Native America Calling

Months of qualifier rounds are wrapping up, culminating in the Indian National Finals Rodeo. Hundreds of Native barrel racers, calf ropers, bull riders, and steer wrestlers converge at the South Point Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, Nev. to compete for the world champion spot. We’ll hear about who to watch and what’s ahead in professional rodeo sports.

Teachers, librarians, authors, and literary advocates are struggling to keep books about Native issues into public classrooms and libraries. That’s because of the increasing momentum by groups intent on removing any references, however vague, that they deem to promote racial diversity. Michigan’s Brandywine School District banned Laurel Goodluck’s children’s book Forever Cousins, an innocuous story about two Native relatives coping with living apart. We’ll get an updated list of banned Native books and what’s being done to get them in the hands of readers.

The current shortage of medical professionals is a public health crisis. And the most-often cited estimates on into the future predict it will only get worse. That’s a particular problem for Native Americans, a group with higher instances of dangerous physical and mental health conditions, many of which could be addressed with better access to health care. Several Native physicians and public health advocates are looking at ways to both recruit more medical professionals and train them on culturally-grounded methods to help improve Native patient outcomes and head off an even worse problem in the future.

Director Ken Burns recruited Native filmmakers, producers, and actors to help tell the story of the iconic Plains animal, the buffalo. The new PBS documentary The American Buffalo chronicles the history of the buffalo - from its sacred connection to tribes to its almost complete demise - and the contemporary work by tribes to restore herds descended from the survivors of the federal government’s efforts to eradicate them. We’ll hear from the show’s creators and tribal experts dedicated to reviving the important and once plentiful species.

More teachers and administrators are turning to trauma-informed practices in the classroom. Among other things it prioritizes communication over discipline in certain circumstances, like when students experienced violence, a major accident, or some other significant event that might cause them to act out. It could be among the tools educators use to address the disproportionate percentage of Native America students who are suspended or expelled, which could affect their overall success at school.

Most residents of North America will be able to witness at least a partial solar eclipse this weekend. The rare celestial event evokes a variety of reactions depending on tribal beliefs. Many Cherokees go outside and make noise to scare away the giant frog trying to eat the sun. The eclipse is an auspicious time of ceremony for Hopis. The Navajo Nation plans to close some tribal operations during the eclipse. We’ll shine a light on some of the tribal traditions for the upcoming eclipse.

Speaking a Native language is one thing. Reading and writing it often takes another level of effort and understanding, especially for adult language learners. To help keep languages thriving, Alaska is looking for ways to develop Native language standards in public schools. A number of other tribes utilize technology, adult classes and even games to promote their written languages.

In the coming U.S. Supreme Court session, justices will hear arguments against a law that prevents people with domestic violence restraining orders from possessing guns. Native advocates for domestic violence survivors are worried a decision in favor of gun owners will jeopardize the lives of women, who are, by far, the most frequent victims of domestic violence. For Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to mark the 29th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, we’ll find out what actions help—and hurt—potential domestic violence victims.

Young climate activists are zeroing in on environmental protections built into a handful of state constitutions as the basis for lawsuits to combat climate change. The Montana Supreme Court will soon hear the state’s appeal of a historic court decision that Montanans are entitled to a stable climate. A similar case is underway in Hawaii where Indigenous plaintiffs as young as 13 are suing to protect what they say is their constitutional right to healthy life and future. We’ll meet with climate activists about a new legal strategy in the face of growing concerns about the future.

Pawnee attorney John Echohawk is among those who initiated and nurtured the most important Indian law cases in modern history. Name a momentous case—the Boldt Decision, Cobell v. Salazar, Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe—and Echohawk played a major role in advocating for strong, fact-based representation, forever changing the legal landscape for Native Americans. It’s a role he continues as the executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, a group he founded.