Native America Calling

Move over Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover, Amber Midthunder (Fort Peck Sioux Tribe) is the new hero of the Predator sci-fi franchise. “Prey” is released on Hulu August 5. The story takes place 300 years ago as a female Comanche warrior battles a species of alien that comes to Earth hunting other dangerous species. The film is offered in both English and dubbed Comanche versions. We’ll talk about the film in terms of Native representation and its place in the ‘Predator’ line of films.  Friday on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce talks with Amber Midthunder; her breakout co-star Dakota Beavers (Pueblo descendant and Mexican); producer Jhane Myers (Comanche and Blackfeet); director Dan Trachtenberg; Sarae Ticeahkie, public relations officer for the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma; Dr. Kate Briner, Comanche language translator for “Prey” and director of the language department for the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma; and Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk), editor of NativeViewPoint.com and certified Rotten Tomatoes critic about the film in terms of Native representation and its place in the Predator line of films.

For these four students, attending college is more than just their own personal achievement. It’s a way to honor their people and give a part of themselves to their communities. It’s also a way to represent their cultures within a system that often struggles to adequately understand where they come from. Thursday on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce talks with four students who share their struggles and triumphs working toward their educational dreams in the audio documentary from American Public Media, Standing In Two Worlds: Native American College Diaries: Nevaeh Nez (Hopi and Navajo), graduate student at the University of North Carolina; Reuben Kitto Stately (Red Lake Nation citizen and Santee Sioux), graduate from Augsburg University; Archie Yellow (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College student; and Camille Leihulu Slagle (Native Hawaiian), a Stanford University student.

The city of Gallup, NM is marking 100 years of celebrating the region’s Indigenous culture with events like a parade and traditional song and dance. The annual celebration Aug. 4-14 has grown to include a rodeo and an arts market and it welcomes representatives from tribes across the globe. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce talks with Melissa Sanchez (Acoma Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo), executive director of the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial; Amber Ballenger (Diné), current Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial Queen; Stephen Qacung Blanchet (Yup’ik), founding member of Pamyua; and Kyle Tom (Navajo), Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial Association board president, co-coordinator for the rodeo, and an INFR and PRCA rodeo announcer.

Heat, COVID, and Monkeypox are all health threats that are looming this summer. Monkeypox comes from a virus and is rarely fatal, but the World Health Organization just declared it a global health concern. Meanwhile, COVID infections persist even through public health agencies are not tracking it as comprehensively as before. And as the climate changes, illnesses related to heat are becoming more of a concern for farm workers and vulnerable populations. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce speaks with health experts Dean Seneca (Seneca), CEO of Seneca Scientific Solutions, and Steven Bradfute, Assistant Professor in the UNM Center for Global Health and Department of Internal Medicine.

The pictures of Pope Francis wearing a headdress spurred controversy across the globe - and on our social media channels! A Cree elder and chief gifted the high honor to the leader of the Catholic Church during his visit to Canada last week during a visit specifically to apologize to Indigenous people for the church's role in residential school abuses. Indigenous leaders throughout history have given headdresses to numerous non-Native people including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and many U.S. presidents. Some tribes have very specific traditions and ceremonies connected to making and receiving headdresses. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce discusses headdress protocols and traditions and why the headdress on the pope sparked particular concern with Dana Wilson (Crow), former member of Crow Tribal executive and legislative government; Dr. Don Pepion (Pikunni), emeritus professor of Native American studies at New Mexico State University; and Niigaan Sinclair (Anishinaabe), Winnipeg Free Press columnist and Indigenous studies professor.

A Yurok-owned craft brewery in California. A Navajo restaurateur's new coffee venture. And a blanket that honors traditional food of the Great Lakes. Today on Native America Calling, Andi Murphy hosts our regular Indigenous food show The Menu with Linda Cooley (Yurok), CEO of the Mad River Brewing Company, Sarah Agaton Howes (Anishinaabe Ojibwe), CEO and artist of Heart Berry, and Bleu Adams (Mandan, Hidatsa and Diné), chef, entrepreneur, and director of Indigehub.

The son of a single mother on Isleta Pueblo, Miguel Trujillo became an important figure in civil rights history. After serving as a Marine in World War II, Trujillo came home to find he could not vote in his home state of New Mexico. The state constitution barred Native Americans under the pretense that they paid no property taxes. Trujillo filed suit after he was turned away at his polling place. He won his suit, opening the door for voting rights for all New Mexico tribal members. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce honors Trujillo's legacy with Pat Abeita (Isleta Pueblo), Miguel Trujillo’s granddaughter; Alec Bright, museum professional and Miguel Trujillo researcher; and Janice Lucero (Isleta Pueblo), voting rights advocate and community organizer.

The U.S. Congress passed both the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the Indian Arts And Crafts Act in 1990—two pieces of legislation with significant power to protect culture. On the international front, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in Mexico rose up in an effort to reclaim their land and resist globalization. Dances With Wolves captured audiences’ attention with a Native cast and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Graham Greene, while a new generation of Native writers and directors made their voices heard. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce remembers the Native '90s, as part of our series Through The Decades. Shannon Keller O’Loughlin (Choctaw), executive director of the Association on American Indian Affairs, and Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk), editor of NativeViewPoint.com and certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.

The Sealaska Corporation just dropped their blood quantum requirement for shareholder enrollment. Members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe voted to end their requirements in an advisory referendum. Advocates for eliminating the blood quantum hurdle say it’s necessary to ensure future generations of thriving tribal culture. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce hears from Joe Nelson (Tlingit), board chair of Sealaska, and Dr. Jill Doerfler (Anishinaabe), professor and department head of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Plus, Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), publisher and editor of “Native News Online” and “Tribal Business News”, remembers the life and work of Tim Giago, who passed away Sunday at age 88.

The International Olympic Committee recently restored the gold medals Sac and Fox athlete Jim Thorpe won at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. The decision comes after decades of work by advocates who considered stripping the medals an injustice. Thorpe was the first Native American to win gold medals for the United States. He was an athletic pioneer, playing professional baseball, football, and even basketball. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce celebrates Thorpe’s legacy and discusses his influence in American sports with Nedra Darling (Cherokee and Potawatomi), co-founder of Bright Path Strong and producer for the film Bright Path; Teresa Thorpe, (Sac and Fox, Potawatomi, and Kickapoo), Jim Thorpe’s granddaughter; and Bob Wheeler, honorary board member of Bright Path Strong, Jim Thorpe biographer, and founder of the Jim Thorpe Foundation.