Native America Calling

The first woman to hold the Navajo Nation Council Speaker post is now vying to become the tribe’s first female president. Navajo voters will decide November 3 whether Crystalyne Curley or her opponent, attorney Jason Jones, will lead the country’s largest tribe for the next four years. The two candidates edged out current President Buu Nygren in the primary election. The Navajo election is one of major tribal elections going on at the same time as the national midterm elections. We’ll hear about the Navajo race and others that could set new directions for some tribes in the coming years.

We’ll also reflect on the legacy of legendary labor leader and civil rights advocate Dolores Huerta, who died at age 96.

GUESTS

Geri Hongeva (Diné), master of ceremonies of the 2026 Presidential Forum on the Navajo Economy and owner of Native Moto Tours

Lisa Marie Byrd (Diné), president of the Upper Fruitland Navajo Nation Chapter house

Twyla Baker (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara), president of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College

Charlene DeCicco, owner, producer and host of Community Spotlight TV

Chuy Martinez, cultural activist and member of the New Mexico Sí Se Puede Committee

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

Break 2 Music: I Saw the Witch Cry (song) Anasazi (artist) I Saw the Witch Cry (album)

The Trump administration’s intervention in the U.S. Senate race in Alaska indicates the high stakes — and the scrutiny that comes with them — in the November 3 election. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, is one of two candidates hoping to make history as the first Native woman to be elected to the Senate. The Department of Justice is trying to block election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses by a narrow margin. Voting rights advocates in Alaska and elsewhere are urging people go to the polls early to help offset any complications or challenges to election results. And Native voter organizations are deploying hundreds of observers to polling locations across the country in anticipation of potential interruptions that include worries about voting machine seizure and immigration raids.

We’ll also get an update on severe flooding on and around the Navajo Nation and other tribal land in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. Heavy rains displaced hundreds of residents, damaged homes, and washed out critical infrastructure.

GUESTS

Michelle Sparck (Qissunamiut Tribe of Chevak), director of Get Out the Native Vote

Samantha Blencke, senior staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund

OJ Semans Sr. (Rosebud Sioux), co-executive director of Four Directions Native Vote

Lisa Byrd (Diné), president of the Upper Fruitland Navajo Nation Chapter house

Break 1 Music:  Get Up Stand Up (song) Bailey Wiley, Che Fu, King Kapisi, Laughton Kora, Maisey Rika & Tiki Taane (artist)

Break 2 Music: I Saw the Witch Cry (song) Anasazi (artist) I Saw the Witch Cry (album)

A mining company unleashes an evil entity as the Arctic village of Chukchi falls into polar night in “It Looks Like You in the Dark“, the debut horror novel from Mathilda Zeller. It’s among several new books by Native writers that are especially fitting during the annual spooky season. Dr. Mat RudeWalker’s story, “Party at the Alvarez Ranch”, is included in the horror anthology, “Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II”. We’ll discuss these titles and others in keeping with the Halloween spirit.

GUESTS

Dr. Mat RudeWalker (Chickasaw), lecturer at Spelman College

Mathilda Zeller (Iñupiaq), author

Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), founder of Red Pop! News

Break 1 Music: Episodio (song) Hocico (artist) Aquí Y Ahora En El Silencio (album)

Break 2 Music: I Saw the Witch Cry (song) Anasazi (artist)

A new analysis by the Brookings Institution tallies nearly $470 million in federal funding taken from tribes and Native organizations early last year by the Department of Government Efficiency. Advocates at the Piikani Lodge Health Institute worked hard for years to secure an $8.5 million USDA grant to support local producers in and around the Blackfeet community. DOGE cut those funds before the tribe could use it. The cuts have far-reaching implications. More than half of de-obligated funds were for natural resources and environment work followed by agriculture. The Brookings analysis finds they disproportionately affect Native communities and concludes they violate the government’s trust and treaty obligation.

GUESTS

Robert Maxim (Mashpee Wampanoag), fellow at the Brookings Institution

Kim Paul (Blackfeet Nation), founder and co-executive director of Piikani Lodge Health Institute

James Meggesto (Onondaga), partner and the head of Native American practice at Holland & Knight

Break 1 Music: Intertribal (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Confederacy Style (album)

Break 2 Music: I Saw the Witch Cry (song) Anasazi (artist)

The Alaska Federation of Natives was formed by tribal leaders in 1966 to protect land and preserve tribal governance. Now, at the 60th convention, tribal leaders and members from across the state gather to discuss current issues of politics, sovereignty, and culture. This year’s central issues include subsistence fishing and hunting, the rising cost of living, climate change, and voting rights and participation. We’ll speak with a longtime Native journalist about these top issues and how they might affect the upcoming midterm elections.

About 800 people from rural villages in Western Alaska are still living in Anchorage, a year after being displaced by powerful storms leftover from Typhoon Halong. At the time, the event left two people dead, caused the mass evacuation of several villages, and destroyed hundreds of homes and community structures. With the slow pace of recovery, evacuees contend with not knowing when they’ll be able to return. We’ll hear more about the aftermath of Typhoon Halong.

GUESTS

Joaqlin Estus (Tlingit), longtime journalist and former correspondent at ICT

Noah Attie (Yup’ik), veteran and elder from Kipnuk

Alice Rearden (Yup’ik), cultural education manager at the Calista Education and Culture

State Rep. Nellie Jimmie (Yup’ik), member of the Alaska House of Representatives representing District 38

Scott Nelson, telecommunications engineer with Alaska Emergency Management

Break 1 Music: Turtle Island Reggae (song) Quese IMC & Cempoalli 20 (artist) Osahwuh (album)

Break 2 Music: Ponca War Dance Song 1 (song) Albert Waters, Alice Cook, Harry Buffalohead, Joe H. Rush, Lamont Brown, Louis Yellow Horse, Lucy C. F. Ribs, Russell Rush (2), Stella Yellow Horse, Sylvester Warrior (artist) War Dance Songs Of The Ponca – Vol. I (album)

Declining salmon numbers are threatening the way of life for Alaska Natives, according to a report by the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), the largest Native organization in Alaska. And report findings are similar across regions: concern about the future of food security in rural villages, frustration with state and federal management of waterways, and difficulty maintaining sacred traditions. Many residents also face fishing restrictions on rivers like the Kuskokwim and Yukon. It’s a key issue for Native voters to weigh during midterm elections. We’re broadcasting live from the AFN Convention in Anchorage.

GUESTS

Charlie Wright (Athabascan), secretary and treasurer for Tanana Chiefs Conference

Frank Grunert (Native Village of Chignik Lagoon), fisher

Break 1 Music: American Indian Movement Song (song) Blackfire (artist) [Silence] is a Weapon [Double disc] (album)

Break 2 Music: Ponca War Dance Song 1 (song) Albert Waters, Alice Cook, Harry Buffalohead, Joe H. Rush, Lamont Brown, Louis Yellow Horse, Lucy C. F. Ribs, Russell Rush (2), Stella Yellow Horse, Sylvester Warrior (artist) War Dance Songs Of The Ponca – Vol. I (album)

Hundreds of Native people from across the state will discuss issues such as declining salmon populations, voting rights, and education funding at this year’s Alaska Federation of Natives Convention in Anchorage. For some, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis remains a top priority. In recent years, law enforcement agencies in Alaska have worked to improve protocols for handling missing persons cases and even established a MMIP Review Commission. But some Indigenous advocates say critical issues, like how cases are classified, how homicide cases are investigated, and how jurisdiction is determined, persist in creating obstacles for justice. We’ll hear from Native MMIP advocates about new and longstanding challenges.

GUESTS

Charlene Aqpik Apok (Iñupiaq), executive director of Data For Indigenous Justice

Michael Livingston (Unangax̂), retired Alaska Native police officer

Deilah Johnson (Iñupiaq), tribal resources director and council member for the Village of Solomon

Shaun Griswold (Laguna, Jemez, and Zuni Pueblo), reporter with Buffalo’s Fire

Break 1 Music: Water by Jim Pepper [Arranged by Jhoely Garay] (song) Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band (artist) Live at Joe’s Pub, NYC on January 13th, 2024 (performance)

Break 2 Music: Ponca War Dance Song 1 (song) Albert Waters, Alice Cook, Harry Buffalohead, Joe H. Rush, Lamont Brown, Louis Yellow Horse, Lucy C. F. Ribs, Russell Rush (2), Stella Yellow Horse, Sylvester Warrior (artist) War Dance Songs Of The Ponca – Vol. I (album)

In 1966, as Alaska Native leaders worked to secure their lands, Emil Notti (Koyukon Athabascan) helped form the Alaska Federation of Natives. Notti became its first president and later served as a key negotiator of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which was passed nearly 55 years ago. He also held various roles in government and business. At AFN’s 60th anniversary, we’ll speak with Notti, now 93, about his work.

We’ll also speak with Miaraq, Warren Jones (Gwich’in, Yup’ik, and Iñupiaq), an accomplished writer and philosopher, whose work focuses on the Cicumpolar North. Jones is also a longtime advocate for Native subsistence and land rights.

GUESTS

Emil Notti (Koyukon Athabascan), founding president of the Alaska Federation of Natives

Warren Jones (Gwich’in, Yup’ik and Iñupiaq), philosopher, writer, and Native rights advocate

Wallace Ungwiluk (Yupik), 2026 AFN Roger Lang Youth Leadership awardee

Break 1 Music: Rise Up (song) Big Every Time (artist) Universitile (album)

Break 2 Music: Ponca War Dance Song 1 (song) Albert Waters, Alice Cook, Harry Buffalohead, Joe H. Rush, Lamont Brown, Louis Yellow Horse, Lucy C. F. Ribs, Russell Rush (2), Stella Yellow Horse, Sylvester Warrior (artist) War Dance Songs Of The Ponca – Vol. I (album)

As recorder of Pima County in Arizona, Gabriella Cázares-Kelly (Tohono O’odham) is responsible for administering early voting and keeping track of more than 600,000 voter registrations. While in office during the past six years, she’s helped make voting more accessible to tribal members and rural communities, including recently installing eight new drop-off ballot boxes across the county. Even before she ran for office, she was helping people with understanding the voting process and advocating for voting access on the Tohono O’odham reservation. Cázares-Kelly is an educator-turned-politician and our October Native in the Spotlight.

Break 1 Music: Indigenous Life (song) Fiji (artist) Indigenous Life (album)

Break 2 Music: Ponca War Dance Song 1 (song) Albert Waters, Alice Cook, Harry Buffalohead, Joe H. Rush, Lamont Brown, Louis Yellow Horse, Lucy C. F. Ribs, Russell Rush (2), Stella Yellow Horse, Sylvester Warrior (artist) War Dance Songs Of The Ponca – Vol. I (album)

The Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe failed to stop the federal government from rounding up hundreds of wild horses this summer from public land next to their reservation at the California-Nevada border. It’s part of the government’s larger plan to remove about 14,000 wild horses from public lands in several western states in 2026. Wild horse roundups are a controversial issue that has tribes weighing environmental health, animal wellbeing, and horse culture. We’ll talk with Native advocates about the challenges wild horses are up against in the face of drought and environmental changes.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Indian National Finals Rodeo. The annual event gathers the best Native rodeo athletes from across the Americas who are vying for fastest time and big scores. Randy “The Cherokee Cowboy” Taylor (Cherokee) joins us for an update from the 50th INFR in Las Vegas.

GUESTS

Ronda Kauk (Mono Lake Kutzadika’a Tribe), executive director for the Indigenous Wild Horse Society and a cultural monitor for the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe

Rana Saulque (Utu Utu Gwaitu Benton Paiute), vice chair of the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe of the Benton Paiute Reservation and co-founder of the Indigenous Wild Horse Society

Jason Smith (Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs), owner of Jason Smith Ranch

Randy Taylor (Cherokee), Cowboy, professional rodeo announcer, and host of our sister program “Word with a Champ”

Break 1 Music: My Horse (song) Courtney Yellow Fat (artist) The Lost Songs of Sitting Bull (album)

Break 2 Music: KuuPua (song) The Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band (artist) Incarnadine (album)