Native America Calling

A new study finds the five federally recognized tribes in Idaho contribute some $1.5 billion to the state’s economy every year. Another new study finds the economic impact of Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians alone reaches $1 billion for that state’s annual total bottom line. Both studies echo similar research over the years in other states that show tribes are major players in their states’ economic viability. And the sources aren’t just gaming — categories like construction, tourism, government operations, and education are major economic contributors.

GUESTS

Ann McCormack (Nez Perce), economic development planner for the Nez Perce Tribe

Tralynna Scott (citizen of the Cherokee Nation), chief economist for Cherokee Nation Businesses and special envoy to the U.S. Department of Treasury

Andrew Huff (Cree enrolled at Rocky Boys), senior policy and legal advisor to the Center for Indian Country Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

Steven Peterson, clinical associate professor in economics at the College of Business and Economics at the University of Idaho

Break 1 Music: Boujee Natives (song) Snotty Nose Rez Kids (artist) Trapline (album)

Break 2 Music: Brown Fool Eyes (song) Hataałii (artist) Waiting for a Sign (album)

The fire that killed 101 people and destroyed much of the town of Lahaina on Maui Island left financial, environmental, and emotional damage in its wake that will require years and significant resources to overcome. Not least on the list is a mountain of toxic burned debris that residents and officials are having trouble finding a suitable place for. Officials are studying whether the charred landscape will harm the delicate coral reef just offshore. Somewhere in the country, a new wildfire appears at least once a week during the most active season, and many of those leave lasting implications for tribes and residents.

GUESTS

Dr. Andrea Kealoha (Native Hawaiian), assistant professor of oceanography at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Don Gentry (Klamath Tribes), natural resource specialist and former chairman of the Klamath Tribes

Bodie Shaw (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs), deputy regional director for the Northwest Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Blaze Lovell, reporter for the Honolulu Civil Beat

Break 1 Music: To Keep the World We Know (song) Bruce Cockburn (artist) O Sun O Moon (album)

Break 2 Music: Brown Fool Eyes (song) Hataałii (artist) Waiting for a Sign (album)

Tribes in California are urging President Joe Biden to designate three new national monuments in order to protect what the tribes say are natural and cultural treasures. The proposed Sáttítla National Monument would cover 200,000 acres in northeastern California important to the Pit River and Modoc Nations. The California State Assembly also signed onto the push to designate 627,000 acres as the Chuckwalla National Monument and almost 400,00 acres as the Kw’tsán National Monument. The effort comes as the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected weigh in on a challenge to President Biden’s use of the Antiquities Act to set aside some 1.5 million acres of land, including the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

GUESTS

Tomas Tortez Jr. (Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians), Tribal Council Chairman of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians

Brandy McDaniels (Pit River), Sáttítla National Monument Working Group Lead for the Pit River Nation

Delaine Spilsbury (Ely Shoshone), tribal elder

Rick Spilsbury (Ely Shoshone), tribal elder and retired engineer

Monte Sanford, Bahsahwahbee National Monument campaign director

Break 1 Music: The Power of the Land [Feat. Dr. Duke Redbird and Twin Flames] (song) Sultans of String (artist)

Break 2 Music: Brown Fool Eyes (song) Hataałii (artist) Waiting for a Sign (album)

Inadequate infrastructure is only one of the problems contributing to the fact that Native Americans and Alaska Natives lag behind everyone else when it comes to broadband access. Digital rights advocates say tribes need more say in how readily available data pathways that already exist are divvied up. We’ll hear about the role digital spectrum plays in connectivity that determines the course of business development, access to healthcare, and educational opportunities.

GUESTS

Darrah Blackwater (Diné), attorney and conceptual artist

Geoffrey Blackwell (Chickasaw, Choctaw, Omaha, and Muscogee), general counsel and chief of staff for the National Congress of American Indians

Kevin Gifford, professor at University of Colorado Boulder

Break 1 Music: Nothing Simple (song) Chuck Copenace (artist) Oshki Manitou (album)

Break 2 Music: Brown Fool Eyes (song) Hataałii (artist) Waiting for a Sign (album)

The Florida Everglades are on “life support”. That’s the assessment of Miccosukee environmental advocate Betty Osceola, who says the famed wetlands are under relentless threat from urban encroachment, pollution, and poor management. Osceola is a dedicated defender of her homelands that are also home to at least 39 endangered or threatened species including the Florida panther and the American crocodile. She is sounding the alarm over historically high water levels that are destroying habitat and drowning culturally important sites. We’ll talk with Osceola about her connection to the Everglades and her passion to preserve them. She joins us as this month’s Native in the Spotlight.

Break 1 Music: Lay Your Burden Down (song) Lee Tiger & the Tiger Tiger Band (artist) Southern Exposure (album)

Break 2 Music: Brown Fool Eyes (song) Hataałii (artist) Waiting for a Sign (album)

A Washington state man will be sentenced soon for his part in killing some 3,600 eagles and other protected birds and selling their feathers and other parts on the black market. The crime reaches a shocking new level of destruction in violation of federal law and respect for the sacred animals. But it highlights the pressure to fulfill demand for feathers and what some people are willing to do to work around established protections. We’ll find out about black market channels for eagle and hawk feathers and talk about what else can be done to protect the endangered birds.

GUESTS

Rich Janssen (Ql̓ispé), Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes Natural Resources Department head

Terence Mull (Navajo), eagle sanctuary manager at the Navajo Zoo

David Mikesic, Navajo Zoo manager and zoologist

Krysten Schuler, wildlife disease ecologist and director of the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab at Cornell University

Break 1 Music: Kokopelli Blues (song) Keith Secola (artist) Native Americana – A Coup Stick (album)

Break 2 Music: Ancestors In My Bones (song) Donita Large (artist) Ancestors In My Bones (album)

Native American-run organizations are jumping into the clean energy economy with both feet. The group Indigenized Energy is administering some $135.6 million in federal grants for both solar installations and manufacturing. The Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund has a continuous string of funding opportunities to get tribes in on solar projects. We’ll get updates on some promising trends that help provide both clean energy and tribal economic development.

GUESTS

John Teller (Menominee and Oneida), tribal communications officer for the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund

Steve Manydeeds (Enrolled Standing Rock), CEO of Indigene Economics Group

Robert Blake (Red Lake Nation), founder and CEO of Solar Bear

Break 1 music: Dat One (song) The Delbert Anderson Trio (artist) MANITOU (album)

Break 2 Music: Ancestors In My Bones (song) Donita Large (artist) Ancestors In My Bones (album)

The last presidential debate marked the beginning of the end for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. What of consequence will come out of the debate between his replacement, Kamala Harris, and Donald Trump? Neither of the main party campaigns have so much as mentioned tribes and Native issues in any major public appearances. We’ll ask Native political watchers about how they think the debate propels—or hampers—the things Native voters are most concerned about.

GUESTS

Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation), publisher and editor of Native News Online and Tribal Business News

Mike Stopp (Cherokee and Muscogee), CEO and president of SevenStar Holdings, LLC

Isaac Casados (Diné), secretary of the Democratic Party of New Mexico

Break 1 Music: Leadership Song (Naaí’áanii Biyiin) (song) Radmilla Cody (artist) K’é Hasin (album)

Break 2 Music: Ancestors In My Bones (song) Donita Large (artist) Ancestors In My Bones (album)

Millions of dollars are flowing into tribal nations right now as a means to encourage small business development. The money is an extension of the federal Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) to tribes made possible through COVID-19 federal aid. It allows tribes to administer lines of credit that are often hard to come by. We’ll find out about some of the promising plans for SSBCI loans and what might come of them.

GUESTS

Jessica Stago (Diné), co-founder of Change Labs

Casey Pearlman (Iñupiaq), executive director of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Economic Development Corporation

Elly O’Rourke (Karuk), co-owner of Salmon River Outpost

Jon Bittner, executive director of the Alaska Small Business Development Center

Break 1 Music: Rain and Snow (song) Janet Panic (artist) A Mighty Rip Through the Page of My Life (album)

Break 2 Music: Ancestors In My Bones (song) Donita Large (artist) Ancestors In My Bones (album)

As the 2024 Paralympic Games wrap up, we will get a glimpse into the world of competition for disabled Native Athletes. Dozens of Indigenous athletes competed in the Games in Paris. And while the big production in France is always something to shoot for, para-athletics isn’t just for elite competitors. They are also an everyday recreational and creative outlet with built-in social and health benefits.

GUESTS

Cheri Madsen (Omaha Tribe of Nebraska), ten-time Paralympic medalist

Dan Ninham (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin), freelance reporter for ICT News and director of the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame

Noah Blue Elk Hotchkiss (Southern Ute, Southern Cheyenne, and Caddo), founder of the Tribal Adaptive Organization

Jimmy Squire (Absentee Shawnee), amputee golfer

Benjamin Cuevas (Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo), college wheelchair basketball player at Eastern Washington University, mentor, and trainer

Break 1 Music: Keep on Keepin’ On [Feat. Tanaya Winder] (song) Tall Paul (artist) The Story of Jim Thorpe (album)

Break 2 Music: Ancestors In My Bones (song) Donita Large (artist) Ancestors In My Bones (album)

Tribal Adaptive Thunderbirds team at the 2023 North America Wheelchair Basketball League Championships in Chicago, Ill. The team placed third. (Courtesy Jason Hotchkiss)