Native America Calling

There’s a push on to rescind the official honors bestowed on members of the 7th Calvary Regiment for their roles in the Wounded Knee Massacre. Ironically, it was a tweet by President Donald Trump that prompted the latest effort to take back the 20 Medals of Honor given after the infamous 1890 attack that killed hundreds of Lakota men, women and children. We’ll hear from Wounded Knee descendants and other stakeholders about how an accurate portrayal of history informs what the federal government considers an ‘honor’.

Rural villages in Alaska are in a public safety crisis. One in three communities in Alaska have no local law enforcement, according to an investigation by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica. In some areas, crime victims—often Alaska Natives—must wait hours or even days for officers to respond. In some cases, residents are forced to apprehend people who pose a threat to the public. U.S. Attorney General William Barr declared an emergency, making $10 million of federal money available to boost rural law enforcement. The same day, Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed $3 million in spending for Village Public Safety Officer positions. In this hour we’ll look into law enforcement in Alaska and what solutions might help.

All Indian Health Service facilities are drafting action plans for patients to seek medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction. That’s significant because it could mean more IHS patients would have access to methadone, Subutex and other drugs that are showing some promise in combination with behavioral therapy. IHS Principal Deputy Director Michael D. Weahkee set a December deadline for the plans. We’ll talk with doctors as well as people in addiction recovery about treating opioid addiction with medication.

Marching bands have a place beyond football halftime shows. Native bands like the Navajo Nation Band and A:Shiwi A:Wan Band are community traditions that appeal to crowds at parades and summer community events. Some Native marching bands also offer a musical outlet for adult musicians, some of whom have participated in their community band for decades. We recognize Native marching bands and their years of providing community entertainment.

From a sense of urgency to a desire to connect with your culture, there are many reasons to start learning your tribal language. In this hour, we’ll talk with a few different individuals who are learning or teaching their Native languages. In this encore show (no live callers) we’ll hear why they chose to make the effort and the challenges they face along the way.

Plants such as sage, sweetgrass, and cedar are important for ceremonies and prayer. They’re also readily available online and even at chain stores, marketed as methods to reduce negative energy or for some vague DIY cleansing ritual. Non-Native people are buying them with little information about what they actually do or how they’re used. Some Native people say some natural medicines are getting harder to find. There’s at least one instance of illegal sage harvesting in California. We’ll discuss the traditional roles and uses of Native medicines and find out if there’s a way to get the message across to those who think such ceremonies are open for anyone.

It took three years and $92 million. Almost 1,500 family members and survivors testified. Canada’s National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls concluded the disproportionate violence against Native women, girls and the LGBTQ2 population amounts to genocide. The commission that prepared the report offered 231 suggestions to remedy the disparities, including creating a national action plan and task force to address unsolved cases. Members of the commission presented the report to Canada’s prime minister during a solemn ceremony this month. We will look into the final report and determine what lessons other nations might learn from it.

Fort Sill, a military post in Oklahoma used to imprison Apaches in the 1860s, is slated to house hundreds of undocumented children. Fort Sill is notably the place where Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo died as a prisoner of war. It was also an internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II. Native American and advocacy groups condemn the treatment of migrant children, some of whom are already being housed away from their families in substandard conditions. They also note the troubling ties between the historical blunders and current detentions. We’ll learn what’s known about migrants and asylum seekers in U.S. custody and the policies and conditions that led us here.

A high school class in Yellow Springs, Ohio cancelled a planned debate on whether Native mascots are offensive after a Native parent spoke out. We’ll hear from the parent who told the school the debate is over and the argument is only about how much harm such a discussion causes. We’ll also catch up with the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Robert Wilkie, about new rules designed to improve access and streamline services for Native veterans. Those stories and more are on our news roundup.

Murray Porter is a Juno Award winning artist and we’ll visit with him about his newest album “STAND UP.” It’s charged with what the Mohawk musician calls a “velvet growl.” But it also has exhilarating blues beats sprinkled with fruitful piano rhythms. The songs take on heavy issues like Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, suicide and the right to clean water. He’s packed some love stingers into the mix too.