Native America Calling

Hawaiian music has roots as deep as the Native Hawaiian musicians that gracefully move through the notes—especially when it comes to slack-key guitar. This month we take the time to visit with Patrick Landeza (Native Hawaiian), an award-winning artist who uses this style of music to share not only his but his family’s story. His newest album “Nahe‘olu” is a melodic gift from his memories of growing up. We hope you can join us as we connect to these Native Hawaiian musical origins with our March Music Maker.

Two non-Native authors are enjoying reasonable success with Native American-themed works. Jason Aaron's comic series 'Scalped' is set on a fictional South Dakota reservation where tribal mobsters punish their enemies with violence the author depicts in graphic detail. TV network WGN picked it up for a possible TV series. And renowned Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling is under fire for appropriating Native American culture in her "History of Magic in North America" online story series. Are you fans of any of these works? Are you disappointed when respected writers try to portray Native American culture?

Forming glass from sand has ancient roots. But using glass in art is a relatively new medium for Native American artists. Those who work with glass turn traditional images, shapes, and ideas into sculpture that is as beautiful as it is fragile. The works take after traditional baskets, jars, totems and masks. A handful of Native American artists have mastered the process that involves forming molten glass into intricate patterns. We will talk to the artists about the joys and frustrations of working with glass to satisfy their inspiration.

What you think of first when you consider Native Americans and alcohol is probably wrong. A new study counters the stereotype of Native Americans abusing alcohol. In fact, the study by the University of Arizona found a far higher percentage of Native Americans abstained from alcohol over a period of time than the majority population. Does the study finally put to rest the popular portrayal of the drunken Indian? Do the findings line up with what you’re seeing in your community?

Artists tend to use the medium most available to them. As buffalo hides became scarce in the late 19th Century, Plains tribes resorted to drawing on the next-most abundant material: paper from accounting books. Artists drew pictographs of important events sometimes overtop lined paper and hand-written debits and credits of a local business. The style became known as ledger art. Now, a new generation of ledger artists are reviving the art form. Notable examples of ledger art are part of a new exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

The only two Native American members of Congress belong to the Republican Party. Is that any indication of the types of politicians Native American voters prefer? In the next show in our series looking at political parties, we talk to the Republicans. It's traditionally the party of small government, limited business regulation and family values. Famous Republicans include Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. Where do Republicans stand on Native issues like self-determination, the environment and honoring the trust responsibility? What does the Republican Party have to offer Native Americans? What can Republican candidates do to get your vote?

More than two dozen tribes have nearly $6 million in new funding from HUD to help Native American homeless veterans. It’s a promising development to help a prevailing problem on reservations and in urban areas. Some tribes are getting as much as $142,000. They estimate the new influx of cash will help a total of 500 veterans who don’t have a roof over their heads. But already there are some complaints about bureaucracy interfering with the process. Which tribes are having the most success helping homeless veterans? And what challenges remain helping the men and women who have served in the military?

Flint, Michigan captured the nation’s attention when its municipal water was deemed unsafe to drink. The city’s average levels of lead are twice the recommended Environmental Protection Agency standards. While Flint deals with its crisis, Native America has its own on-going water problems. The EPA estimates 13 percent of Native American and Alaska Native homes lack safe drinking water or adequate wastewater disposal. Is the water in your community safe to drink? How do we make sure clean drinking water is available to everyone?

Native identity can be as unique and complex as the hundreds of Indigenous nations that live in North America. The book “Indigenous Intellectuals: Sovereignty, Citizenship, and the American Imagination, 1880-1930” aims to help decode some of that complexity. It’s also a critical look at our Native standing in the United States. We’ll get a close-up on why this discussion matters in modern discourses on Native identity. We hope you can join us for our March Book of the Month with Dakota/Apache author Kiara Vigil.

Sexual assault is an ongoing problem for girls and women. At the same time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds 1 in 71 men report being victims of rape at some time in their lives. Nearly 28 percent of those say they became victims when they were 10 years old or younger. What challenges do Native men and boys face as victims of sexual assault? And is it time to talk about it and raise awareness?