Native America Calling

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. promises a “massive testing and research effort” to find the cause of autism. Sec. Kennedy says it will happen by September. That ambitious promise alone, and other comments by Kennedy, are met with skepticism and even backlash by autism advocates and experts. Meanwhile, groups like Diné Parents Taking Action at Northern Arizona University are putting the work in to provide support and raise awareness when it comes to autism among Native Americans and other underserved communities. We’ll go over some of the facts about autism and how the disorder is being addressed among Native people.

It’s a Native America Calling tradition to invite Pueblo musician Jir Anderson and his troupe of songwriters into the studio to play live during their run in Albuquerque. Native Guitars Tour always presents a diverse set of musicians with a focus on guitars. We’ll hear about what’s new with the tour and listen to some live music.

As scores of talented musicians and artists assemble in Albuquerque during the Gathering of Nations Powwow, we’ll sample some of the musical offerings happening on stages around town. We begin with two established and popular shows featuring hip-hop and metal music: the Gathering of MCs and Merciless Savages. We’ll talk with organizers from each of the shows and take in some of the new music and some old favorites.

The PBS program "Frontline" examines the financial, cultural, and human toll of climate change on the western Alaska coastline and the Native people that have always called it home. Hopi producer Patty Talahongva takes a fresh look at the warming temperatures, increasingly destructive storms, and retreating wildlife that are forcing a drastic change in how some Alaska Native live. We’ll hear about the issue from those involved in the documentary.

Tribes that rely on Colorado River water — and the complex set of rules that govern it — are worried about how President Donald Trump’s executive orders and the ongoing legal questions about them will affect their water access. President Trump froze federal funds for the Inflation Reduction Act. Even after a judge reinstated those funds, tribes are concerned about the viability of some water conservation efforts going forward. Those water access issues are becoming increasingly important because of long-term trends showing significantly less water available in the basin.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expediting permits for the Line 5 oil pipeline project. It’s the first project to be put on a fast track under President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring a national energy emergency. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is among a number of tribes in at least three states that oppose the project by Canadian energy company Enbridge, saying it posing significant risk to the environment, most notably the Great Lakes. The existing pipeline runs across Bad River land, but the company’s new route bypasses the reservation. We’ll get a perspective on the new status of the project and the near-term possibilities.

Elise Paschen’s (Osage) new book of poetry, “Blood Wolf Moon”, weaves Osage stories from the Reign of Terror with her experience as the daughter of famous major prima ballerina, Maria Tallchief. m.s. RedCherries’ (Northern Cheyenne) first poetry book, “mother”, was a 2024 National Book Award for Poetry finalist. It follows the Cheyenne protagonist who is exploring Indian identity as a former boarding school student reconnecting to her roots and larger Native community through the backdrop of the American Indian Movement. “Indigenous Poetics” is a collection of essays illustrating how Native poets use their craft as a critical tool to help readers understand, question, and realize deeper layers of Indigenous life and community. Aligning with National Poetry Month, we’ll dive into these new and recent publications by Indigenous poets.

The state of Alaska is actively working to shut down a gaming hall just opened by the Native Village of Eklutna. The Chin'an Gaming Hall is doing a brisk business with pull-tabs and 85 bingo machines in an unassuming building just outside of Anchorage. But state officials maintain the operation is illegal because the tribe does not control the land it is on. Elsewhere, in Maine, tribes are also working against state resistance to expand gaming. They face a regulatory reality that is different from tribes in other states because of legislation in 1980 limiting Maine’s tribes’ gaming enterprise ability.

The Trump administration scrapped a civil rights agreement 14 years in the making with the Rapid City, S.D. school system. The agreement was aimed at correcting inequities for Native American students. Data show Native students in the district are given harsher punishments than their white counterparts. The students also are less likely to be in higher level classes. The decision comes as President Donald Trump has terminated nearly half of the federal Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights staff. We’ll also look at a Virginia tribe’s suit against the commonwealth for what the tribe says is withholding Medicaid reimbursements for tribal citizens’ health care.

The recent winter proved deadly for honey bee colonies. The Washington State University’s Honey Bees and Pollinators Program reports mass die-offs for commercial beekeepers. Honey bees, butterflies, and even small vertebrates like bats and birds are important to agriculture and are indicators of a healthy ecosystem. Their populations fluctuate and are affected by pesticide use, habitat loss, and climate change. Tribes and Native groups like the Euchee Butterfly Farm are among those devoting resources to pollinator restoration work. We’ll talk with Native pollinator protectors about efforts to help turn the threat to pollinators around.