Hóčhoka Podcast

What goes on in 615 days in the life of the Provincial Superior of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in the United States? Roughly half-way through his three-year term, Fr. Vien Nguyen is here to give us an up close and personal account.

Did you know that of the 2,336 characters on 345 of the most popular TV shows airing between 1987 and 2007, only three were Native American? Sixty-two percent of non-Native Americans report not knowing a single one of the over five million Native people in the U.S., 70% of whom live in urban areas. And then, there is the issue of stereotypes. What if well-known and gifted storyteller Joseph Marshall III wanted to change that landscape? Listen as he tells about three new novels he publishes this year.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands.” So begins Psalm 19. “We sell our ancestral traditions short if we don’t delve deeper into what that means,” says Dr. Damian Costello as he brings us another fresh perspective on Catholicism through an Indigenous lens.

Hóčhoka podcast returns to the airwaves this January with Season 5, offering 16 more episodes that engage audiences in the conversation about Native American education today.

• Dr. Damian Costello joins us again to provide fresh perspectives on Catholicism through and indigenous lens.

A scallop shell, a walking stick and a young woman from Nebraska – let’s find out what this is all about. Today we are talking with Religious Studies Teacher Kim Schneider. This was a summer of pilgrimage for Kim, and we invited her here to share her experiences with us.

Few things are more arresting that the smell of burning sweetgrass, according to Dr. Damian Costello. He says re-connecting with this relative, which some people call the hair of Mother Earth, can help re-indigenize our faith and heal wounds that affect our planet. Learn the promise and the lesson of this humble plant.

Someone you know has gone missing. What should you do? Allison Morrisette, South Dakota’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Coordinator, and Mary Beth Holzwarth, Human Trafficking Coordinator, discuss their new roles and educate us about human trafficking and missing and murdered indigenous persons.

What would the many missing and murdered indigenous persons tell us if their voices could be heard? Lily Mendoza explains what indigenous families need to know to create a preventive environment against this scourge that has robbed her culture of so many of her sisters.

What is a red ribbon skirt, and what is its special meaning? Today's guest is Lily Mendoza, cherished Lakota uŋčí and founder of the Red Ribbon Skirt Society, a grassroots collective dedicated to confronting the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous persons. Learn about the issue and the society’s work to confront and heal.

Bridging our conversation between Native American Literature and the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, join our conversation with Joseph Marshall III. Learn about his new novel, “Sing for the Red Dress,” and how he hopes it will impact the MMIP landscape.