Native America Calling

Groups of freed and fugitive slaves sought refuge in Florida and formed relationships with the Seminoles in the 18th Century. This kinship carried on through the bloody Seminole Wars into the Trail of Tears. Later, members of those groups became known as Seminole Maroons, Seminole Freedmen, or Black Seminoles. Some would find their way to Oklahoma, others to Texas, Mexico, the Caribbean, and some remained in Florida. They formed communities throughout the diaspora and held on to their history and maintained a distinct culture.

The U.S. Supreme Court decisively rejected what many legal observers considered the most serious challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act in the law’s 45-year history. The ruling is a relief for ICWA supporters, many of whom were fearful of a decision that could turn back or weaken the law that ensures Native foster children a home with Native guardians. We’ll get reaction and analysis from those who have been watching the legal fight closely.

You can get more context from Native America Calling on the Supreme Court's decision here.

It’s the time of year when Pueblo athletes take to the dusty baseball diamonds throughout New Mexico, carrying on a tradition that their grandparents and even great-grandparents helped establish. Baseball is more than just a sport for the teams in the Pueblo leagues. It’s a tribal and family legacy.

Plus, analysis of the U.S. Supreme Court's 7-2 decision to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act and reverse a circuit court ruling.

Wildfires in Canada are not just sending clouds of smoke to major U.S. cities. They’re also a threat to residents, including a dozen or more Indigenous communities that were forced to evacuate. The country’s Natural Resources ministry predicts this summer could be the worst wildfire season on record.

Where else can you get a young adult mystery and a lesson in the Native American Graves Protection Act but from Ojibwe writer Angeline Boulley (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians)? In Warrior Girl Unearthed, a follow-up to her debut novel The Firekeeper’s Daughter, Boulley catches readers up with the Firekeeper family’s subsequent generation on Sugar Island. As the title suggests, the young protagonist digs into connections to her people and culture she never realized were there.

Pueblo officials support the Biden Administration’s 20-year ban on new oil and gas leases on land surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. The Pueblos see the land as sacred and have long pushed to limit outside intrusion from developers. They are at odds with the official position from the Navajo Nation, whose citizens stand to gain financially from new development leases. In addition the action has spurred an investigation into potential conflicts of interest by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, herself a citizen of Laguna Pueblo.

GUESTS

Mario Atencio (Diné Nation), vice president of the Torreon Chapter

Miya King-Flaherty, organizing representative for the Sierra Club Rio Grande chapter

Bill McCabe (Navajo), principal of McCabe and Associates, a consulting business for tribal energy resource development and management

President Buu Nygren, Navajo Nation

Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) set out on an ambitious project more than a decade ago to photograph citizens of all the federally recognized tribes. Now, her complete work is collected in the book Project 562 and it’s as much about her own journey as it is about the vivid portraits of her subjects.

[caption id="attachment_25637" align="alignleft" width="169"] TikTok creator Victoria Cheyenne (Courtesy Victoria Cheyenne)[/caption]

Plus, in our NAC Sidebar, Montana is the first state to ban the popular TikTok app over fears it allows the Chinese government to collect information on Americans. The ban is a blow to some Native content creators who express themselves and even draw reve  nue from TikTok. Filmmaker and TikTok creator Victoria Cheyenne (Northern Cheyenne and Aymara) is among those who testified against the TikTok ban in front of the Montana Legislature.

The Oceti Sakowin Community School just graduated its first class in Rapid City, S.D. The private school teaches Lakota history, culture, and language in a state that tribes and others say is watering down instruction about Native history and issues. In some other places, tribes are working collaboratively with public education officials to make sure Native issues are adequately represented.

GUESTS

Mary Bowman (Standing Rock Sioux), founder and head of Oceti Sakowin Community Academy

Samantha Cholewa Tondreau (Mohegan), Director of Curriculum and Instruction for The Mohegan Tribe

Darlene Kascak (Schaghticoke), education director at The Institute For American Indian Studies and a traditional storyteller

Tribal restoration programs are making a big difference in restoring native species of trout that were once abundant in states like Montana, Arizona, and Oregon. Species introduced by humans — in some cases a century or more ago — pushed the original trout to near extinction in many places. Tribal fisheries experts will explain what it takes to revive populations both for sport and environmental rehabilitation.

GUESTS

Bradley Clarkson (White Mountain Apache), fish biologist

Mervin Wright Jr. (Pyramid Lake Paiute), executive director of Pyramid Lake Fisheries and former Pyramid Lake Paiute chairman

Shannon Hill (Mi’kmaq), natural resource director for Mi'kmaq Farms & Fish Hatchery

Mike Smith, farm business manager for Mi'kmaq Farms & Fish Hatchery

Cherilynn Tsosie (Diné and White Mountain Apache), flyfishing angler

Data from Wells Fargo just last year finds women outperform men when it comes to investment performance. That backs up a number of studies that say women are less apt to take big risks that can backfire. At the same time, a new survey by Glassdoor finds almost two-thirds of women in finance believe they’re getting paid less than their male counterparts. Some programs are working to encourage more Native women to enter the finance industry for their own good and the good of their communities.

GUESTS

Leilani Wilson Walkush (Tlingit), chief compliance officer for Breakwater Investment Group, LLC

Elke Chenevey (enrolled member Omaha Tribe of Nebraska), partner and financial advisor for FS Advisors

Brandy Niclai (descendent of the Calista region and Doyon shareholder), chief investment officer of Multi-Asset Strategies at Alaska Permanent Capital Management