Native America Calling

As Native students across the country get ready for graduation day, some will have to double-check school policy before adding traditional regalia when they accept their diplomas. Last month, Montana enacted a new law that ensures traditional tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies. It’s one of the bright spots in the yearly conflicts between Native students showing their Native pride and strict school administrators.

We’re moving our studio down the street to Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque so we can give you a taste of the 34th Gathering of Nations Powwow. This annual powwow is one of the largest in the world and it attracts thousands of Indigenous people and dancers from across Turtle Island. In this program, we’ll give you a snapshot of the events and hear from some of the participants.

Test your knowledge about our Native nations. We’re filling the hour with trivia about Native life—from history to current events to culture. It’s also a chance to boost your understanding of the different tribes that make up Native America.

“The Woman Who Married A Bear” by Standing Rock Sioux Nation author and poet Tiffany Midge is racking up awards including a recent 2017 Western Heritage Award. The book filled with poetry about Native identity and culture allows readers to celebrate both the simplicity and complexity of our emotions and relationships. Tiffany Midge is our March Book of the Month author.

High school graduation rates in New Mexico are up, with an average of 71 percent completing high school in four years. But the state Public Education Department lists Native American students as having a graduation rate of only 66 percent. We’ll continue our look at what it takes to help Native students succeed in school and graduate. With the help of the American Graduate public media initiative and New Mexico PBS program New Mexico in Focus, we’ll include a conversation about Native educators and stakeholders about exactly what it takes to help students cross the graduation finish line at a time when resources are increasingly scarce.

The organizers of the Rezilience Indigenous Arts Experience are back for another year of music, art and activities. The event focuses on the resilience of the Indigenous experience through a variety of expressions including a fashion show, live music, and even curated community conversations. It’s April 29th and 30th during the annual Gathering of Nations Powwow in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We’ll talk with the founder and some of the artists and performers about their experience and what “rezilience” means to them.

As we look toward Earth Day, we’ll review some of the major environmental stories affecting Indigenous people. We’ll talk with reporters about developments they’re covering on key issues from contaminated water on the Navajo Nation to environmental rights for Aboriginal Canadians.

We turn to Native poets to get us closer to the beauty of Mother Earth. From the rivers to the stars there is plenty to celebrate. If there is a poem you’d like to share with others on this special day of poetry we’re all ears. Make plans to join us and let the poetry loose. We continue Earth Day week exploring just how poetic our planet can get.

The state of Alaska just approved a key permit to begin work on a controversial copper, gold and silver mine. Native American groups have opposeed the Pebble Mine project since it was first proposed. Environmental organizations, commercial fishermen and others are also fighting it. The mine is planned for an area within the watershed for Bristol Bay, which is vital salmon habitat.

For reasons many environmental experts don’t exactly know, bee populations are shrinking. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently added a species of bumble bee to the Endangered Species List. Seven species of bees in Hawaii are also endangered. Some Native American beekeepers are doing what they can to lend bees a helping hand.