Native America Calling

An investigative report in New Mexico finds Native students are expelled at a far greater rate than their white counterparts. The report focuses on the public school district on the edge of the Navajo Nation with the highest percentage of Native students in the country. Today on Native America Calling, we’ll hear from Bryant Furlow, a New Mexico In-Depth reporter and member of ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network who pursued the story, as well as Native education experts Dr. Wendy Greyeyes (Diné), assistant professor of Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and Regis Pecos (Cochiti Pueblo), co-director of the Leadership Institute at the Santa Fe Indian School and former governor of Cochiti Pueblo.

Thousands of migrants, many of whom are seeking asylum as they escape violence, extreme poverty, and oppression, are stopped at the U.S. border. The lack of resources available to them is a serious life-and-death concern. Adding to the many other hurdles is a language disconnect for Indigenous migrants. Today on Native America Calling, we get an update on the crisis at the US-Mexican border and how it affects Indigenous people from Mexico and Central and South America with Odilia Romero (Zapotec), co-founder and executive director of Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO); Javier Garcia (San Martín Peras from Juxtlahuaca in Oaxaca), interpreters program coordinator for the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project; and attorney Allegra Love.

A new year offers a sense of promise. But that promise this year comes with the backdrop of lingering division that infects our personal and professional relationships. Heated political discourse is at the top of the list and permeates everything from how we protect our own health to how we approach international security. Today on Native America Calling, we’ll speak with Theda New Breast (Blackfeet), master trainer and facilitator for the Native Wellness Institute and board member of the Sovereign Bodies Institute; James Anderson (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe), motivational speaker and success trainer; and D.J. Eagle Bear Vanas (Odawa Nation), motivational storyteller, bestselling author, and owner of Native Discovery Inc., about bridging divisions and avoiding the traps that drive wedges between us.

Stickball is the older, rougher cousin of lacrosse, developed many centuries ago as both a game and a training exercise. The U.S. government once deemed stickball one of the cultural connections they needed to eliminate in the effort to assimilate Native children through missionary-run boarding schools. The game survived that assault and keeps gaining momentum, played by local clubs and in competitive national tournaments. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce learns about the origins and growing future for the nation’s oldest team sport with Mike Slee (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), stickball player for the Walelu Cherokee Indian Ball team and the director of operations for the Museum of the Cherokee Indian; Miranda Long Stamper (Creek and a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee), teacher, coach and stickball player; announcer and player Jeremy Bell (Mississippi Band of Choctaw member); and Casey Bigpond (Mississippi Band of Choctaw member), cultural revitalization specialist for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

It’s not the holidays in the Southwest without your favorite tamales or without attending an all-night tamale making party. These delicious, corn-wrapped gifts have origins dating back more than 10,000 years in Mexico. Today on Native America Calling in the latest helping of The Menu, Andi Murphy talks tamales with chef Neftalí Durán (Mixteco from Oaxaca) and Eric J. Garcia, the artist behind the Tamale Man comic book series. Plus, we check in with Inez Cook (Nuxalk Nation), owner of Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro and Salmon n’ Bannock on the Fly, a brand-new Indigenous restaurant opening at Vancouver International Airport.

What nation is the setting for the show "Reservation Dogs"? Which federal appeals court sent an ICWA challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court? In how many sports did Jim Thorpe compete? Those are the types of trivia questions you might know the answers to if you’ve been paying attention to Native issues in 2022. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce presents the Native American Trivia Show where our listeners can compete for prizes (don’t get too excited) and bragging rights about key events from the year with special guests Debra Krol (enrolled member of the Xolon Salinan Tribe), Indigenous affairs reporter for The Arizona Republic reporting on the intersection of climate, commerce, and culture; Matthew Fletcher (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians), law professor at the University of Michigan Law School and author of the “Turtle Talk” blog; and Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk), editor of NativeViewPoint.com and a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to entertain a serious threat against the Indian Child Welfare Act, historic elections, in-person apology from a headdress-adorned Pope for past residential school abuses, and a Native woman blasts off to space. Those are among the events that stand out in a memorable year for Native American issues. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce reviews '22 with Shaun Griswold (Laguna/Zuni/Jemez), reporter for Source New Mexico; Allison Herrera (Xolon Salinan), Indigenous Affairs reporter at KOSU; journalist Brandi Morin (Cree, Iroquois, French); and Rhonda McBride, news director at our flagship station KNBA.

Shawn Spruce didn’t start out to be the host of the nation’s premier Native American radio talk show. It just turned out that way. He started hosting in 2021 and officially took over as permanent host this past summer. Tuesday on Native America Calling, senior producer Andi Murphy took us behind the scenes and introduced Shawn to our audience.

Cedar is an important part of many tribal cultures. The tall evergreens in the Pacific Northwest are carved into totem poles and canoes. The spiny and fragrant leaves can be used to flavor food. It’s also incorporated into ceremony and has some medicinal use. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce talks about the significance of cedar in Native America with Harold Joe (Cowichan First Nation) and Leslie Bland, the directors, producers, and writers of “A Cedar is Life”; Dave Smoke-McCluskey (Mohawk), chef and owner of the Corn Mafia; and Ruben Littlehead (Northern Cheyenne), announcer for the Gathering of Nations Powwow.

2022 witnessed a rebirth for Native art. More galleries, museums, and art spaces reopened following pandemic restrictions - and organizers brought back public shows featuring Native fashion designers. The Santa Fe Indian Market and the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, both a nexus for regional and national Native artists, marked their 100th year. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce recaps the year in Indigenous art and fashion with Joe Williams (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate), director of Native American programs at the Plains Art Museum, and Miranda Belarde-Lewis (Zuni and Tlingit), independent curator and assistant professor in the Information School at the University of Washington.