Native America Calling

Polar bears have a strong cultural significance for Alaska Natives and Indigenous people of the Arctic. They’re a food source and are included in traditional stories throughout Alaska and northern Canada. They are the top predator in their food web. Now they are listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Melting ice caused by climate change is changing polar bear habitat, forcing them away from their main method for gathering food. As a symbol of climate change, they’re in the middle of debates over natural resources and climate change policy. We continue our series on the cultural and environmental importance of animals with a look at polar bears, their relationship to Indigenous people and their struggle for survival.

We’re turning the pages of a different kind of work that’s aimed at building Native identity and language. The “Native California Flash Cards: For Culture and Language Learning” come from the creative minds of artist Lyn Risling (Karuk/Yurok/Hupa) and writer and artist Analisa Tripp (Karuk). They are a tool that could inspire a deeper understanding of California Native culture through illustrations of people, plants, animals and designs. Each card has space for instructors to write the word for those illustrations in their own language.

The Native Services arm of the Boys & Girls Club of America is rethinking how it’s reaching out to help young people so they, in turn, can help out in their communities. Ordinarily they promote healthy choices, support students and provide programs to help youth succeed. Since so many of their efforts rely on in-person group programs, organizers are restructuring to reach young people virtually to also reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Native Services has about a dozen chapters nationwide that offer culturally-appropriate programs that build social, emotional, intellectual and physical capacity in the communities they serve.

“Reconciliation is dead.” That’s the message from Canadian broadcaster and artist Jesse Wente (Serpent River First Nation) in a commentary about the Coastal GasLink pipeline protests. While his comments might seem controversial, he often speaks his mind directly in a sea of “Canada nice.” In this hour we’ll talk with him about his career as a broadcaster, film curator and his role as director of the Indigenous Screen Office. (This is an encore show from March 12, 2020).

The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered every major public event that serves as an outlet for Native artists and craftspeople. Some, like the Santa Fe Indian Market, are among the single most lucrative events for many artists. Some are relying on online or social media sales to make a living in the meantime. We’ll check in with how Native artists are responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kanaka Oiwi singer Hāwane Rios is weaving her upbringing of traditional hula and chant into her latest release “Kū Kia´í Mauna - Together We Rise.” It features songs that reflect her love and connection to the land. Her time standing up for the protection of Mauna Kea has inspired her compositions.

The coronavirus pandemic is putting barriers between family members and their grief over loved ones who have walked on. Families often can’t be with their relatives in the last hours of their lives because of the increased coronavirus threat. In addition, bans on public gatherings hinder funerals and traditional tribal practices to send off relatives. We’ll hear from those helping others cope with loss. And we’ll talk with friends and family members confronting the inability to express their grief in the way they’ve come to expect.

Home gardening is enjoying renewed growth. It may have started with fears of food shortages and limited access to grocery stores. But it’s also a satisfying outlet for people stuck at home running out of Netflix options. Whether it’s a monster waffle garden with corn, beans and zucchini, or nursing one small tomato plant through the season, there is a garden for just about everybody. We’ll talk with seasoned gardeners about how to put together a garden to fit your lifestyle.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and leaders of the Cheyenne River Sioux and Oglala Sioux tribes remain in a verbal and legal standoff. The governor demands tribal leaders remove coronavirus checkpoints on roads into tribal land. Cheyenne River Chairman Harold Frazier insists the checkpoints are legal and necessary to protect citizens on the reservation. Elsewhere, tribal leaders and health officials also continue to try and find the right balance between public safety and economic survival.

Graduation time this year comes with a moratorium on public gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But high school and college seniors are not letting social distancing keep them from celebrating their educational accomplishments. Social media and family gatherings are among the ways the Native senior class of 2020 is marking the occasion.