American Indian Airwaves

Indigenous peoples and their respective First Nations are on the frontlines of Mother Earth struggling and resisting against violent forms of colonialism including nefarious manifestations of ecocides, democides, genocides, and the full dominant spectrum of “cides”. With over 77 Indigenous nations on the coastline of Te Ika a Maui, the north island of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and 67% of those territories are marine territories, today’s guest discusses a variety of issues including Maori acts of resistance, cultural traditions, being good ancestors, decolonization and reindigenization, and how and why colonial violence perpetrated against Mother Earth are intrinsically crimes committed against Indigenous peoples and their respective First Nations.

Today’s guest participated in a panel titled “Climate Change – Getting on Board?” on April 21st, 2021 at the Strengthening the Circle: A Native Non-profit Leadership Program which thematically focused on the Rights of Mother Earth. The panelist facilitator is Tia Oros Peters, Shiwi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples and event organizers are Generation Indigenous Ways, Seventh Generation Fund, Artemisia Associates, Wolfstar Productions, and Hopa Mountain.

Guests:

Tina Ngata is a mother of two from the East Coast of Te Ika a Maui, the north island of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and is a Project Researcher Specialist, Institute of Environmental Science and Research in New Zealand (Aotearoa). Ngata’s work involves advocacy for environmental, Indigenous, and human rights. This includes local, national and international initiatives that highlight the role of settler colonialism in issues such as climate change and waste pollution and promote Indigenous conservation as best practice for a globally sustainable future.

Robert Miller, Julie Cavanuagh-Bill, and Steven Newcomb each present on the impact of the Christian Doctrine of Discovery/Dominion.

Robert J. Miller (Eastern Shawnee Nation), an Associate Professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon where he teaches Indian law courses and Civil Procedure, a first year class. Bob has taught and practiced Indian law since 1993. He has also been a part-time tribal judge since 1995 for many Northwest tribes and is currently the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals for the Grand Ronde Tribe. Bob has published numerous articles and book chapters and legal materials on Indian law issues and has spoken on Indian issues at dozens of federal, state, and private conferences in more than 20 states across the country. He has also been speaking about the Lewis & Clark expedition and the Indian Nations for the past three years and has published a book on the subject, Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and Manifest Destiny. Bob became involved with this project in 2003 when he was appointed by his tribe to be its representative on the Circle of Tribal Advisors to the National Council of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial.

Julie Cavanaugh-Bill, Attorney and Western Shoshone Defense Project member and activist, has worked tirelessly to defend the traditional territories of the Western Shoshone peoples and nation as well as The Treaty of Newe Segobia (Ruby Valley) of 1863.

Steven Newcomb (Shawnee, Lenape) is a legal scholar and one of the world’s foremost authorities on the doctrine of Christian discovery. In 2008 Fulcrum published his book Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery. In 1992, he and Birgil Kills Straight (Oglala Lakota Nation) co-founded the Indigenous Law Institute. Newcomb has been studying and writing about U.S. federal Indian law and policy since the early 1980s. In 2015, Newcomb and Sheldon Wolfchild (Dakota) completed a documentary movie based on Pagans in the Promised Land. It’s titled “The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code” (2015).

The New Adventures of Super Indian is an exciting, thrilling, and brand new three-episode, approximately one-hour each, audio play premiering on April 14th, 21st, and 28th, 2021 as part of the Native Voices at the Autry program at Autry Museum of the American West. Based on Starr’s popular graphic novels, Super Indian, The New Adventures of Super Indian tells the comedic exploits of Super Indian and the residents of the fictional Leaning Oak Tribe Reservation. Hubert Logan, an ordinary reservation boy turned superhero faces off against three of his biggest foes—Wampum Baggs, the ringleader of the Circle of Evil; Blud Kwan’Tum, a cursed vampire determined to become a full-blooded Indian by any means necessary; and Karlie Keane, a scheming social media diva.

With over 95 characters performed by a handful of Indigenous actors and actress in this three episodic audio play, The New Adventures of Super Indian is the newest artistic creation by Indigenous artist, musician, actor, and playwright, and a renowned comic book writer and artist: Arigon Starr. Also, the production marks the first time ever that Native Voices has premiered a play via audio episodes. Turn in for this one-hour special in discussing a range of topics including Indigenous performative arts, comedy, education, cultural appropriation, Native American presentations, colonialism, plus more, and how they all relate to The New Adventures of Super Indian.

Guests:

Arigon Starr (Kickapoo Nation) is an award-winning musician, actor, and playwright, and a renowned comic book writer and artist. Her work with Native Voices at the Autry includes her comedy musical The Red Road and the radio comedy Super Indian. A former Tulsa Artist Fellow, she created the romantic comedy Round Dance for the Oklahoma Indigenous Theatre Company in 2018 during her fellowship. A member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity, she is based in Los Angeles, California.

Delanna Studi (Cherokee Nation), has more than 25 years of experience as a performer, storyteller, educator, facilitator, advocate, and activist. Her theatre credits include the first national Broadway tour of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play August: Osage County; Off-Broadway’s Gloria: A Life, Daryl Roth Theatre; Informed Consent, the Duke on 42nd Street Theater; and regional theatres (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Portland Center Stage, Cornerstone, and Indiana Repertory Theatre). Studi has been in more than eighteen world premieres, including fourteen Native productions. In film and television, Studi can be seen in the Peabody Award–winning Edge of America; Hallmark’s Dreamkeeper; Goliath; Shameless; and General Hospital. Since 2007 she has served as chair of the SAG-AFTRA National Native Americans Committee.

Copy and paste: https://theautry.org/events for registering to stream The New Adventures of Super Indian.

Parts 1 and 2:

(Her)oics: Women’s Lived Experiences During the Coronavirus Pandemic draws together the stories of fifty-two women across the U.S. during the Covid-19 pandemic. The collection encompasses the perspectives of women who are: front-line responders and recovering patients; going out to work, staying home to work, and losing their jobs; living with multiple generations and living in isolation; women grieving loved ones and celebrating new love; women preparing to give birth and supporting the dying. Although differing based on location, age, race, and health, they share the unique capacity of women to bring their strength, ingenuity, and love—for others and for self—to an uncertain time. The anthology is inspired by both the risks of the pandemic inherent to women and their tremendous role in the country’s response. Our guest for today’s program is a contributory author in this newly published anthology.

Guests:

Tia Oros Peters, Shiwi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples which supports community-generated cultural revitalization, movement building, and Re-Indigenization strategies. In addition, Tia Oros Peters has been active in community organizing, advocacy, and nonprofit development for over three decades. Tia is a recognized expert on the protection of Water as a sacred element for Indigenous Peoples’ cultural and spiritual sustainability, and on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a standard setting tool for Native Peoples’ organizing, empowerment, and self-determination. Through her water advocacy at the United Nations and national and regional organizing, she coined and defined the term “Aquacide” to describe the killing of the waters around the globe.

Just over more than 90 buffalo relations lives have been take in 2021. In addition, there has been 859 buffalo killed between 2019-2020; 12,575 buffalo killed since 1985, and there have 540 buffalo captured by the Yellowstone National Park: 540. Over the past several months Montana’s state legislature has introduced HB318 and HB302. HB318 will reclassify the original buffalo from wild and feral to domesticated. If HB318 passes, then it will be legal to kill the original buffalo that is older than American. HB302 usurps Montana’s state constitutional power and places it into a local county board operating favorably for hunters and ranchers killing the original buffalo. Also, what is the current management approach for the Yellowstone National Park bison? Why is the National Park Service complicit in kill the original Buffalo relations? Since 1997, the Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) has been at the forefront of protecting the last free roaming heard of bison relatives in the lower forty-eight states and promoting and advocating for the increase of the bison habitat and populations. Turn in to learn more.

Guests:

Stephanie Seay, Media Coordinator of the Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC), joins us for the entire program to discuss the works of the Buffalo Field Campaign, the continuous struggles of protecting the last remaining, genetically original buffalo from “state” and hunters killing these relatives, why the BFC had to file a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly’s office and why the court ordered the release of records the park, plus more.

Dr. Faviana Hirsch-Dubin joins us of the entire segment to discuss the 25th Anniversary of the San Andres Accords on Indigenous Rights and Culture. The San Andres Accords are agreement between the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) and the Mexican government during the Ernesto Zedillo administration. The “Accords” were executed on February 16th, 1996 in Chiapas should have secured full autonomy, recognition, and rights to the Indigenous populations of Mexico.

Five basic principles are central tenets of the San Andres Accords: 1) basic respect for the diversity of the indigenous population of Chiapas; 2) the conservation of the natural resources within the territories used and occupied by indigenous peoples; 3) a greater participation of Indigenous communities in the decisions and control of public expenditures; 4) the participation of indigenous communities in determining their own development plans; and 5) the autonomy of indigenous communities and their right of free determination in the framework of the State.

Dr. Faviana Hirsch-Dubin articulates the historical context leading up to the San Andres Accords as well as provides an update on the successes and failures of the “Accords”. In addition, today’s program contains another segment on supporting KPFK FM. 90.7 Los Angeles, CA. KPFK broadcast throughout the southern California coastal counties and internationally via the Internet and various streaming platforms.

Dr. Kyle T. Mays is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at UCLA. He is the author of Hip Hop Beats, Indigenous Rhymes: Modernity and Hip Hop in Indigenous North America (2018) and finishing his manuscript for the forthcoming book titled, An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States, which will be a part of their ReVisioning American History series. Dr. Mays joins us for entire hour to discuss Afro-Indigeneity, the historical and contemporary forms of Indigenous-African American solidarity movements, the past and present complications of United States history and settler colonial violence, and how to move forward with stronger forms of Indigenous-African American solidarity and decolonial movements in the United States.

Dr. Donna Schindler M.D., author of Flying Horse: Stories of Healing and the Soul Wound (2020) joins us for the entire program to discuss Indigenous historical trauma, Indigenous wellbriety, and the various Indigenous methods and practices for healing the soul wound. Moreover, Dr. Schindler discusses the spectrum and types of symptoms characteristic of Indigenous historical trauma and how Indigenous peoples and supporters are addressing the settler colonial forms of violence that intergenerationally creates, shapes, and perpetuates historical trauma.

Give the recent event of the 1/6/2021 putsch or insurrection attempt in Washington D.C. reflecting the growing, systemic rise of American fascism, the frayed systemic global Capitalist system intensifying economic instability, depravity, compounded afflictions on Mother Earth, increased militarization, the ascension of the global police state, what are the interlinking relations between settler colonialism, race, global capitalism, and the contested American Empire? Turn in for part one of today’s program for an in-depth two-part panel discussion about these question in relationship to the 1/6/2021 putsch or insurrection attempt by white supremacist and their settler colonial accomplices.

Guests:

Dr. Faviana Hirsch-Dubin, educator, activist, and American Indian Collective Latin America correspondent, Marcus Lopez (Chumash Nation), Matef Harmachis, co-editor of Black Power Afterlives: The Enduring Significance of the Black Panther Party, and William Robinson, professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), affiliated with the Latin American and Iberian Studies Program, and with the Global and International Studies Program at UCSB. William Robinson is the author of the book: The Global Police State.

Part 1:

Given the systemic, escalating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout “Indian Country,” the rising COVID-19 rates reported by Indian Health Service and both Indigenous and non-Indigenous media coverage about the “Pandemic”, very few media reports, in fact, are on urban Native American populations. How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the larger urban Los Angeles urban Native American population? Why are COVID-19 tracking records and methods so problematic that some estimates suggest that 35% to 50% of Native American COVID-19 cases are misreported and under reported? How much has the COVID-19 situation changed for urban Los Angeles Native Americans area over past several months? What types of resources (e.g., economic assistance, food, hygiene, health, etc.) are available for Native American peoples in need? Who is providing emergency assistance for the urban Los Angeles Native American peoples and families? Where are we now in terms of available COVID-19 resources, where can Native American people go for the COVID-19 vaccination, and what are the current resource limitations at the moment?

The Los Angeles Native COVID-19 Response Coalition, comprised of various American Indian community development organizations, community members, and members of the Los Angeles Native American City/County Native American Commission have been instrumental, critical, and paramount in organizing and implementing effective methods of community outreach, data tracking, and providing basic emergency, humanitarian services for urban Los Angeles Native American peoples and families despite the plethora of complications, obstacles, and unknown variables in the current COVID-19 crises. Turn in for part one of today’s program for hear from two community members and leaders addressing these critical issues and questions relating to the larger urban Los Angeles Native American community, plus more.

Guests:

Dr. Andrea Garcia, M.D. (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara Nations) is an appointed commissioner with the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission, works with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health/American Indian Counseling Center, and is a board member for the United American Indian Involvement, Inc. (UAII).

Alexandra Ferguson Valdes (Tlingit & Athabascan Nations), Executive Director for the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission.

COVID-19 Resources and Information be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/lanativecovid19/

https://www.facebook.com/AICommission/

https://uaii.org/

https://locator.lacounty.gov/health/Location/3181175/american-indian-counseling-center

https://lanaic.lacounty.gov

https://vaccinatelacounty.com

Part 2:

Give the recent event of the 1/6/2021 putsch or insurrection attempt in Washington D.C. reflecting the growing, systemic rise of American fascism, the frayed systemic global Capitalist system intensifying economic instability, depravity, compounded afflictions on Mother Earth, increased militarization, the ascension of the global police state, what are the interlinking relations between settler colonialism, race, global capitalism, and the contested American Empire? Turn in for part one of today’s program for an in-depth two-part panel discussion about these question in relationship to the 1/6/2021 putsch or insurrection attempt by white supremacist and their settler colonial accomplices.

Guests:

Dr. Faviana Hirsch-Dubin, educator, activist, and American Indian Collective Latin America correspondent, Matef Harmachis, co-editor of Black Power Afterlives: The Enduring Significance of the Black Panther Party, and William Robinson, professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), affiliated with the Latin American and Iberian Studies Program, and with the Global and International Studies Program at UCSB. William Robinson is the author of the book: The Global Police State.