Native America Calling

Cases of the sexually transmitted bacterial infection syphilis are surging around the globe. In the U.S., Native Americans have the highest rates of syphilis than any other group. So much so, that the Indian Health Service is urging tribal leaders and health facilities that work with Native populations to institute a series of measures to fight the spread of the disease. We’ll explore why syphilis, that was once on decline, is making a dramatic comeback and what health officials are doing to fight it.

As the famed Sturgis Motorcycle Rally gears up for its closing weekend, a group of bikers is carrying a message on their two-wheeled machines. Along with their black leather jackets, the bikers who make up the Medicine Wheel Ride wear red to raise awareness of the ongoing problem of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Many of the riders are Native women who organize events to get the message out.

Whether they’re strays or have attentive caretakers, the dogs that occupy reservations have a bad reputation. Advocates for rez dogs are working on a number of fronts to turn that around. Mindful of the occasional safety issue, advocates for dogs are organizing veterinarian visits, spay, neuter clinics, and even dog shows, all as a way to prevent more drastic measures and to promote safer environments.

Public pressure is mounting to search a municipal landfill in Winnipeg for two missing Indigenous women. Police indicated last December the privately run landfill could be where the bodies of the women ended up. Police investigators say they believe the two are victims of a serial killer, but officials all the way from the city on up to the provincial premiere are preventing the search, saying it’s much too expensive and dangerous. The victims’ families and supporters say it’s another example of officials’ lack of will to deliver justice for Indigenous crime victims.

A quarry in Minnesota has been a reliable source for the stone used in ceremonial pipes for dozens of tribes throughout the central U.S. and Canada. Other tribes elsewhere found their own local sources for making pipes. We’ll talk about the importance of pipes and the methods for making them passed down through the centuries.

A handful of tribes are venturing into the realm of family fun in the form of water parks, amusement parks, or theme parks. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians just opened a $70 million expansion to its giant Alabama Gulf Coast water park that also offers restaurants and live entertainment venues. The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians has a $75 million deal for a Tennessee theme park that will also feature an interactive look at Cherokee military heroism. As the days of summer vacations begin to wane, we’ll take a look at the draw — and business — of tribal family destinations.

The mortality rate for Native American women during pregnancy and childbirth have outpaced most other ethnic groups for decades. The latest numbers just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) show Native maternal mortality far exceeds their white, Black, and Asian counterparts in some states — especially in the upper Midwest. We’ll look at the causes and trends for high Native pregnancy death rates and what health professionals say is the solution.

Oklahoma is among at least 18 states with new laws restricting how public schools can teach history about race and culture. Teachers are now wondering how to inform students about events like the Trail of Tears and the Tulsa Massacre. Some educators are defying the restrictions. Also, the Pointe-au-Chien Tribe in Louisiana is starting a new language immersion school two years after their only elementary school closed. We'll get a snapshot of what Native educators see ahead in the new school year.

Native American ranchers and other rural New Mexico residents were among those who saw the flash of the first test of the atomic bomb in 1945. Descendants of the people downwind of the blast say they continue to pay the price with serious health conditions - and tribes also complain leaching from uranium mines to fuel subsequent nuclear reactors pose a daily health threat.

The Fort Belknap Indian Community is the latest tribe to sue the federal government over inadequate law enforcement. A joint legislative resolution passed this year noted “justice has eluded many Native American victims, survivors, and families” as there are not enough officers to cover the more than 1,000 square miles within the reservation boundaries. They’re one of at least three tribes that are taking on what they say is the lack of full federal funding to keep their citizens safe.