

Joseph Quintana (Kewa Pueblo) – development director for United American Indian Involvement and a member of the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission

 

Break 1 music: Tha Chosen One (song) Southern Style (artist) Blacked Out (album)

Break 2 music: Manitou (song) The Delbert Anderson Trio (artist) MANITOU (album)

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Protecting seeds for Native vegetable varieties and relying on traditional subsistence methods only go so far for ensuring enough food for tribal citizens. The coronavirus is only making it harder as disruptions in supply chains, business closures and delayed food shipments increasingly pop up. As federal relief money is scheduled to start flowing, tribes and relief organizations are working in the meantime to cover some of the basics.

Guests:

Ethel Branch (Diné) – lawyer, former attorney general for the Navajo Nation and creator of the Navajo & Hopi COVID-19 Families Relief fund

Linda Black Elk (Catawba) – food sovereignty skills director United Tribes Technical College

 

Break 1 music: Red Ochre Cheek Clan (Tl’ááshchí’í) (song) Radmilla Cody (artist) K’é Hasin (album)

Break 2 music: Intertribal (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Confederacy Style (album)

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As the COVID-19 crisis continues to expand, we’ll hear from key Trump Administration officials guiding federal health and economic relief for Indian Country. Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Mac Lean Sweeney (Inupiaq), Indian Health Service Director Michael D. Weahkee (Zuni) and Tyler Fish (Cherokee Nation), the senior policy adviser and tribal liaison to the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs will answer questions about stimulus relief money to tribes, coronavirus testing on reservations, how and when to begin opening businesses to the public and other questions on your mind.

Guests:

Tara Katuk Mac Lean Sweeney (Inupiaq) – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior

Tyler Fish (Muscogee Creek/Cherokee Nation) – Senior policy adviser and tribal liaison to the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

Michael Weahkee (Zuni) – director of the Indian Health Service

 

Break 1 music: Siku (song) Pamyua (album) Caught In The Act (album)

Break 2 music: Intertribal (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Confederacy Style (album)

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When Alastair Bitsoi (Dine) got a positive coronavirus test result, he quarantined himself and weathered a storm of fever, body aches and chest pain. Today, he’s one of the more than 780,000 people in this country who recovered from their coronavirus infections. Bitsoi is telling his story to raise awareness of the seriousness of the disease. We’ll talk with him and other people who recovered from COVID-19 about their experience and we’ll get insights on treatments as the pandemic continues.

Guests:

Alastair Bitsoi (Diné) – public health advocate and writer

Dr. Blair Matheson (Cherokee) – ER physician

Dr. Emily Haozous (Ft. Sill Apache) – research scientist for the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

Lewis Joe (Navajo) – covid-19 survivor

 

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

Break 2 music: Intertribal (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Confederacy Style (album)

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Collectively, tribes will need about $50 billion to adequately address the COVID 19 pandemic and to make up for lost revenue. That’s an estimate from the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. The current stimulus package provides $10 billion for tribes and the federal administrations that work with them. And already there are disagreements about how the money is distributed. We’ll hear more about the questions and concerns over the effort to provide coronavirus relief funds in the hands of those who need it.

Guests:

Harold Frazier (Cheyenne River Sioux) – Chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Eric Henson (Chickasaw) – executive vice president at Compass Lexecon and a research affiliate for the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development

Mike Williams (Yupiaq) – tribal chief of the Akiak Native Community

Nathan McCowan (Tlingit and Haida Tribe) – Chair of the Alaska Native Village Corporation Association and President and CEO of St. George Tunaq

 

Break 1 music: Manitou (song) The Delbert Anderson Trio (artist) MANITOU (album)

Break 2 music: Plains Vs Coast, Pt 1 (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album)

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One year rain nearly flooded out the Gathering of Nations Powwow in Albuquerque. Another year the musician’s tent almost blew away in high winds. But disasters big and small failed to halt the event that attracts tens of thousands of participants and spectators every year. “But this … this is something else,” said GON founder Derek Mathews, speaking about the coronavirus bringing his and all other public gatherings across the globe to a screeching halt. The health emergency is cancelling big and small powwows for the foreseeable future leaving event organizers, dancers and vendors in uncertainty.

Guests:

Derek Mathews – founder and director of the Gathering of Nations Powwow

Ken LaDeaux (Sicangu Oglala) – president of the Denver March Powwow

Vince Beyl (Ojibwe) – powwow announcer

Whitney Rencountre (Crow Creek Sioux) – co-founder of the Social Distance Powwow, graphic artist and director of the Ateyapi youth program

 

Break 1 music: Straight (song) Ken Pooyak (artist) Northern Cree & Friends, Vol. 5: Long Winter Nights – Round Dance Live (album)

Break 2 music: Plains Vs Coast, Pt 1 (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album)

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As the cases of COVID-19 surge past two million worldwide, people continue to have lingering questions about how the virus is spread, how to prevent it and who’s most at risk. In some places, Native Americans are infected at a disproportionate rate. In addition, Native Americans may be more vulnerable to the disease because of other disproportionate risk factors like obesity and diabetes. We will have medical professionals on hand to provide the very latest information about the effectiveness of face masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing. We’ll also get updates on what to look out for and what treatment options there are. Send your questions to comments@nativeamericacalling.com

Guests:

Dr. Mary Owen (Tlingit) – director of the Center of American Indian and Minority Health at the University of Minnesota Medical

CAPT Stephen “Miles” Rudd – medical officer in the Division of Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Management in the Office of Quality at the Indian Health Service

 

Break 1 music: We’re Gunna Dance (song) Niizhoo Sullivan (artist) Rez Kid Rhythm (album)

Break 2 music: Plains Vs Coast, Pt 1 (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album)

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Cooking from home has become a necessity as people adhere to social distancing and self-quarantine to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Capable cooks are posting pictures of fresh baked sour dough bread and delicious meals on social media. Others are showing their kitchen mistakes and asking questions about what to do with sprigs of dill, expired bags of baby carrots and leftover wild rice. We’ll get some culinary inspiration from Native chefs for those at home stretching their available ingredients as far as possible.

Guests:

Brit Reed (Choctaw) – Tulalip Tribe’s diabetes program culinary service provider and I-Collective member

Cam Stott  (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians) – chef and owner of Jiibaakwaan Foods

Meagen Baldy (Hupa Valley Tribe)  district coordinator for the Klamath Trinity Resource Conservation District   

 

Break 1 music: Willie’s Ghost Riders (song) Gertie & the T.O. Boyz (album)d

Break 2 music: Canoe Song (song) Chenoa (artist) Spirit of Salishan (album)

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Tribal leaders are learning their strengths and weaknesses during the coronavirus crisis. Some are closing reservations boundaries, imposing curfews and even declaring medical martial law. The promise of federal help comes with another layer of bureaucracy and challenges for tribal leaders. We’ll hear from tribal leaders about the tough decisions they are making to make it through the health and economic challenges.

Guests:

Greg Sarris (Southern Pomo/Coast Miwok) – Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria

Jonathan Nez: (Diné) –  President of the Navajo Nation

Carleton Bowekaty (Pueblo of Zuni ) – Lieutenant Governor of the Pueblo of Zuni

Jeff Grubbe (Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians)  – Chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians

 

Break 1 music: Learned from the Late Ralph Kotay (song) Kenneth Cozad & Group (artist) Songs of Our Old People – Old-Time Round Dance Songs of Oklahoma (album)

Break 2 music: Canoe Song (song) Chenoa (artist) Spirit of Salishan (album)

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Social distancing and other restrictions mean people in recovery have an added barrier in their efforts to stay drug and alcohol free. Regular meetings with others and one-on-one face time are among the tools people rely on to avoid relapsing. In addition, some addictions put people in a higher risk category for developing serious COVID-19 complications. We’ll talk with Native specialists to hear how what solutions are helping prevent relapse during the prolonged emergency.

Guests:

Sharyl White Hawk (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians) –  addictions counselor for Kahunsi Onikan

Randall Sam (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) – peer recovery specialist

Corin La Pointe-Aichison (Koyoukon Athabascan) –  associate attorney at Galenda Broadman

 

Break 1 music: Bird Song (song) Unknown (artist)

Break 2 music: Canoe Song (song) Chenoa (artist) Spirit of Salishan (album)