Native America Calling

A Native pride campaign this week encourages people to wear their traditional moccasins. The Rock Your Mocs idea is meant to spread awareness of Native cultures by sparking conversations. We take you to several Native communities to find out how different moccasins are made and what they mean to those who wear them. Are you wearing your moccasins?

Native veterans are our honored warriors. But they still face high rates of homelessness and health challenges. How can federal and tribal veteran’s programs improve the services to veterans? We’ll also get an update on the National Museum of the American Indian’s National Native American Veterans Memorial in the works. How do you honor the veterans in your life?

Native children have the highest obesity rates of any other group. There has been some progress in recent years. But a Journal of the American Medical Association study found in 2010 that obesity declined for all groups except Native American children. The NB3 Foundation is organizing a National Day of Native Youth Health and Fitness on November 13th. What kind of conversations should we be having with our kids about staying fit and healthy?

The results are in. This is a historic year with the first female nominated to a major political party and the surprising rise of businessman and reality TV star Donald J. Trump. We’ll talk with experts about the results of the election and what it means for our Native Nations. We’ll also get a report on the victories and setbacks for Native American candidates. What did this year’s election mean for you?

The election is here! It’s time to celebrate the end of political ads. But first, let’s give a final shout-out to the candidates and political causes. We’re giving you an opportunity to share your voting ballot. We’ll get perspectives from all sides about who people voted for in the presidential election and in local and tribal races. Did you vote early? Did you have any problems at the polls? Or did you choose to sit this one out? On this historic Election Day, our phone lines are open for you.

Instead of studying business, engineering or history, many Native students pursue degrees in Native American Studies. Depending on where you go, the programs offer perspectives on treaties, wars, culture and the arts. But where does the degree lead? How do you know if it will be right for you? Students and instructors of Native American Studies programs weigh in on how and where the right program might fit in.

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker set out to bust some of the most common myths about Native nations. Each chapter of “All the Real Indians Died Off” takes on different issues that have had negative effects on Native life and at times have posed to present Native Americans and Alaska Natives as invisible people in the collective conciseness. We sit with these two authors to hear more about their journey to create more understanding of Native peoples.

A recent law in California prohibits the sale of ivory which may have an effect on Alaska Native artists that use walrus ivory. The Marine Mammal Act of 1972 allows the interstate sale of walrus ivory crafts if they are made by Alaska Natives. But the law in California creates confusion about the legality of walrus ivory. We’ll talk with artists and advocates about why the law needs clarification.

Bullies can make life miserable for children and adults. For the victims, the negative effects of bullying, like anxiety and depression, can last a lifetime. And cyber bullies sometimes do damage anonymously on social media and a variety of other ways. How should children and adults deal with cyber bullying?

Win or lose, two baseball teams got more high level national attention during the World Series than either has had in a long time. The Cleveland Indians hadn’t been in a World Series in 19 years. Their appearance in baseball’s biggest event brought new attention to another aspect of their organization: a name and logo that many people find offensive. Will the momentum of these monumental games dampen or help efforts to change the name? Where do stand on Chief Wahoo?