Minnesota Native News

Welcome back to Community Health Conversations, a special program from Minnesota Native News! Hosts Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) and Dr. Antony Stately Ph.D. (Ojibwe/Oneida) lead insightful discussions about the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare in Indian Country. They discuss the valuable lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore how Native communities are responding and adapting beyond COVID-19.
 
Today, we’re joined by recording artist and musician Reuben Kitto Stately. Reuben is from the Santee Sioux Nation, is a citizen of the Red Lake Nation, and is very passionate about the Dakota language. Reuben was a college student when the pandemic hit, shifting his entire college experience. He drew from his experience of not being able to be social, online school, missing events, inspired the music he created during the height of the pandemic.  

Dr. Stately would also like to remind listeners that they may believe they have a regular cold or allergies, but they can utilize the resources available, such as the free testing kits, to be sure you don’t have COVID-19. And, be proactive by getting the newly released vaccine. Minnesota residents who have symptoms or have COVID-19 can qualify to receive treatment at co-cost through the Test to Treat Program.

Resources:
Get your free at-home COVID-19 tests monthly at Say Yes!
Renew your insurance at the Minnesota Department of Health's website.
See qualifications and find information for the Test to Treat Program at 1-844-609-2415.

Community Health Conversations is made possible with the support of the Minnesota Department of Health. To find information about COVID vaccines and boosters, please visit MN.gov/COVID19. 

This week, we get COVID-19 updates with a clip from the latest Community Health Conversation with Leah Lemm and Dr. Antony Stately, which also features a conversation with artist Reuben Kitto Stately. These Community Health Conversations can be found on our website at www.minnesotanativenews.org. 

MDH is offering free at-home rapid COVID tests. The program - Say Yes! To Covid Test is online at sayyeshometest.org. Every household can place a new order every month until the program ends. 

Your health insurance needs to be renewed periodically.  Avoid losing your Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare by being prepared for your renewal.  1 in 4 Minnesotans will need to renew their healthcare coverage soon.  Learn what it means for you or someone you know. To learn more, go to the Minnesota Department of Human Services website. 

The CDC is recommending adults with underlying conditions, those over 60 and toddlers to receive the recently approved RSV vaccine. RSV is a respiratory virus that causes cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but it can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. 

An updated COVID vaccine has become available as of a couple of weeks ago. The vaccine is recommended for individuals 5-years and older. There are also options for children between 6-months to 5-years old. 

Minnesota residents who have symptoms of COVID-19 and have tested positive or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 are eligible to receive treatment at no-cost. The Minnesota Department of Health in partnership with Cue Health run the Test to Treat program, which provides access to care and COVID19 medication. Health insurance is not required to receive treatment. To receive your treatment call 1-844-609-2415 to speak with a healthcare provider.

This week, a new novel called Rez Ball uses basketball to tell the story of an Ojibwe teen on the Red Lake Reservation. Reporter Emma Needham interviewed author Byron Graves about this coming-of-age book.

Image: Author Byron Graves from Red Lake Nation. Photographer: Mike Finney

EN: The Red Lake Warriors Basketball is well known, but not because they are the best in Minnesota. The Warriors, and other tribal teams, are known for playing a specific type of basketball called Rez Ball. Rez Ball is also the title of a debut, young adult novel. Author Byron Graves explains what Rez Ball the sport is:

 BG: Rez Ball is poetry in motion. It's a Zen state of mind. It's not controlled, other brands of basketball, you're setting up a play, you're moving a certain way. You're doing things in Orthodox manner. Rez Ball is creating in the moment, it's like rep freestyle. So nobody knows what's going to hit up, hit them at any moment your opponent doesn't know. 

The novel Rez Ball was released on September 12th, and isn’t just about Basketball. Author Byron Graves shares about the other experiences he wrote into his book. 

BG: It's a coming of age story of a Ojibwe teenager going into his sophomore year. He has big dreams of becoming the next big basketball star. His brother had recently passed away, and he was the best basketball player that the reservations ever seen. And everybody expected him to go to a D1 school, maybe even go to the NBA, they were all hoping he would be the one to lead them to their first state tournament. And his brother, unfortunately had passed away in a car accident about a year before. So the main character trait, he is navigating the grieving process, seeing his community and family and friends and teammates also mourn. And also just trying to be a teenager who's falling in love for the first time trying to figure out who he wants to be as a person and trying to fulfill his own Hoop Dreams. So he's navigating all of those different things as a 16 year old, and you end up rooting for this kid. So it's kind of just a beautiful story of working your way through the hardships of life, while also pursuing a dream.

EN: Basketball holds a special place in the hearts of Native people nationwide. Graves shares why he chose basketball to tell this story. 

BG: Basketball amongst Indian country, if you will. I think that's like the thing we all can rally behind. We all so many of us, I say we all I know, a lot of us who love basketball.

BG: I remember like several years back when the Schimmel sisters were making their final four runs, how exciting it was, for all of us across the country, to see them on TV, and they were just killing it. And I remember hearing even like some of the announcers saying, well, they play a style of basketball called red ball. And I know like it was both a beautiful moment and also kind of a cool, funny moment. You know how Indian humor is like, we can think something's like awesome and kind of be chuckling about it at the same time. So that's why I picked basketball to tell the story.

EN: It's no secret that life on the Reservation differs from what most Minnesotans experience. Graves says he wanted his novel to express those experiences and help people heal. 

BG: I wanted to tell a story of what was different about trying to make it as an athlete, and a Native American athlete. I feel like we have our own unique trials and tribulations. And it's never just one thing, or one of us, you know, three of your teammates, positive, your teammates, all of your teammates are all going through things that can be some extreme hardship. And how does that then reflect on the court when you're playing a game against maybe, you know, different community that maybe has it a little bit better.Or how does that affect the way you train the way you play your mindset in a game. So I was trying to capture some of those unique challenges that Native American youth face when chasing their dreams.

EN: Rez Ball is available at many local bookstores and most major retailers. There is also an audiobook available online. Graves says to watch for his next novel set to release in Fall 2024. For Minnesota Native News, I’m Emma Needham. 

This week on Minnesota Native News, we revisit a trip Native Lights hosts and MN Native News reporters Cole Premo and Leah Lemm took to the Four Sisters Farmers Market in Minneapolis. Each Thursday until the end of October, the Four Sisters Farmers Market showcases local Indigenous foods, arts, and literature. 

Marcie R. Rendon released her first book of poetry, “Anishinaabe Songs for a New Millenium.” The book launched at Birchbark Bizhiw in Minneapolis last Tuesday. Rendon was joined by two Anishinaabe musicians for a unique reading that combined music, poetry, and culture.  Image Description: Marcie R. Rendon is an Indigenous author, poet, and playwright. Courtesy of Marcie Rendon.

This week unhoused relatives have returned to the “Wall of Forgotten Natives” in Minneapolis, wildfire smoke continues to suffocate Northern Minnesota, and there are some great community events to check out. MN Native News reporter Emma Needham has more.

Hosts Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) and Dr. Antony Stately Ph.D. (Ojibwe/Oneida) lead insightful discussions about the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare in Indian Country. They discuss the valuable lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore how Native communities are responding and adapting beyond COVID-19.

Today we celebrate the success of Charmaine Branchaud, a Nurse for the Red Lake school district, whose work raised the vaccination rate of her students. She was recently honored as a 2023 Immunization Champion by the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).

We talk to her about what went into the success and reflect on her experiences as a healthcare worker during the pandemic. We also catch up on where we are in the covid pandemic as we head toward back to school and the end of summer. 

There’s also news of an updated COVID booster on the horizon.

The CDC and FDA are expected to release updated boosters in late September or early October. The new booster will target that XBB strain of COVID. Back in June the FDA vaccine advisory committee recommended that the upcoming update focus on that XBB strain. They recommend that the new booster ought to be “Mono valent” meaning that it will only be composed of medicine to combat that most recent strain. As opposed to the bivalent booster we had last year which was Omicron and the original strain. They say it should be as effective as a bivalent and a bivalent booster is not applicable right now.

In the Duluth Area, the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) is hosting a COVID vaccine clinic on Wednesday August 30th from 3:30 to 6pm.

Dr. Stately would also like to remind listeners that Medicaid certifications were not required to be renewed during the pandemic; this changed with the ending of the public health emergency. Folks with Medicaid coverage are now required to be recertified within the next month. Watch your mail for a notice from your Medicaid provider or visit NACC or another community health center and talk with a patient advocate or a MNSure navigator to complete recertification to keep your coverage.

Community Health Conversations is made possible with the support of the Minnesota Department of Health. To find information about COVID vaccines and boosters, please visit MN.gov/COVID19.

The Native American Community Clinic - or NACC - has announced plans for a new clinic and housing along the Native American cultural corridor in South Minneapolis. The new clinic aims to provide more than just medical, and housing needs but a place for the community to gather, grow and have a sense of belonging. MN Native News reporter Darek DeLille has more.

Aaniin, Zhaawanang Binesii indigo, Southern Spirit Bird is what they call me. I'm Darek de Lille and I had a chance to sit down with Dr. Staley.

“My name is Antony Stately, I am an enrolled citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and descendent of the Great Red Lake and White Earth Nations of Minnesota. I'm the Executive Officer and the president of Native American Community Clinic, which is a federally qualified health care center that serves Native people in South Minneapolis.”

The discussion led to what our work offers us when we offer our work within our own communities,

“More than just work for a paycheck. I mean, anybody can do that, right? But there's a there's, there's tremendous value and satisfaction in working for your home and working for your people. And that's invaluable. That's something not everybody gets to have,” said Dr. Stately. "Minneapolis is the birthplace to a lot of things that have had not just profound impact here locally. But nationally."

We also talked about how our American Indian cultural corridor has changed and continues to change.

“There's so much about it that's different. And in some ways, there's things that are the substructure, the stuff you can see is still there, that dichotomy between like, what it was like before and how it should be now and how we've made lots of progress in some areas and backslid. In other areas because of social conditions and economic conditions.”

The Native American Community Clinic has been okayed to develop and build its brand new six-story building with the first two floors, offering new clinic facilities and floors three to six offering new residential and transitional housing for the Native community. I asked Dr. Statley, what do you do with such big plans on the horizon?

“I did what I always do, when I don't know what I'm going to do next, or how I'm going to accomplish it is a smudge and I said a prayer. And I just asked Creator, to like, cut my path. That's really how I got here. And it's actually how I got to where I'm at today, we're in the process of building a brand new building. And we're doing all this it's staggering to me a $53 million project, right? I was like, I'm just a kid from the south side, like, how did I get here,” he said. 

One of the first steps was to purchase the land that the clinic is currently on,

“We were able to secure the purchase of the building through a gift from the state government, they gave us a $3.8 million award to purchase this building; we worked with another one of our partners to raise the other 400,000 to buy it. We need a new building to bring everything under one roof. That's what we're trying to do as an integrative clinic, along with traditional healing and a few other things. And so we decided to build a new building. And you can make that decision when you're a landowner. And that wasn't a decision that was on the table when it was just the lease, we're trying to create a place where every person who lives in the Twin Cities that's native knows that this is a place where they belong," said Dr. Stately.

I found out further into our chat that this plot of land now has a name.

“We went with the name Owáŋka Okáwitaya which means 'a place for the people to gather'. Because as far as I'm concerned, there's a dot-dot-dot at the end of that name, which is a place for people to gather, to celebrate, to heal, to grieve, just a place for people to gather and a place where people belong.”

And so to explain why this community clinic, and this housing development will coincide and coexist. Dr. Staley simply offered this

“Since the wall of forgotten natives, and all of the challenges that we've had with houselessness relatives in this community. Native people are 1% of the population between 1% and 2%, depending on who you talk to you. But we're about 30% of the houseless population... that is unconscionable to me, also happens to be the largest social determinant of poor health outcomes for Native people. So it was a really easy pivot for me to go from like we're going to build a brand new clinic to be we're going to build a brand new clinic, and we're going to put four floors of housing above it, because it's our responsibility spiritually and morally, to help our relatives who are in the worst conditions in the worst shape." said Dr. Stately.

Darek DeLille reporting for Minnesota Native News

Dr. Stately is also the host of Minnesota Native News' Community Health Conversations

This week MN Native News reporter Emma Needham brings us some of the latest from Minnesota's native communities including a new novel from the author of Good Berry Cookbook, a doctoral study about the effects of tribal membership on Native American identity, and how Red Lake, White Earth, and Lower Sioux communities are leading the state in recreational marijuana and hemp industries

By now you've probably heard of Chef Sean Sherman. Maybe you've eaten at his award-winning restaurant Owanmni, overlooking the river in downtown Minneapolis. Owamni is the Sioux-Chef’s for-profit business. The nonprofit he started is flourishing too. It’s called Natifs. And you can find it at the Midtown Global Market on Lake Street in Minneapolis