Native America Calling

The lingering American perception of Pocahontas is some form of the Disney film version: a tribal chief’s daughter bravely steps in to save Jamestown settler John Smith from a grisly execution by his Indigenous captors. There is little to no evidence any of that happened. Pocahontas is currently making headlines because England is devoting a considerable amount of attention to the 400th anniversary of her death. She spent her final years in the European country after marrying an English man. In addition, President Donald Trump uses her name as an insult against a political foe. The American East Coast tribes that claim her, meanwhile, have no special recognition of Pocahontas. Will the general public ever really learn the truth about Pocahontas? Historians and tribal members help us update our portrait of Pocahontas’ life.

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch has a long history of hearing cases involving Indian Country. We’ll explore what his nomination could mean for the Supreme Court. The FBI raided the Eastern Band of Cherokee Housing Authority as part of a fraud investigation. The tribal chief is enduring calls for his impeachment. And we’ll get the latest on the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline, on our news round-up.

The Native American Youth Empowerment Symposium aims to get young Native people thinking about finances and business. At this year’s gathering in New Mexico, Native youth get the chance to network, apply for scholarships and learn from seasoned entrepreneurs. The goal is to provide tools to young people to be leaders in their Native communities. We’ll hear more about the symposium and some reasons for starting early to build business success.

Her voice was a frequent back-up to stars like Eric Clapton, Leon Russel and Stephen Stills. Grammy Award-winning Cherokee singer and songwriter Rita Coolidge also had solo hits like “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher” and “We’re All Alone.” In this encore show, we hear about Coolidge's memoir, "Delta Lady", that recalls her days with the icons of music. Coolidge relives her memories as a sought-after singer and muse in the L.A. music scene.

One school on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota puts a focus on culturally based education and it might be getting results. From sugar bushing to round dance competitions, cultural practices are part of the educational process. Overall, only 56 percent of American Indian students graduated on time in Minnesota in 2015, according to the Minnesota Department of Education. The average is 84 percent. In this continuation of our collaboration with the American Graduate initiative, we’ll talk with educators from the White Earth Reservation about their approach and what they’re seeing.

The Donald Trump administration’s budget blueprint suggests serious cuts to education, programs for the poor and health care while increasing funding for the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs. The proposed budget, called America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again, is a limited snapshot of what the president aims to cut and bolster. But it does give us a glimpse into the administration’s priorities. We’ll talk with some experts about how Native America might be affected if Congress passes the president’s wish list.

A Montana radio host suggested Native American basketball players should host their own tournament because the players are “unruly.” Also in Montana, Native basketball fans say they couldn’t claim their seats at a game until the white people were seated first. The problem isn’t limited to the U.S. At a forum organized by the CBC, one Cree woman said concert security assumed she was the source of other fans’ complaints about an intoxicated person being belligerent. The problem turned out to be a white man sitting nearby. She was sober. Are anecdotes about racism increasing, or are they just par for the course?

Opaskwayak Cree Nation singer Rhonda Head’s latest CD “Kisahkihitan” stems from her passion for classical music. The Cree language title of the album translates to “I love you”. And there is plenty of love in the way Rhonda sings her own compositions. She says a lot of inspiration for these songs comes from the landscape of her First Nation. Join our conversation with the mezzo-soprano recording artist about her love of music and how it helped her triumph over adversity.

Fortunately, HIV and AIDS rates remain lower for Native Americans than for some other groups. One exception: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in a 2011 study that Native injected drug users experience the highest rates of HIV infections than any other demographic. National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is this week. The theme is “Unity in CommUnity, Stand Strong to Prevent HIV.” We’ll hear more about community efforts to prevent HIV.

It’s a confusing time for the marijuana legalization movement. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have decriminalized small amounts of marijuana use. But the federal government maintains its criminal designation. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently said that heroin is only “slightly worse” than marijuana. For tribes getting into the business, confusion around pot legality is just as murky. The “Cole Memo” appeared to provide a green light for tribes in states that legalized recreational use. But there a few high profile setbacks. We’ll hear from operators with big plans as well as the first tribe in the U.S. to open a legal marijuana business.