Native America Calling

Crews have completed demolition of one dam on the lower portion of the Klamath River along the Oregon-California border. It's a major milestone in the area's tribes' efforts to restore salmon, traditionally the primary food source for tribes in the area. At least four Indigenous chefs released cookbooks in 2023, helping change the narrative and methods around traditional dishes. Those are two of the Indigenous food highlights we'll feature the latest helping of The Menu, our regular feature on Indigenous food and food sovereignty hosted by producer and resident foodie Andi Murphy.

How much do you know (and remember) about Native people and events from 2023? Now is the chance to test your knowledge of things you might have heard about by listening to Native America Calling over the past year. What name was Buffy Sainte-Marie given at birth? Which justices dissented in the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision on ICWA? Name a river in California where dams are being demolished to benefit salmon. Those are the types of trivia questions related to Native issues that callers can answer and have a chance to compete for one of three prizes.

What changes would you make if you were in position of authority? Now is your chance to say what you would change if you were president, chairman, or even king. Would you ban all gas-powered cars? Would you own up to all the promises from past treaties with tribes? Would you require all schools to teach at least one Indigenous language? We’ll get ideas from our audience and a few invited guests on what they would do if they had the power to change things.

Jerry Chris Elliott-High Eagle (Cherokee, Osage) joined NASA as a young engineer before astronauts ever made it to the moon. Eventually, among other things, he was a member of the team that devised real-time solutions to bring the crew of the hobbled Apollo 13 safely back to Earth, an accomplishment that earned him a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He’s a musician, writer, inventor, and social justice advocate. He was instrumental in establishing the first national Native American Awareness Week and was a founder of the science education organization, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. We’ll hear from Elliott-High Eagle about what it takes to succeed in the face of adversity.

The increase in unprecedented damage from wildfires knows no boundaries and International Indigenous fire management experts see global participation as a solution. At the heart of their work is recognition that climate change is a major contributing factor.  They’re bringing traditional fire knowledge to a new generation who are inheriting some of the worst conditions for destructive wildfires in history. We’ll talk with some of those gathered for this year’s Indigenous Peoples Burning Workshop, in this encore episode of Native America Calling (no calls, please).

What music from 2023 is on repeat in your Native playlist? We’ll get recommendations from Native artists and others with their ears to the ground about this year’s new releases from veteran artists and up-and-comers, spanning genres, tribes, and styles.

The aurora borealis is more than just a dazzling natural light show for those lucky enough to see it. The northern lights are also a cultural touchstone handed down over millennia. Some tribes understand the Northern Lights as a message from the ancestors. At the same time Native astrophysicists are working to view the phenomenon with both modern scientific and traditional knowledge.

A federal appeals court ruling is prompting a review of some previous decisions in favor of tribes seeking redistricting or ballot access changes. The recent decision by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals limits who can sue under the landmark Voting Rights Act. We’ll check on selected access and redistricting cases, including a redistricting case involving North Dakota tribes and a ballot drop-box initiative in Arizona, that indicate how Native voting access could change.

The Dadiwonsi Adult Language Program in North Carolina just welcomed its first graduates in the Cherokee Language. The program is part of an extensive network to develop new fluent Cherokee speakers on and around the Qualla Boundary. And a translation effort hopes to connect modern Cherokees with past culture keepers, Inoli and Will West Long.

This year we said goodbye to Reservation Dogs, but welcomed a trailblazing new Native character in the Marvel franchise. A talented actress brought a tragic tale of greed and murder on the Osage Nation to the big screen and a poignant coming of age story set on the Navajo Nation is a streaming darling. We’ll recall the highlights of the Native stories that connected with audiences in 2023.