Teachers have a tough job. They often get little credit for educational achievements and all the blame for failures. And the profession is one of the lowest paying. But each fall, millions of teachers head back into the classroom. We’ll speak with some teachers about why they choose the classroom and what benefit teachers can bring to Native American students.

Guests:

Nepthys Justo (Santee Sioux Nation) – 3^rd grade teacher

Dr. Joe Martin (Navajo) – professor of educational leadership in the college of education at Northern Arizona University and director of the American Indian School Leadership Program

Agatha John-Shields (Yup’ik) – assistant professor at the University of Alaska-Anchorage college of education

Vida Stabler (Omaha Nation) – Indian Education Director for Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation Public School

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Tribes and two Native American organizations embarked on a historic nation-to-nation mission to Cuba. The diplomatic exchange comes as the Obama administration works to normalize relations with the communist country after decades under embargo. We’ll hear from those on the trip about what they saw and what they hope comes from it.  Representatives from several tribes and the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA) and National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) visited health care facilities and met with government officials. Is this the beginning of new opportunities with Cuba?

Guests:

Brian Cladoosby (Swinomish) – Chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and NCAI President

Wayne “Rick” Mitchum (Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians) – Economic Development Corporation Board Member & Council Member for the Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians

Maurice A. John Sr. (Seneca Nation of Indians) – President of the Seneca Nation of Indians

Cristina Danforth (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin) – Oneida Nation Chairwoman and President of the Native American Finance Officers Association

Break Music: Rumba a Yemoja (song) Quetzal Guerrero (artist) Now (album)

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Far too often, whenever you read a magazine article or research paper about Native Americans, the author is non-Native. At the very least, representations of Native life lack the sensitivity that a Native observer could bring. Even medical research can cross the line that tribes hold dear. Today many tribes are gaining control of how, when and if research is conducted. We’ll explore the appropriate ways outsiders can approach research in Native communities.

Guests:

Brian Vallo (Acoma Pueblo) – director of the Indian Arts Research Center at the School for Advanced Research.

Karen Francis Begay (Navajo) -assistant vice president of Tribal Relations for the University of Arizona

Break Music: Treaty Six and Coastal Hand Game Song (song) Fawn Wood & Dallas Waskahat (artist) Blessings (album)

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Once you’ve seen the pictures, it’s hard to get the image of the toxic yellow plume of mining waste that contaminated the Animas and San Juan rivers out of your mind. The spill occurred a year ago. It created numerous problems for businesses, farmers and residents downstream, including those on a part of the Navajo Nation. The Environmental Protection Agency admitted fault for causing the spill. Now, a year later, the yellow color is long gone. But is the water as safe to use as before the spill? Did the EPA pay for the damage? What is being done to prevent another spill of this magnitude?

Duane Chili Yazzie (Southwest Diné) – Shiprock Chapter President

LoRenzo Bates (Diné)  – Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council

Dr. Paloma Beemer – associate professor of public health at the University of Arizona

Lenore Williams (Navajo) – Vice President of the Upper Fruitland Chapter

Break Music: Anasazi Sun (song) Injunuity (artist) Fight For Survival (album)

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Landowners in several Native communities, including Fort Hall, the Navajo Nation and Quinault are facing deadlines with the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. The $1.9 billion program is part of the Cobell Settlement set up to purchase “fractionated interests in trust” from Native landowners. Trust land and land issues in Indian Country can get confusing very fast. We’ll get a status update on the program and review the basics of how it works. What should landowners know before they sell their land?

Guests:

John McClanahan – Land Buy-Back Program manager

Katy Grounds (Navajo, Seminole, Creeek) – Senior Advisor for Land Buy-Back Program

Break Music: Peace Calls (song) Robert Mirabal (artist) The River (Album)

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A pack of feral dogs mauled a three year old boy to death on the Navajo Nation last month. Kayden Colter Begay was visiting his grandparents at the time. His family expressed outrage at the Navajo Nation’s lack of animal control. Chapter officials say they don’t have resources for adequate enforcement. What more can be done about pets-turned-feral in Native America? Where does responsible pet ownership come into play?

Guests:

Diana Webster (White Earth Band of Ojibwe) – president and CEO of the Native America Humane Society

Rory Haaland (White Earth Nation) – community service officer for the Leech Lake Tribal Police

Stacey Daw (Navajo) – senior animal control officer for the Navajo Nation Animal Control Program

Elaine Fleming – chair of the arts and humanities department at Leech Lake Tribal College and an animal advocate

 Break Music: Clark Tenakhongva (artist) Rolling Thunder (song) Su’Vu’Yo’Yungw (album)

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We turn to the Hopi Nation to hear the latest from Clark Tenakhongva. His album “Su’Vu’Yo’Yungw” is a mix of music that pays tribute to his tribal Nation and resonates with many others. His path as a veteran, community leader, rancher and farmer also influence his music. We’ll hear more about the album and Tenakhongva’s creative process on our August Music Maker.

Break Music: I Came to Entertain (song) Clark Tenkahongva (artist) Su Vu Yo Yungw (album)

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Within the last week, prosecutors declined to file any charges against a Winslow, Arizona police officer who shot and killed a Navajo woman in March. Officer Austin Shipley shot Loreal Tsingine five times during a conflict that arose from a shoplifting complaint from a local convenience store. The developments revived ongoing concerns in the Navajo Nation border town and in other Native communities about racial bias and police relations. Are any solutions being discussed in any Native Nations that appear viable? What’s next for Tsingine’s family?

Coverage of the protest in Winslow, Ariz. Friday July 29, 2016 by National Native News

Guests:

David John – relative of Loreal Tsingine

Melanie Yazzie (Navajo) – PHD candidate in American studies at UNM and co-founder of the Red Nation

Lehi Jessop – highway patrol officer

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

Break Music: Wim Ah I Wem, Tiwa (song) Gregg Analla Gregg Analla (single)

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Several high profile police shootings have the country once again discussing where social justice and safety collide. Where does Native America fit into this discussion? Also the political conventions are coming to an end and we are formally in the presidential election home stretch. We’ll discuss the highs and lows of both conventions and what Native American voters might be taking away from the rhetoric. We’ll discuss the news that is important to Native America.

Guests:

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

What’s at stake for Indian Country?

Michelle McCalope – freelance journalist

Jennifer Canfield (Dena’ina)  – The Meaning of Names

Full interview with Cherri Foytlyn (Diné/Cherokee) -state director for Bold Louisiana and a volunteer for Bridge the Gulf:

 

Today’s Show:

Break Music: El Danzante (song) Xavier Quijas Yxayotl (artist) Aztec Dances (album)

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A recent look at selected groceries purchased in different places found prices anywhere from a few cents to more than a dollar more in Native community stores. The First Nations Development Institute released the working paper on the cost of things like bread, milk and eggs. In addition, a study published by the National Institutes of Health suggests living in food deserts—like some rural reservations—contributes increases food costs. What do you notice about food prices where you live? How does the price of food affect your health?

Guests:

Denisa Livingston (Navajo) – community health advocate

A-Dae Romero-Briones (Cochiti and Kiowa) – associate director of research and policy for First Nations Development Institute

Break Music: Tha Mash Up (song) Wayne Silas, Jr. (artist) Infinite Passion (album)