Native America Calling

Three Alaska Native tribes filed a lawsuit to stop a controversial gold mining operation east of Nome. The tribes say a permit just granted by the U.S. Corps of Engineers will allow the destruction of salmon habitat and other important environmental elements in a pristine estuary. The mining process involves extracting ore from material dredged from river and ocean beds.

On the other side of the state, residents of Wrangell are concerned about a gold mine just over the border in Canada. A new report finds heavy metals in groundwater on the Alaska side.

GUESTS

Esther Aaltséen Reese (Tlingit), tribal administrator for the Wrangell Cooperative Association and president of the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission

Deilah Johnson (Iñupiaq), tribal resources director and council member for the Village of Solomon

Stephanie Barclay, professor of law at Georgetown Law School

Vanessa Nosie (San Carlos Apache), member of Apache Stronghold

Break 1 Music: They Sing to Each Other (song) Pamyua (artist) Side A Side B (album)

Break 2 Music: Butterfly Clouds (song) Clark Tenakhongva (artist) Su’Vu’Yo’Yungw (album)

David A. Robertson (Norway House Cree Nation) gives us 52 practical suggestions — one for each week of the year — to support and connect with Indigenous people. 52 Ways to Reconcile lists tasks as simple and enjoyable as making Bannock, to as challenging as taking personal action toward reconciliation.

Matthew Fletcher (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians) has devoted himself to the legal profession, becoming one of the most respected experts in Indian Law. In his spare time he has written and published a collection of fictional short stories, Stick Houses. He draws from his own observations and stories from his family to illustrate the lives of modern Native Americans.

We’ll add Matthew Fletcher’s Stick Houses, and David A. Robertson’s 52 Ways to Reconcile to the Native Bookshelf.

Break 1 Music: Bad Indian (song) Dead Pioneers (artist) Dead Pioneers (album)

Break 2 Music: Butterfly Clouds (song) Clark Tenakhongva (artist) Su’Vu’Yo’Yungw (album)

President Donald Trump’s proposed spending plan, dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” would cut about $300 billion from the program that provides food to low-income residents. If it survives Congress intact, thousands of Native people will lose eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Tribes and conservation groups worry the Trump administration’s push for expanded logging of federal land poses a threat to Indigenous foods, like salmon.

Nicole Livingston is one of a handful of students who graduated this semester from the only tribal college culinary arts program at Navajo Technical University. She’s off to an internship at the country’s most renown Indigenous restaurant: Owamni by the Sioux Chef.

We’ll talk about these topics on The Menu, our regular feature on Indigenous food sovereignty hosted by Andi Murphy.

GUESTS

Kelli Case (Chickasaw), staff attorney at the Indigenous Food & Agriculture Initiative

Brian Tatsukawa, culinary arts instructor at Navajo Technical University

Nicole Livingston (Diné), culinary arts program graduate at Navajo Technical University

Erik Holt (Nez Perce), chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe Fish and Wildlife Commission

Break 1 Music: BALDH3AD! (song) Theia (artist)

Break 2 Music: Medicine Man (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

Tornados and other severe storms that stretched across three states killed nearly 30 people this month. Before that, storms left at least 37 people dead and damaged hundreds of homes. Early warnings are key to saving lives during tornados and other damaging weather events. We’ll talk with people who are part of the process to spot severe weather and get the word out when minutes save lives.

GUESTS

Sequoyah Quinton (Cherokee), storm tracker with KOTV News Channel 6

Jeff Robbins (Cherokee), storm chaser with KTUL News Channel 8

Chris Nunley (Choctaw), professor at Mississippi State University, meteorologist, and emergency management coordinator for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Brian Brashier, meteorologist and director of broadcast productions for the Chickasaw Nation

Break 1 Music: Rumble [Remastered] (song) Link Wray (artist) Rumble [Remastered] (single)

Break 2 Music: Medicine Man (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

The 3,300-member Chinook Tribe in Washington State just scrapped their support of legislation for federal recognition tribal leaders had been working on for more than two years. The rejection comes after the key author of the bill added a series of onerous conditions at the last minute. A handful of other tribes around the country are working through the long, complicated process to secure recognition. Meanwhile, efforts to follow through on President Donald Trump’s promise of federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe is encountering criticism from other tribes who say the process ignores important considerations that most other tribes have to contend with. We’ll get status updates on tribes awaiting federal recognition.

GUESTS

Sam Robinson, vice chairman of the Chinook Indian Nation

John Lowery, chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

Robert Brevelle (Adai Caddo Indian Nation), Tribal Councilman At-Large

Break 1 Music: Lost and Found [Feat. Shannon Thunderbird] (song) Sultans of String (artist)

Break 2 Music: Medicine Man (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

The Trump administration cut a quarter of the staff at Haskell Indian Nations University in February. A little over a month later a judge reinstated those positions. Even though the jobs at Haskell and other Bureau of Indian Education schools were restored, uncertainty over the future of those institutions prevails. Similar anxiety accompanies dozens of other important programs and institutions including libraries, museums, low-income heat assistance, and Medicaid. We’ll get updates from places feeling the effects of fast-changing federal support.

GUESTS

Shaun Griswold (Laguna, Zuni, and Jemez), correspondent at High Country News

Danelle Springer (Comanche), legislative associate for American Indian Higher Education Consortium

Aziza Smith (Eastern Shoshone), senior at Haskell Indian Nations University

Roberta Turner, social services supervisor at Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Na’ini Family and Social Services

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Listen to an extended interview with Sen. Lisa Murkowski here:

Break 1 Music: On the Road Missing Home (Corn Dance) (song) Sheldon Sundown (artist) Hand Drum/Smoke N’ Round Dance (album)

Break 2 Music: Medicine Man (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

More than 42,000 Native Americans served in the military during the Vietnam War, the vast majority as volunteers. They faced racist and stereotypical taunts from fellow service members. After their service, veterans suffered psychological and emotional trauma at a higher rate than other populations. As the nation marks 50 years since the fall of Saigon and the end of the war, we’ll hear from Native Vietnam veterans about what the conflict means to them now. This is an encore show so we won’t be taking live calls from listeners.

GUESTS

Frank Sewell (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and Creek), Vietnam War veteran

Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes), artist and Vietnam War Marine veteran

Rachelle Pablo (Diné), museum specialist for the National Native American Veterans Memorial at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

Francis Whitebird (Rosebud Sioux Tribe), Army Vietnam War veteran

Allen Hoe (Native Hawaiian), attorney and Vietnam veteran

Break 1 Music: Flag Song (song) Black Lodge (artist) Veteran’s Honor Song (album)

Break 2 Music: Crow Push Dance Song (song) Authentic Native American Music (artist) Authentic Native American Music (album)

On the eve of the five-year commemoration of George Floyd’s death, the Trump administration is withdrawing Department of Justice (DOJ) oversight for police departments in Minneapolis, Phoenix, Louisville, and other cities where the DOJ previously found civil rights violations against Native Americans and other people of color. Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer prompted global calls for accountability for long standing inequities. Now, Native American racial justice advocates say any progress toward improving unbalanced treatment by law enforcement agencies is stalled, at best. We’ll assess the direction of racial equity in the criminal justice system over the five years since George Floyd’s high-profile death.

GUESTS

Mary LaGarde (White Earth Band of Ojibwe), executive director of Minneapolis Indian Center

Yohuru Williams, distinguished university chair and professor of history and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas

Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs (Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians), program director for Racial Justice at the Minnesota Council of Churches

Break 1 Music: Oshki Manitou (song) Chuck Copenace (artist) Oshki Manitou (album)

Break 2 Music: BALDH3AD! (song) Theia (artist)

The federal government is poised to open up an extra 112 million acres of land to cover what Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins labels an “emergency”. Tribes concerned about sacred places, wildlife habitat, and conservation complain they were left out of the decision-making process to get here. And while there’s potentially opportunities for tribes that look to logging for economic development, many worry about how the expedited federal push will affect the market for timber. We’ll talk with experts from the timber industry about balancing production, land management, and economics.

GUESTS

John Awonohopay (Menominee), Menominee Tribal Enterprise sales manager

Cody Desautel (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), president of the Intertribal Timber Council and the executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

Tim Miller, director of forestry for the Grand Portage Tribe Forestry and Fire Management Department and treasurer of the Intertribal Timber Council

Break 1 Music: Edge of The Rez, Part 2 (song) The Blue Stone Project (artist) Blue Stone (album)

Break 2 Music: BALDH3AD! (song) Theia (artist)

One out of every ten children in Oklahoma’s foster care system are Cherokee citizens. Cherokee leadership’s message for National Foster Care Awareness Month is that Native foster parents are vital to finding solutions that work best for Native children. The Cherokee Nation is among the many tribes working to build a strong system of support for foster children and foster parents. The effort comes as many Native child advocates warn of a potential increase in need as federal social service programs are disappearing.

GUESTS

Stephanie Benally (Navajo), Native American specialist for Utah Foster Care

Sally Wilson (Cherokee Nation), senior director for Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare

Gaynell Realbird (Shoshone Bannock and Blackfeet), board member for the Mountain Shadow Association

David Simmons, director of government affairs and advocacy for the National Indian Child Welfare Association

Break 1 Music: Generations (song) P. Town Boyz (artist) P. Town Boyz (album)

Break 2 Music: BALDH3AD! (song) Theia (artist)