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Plains tribes used dyed porcupine quills to adorn clothing, dolls and other items (called quillwork) before the introduction of beads. Many Native artists still choose to express themselves with the art form that begins with many hours of meticulous quill harvesting from porcupines—which may or may not still be alive. It also requires involved processing that includes flattening and dyeing the quills. The resulting work is vivid and unique. Join our conversation with some contemporary Native quillworkers about this traditional art form.

Guests:

LaVerne Whitebear (enrolled member of the Ft. Peck Assiniboine Sioux from Poplar, Montana) – aspiring traditional Dakota quillwork artist

Shauna Elk (Dakota and Lakota from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) – quillworker

Nancy Fonicello – conservator in private practice

Molina Jo Parker (Oglala Lakota) – artist

Break 1 Music: Song Of Encouragement (song) Porcupine Singers (artist) Alowanpi – Songs Of Honoring – Lakota Classics: Past & Present, Vol. 1 (album)

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

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We carry on a tradition by devoting an hour to looking back at some of the outstanding books for young people published in the last year. Debbie Reese (Nambé Pueblo), founder of American Indians in Children’s Literature blog, will discuss her annual list of standouts. We’ll also hear from Dallas Hunt (Cree), author of “Awâsis and the World Famous Bannock” and Roy Boney (Cherokee), whose essay titled “Tell It In Your Own Way” is published in “We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices.”

Guests:

Dr. Debbie Reese (Nambé Pueblo) – founder of American Indians in Children’s Literature blog

Eric Gansworth (Onondaga from Tuscarora) – author of Give Me Some Truth

Roy Boney Jr. (Cherokee) – artist and author

Dr. Dallas Hunt (Swan River First Nation) – professor at the University of Winnipeg and author Awâsis and the World Famous Bannock

Break 1 Music: Itchick (Tim Yellowtail’s Song) (song) Supaman (artist) Illuminatives (album)

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

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As the partial government shutdown stretches into its third week its effects are starting to surface. Elected leaders’ inability to agree on a funding plan has furloughed thousands of Bureau of Indian Affairs employees and suspended some Indian Health Service operations. The main disagreement is over funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, one of President Donald Trump’s priorities. We’ll talk with employees and Native organizations about how the shutdown affects Native America.

Guests:

Verlon Jose (Tohono O’odham Nation) – Vice Chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation

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

Stacy Bohlen (Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa) – executive director of the National Indian Health Board

Francys Crevier (First Nation Algonquin) – executive director of the National Council of Urban Indian Health

Break 1 Music: Keep It Hopping Remix (feat. Cris Derksen) (song) Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie (artist) Round Dance & Beats (Powwow) (album)

Break 2 Music: Solstice feat. Alexandria Rose Holiday (song) Neon Nativez (artist) Hózhó EP (album)

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Beverages made from plants like green thread, bear root, sassafras and stinging nettles make up a variety of drinks that we might refer to as ‘tea’. Tribes continue to utilize a variety of leaves, roots, berries and other ingredients to create traditional drinks or medicine. We’ll hear about the different flavors and benefits of Indigenous tea.

Guests:

Valerie Segrest (Muckleshoot) – Native food nutritionist

Linda Black Elk (Catawba) –  ethnobotanist at the Mni Wiconi Clinic

Alana Yazzie (Diné) – creator and founder of the Fancy Navajo

Break 1 Music: Nitohta (song) Asani (artist) Listen (album)

Break 2 Music: Solstice feat. Alexandria Rose Holiday (song) Neon Nativez (artist) Hózhó EP (album)

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The Lummi Tribe is hoping 2019 will be the year an orca named Tokitae is freed from captivity. Named ‘Lolita’ by Miami’s Seaquarium, the animal has lived and performed in a man-made tank since 1970. The tribe and a host of animal rights groups are putting pressure on the Seaquarium to return her to her home pod in and around Puget Sound. The push to return the orca is part of a bigger effort to bring attention to the health of the marine ecosystem that is part of the Lummi’s ancestral territory. We’ll talk with Lummi representatives and others about Tokitae and the traditional importance of orcas.

Guests:

Squillehele Raynell Zuni (Lummi Tribe) – manager of the Lummi Nation Sovereignty and Treaty Protection Office

Dr. Kurt Russo – senior policy analysist for the Lummi Nation Sovereignty and Treaty Protection Office

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

Break 2 Music: Solstice feat. Alexandria Rose Holiday (song) Neon Nativez (artist) Hózhó EP (album)

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We’re starting the New Year by striking a balance between art and academics. We talk with two Native women who were named MacArthur Foundation Fellows. The awards are also referred to as “Genius Grants”. Rebecca Sandefur (Chickasaw) is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and the College of Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is credited with innovative approaches to civil justice for low-income people. Poet Natalie Diaz (Mojave) was a professional basketball player before earning her MFA in poetry. She is language activist and uses her art to highlight the joys and pitfalls of reservation life.

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The Native America Calling staff picks some shows that stand out from the last year. From ‘chicken scratch’ music in Tohono O’odham Nation to unwarranted police checks on Native college students, we’ll relive some of the moments of live radio from 2018 that made an impression. What was your memorable moment?

Break 1 Music: Yas (feat. Nukathadiva) (song) Uyarakq (artist) Miseraq (album)

Break 2 Music: Solstice feat. Alexandria Rose Holiday (song) Neon Nativez (artist) Hózhó EP (album)

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As the year comes to a close the Trump administration got the federal government in another shutdown debate. Also, after promising more efficiency and transparency, Dept. of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigns in a cloud of investigations. We’ll talk about those issues and an update on a troubling incident involving Native students at a New Mexico high school during our new round-up.

Guests:

Shannon Johnson (Diné) – Albuquerque Public Schools employee and parent of student at APS

Mark Trahant (Shoshone Bannock) – editor of Indian Country Today and host of Wassaja

Tim Fontaine (Ojibway) – founder of the satirical website, Walking Eagle News and host of The Laughing Drum on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

Break 1 Music: Shi Ke’yah/Five Agencies Song (song) Radmilla & Herman Cody (artist) Shi Kéyah (album)

Break 2 Music: Straight And Narrow (song) Northern Cree Singers (artist) True Blue (album)

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Smoking rates among Native Americans increased in the most recent (2016) report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That goes against the declining trend for the rest of the population. At the same time, Native Americans as a group remain the heaviest tobacco smokers and Native women outpace men. Knowing all the health consequences, why are Native Americans bucking the trend toward more healthy habits regarding smoking?

Guests:

Joshua Hudson (Ojibwe from Bay Mills Indian Community) – program manager for the National Native Network

Jovian Henio (Mescalero Apache and Diné) – outreach coordinator for Keres Consulting

Dana Diehl (Yupik and Athabaskan) – director of Wellness and Prevention for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

Break 1 Music: Big Crow (feat. Black Lodge Singers) (song) DJ Shub (artist) PowWowStep – EP (album)

Break 2 Music: Straight And Narrow (song) Northern Cree Singers (artist) True Blue (album)

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Some non-tribal colleges offer Native language studies. Students who sign up are often either honing their existing language skills or are committing to reconnect with their mother tongue. For the latter, it’s somewhat tougher to pick up language fluency as a young adult. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of learning Native languages in a college setting.

Guests:

Dr. Toni Tsatoke Mule (Kiowa) – lecturer in Native American studies at the University of Oklahoma

Dr. Dolly Manson (Navajo) – lecturer and Navajo language instructor at the University of New Mexico in the linguistics department

Dr. Ofelia Zepeda (Tohono O’odham) – regents professor in the linguistics department at the University of Arizona

Break 1 Music: Straight (song) Edmund Bull (artist) There Was A Time (album)

Break 2 Music: Straight And Narrow (song) Northern Cree Singers (artist) True Blue (album)