Native America Calling

Most states are seeing a rise in COVID-19 infections. In response, tribes are reinstating curfews and monitoring borders to keep infections numbers down. In October, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw saw an alarming rise in COVID-19 infection rates and deaths. Numbers compiled by the New York Times showed 10% of tribal members were infected and made up the majority of deaths for the Mississippi county where most tribal members live. We’ll look at what’s behind the increases and check in with tribal community members about what they’re doing to keep their communities safe.

After largely ignoring important Native issues during most of the campaign, President Donald Trump recently has highlighted what he says are accomplishments for Native people in key states. He voiced his support for federal recognition of the Lumbee Nation in North Carolina, two weeks after Democratic challenger Joe Biden did. It’s an acknowledgement that Native voters could make the difference in close races in battleground states. But are the candidates merely pandering to tribes during the election? We’ll get some expert opinions and explore what’s making news in our regular news round up.

Ongoing violence marks a dispute over treaty rights and commercial lobster fishing in Nova Scotia. Arson, property destruction, vandalism and physical confrontations erupted after the Sipekne’katik First Nation exerted their treaty rights and started harvesting lobster outside the federally-mandated season. The actions echo the Fish Wars in the U.S. in the 1970s. Canada’s Supreme Court affirmed Indigenous fishing rights off season in 1999 to make what the court said was “a moderate living”. Interpretations of those words are among the key points of contention.

Over the years Keith Secola, creator of the song “NDN Kars,” has brought a lot to our Native communities with his creativity and voice. We take time to check in with this Anishinabe artist and learn about his latest creations including the podcast project, Native Americana Audio Café, where he visits with musicians, artists and others. We’ll find out how music is taking him through these times, and get to the roots of where his love of music began.

The decision of who to vote for comes down to a personal choice. The same goes for the decision whether or not to vote in the first place. People complain about disillusionment with candidates and government, a lack of interest in politics, or a disgust with the divisive nature of elections. Some Native voters view not voting as an act of decolonization. Research by the U.S. Census finds the turnout rate for Native voters is lower than the national average. More than a third of Native voters who are eligible are not registered. We’ll talk with voters about their decision to vote or not in the upcoming election. Are you voting this year? Email us why or why not to [email protected].

Matthew Fletcher, creator of the Turtle Talk blog and member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, uncovers the story on how the law has harmed Native people and shaped the policies that govern them today. His book “The Ghost Road: Anishinaabe Responses to Indian Hating” also offers an Anishinaabe take on how to push back against the inequality created by hate-rooted actions. We’ll hear more about it from the author and law professor on our October Book of the Month.

Traditionally, people over 65 years of age have the highest voting rates, so their issues are well represented in elections. But there are several initiatives to get young people to the polls, including registration drives and voter education. Those efforts may have paid off in the 2018 election when the U.S. Census reported a 79 percent increase in voters 18-29 years old. What are the issues that are important to young Native voters? We’ll talk with Native youth who have their eyes on the coming election about the issues that are important to them.

When domestic violence happens there’s a number of agencies involved including the justice system, police, and social service agencies. In St. Paul, Minnesota, a ten-year-old program called Blueprint for Safety focuses on making sure all of those agencies work together to get the victim help and hold the perpetrator responsible. And the program appears to be working, domestic violence calls are down by 45% since the program started according to the St. Paul Police Department. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In this hour we’ll hear from the St. Paul Police Department including a Native police officer, about how this program works and is seeing success.

COVID-19 isn’t the only infectious disease to be concerned about as the weather gets colder. Every year millions of people contract influenza and the common cold. Both are little more than an inconvenience for most people, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports thousands of people develop serious health complications. The CDC also says Native Americans are at a higher risk for developing serious problems from the flu. Pneumonia is among the most common and Native people are at a higher risk. We’ll talk about prevention and treatment.

The LANDBACK campaign calls out the social and political structures built on stolen land and advocates for returning land to Native nations. But it's much larger than that. Those behind the movement say it's also rooted in climate change solutions, global environmental stewardship and dissolving racial inequities. Momentum rose to the surface when Land Defenders greeted President Trump at his July 4 rally at Mt. Rushmore, calling for the federal government to return the Black Hills to Native control. Organizers hope to make #Landback a rallying cry for a brighter future.