Native America Calling

New Mexico just joined the growing list of states to cap loan interest rates at 36%. While still onerous compared to conventional bank loans, it’s a far cry from the up to 175% annual interest rates some store front businesses were charging. In New Mexico, proponents of the interest rate limit noted that 60% of the high interest establishments were within 10 miles of Native reservation boundaries. Today on Native America Calling, we find out about how interest rate caps work and what alternatives there are for low-income or low credit score borrowers with Ahtza Dawn Chavez (Diné/Kewa Pueblo), executive director of NAVA; Kristina Fisher, associate director at Think New Mexico; and Kristen Stambach, director of lending at Four Bands.

Fifty years later, it’s hard to paint an adequate picture of the injustice, corruption, oppression, and chaos that led up to and pervaded the occupation of Wounded Knee, SD starting on February 27, 1973. Afterwards, as he dismissed misconduct charges against AIM leaders Russell Means and Dennis Banks, Federal Judge Fred Nichol famously said the FBI had “polluted the waters of justice.” Today on Native America Calling, we hear from people who were there and discuss what the event means a half century later with Dwain Camp (Ponca), warrior from Wounded Knee and elder; Walter Littlemoon (Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne), resident of the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation; and policy analyst Russ Diabo (Kahnawake Mohawk).

Julian Brave NoiseCat (Canim Lake Band Tsq’escen) is a writer, filmmaker, and former champion powwow traditional dancer currently working on his first novel. His columns in publications like the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The New Yorker highlighting underreported stories contributed to his winning the American Mosaic Journalism Prize in 2022. He is currently the visiting fellow at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy's Center for Racial Justice. NoiseCat previously worked as a progressive policy analyst and political strategist. Friday on Native America Calling, we learn more about NoiseCat’s life and career in our regular feature, Native in the Spotlight.

One photographic exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian packs three powerful essays from Native photographers: the culture and people of the Genizaro in New Mexico, diversity and complexity faced by couples weighing blood quantum as they build a family, and the Navajo heroes and community during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today on Native America Calling, we guide you through the “Developing Stories” exhibit with Tailyr Irvine (Salish and Kootenai), photojournalist and co-founder of Indigenous Photograph; Donovan Quintero (Diné), assistant editor at the Navajo Times; and Russel Albert Daniels (Diné and Ho-Chunk).

The Biden Administration is getting ready to declare an official end to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Several states and cities have already done so. Health officials also suggest contracting and recovering from the virus provides significant protection against serious illness, but say that isn’t an excuse to forego vaccinations. Today on Native America Calling, we assess where we are in the lingering threat the pandemic poses for Native nations with Dean Seneca (Seneca), CEO of Seneca Scientific Solutions+ and adjunct professor at the School of Public Health and health Professions at the University of Buffalo; Dr. Rachel Bender Ignacio, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology School of Public Health and an assistant professor of medicine focusing on allergy and infectious diseases at the University of Washington; Kody Becenti (Diné), second year medical student at the University of New Mexico.

Listen to Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Congressional Response to the annual State of Indian Nations Address from National Congress by American Indians President Fawn Sharp (Quinault).

Listen to the full State of Indian Nations Address from National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp (Quinault), delivered in Washington, DC.

The most severe ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to diminish, inflation remains a problem but is slowing, and employment, on the whole, is moving in the right direction. At the same time, pending legislation and court decisions pose the biggest threat to tribal sovereignty in a generation — and progress to improve the plight of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People remains slow. Tuesday on Native America Calling, we’ll hear the annual State of Indian Nations Address from National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp.

There is arguably no art form more widely associated with Native Americans than bead work. It started as ornamental applications with shells, stones, or quills and evolved into intricate and colorful pieces encompassing jewelry, regalia, and fine art. Today on Native America Calling, we speak with Cathy Mattes (Michif), curator, writer, and Associate Professor in History of Art at the University of Winnipeg; Sherry Farrell-Racette (Métis, Algonquin, and member of the Timiskaming First Nation in Quebec), scholar, author, curator, and artist; and artists Nico Williams (Anishinaabe and member of Aamjiwnaang First Nation community), Brocade Stops Black Eagle (Crow/Mandan-Hidatsa), Tally Monteau (Hunkpati Dakota Oyate, and Chippewa Cree), and Hollis Chitto (Isleta Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo, Mississippi Choctaw).

If there’s an epicenter of the more than 20-year drought in the west and Southwest, it’s the Colorado River. It’s a significant water source for nearly 30 tribes that call the river basin home. Many of those tribes fought hard to secure water rights that were handed out to states and municipalities a century ago without regard for the tribes’ concerns. Now, the Colorado River is in a worsening crisis. Today on Native America Calling, we learn how tribes are part of the discussions to reach a drastic water use reduction plan and find out if the stakeholders can all reach consensus with Jason John (Navajo), director of the Navajo Department of Water Resources; Daryl Vigil (Jicarilla Apache), former water administrator for the Jicarilla Apache Nation and co-facilitator of the Water & Tribes in the Colorado River Basin; Dr. Karletta Chief (Diné), Professor & Extension Specialist in Environmental Science at the University of Arizona and director of the Indigenous Resilience Center; and Dr. Crystal Tulley-Cordova (Navajo), principal hydrologist for the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources.