Past Shows Archives » Native America Calling

Tohono O’odham Chairman Verlon M. Jose vows to continue fighting after a federal judge turned down the tribe’s efforts to stop construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Arizona. Jose says O’odham’s heritage, cultural sites, and natural environment are too important to allow unimpeded destruction at the hands of construction crews. At the same time, the Trump administration halted wall construction in Big Bend National Park in Texas after a group filed a lawsuit on religious grounds on behalf of a Native conservation group. We’ll hear about efforts to halt or slow construction that is going forward without regard for environmental, cultural or spiritual protections.

We’ll also get an update on the lack of progress in filling the vacancy at the top of the National Indian Gaming Commission. President Donald Trump has yet to name a new chairman to the regulatory agency. The position has been vacant since January. Without a chairman, casinos cannot move ahead with several basic operations, potentially costing them millions of dollars.

GUESTS

Chairman Verlon Jose (Tohono O’odham)

Jonodev Chaudhuri (Muscogee), principal at Chaudhuri Law

Chez Oxendine (Lumbee), staff writer for Tribal Business News

Christina Hernandez (Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas), founder of the People of La Junta for Preservation and executive director of the Big Bend Conservation Alliance

Roland Gutierrez, Texas state senator and attorney

Break 1 Music: Mountain Song (song) Lorenzo Pablo (artist) Traditional Tohono O’odham Songs (album)

Break 2 Music: Another Night to Cry (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

Claire Valdez (Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo) is a member of the New York Assembly running for a seat in Congress. She’s also a proud Democratic Socialist, a progressive wing of the party gaining ground in the success of elected leaders like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). U.S. Senate candidate and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Ojibwe/D-MN) is considered a progressive Democrat and won the backing of Sen. Sanders and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez in her decisive primary win in Minnesota. We’ll speak with Native Democratic organizers about how the pressure to move to the left is being received by Native voters and also whether it is a viable long-term strategy.

GUESTS

Kalyn Free (Choctaw), Democratic National Committee (DNC) member from Oklahoma and sits on the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC)

Kevin Killer (Oglala Lakota), co-founder of Advanced Native Political Leadership and former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe

Judith LeBlanc (Caddo), executive director of the Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund

Break 1 Music: Ten Morning Dance Songs (song) Lowell Wimpy Edmonds & Singers (artist) Songs of the Caddo: Ceremonial and Social Dance Music (album)

Break 2 Music: Another Night to Cry (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

Elisabeth Pierite (Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana) was a teenager when Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans in August 2005. Her family’s home was destroyed and they relocated a few hours north to Marksville, La., the hub of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana. Miles away, then-principal chief of the United Houma Nation, Brenda Dardar Robichaux, was thrust into the role of helping her community that she says was abandoned by disaster response and recovery efforts. Hurricane Katrina bested local, state, and national emergency response abilities and also exposed racial and socioeconomic inequalities. It also brought to light a gap in how disaster resources are allocated to tribes. We’ll talk with Louisiana tribal leaders and citizens about surviving the 2005 disaster, what it took to rebuild, and what they reflect on 20 years later.

GUESTS

Lora Ann Chaisson (United Houma Nation), principal chief of the United Houma Nation @united_houma_nation

Brenda Dardar Robichaux (United Houma Nation), former principal chief of the United Houma Nation

Elisabeth Pierite (Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana), cultural specialist for the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana

Marshall Pierite (Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana), chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana

Break 1 Music: 500 Years O’ Blues (song) Digging Roots (artist) Seeds (album)

Break 2 Music: Another Night to Cry (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

Chugach Sugpiaq jeweler Denise Wallace says she tells stories through her pieces. This year, she’s presenting an elaborate belt she made with her family, featuring ornate, detailed figures, each holding significant meaning, along with intricate designs crafted from ivory, silver, and gold. Wallace has long been a fixture at the Santa Fe Indian Market, now in its 104th year, as nearly a thousand talented Native artists set up to showcase their work. Also among the longtime artists is professional painter Merlin Little Thunder, known for detailed portraits and landscapes that often depict traditional Cheyenne life. For our series of arts interviews, we’ll speak with these artists along with last year’s Best of Show winner Regina Free and event organizers.

We’ll also get an update on the Artist Act that was just signed into federal law. The act prevents states from banning Alaska Native crafts made from materials like walrus ivory and baleen.

GUESTS

Leslie Wheelock (Oneida), board chair of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts

Denise Wallace (Chugach Sugpiaq), artist, jeweler, and storyteller

Merlin Little Thunder (Southern Cheyenne), artist

Regina Free (Chickasaw), interdisciplinary artist and 2025 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Show winner

Steve MacLean (Iñupiaq), managing director of the World Wildlife Fund U.S. Arctic Program

More than 350 Indigenous artists will gather as the Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival marks its sixth year at the Pueblo of Pojoaque. It continues to grow its draw and reputation on what is a busy time for Native arts in northern New Mexico. In addition to individual booths for artists across disciplines, the event includes a substantial Native-centered film and media celebration and live musical performances from a number of notable Native acts including Gary Farmer and the Troublemakers. We will broadcast live from the event, speaking with organizers and artists such as Chad Yellowjohn, a 2019 graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts, whose artwork centers on a philosophy of “optimistic activism”, featuring vibrant, colorful depictions of Indigenous people and Indigenized pop-culture characters.

GUESTS

Cheyenne Duran (Pojoaque and Santa Clara Pueblo), outreach coordinator for the Poeh Cultural Center and Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival artist coordinator

Franki Maestas-Chavez (Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo), marketing manager for the Poeh Cultural Center

Chad Yellowjohn (Shoshone-Bannock/Spokane and Ho-Chunk), artist

Ashley Browning (Pojoaque and Santa Clara Pueblo), film festival coordinator for the Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival

Jacob Shije (Santa Clara Pueblo), musician

Break 1 Music: Horseback Riding Song (song) The Tewa Indian Women’s Choir (artist) The Tewa Indian Women’s Social Choir: Fun and Social Songs From San Juan Pueblo (album)

Break 2 Music: Wolastoq Song by Saqatay (song) Mawi Sakolikapuwicik Singers (artist)

Researcher and writer Thomas Michael Swensen (Tangirnaq Native Village) takes music fans to the fascinating intersection of punk music and Native America in his new book, “Where Next, Columbus?: A Native Punk Mixtape“. He explores some of the unlikely places where this intersection appears, from Alaska to the Southwest to the Black Hills of South Dakota. He thoroughly dissects Native punk music, zines, videos, and art installations, examining recurring themes of individualism versus collectivism, DIY culture, and sovereignty. We’ll speak with Swensen about the new book and listen to some of his favorite Native punk songs he found during his research.

A new album, “Live From ’81–’85“, collects live recordings from the legendary 1980s New Wave band Romeo Void, from the height of their popularity and creative power. Fronted by singer Debora Iyall (Cowlitz), the group is known for edgy, pointed lyrics and standout saxophone solos. Songs like “A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)” and “Never Say Never”, which was named one the 200 Best Songs of the 1980s by Rolling Stone, have been featured in movie soundtracks and the Billboard Top 40. Iyall remains active in the arts and performs as part of a new creative project. We’ll speak with her about music, art, and activism.

Thomas Sewell recommended Native punk tracks:

Break 1 Music: 500 Años (song) Los Crudos (artist) Doble LP Discografía (album)

Break 2 Music: Wolastoq Song by Saqatay (song) Mawi Sakolikapuwicik Singers (artist)

A frequent location of summer wildfires, eastern Washington State, is suffering one of the most destructive fires seasons in memory. Fires on the Confederate Tribes of Colville Reservation have prompted evacuations and destroyed more than 50 homes and other structures. They are among the some 700 buildings destroyed in the current fire season in the state. On Oregon’s Warm Springs Reservation, fires started early and were fueled by persistent winds. In addition to coping with the fires, the community is now facing worries about having adequate clean drinking water. Fires in Washington and Oregon have charred more than three million acres so far. We’ll talk with tribal officials working to save people, buildings, and land during an unusually destructive wildfire season.

GUESTS

Monica Simeon (Spokane and Pauquachin First Nation), co-founder of Sister Sky

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

Faith Zacherle Tonasket (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), executive director and founder of xa?xa? Indigenous Birth Justice and a board member of the River Warrior Society

Tim Sexton, fire program manager for the Klamath Tribes

Break 1 Music: War Dance Song (song) Sander Heath, Ed Spino, Byton Patt, Nathan Jim, Duane Miller, and Rudy Clements (artist) 16 Songs by Warm Springs Confederated Tribes (album)

Break 2 Music: Wolastoq Song by Saqatay (song) Mawi Sakolikapuwicik Singers (artist)

Voters will soon find out whether the bid by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Ojibwe/D-MN) to become the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate clears the primary election hurdle in a hotly-contested race. It is one of the many races with Native candidates that are coming into clearer focus after a summer of primaries. Native women are particularly well represented in national and statewide races and some progressive Democratic wins might offer clues about what’s on voters’ minds. We’ll look at some key national, state, and tribal races as the midterm election draws closer.

GUESTS

Kevin Killer (Oglala Lakota), co-founder of Advance Native Political Leadership and former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe

Jourdan Bennett-Begaye (Diné), digital news director of ICT

Amelia Schafer (Brothertown Indian Nation descendant), north central bureau correspondent for ICT

Break 1 Music: Nakoda Healing Song (song) YB Nakota (artist)

Break 2 Music: Wolastoq Song by Saqatay (song) Mawi Sakolikapuwicik Singers (artist)

A dangerous secret lurks just under the surface in the play, “Bad Medicine,” making its debut at the Santa Fe Playhouse. Written by P.C. Verrone (Osage and Kiowa) and produced with a largely Native cast, it is a live production that claims elements of both horror and comedy. It comes with a warning that it “sheds light on how settler colonialism dehumanizes and exploits Indigenous peoples.”

Brooklyn, N.Y.’s renowned Spiderwoman Theater is marking 50 years of Indigenous plays, outreach, and education. Rising from the feminist movement of the 1970s, its core leadership under Lisa Mayo, Gloria Miguel, and Muriel Miguel have built the space into a destination for urban Native storytelling. We’ll talk with the organizers about the the mission and legacy of this groundbreaking theater.

GUESTS

P.C. Verrone (Osage and Kiowa descendant), playwright

Tara Moses (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and Mvskoke), playwright, director, and actor

Muriel Miguel (Kuna and Rappahannock), artistic director of Spiderwoman Theater

Gloria Miguel (Kuna and Rappahannock), founding member of Spiderwoman Theater

Break 1 Music: Jesous Ahatonhia (song) Geneviève Gros-Louis (artist)

Break 2 Music: Aia lā ‘o Pele [Mele Honoring Pele] (song) ‘Iolani Luahine (artist) Ancient Hula Hawaiian Style: Vol. 1 Hula Kuahu (album)

Two separate instances are putting Native authority related to religious freedom to the test.

The Northern Arapaho Tribe demands the Christian ministry, Foundations Nations Church, leave the Wyoming reservation. The demand comes after video circulated on social media showed one of the church’s pastors characterizing Native sacred practices — including the Sun Dance — as “idol worship” and “demonic.” Top tribal leadership calls the comments “despicable” and link them to past abuses of Native Americans at the hands of Christian church officials. The Foundations Church leaders say they’ll fight the tribe’s efforts to remove them. We’ll hear about what’s next in the dispute.

At the same time, Native American inmates in a Nebraska state prison scored a victory in securing access to religious ceremonies. In a settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit, corrections officials lifted a temporary ban on accessing a place where Native men conducted ceremonies like sweats and smudges. They instituted the ban after finding contraband at the site. We’ll hear about the legal principles behind the outcome.

GUESTS

Keenan Groesbeck (Northern Arapaho), chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council

Jesse Crispin (Northern Arapaho), council member of the Northern Arapaho Business Council

Andi Snowball (Muscogee and Winnebago), associate attorney with Big Fire Law and Policy Group LLP

Carter Matt, staff attorney with ACLU Nebraska

Break 1 Music: Northern Arapaho Fast Wolf Dance (song) Otto Hungary, White O. Goggles, Helen Crispin, Francis Goggles, Rose Moss (artist) Traditional Voices: Historic Recordings of Traditional Native American Music (album)

Break 2 Music: Aia lā ‘o Pele [Mele Honoring Pele] (song) ‘Iolani Luahine (artist) Ancient Hula Hawaiian Style: Vol. 1 Hula Kuahu (album)