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Win or lose, two baseball teams got more high level national attention during the World Series than either has had in a long time. The Cleveland Indians hadn’t been in a World Series in 19 years. Their appearance in baseball’s biggest event brought new attention to another aspect of their organization: a name and logo that many people find offensive. Will the momentum of these monumental games dampen or help efforts to change the name? Where do stand on Chief Wahoo?

Guests:

Robert Roche (Chiricahua Apache) – executive director of the American Indian Education Center and the president of People Not Mascots

Jacqueline Keeler (Dakota and Navajo) – writer and co-founder of Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry and editor of Edge of Morning: Native Voices Speak for the Bears Ears

Break music:  Cree Sunrise (song) Art Napoleon (Travelling Sun) (album) Miyoskamin (Early Springtime) (album)

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The election is coming on fast and the political fault lines continue to shift. Despite all the money spent in one Montana congressional race, a Native American challenger is losing ground in a recent poll. Is it possible Native American woman might actually make the difference in some races? We also get an update from the front lines of the Dakota Access Pipeline protest. We’ll talk with a drone pilot about a new way to capture the action from the sky.

Guests:

Mark Trahant (Shoshone Bannock) –  journalist with TrahantReports.com and Charles R. Johnson Endowed Professor of Journalism at the University of North Dakota

Dean Dedman (Navajo/Standing Rock Sioux) – Dr0ne2bwild Photography & Video

Arlo Iron Cloud (Lakota)  –  KILI Radio

Full conversation with Mark Trahant

Break music:  In The River: A Protest Song (song)  Raye Zaragoza (artist)

 

 

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When you look at another person, what do you find attractive? This is something that’s different for everyone and it also changes from generation to generation. There are many aspects of attraction between the sexes that are traditional and sacred. How does that fare with a public that’s comfortable with Tinder and the HBO show “Girls”? What are some traditional views of attractiveness we could use right about now?

Guests:

Michael YellowBird (member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, he’s Arikara and Hidatsa) – professor of sociology and director of tribal and indigenous peoples studies at North Dakota State University

Theda New Breast (Blackfeet) – master trainer and facilitator for the Native Wellness Institute

Break music:  Lolo Said (song) John-Carlos Perea (artist) Creation Story (album)

 

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It’s coming up on the time of year when teachers are looking for ways to bring Native American history into the classroom. November is Native American Heritage Month and there are usually discussions about the indigenous side of the Thanksgiving holiday. But sometimes good intentions go awry and kids end up wearing paper headdresses. We’ll speak with one family with a particularly bad experience and discuss some good alternatives for teaching Native heritage.

Jeanne Eagle Bull Oxendine (Oglala Lakota) – mother of four and U.S. Navy veteran

Lt. James Oxendine (Lumbee)  – U.S. Navy

Isabella Cornell  (Choctaw) – sophomore in high school, activist

Break music:  Friendship Song (song) Art Napoleon (Travelling Sun) (artist) Miyoskamin (Early Springtime) (album)

 

 

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You may have noticed everything around you turning pink. That’s because it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the disease as the third deadliest form of cancer for Native American women. Are pink campaigns effective in Native America? Has anything changed since a 2009 study showed no improvement in cancer death rates in 20 years?

Guests:

Captain Suzanne England – Captain Suzanne England, are maternal child health consultant for Great Plains regions of IHS

Dr. Marilyn Roubidoux (enrolled member of the Iowa Tribe) – breast imaging radiologist at the University of Michigan and she’s on board of directors at the American Indian Health and Family Services Clinic of Detroit

Daanis Chosa (Boise Fort Band of Chippew) – community outreach specialist at the American Indian Cancer Foundation

Mardella Gustafson (Lac de Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Indians) – co-leader of the Red Cliff cancer support group and 6-year breast cancer survivor

Break music:  Witchi Tai To (song) Joy Harjo (artist) Winding Through the Milky Way (album)

 

 

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Three siblings out of the Seminole and Kiowa Nations will rock out our monthly spotlight. The Osceola Bothers talk about their debut release “Out of Nowhere.” Cameron, Tyson and Sheldon Osceola—all under the age of 20—play like they have several decades of experience. Their banging guitar riffs and ripping lyrics make the group’s mark on the Native music industry. But they also shake up the entire rock- and blues-loving planet.

Break music:  Consumed By the Blues (song) The Osceola Brothers (artist) Out of Nowhere (album)

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It’s a staple of Native American culture. Frybread is so ubiquitous it’s become a symbol of Native cuisine. These greasy treats show up at festivities, gatherings, fundraisers and holiday events. But there’s another way of looking at it: frybread ingredients come not from tradition, but from the reservation rations and commodity goods provided by the federal government. And the high fat count and low nutrient content makes frybread an factor in obesity and high rates of diabetes in our Native communities. What do you think about frybread?

Ramona Horsechief (Pawnee and Cherokee) – five-time National Indian Taco Champion and frybread champion

Brian Yazzie (Navajo) – chef de cuisine at The Sioux Chef

Break music:  Frybread (song) Keith Secola (artist) Wild Band Of Indians (album)

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We’re taking a look at the innovative and interesting ways teachers are getting Native American students excited about science. One example is the Southwestern Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque creating a mini terrain to give students experience maneuvering robots on the surface of Mars. This is the first in a four part series focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. Native students math and science scores are both well below scores of white students. How can innovative science and math programs help students become future scientists?

Guests:

Dr. Nader Vadiee – Engineering Faculty – Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute – Director of the I-C-MARS ROSE STEMS Laboratory

Sherrill George (Navajo) – SIPI IC-MARS Research assistant

Dr. Mark Sorensen – CEO and co-founder of the STAR School

Break music:  Voodoo Child (song) Qvln (artist) Paleta – EP (album)

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Kicking drug and alcohol addiction is already complicated. For women who are pregnant, there’s an additional level of hardship. Three states have laws against illegal drug use during pregnancy, so seeking treatment can land a woman in jail. But without treatment, women risk causing significant harm to the fetus. Access, motivation and stigma are also barriers for those considering treatment for addiction. Every 25 minutes a baby is born suffering from opioid withdrawal according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. We’ll look at programs aimed at helping pregnant addicts and some of the barriers to implementing them.

Guests:

Shirley Cain (Red Lake Nation) – Native American equity policy specialist in the child safety and permanency division at the Minnesota Department of Human Services

Don Moore (Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians) – director of chemical dependency in special communities in the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division for the Minnesota department of Human Services

Julie Williams (White Earth Nation) – MOMs program manager

Mina Spalla (White Earth Nation) – Registered Nurse with the MOMs program

Break music:  Little Earthings (song) The Jir Project Band (artist) Sun Child (album)