Native America Calling

Jacob Weasel (Cheyenne River Sioux) goes down in history as the first Native American to summit Mount Everest. It’s a big step in his goal to climb the highest peak on every continent. The rest of the time, he's an emergency and trauma surgeon at Monument Health Facility in Rapid City, S.D. He also works to mentor young Native Americans, drawing from his own accomplishments to inspire others to follow their dreams.

Wampanoag chef Sherry Pocknett made history this month when she was named the Best Chef of the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation. She’s the first Native woman to be given such an award. Meanwhile, Miijim, a new Native-owned restaurant in La Pointe, Wis. is making waves with an Indigenous menu by Red Cliff Band chef Bryce Stevenson. And the new book Our Precious Corn: Yukwanénste by Rebecca Webster (Oneida) recounts the history and travels of her tribe’s traditional corn. It's all on The Menu with Andi Murphy.

Whether it’s the frozen Alaska tundra or the hot, arid expanse of the Navajo Nation, tribal law enforcement officials, helped out by dedicated volunteers, make up search and rescue systems ready to deploy in a moment’s notice. They have an array of tools, ranging from trained dogs to drones to try and find people reported missing and bring them home safe. We’ll hear from search and rescue professionals about how the methods and technology they use.

GUESTS

Dan Martinez (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs), tribal emergency manager

Alanna Wright (Yurok and Hupa), senior paralegal and special tribal criminal jurisdiction coordinator for the Yurok Tribe

Caleb Landers, deployment manager and K9 handler at Quapaw Nation Emergency Management 

Hugh Murray, K9 handler

This year marks 150 years since President Ulysses S. Grant signed the executive order establishing the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Although a fraction of the wide territory the Mescalero originally occupied, the establishment of the New Mexico reservation marked a stable place where the tribe could call home and practice their ceremonies and traditions after decades of conflict with the U.S. Government. It’s now also a center of economic development and natural resource management.

GUESTS

Pascal Enjady (Mescalero Apache), language and culture assistant  

Jacob Daukei (Mescalero Apache), councilman for the Mescalero Apache Tribe

Duane Duffy (Mescalero Apache), councilman for the Mescalero Apache Tribe

Tribes in southeast Alaska are sounding the alarm over low salmon numbers. They’re hoping to work with Canadian First Nations to craft a plan to help revive populations. The state of Alaska moved to halt commercial fishing of chinook salmon to protect orcas that feed on the fish, but a federal appeals court sided with opponents of the ban. The state is restricting sport fishing in Cook Inlet and some other locations. We’ll hear from Native fishers in the region about their concerns over salmon and the cultural and economic toll it is having this year.

GUESTS

Guy Archibald, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission

Louie Wagner (member of the Metlakatla Indian Community), lifelong fisherman from Metlakatla, Alaska and tribal rights representative

The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center lists safe, affordable, accessible, and stable housing as one of the most pressing concerns for Native domestic abuse survivors, both on and off the reservation. The lack of housing increases the likelihood of a survivor being drawn into sex trafficking. It can also be the reason someone chooses to stay in an abusive situation. We’ll hear about what’s being done to make housing accessible to survivors broadcasting live from the Women Are Sacred conference.

GUESTS

Caroline LaPorte (immediate descendant of the Little River Band Of Ottawa Indians), Director of the STTARS Indigenous Safe Housing Center for the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center

Gwen Packard (Ihanktonwan Dakota), Senior Housing Specialist, National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center

Noreen Hill (Oneida Nation of the Thames), executive director/founder, Mother Nation

Dawn Begay (Diné), Native American Affairs Coordinator, City of Albuquerque

Native fathers by marriage sometimes have to work a little harder to make sure they fulfil their end of the parenting partnership. Step parents often have to navigate complicated relationship situations like shared child custody, ex-husbands, and divided parent loyalty.

Tribes abilities to deliver everything from law enforcement to adequate health care depend on their collective strength when it comes to self-governance. Several legal and policy decisions in the past year have bolstered self-governance in both big and small ways, including a full-throated affirmation of the Indian Child Welfare Act. There were some setbacks too. We’ll assess the state of tribal self-governance in advance of the upcoming self-governance conference in Tulsa, Okla.

The longest day of the year is a significant marker of time for many tribes. The summer solstice is a time of traditional celebrations and ceremony. Dozens of tribes throughout history built structures around the sun’s position on June 21. We’ll get an account of some of the tribal stories and traditions as well as some modern acknowledgements of the day.

Nearly all tribes in Arizona have a tougher time successfully negotiating rights to the state’s scarce water than other governmental entities. And the requirements necessary for tribes to reach water agreements is tougher in Arizona than in neighboring states. An investigative project by ProPublica and High Country News exposes the concessions tribes face to access water. The stakes are high. On the Navajo Nation, for instance, a nearly-completed medical complex sits empty because there is not enough water.