Native America Calling

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.

Since time immemorial, the Kuskokwim River in Southwest Alaska has fed Native families. Now, after years of failed salmon runs, Native families are confronting the potential loss of this vital resource. At the same time they are caught in the middle of a legal battle between the federal government and the state over how best to manage fishing in rivers that flow through both jurisdictions. The Alaska Federation of Natives just joined several tribal groups, taking he federal government’s side in the fight. We’ll look at what’s at stake for Alaska Native residents in this latest chapter in the evolving fight over subsistence fishing.

A non-Native woman in Alaska refuses to abide by a tribal court order to turn an Alaska Native foster child over to the girl’s family members. It’s a blatant disregard of tribal sovereignty even after a notable re-affirmation of the Indian Child Welfare Act by the U.S. Supreme Court. The woman took custody of the child, named Chanel, at the request of the girl’s father, right before he was convicted of murdering Chanel’s mother during a domestic dispute. We’ll look at that case, as well as efforts to bolster ICWA compliance elsewhere.

You never know what spirits you might summon when you whistle in the darkness. A new anthology Never Whistle At Night includes a story by Mi'kmaq writer Tiffany Morris, who also has a horror novella Green Fuse Burning, released on Halloween.

Moving through all four seasons, Yurok homecook Sara Calvosa Olson tells a compassionate story about the flavors and food of her tribe through her new debut cookbook Chími Nu’am. Menominee chef Jessica Pamonicutt’s catering company Ketapanen Kitchen will be getting a lot of visibility as a member of this year’s Chicago Bears Small Business All-Pros Team. And part of Minneapolis American Indian Center’s reconstruction is a totally revamped Gatherings Café with a new executive chef Vernon DeFoe (Red Cliff). It's all part of The Menu, our regular feature on Indigenous food and food sovereignty produced and hosted by Andi Murphy (Diné).

One way Indigenous cultures keep kids in line is with frightening traditional stories that have a moral or practical lesson. They include tales of children being dragged underwater for wandering too close to the sea or getting haunted by bad spirits if they don’t respect their parents. We’re gathering around the microphone, turning off the lights, and listening to spooky stories from Cherokee, Muskogee, Inuit, and other storytellers, with special guest host Alyssa Yáx̱ Ádi Yádi London.

Renowned director Martin Scorsese’s vision for the new movie, “Killers of the Flower Moon”, changed early in the production. He said he realized he wanted to be more respectful of the Osage Nation and its people in telling the dark period in their history. He brought on Osage consultants and Native talent throughout all aspects of the production from the script to the wardrobe. We’ll get perspectives on how this painful history was handled on screen.

This month marks 220 years since the ratification of the Louisiana Purchase. In one fell swoop, the United States doubled in size, adding much of the land between the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. It was also the moment when colonial powers embraced the momentum of westward expansion that ushered in Manifest Destiny, the Indian Removal Act, and other actions that favored European settlement at the expense of the land’s original inhabitants.

GUESTS

Patty Ferguson Bonhee (Pointe-au-Chien), director of the Indian Legal Clinic and Clinical Professor of Law at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University

Dr. Laura Kelley, professor of history at Tulane University

Jonathan Rohrer, tribal historic preservation officer for the Caddo Nation

Space explorers, hip-hop musicians, artists, and housing activists are among the diverse list of characters who make up season two of the PBS series “Native America”. The four-part season builds on the original series from 2018. Native filmmakers guide viewers on an inspiring and poignant exploration of modern Native life and its connection to traditions and stories from time immemorial. We’ll hear from the producers and others involved in bringing the shows to life.

GUESTS

Pam Belgarde (Turtle Mountain Band of Anishinaabe), producer of "Native America"

Charles ‘Boots’ Kennedye (Kiowa), producer of "Native America"

Gary Glassman, executive producer of "Native America"

Tribes are getting their applications in for funds from the second round of the Biden Administration’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. Altogether the federal government is sinking almost $3 billion into tribal connectivity projects. From Starlink connections in Alaska to community Wi-Fi hubs in Kansas, almost 200 tribes received grants to put them on the cusp of high-speed internet infrastructure, some of them for the first time ever. We’ll hear from some tribes about what the money is paying for and how long before they see dividends toward bridging the digital divide.