Native America Calling

The president of the University of Arizona got an education of his own after insisting he had Native ancestry because of his “high cheek bones.” Robert C. Robbins was speaking to a class of Native students when he mentioned his online DNA test must be wrong because it did not show any Native heritage. He prefaced the remark by saying he didn’t want to “pull an Elizabeth Warren.” He’s since apologized, but many on campus are left wondering how those in the highest ranks of academia can still be so tone deaf. Native students are using the opportunity to elevate the conversation about making college campuses more welcoming.

Despite pervasive mistrust of the U.S. government, Native Americans are well represented in the military. A new documentary premiering on PBS, Warrior Tradition, examines the history of Native American military service and explores the reasons Native men and women enlist at higher rates than other populations. We’ll hear directly from veterans and also talk with those involved with the film.

Picking your own apples, tracing your dinner from farm to table and even touring gardens and vineyards are all elements of agritourism that some Native business owners are cashing in on. Tribes and individual farmers, agritourism is a way to build interest in the culture surrounding food while also satisfying the hunger people have for learning about food and connecting to it.

The methods and equipment have changed over the years, but trapping remains a practice with a long history for Native Americans. Experienced trappers see it as a viable option for sustenance and animal population management. The sport is highly-regulated to protect endangered animals and to ensure humane standards. We’ll hear about modern trapping and its connection to longstanding cultural practices.

Century-old recordings combined with state-of-the-art technology are giving some tribes new perspectives on their languages and songs. Wax cylinder recordings of songs and stories from the late 1800s took a roundabout journey and are now providing new insights for the Passamaquoddy tribe, which has few fluent speakers left. Many other tribes are also hearing the voices of their ancestors documented during the birth of analog recording but revived using technology perfected only recently.

Technical rock climbing is a sport for adrenaline junkies. It’s also a way to keep fit and enjoy the outdoors. But it also often comes up against concerns and sometimes outright prohibitions by tribes wanting to protect cultural resources. The Navajo Nation has a ban on rock climbing within its boundaries. We’ll hear from Native climbers about the benefits of climbing and the best practices for reaching new heights.

Tribes have an upcoming opportunity to secure wireless channels to dramatically increase the speed and coverage of broadband access. The federal government is giving tribes priority to bid on access within what’s known as the 2.5 GHz band spectrum. But the timeframe to submit applications is brief and some tribes are having trouble completing the complex process in time.

What organizers call the world’s largest celebration of Indigenous film, media and arts is wrapping up its 20th year in Toronto. This year’s line-up included nearly 130 films and video works, dozens of workshops and panel discussions and a week of Indigenous creativity. We’ll get highlights from the 2019 imagineNATIVE Festival and feature some of the up-and-coming artists.

What scares you? Some Native artists tap into the darker sides of creativity, focusing on graphics, films and fantasy fiction that explores ghouls, monsters and the paranormal. This Halloween, we’re celebrating the frightening side of Native art and imagination and talking to some Native artists about bringing horror to light.

Winnebago author Renya Ramirez offers a non-fiction narrative of her grandparents with “Standing up to Colonial Power: The Lives of Henry Roe and Elizabeth Bender Cloud.” Both of her relatives pushed back against settler colonialism to open a door for Native rights to break down oppression. From federal policy to the courts, these two individuals drew from their Native cultures to improve the lives of future generations and establish rightful authority over the systems that work against progress for Native Nations.