Native America Calling

Tensions are high in New Caledonia as the remote Pacific island nation’s Indigenous people are pushing for independence more than 170 years after the island was colonized by France. At least 13 people have died in protests triggered in May when the French government attempted to institute voting changes that would bolster the political power of New Caledonia’s white settler communities at the expense of the Indigenous Kanak people. There’s been little progress in the four decades after the Kanak tried to force better recognition from New Caledonia’s political leaders aligned with Paris. It’s a fight that has parallels to current and past struggles by Indigenous people in North America and elsewhere. We’ll hear about the ongoing struggles in this encore show.

Danielle Hill (Wampanoag) is on a quest to build awareness of King Philip corn, or weeâchumun, a red corn variety once grown by Northeastern tribes, but was targeted for destruction more than 300 years ago during the King Philip War. Jason Vickers (Nipmuc) just opened his own catering and personal chef business in Seattle. Natoncks Metsu is the culmination of his connection to food sovereignty that helped him overcome substance abuse and homelessness. We remember Tohono O’odham food sovereignty advocate Terrol Dew Johnson with someone who learned from him. They're all part of this year's final edition of The Menu hosted by Andi Murphy.

Stacie Shannon Denetsosie’s life on the Navajo Nation is the inspiration for many of her imaginative stories in the collection, The Missing Morningstar And Other Stories. published this year. Ojibwe writer Marcie Rendon’s illustrated children’s book, Stitches of Tradition (Gashkigwaaso Tradition), measures time and culture through the ribbon skirts a grandmother makes through the years. And Danica Nava's romance novel, The Truth According to Ember, has readers rooting for its Chickasaw protagonist to get the guy. Those are among the books that our expert readers will review in our look back on notable works by Indigenous authors.

Can you name the Super Indian comic book character whose name sounds a lot like a 1970s rock musician? How many members of Congress are Native American? What historical event precipitated colonial encroachment on California tribes? Those are some of the questions that careful listening to Native America Calling this year could provide answers to. We’ll test listeners’ knowledge of Native history, current events, and pop culture.

After a hiatus, horse riders resumed a tradition to remember the Dakota men hanged by the U.S. Government on December 26, 1862 in Mankato, Minn. The original organizer of the ride, Jim Miller, died in March 2023. A new group of riders has now taken up the task and reformed under the title Makatoh Reconciliation and Healing Horse-Ride - from the Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota to Mankato. We’ll hear from the riders about the journey and the history they are highlighting. We’ll also check on the work to have the federal government rescind the medals given to the U.S. Army soldiers who participated in the Wounded Knee Massacre Dec. 29, 1890.

Guitarist Jesse Ed Davis (Kiowa) was an in-demand session player starting in the mid 1960s, appearing on dozens of recordings with artists such as Taj Mahal, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, and Jackson Browne. He appears on solo albums by three of the four Beatles. Davis toured with The Faces, alongside Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. The Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Okla., is mounting an exhibition celebrating Davis’ life and work along with a tribute concert featuring Jackson Browne, Taj Mahal, and Joy Harjo. We’ll hear from some of the people who knew and worked with the man Bonnie Raitt called “one of the most original, and soulful, and cool guitar players.” We hear about Davis and the exhibition honoring him in this encore show (we won’t be taking live telephone calls from listeners).

Rebecca Jim (Cherokee) was a school counselor in 1979 when she witnessed Tar Creek run orange with pollution from nearby mining tailings. The federal government eventually made it a Superfund site. She has been an environmental advocate ever since and is even known as the Tar Creek Keeper, raising awareness for the 11-mile waterway and leading a non-profit organization dedicated to ongoing cleanup and holding polluters accountable. Jim is our December Native in the Spotlight.

Native America Calling runs down some of the standout Indigenous tracks from the past year. We get expert recommendations from The Mainstream's Brett Maybee (Seneca), Indigenous in Music’s Larry K (Ho-Chunk), and Sounds of Survivance’s Tory J (Quinault) from KEXP. They give us a wide range of selections that include rock, folk, jazz-fusion, soul, and more, in addition to the insightful stories behind the music. We wrap up the 2024 Native Playlist with music you don’t want to miss.

Snow is on the ground and that means it’s story time. Storytelling is an art. But it is also the primary method for so many tribes to convey history, cultural lessons and spiritual guidance. The Diné story about the coyote and the lizard warns listeners to be wary of who they trust. A Chickasaw story explains how two brothers split up on their journey, becoming the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes. We’ll hear those and some other selected stores by experienced Native storytellers.

The Osage Nation successfully transferred more than 40,000 acres of land it purchased years ago into trust. It’s the second largest tribal trust land transfer in history. Their Oklahoma neighbor, the Cherokee Nation, is celebrating the transfer of five former boarding school properties into trust. The tribe says the properties on their reservation present opportunities to improve their surrounding communities. We’ll hear from each of the tribes and others about significant tribal land agreements.