Native America Calling

Bylines for Native women are increasingly showing up in newspapers and in TV news, adding an important perspective for general readers and viewers. Once virtually absent in mainstream newsrooms, Native women are reporting on hard-hitting political issues and are often driving the narrative on issues important for all Native people. They are winning awards and recognition from established news sources.

Basket designs, rug patterns, tribal images, and corn illustrations are all among the graphics many Indigenous tattoo wearers display. Some traditional images date back to tribal origin stories. Tribal members are embracing a revival of tattoo images handed down through the generations—some were all but lost because the practice fell out of fashion. We’ll hear about how Indigenous tattoo artists are reviving and perfecting their tattoo traditions.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians citizens overwhelmingly voted in favor of allowing recreational cannabis use on the tribe’s reservation. If approved by the tribal council, the Qualla Boundary could be positioned as the only location for legal marijuana sales in the southeastern United States. Supporters say it is necessary to diversify a tribal economy heavily dependent on gaming. But they’ll have to persevere against opposition including some tribal officials and at least one North Carolina congressman who proposes withholding public funds from tribes that utilize their sovereign right to sell cannabis.

A man opened fire on a group in New Mexico protesting a decision to re-install a statue many of the state’s Native Americans consider offensive. Police say the man wore a red MAGA hat and posted pro-Trump statements on social media. Ryan David Martinez is charged with attempted murder after one person was wounded in the shooting. Witnesses report he tried to antagonize the protestors beforehand. It’s the second time someone opened fire in the state during protests over controversial monuments. And it’s the latest in a growing series of shootings and other violence against protestors. We’ll hear from activists about the growing challenges to peaceful protests over racial issues.

Henry Boucha (Ojibwe) served as an inspiration for many Native hockey athletes and fans. He was a star high school athlete who went on to become a member of the silver medal-winning U.S. ice hockey team in the 1972 Winter Olympics. He also played for the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars and the Detroit Red Wings. A debilitating eye injury cut his playing career short. Off the ice, he worked as an advocate for better Native representation in sports. We’ll get insights about Henry Boucha’s sports legacy with relatives and others.

After three seasons, the hit FX series Reservation Dogs has come to an end after its finale dropped on Wednesday. It combined entertaining writing and characters, with rich Native representation in front of and behind the cameras. We’ll miss Bear, Willie Jack, Elora, and Cheese. In this program, we’ll recap hilarious and important scenes and episodes - and discuss how this show sets the bar for Native comedy TV higher than it’s ever been before.

Diné farmer and father Zac Ben is busy harvesting and processing corn from his farm in Shiprock, N.M. to make baby food, the product of his company Bidii Baby Foods. Citizen Potawatomi chef Loretta Barrett Oden’s new cookbook Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine features recipes and ingredients she’s gathered from her culinary start in Santa Fe to her current post at Thirty Nine Restaurant in the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. And we’ll explore the contributions Hispanic traditional foods have made to American and Native American cuisine.

It’s been a year since Pope Francis officially apologized for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the abuses and forced assimilation of Indigenous people at Canadian residential schools. At the time, officials said it was an important step toward healing and reconciliation. But others said it was more important for the Church to take action in addition to rhetoric. We’ll get different perspectives about the weight of the papal apology one year later.

A coalition of tribal organizations is warning about the potential damage of a federal government shutdown to tribal citizens. Among other things, Native officials say it could disrupt important appropriations for at-risk tribal members. At the same time, COVID-19 infections are on the rise and distribution of vaccines is off to a rocky start. We’ll get perspectives on two significant events in the news.

The British acquired a large expanse of North American territory following the French and Indian War. But their oppressive treatment of the resident Native Americans fostered discontent. It all boiled over in 1763 as Odawa Chief Pontiac or Obwaandi'eyaag, formed an alliance among several tribes against the British occupation. Violence spread from the Great Lakes region to West Virginia. The resistance forced the British to change their official stance toward Native people. We’ll recount how Chief Pontiac and his allies changed the direction of colonial expansion 260 years ago.