Native America Calling

Repatriation advocates have had some recent progress in both policy and practice when it comes to getting important items returned to tribes. But the ongoing effort to educate the elected officials, institutional leaders and the public requires time and resources. We’ll get an update on the eve of the biggest annual conference for people working in the repatriation field. We’ll also get an update on a Florida repatriation dispute. GUESTS Shannon O’Loughlin (Choctaw), Chief Executive and attorney for the Association on American Indian Affairs Samuel Kohn (Apsáalooke), attorney Kim Mettler (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), Next Generations Director at the Association on American Indian Affairs and life coach Betty Osceola (Miccosukee), environmental educator

Drums, rattles, and other percussion instruments are well-known sources of musical accompaniment connected to Native American music. Flutes were one of the first melodic instruments developed by North American Indigenous peoples. In addition, there are a variety of other traditional instruments, including fiddles and harps, that certain tribes perfected over generations. We’ll hear about some of the ways Native Americans have been making music over the years, and some of the ways they’re being incorporated in contemporary compositions. GUESTS Andrew Weaver (Yup’ik), program coordinator for the Alaska Native Heritage Center Bennett Wakayuta (Hualapai and Hopi), artist William Rodriguez (Taino), owner of Archaic Roots and Indigenous instruments specialist Shawn Yacavone, owner of Ukulele Friend and co-chair of the Hawaiian Music Archives at Hawaii State Archives   Break 1 Music: Anasazi Sun (song) Injunuity (artist) Fight For Survival (album) Break 2 Music: Burn A Smudge (song) Trent Agecoutay (artist) Uncle Trent and Friends (album)

Public and tribal radio and television stations are fortifying their defenses ahead of what could be the biggest funding threat they’ve ever faced. President Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly called for an end to federal funding for public broadcasters. Bills proposed in Congress would go as far as eliminating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the nearly 60-year-old entity created by Congress to facilitate federal support for non-commercial media. We’ll hear from broadcasters about what changes might be in store. GUESTS Peggy Berryhill (Muscogee Creek Nation), co-founder of KGUA, president of the Native Media Resource Center and an independent producer Lenora Ward (Iñupiaq), general manager of KOTZ, Kotzebue Broadcasting Brian Wadsworth (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe), chief operating officer for Native Public Media Oi Zephier (Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota and Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho), station manager of KILI   Break 1 Music: Navajo Radio (song) Arigon Starr (artist) Meet the Diva (album) Break 2 Music: Burn A Smudge (song) Trent Agecoutay (artist) Uncle Trent and Friends (album)

The current flu season is the worst in 15 years in terms of doctor’s visits. Tuberculosis cases are rising. On the horizon is a possible bird flu outbreak that is already affecting millions of livestock birds and it’s starting to make the jump to humans. This is all happening with the backdrop of lapsed information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, confirmation of a federal health secretary who openly expressed skepticism about vaccines, and unprecedented cuts in the works for the Indian Health Service. We’ll get a gauge of the current threats to the health of Native Americans. GUESTS Dean Seneca (Seneca), CEO and founder of Seneca Scientific Solutions+ Katherine Minthorn (Umatilla), an owner of Rez Chicks Co-Op Aiono Dr. Alec Ekeroma (Samoan), director general of Samoa’s Health Ministry Chanda Hesson, nurse consultant for the State of Alaska’s section of epidemiology and the lead nurse consultant for the Alaska Department of Health’s tuberculosis team Dr. Robert Belknap, executive director of the Public Health Institute at Denver Health   Break 1 Music: Too Much of Anything (song) Donita Large (artist) Break 2 Music: Burn A Smudge (song) Trent Agecoutay (artist) Uncle Trent and Friends (album)

As the notable 80-year-old American Indian Movement leader Leonard Peltier walks free from Florida’s Coleman Penitentiary, Native American activists are reflecting on the nearly five-decade push to get to this point. Seven presidents passed up the opportunity to free Peltier, until President Joe Biden commuted his sentence to house arrest in the final moments of his term. We’ll explore Native direct action from its militant beginnings to its current role in changing both legal outcomes and public opinion. What does Peltier’s release mean to you? You can watch the NDN Collective’s video of Leonard Peltier’s public appearance after his release here. GUESTS Dr. Robert Warrior (Osage), Hall Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Kansas Lisa Bellanger (Leech Lake Ojibwe), executive director of the American Indian Movement and chair of AIM’s Grand Governing Council Ruth Buffalo (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation and Chiricahua Apache descent), former president of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition Janene Yazzie (Navajo), director of policy and advocacy for the NDN Collective   Break 1 Music: Freedom (song) Rage Against the Machine (artist) Self-titled (album) Break 2 Music: Burn A Smudge (song) Trent Agecoutay (artist) Uncle Trent and Friends (album)    

Aaja Chemnitz, a member of the Danish Parliament, advocates for Greenlandic independence. Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland's Minister of Business, emphasizes the need for local governance amid U.S. interest in acquiring the territory. Parnuna Egede Dahl discusses climate change impacts on Indigenous communities. The trio sheds light on the Inuit's strong resistance to colonial control and their push for meaningful engagement in decision-making processes. They share their vision for sustainable development and the importance of preserving Inuit identity in the face of geopolitical pressures.

There’s more Valentine’s Day than flowers and chocolates in heart-shaped boxes. Yupik storyteller Yaari Walker is thinking about the unique account of her own wedding and how it turned into a cultural lesson. She also thinks back about her grandmother’s arranged marriage, and the message that relationship continues to convey. We’ll hear those and other selections of traditional and contemporary stories about love by experienced Native storytellers. GUESTS Yaari Walker (Yupik), tribal healer and traditional storyteller Sunny Dooley (Diné), Diné Hózhǫǫjí Hane’ Teller Perry Ground (Onondaga Nation, Turtle Clan member), Haudenosaunee storyteller and cultural educator   Break 1 Music: Love Affair (song) Pepper (artist) In with the Old (album) Break 2 Music: Ideal Dub (song) Casper Loma Da-Wa (artist) Honor the People (album)

A traditional violin maker, a regalia maker, and basket weavers are the six artists chosen for this year’s Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Award winners by the First Peoples Fund. The art they create tells only a part of their stories, as each helps revive and propel cultural knowledge that is sometimes endangered. We’ll hear from the artists and organizers about their passions for preserving culture and passing it on to future generations. GUESTS Julia Marden (Aquinnah Wampanoag of Gay Head), artist, knowledge keeper, and 2025 Community Spirit Award Honoree Lisa Morehead-Hillman (Karuk, Yurok, and Shasta), basket weaver Fox Spears (Karuk), program manager of fellowships for the First Peoples Fund Terrill Goseyun (San Carlos Apache), artist and Apache violin maker   Break 1 Music: A Beautiful Darkness [Feat. Nadjiwen] (song) Sultans of String (artist) Break 2 Music: Ideal Dub (song) Casper Loma Da-Wa (artist) Honor the People (album)

The National Congress of American Indians annual winter conference comes as the federal government is actively dismantling the diversity initiatives that help establish Native representation in the workplace and in the public sphere. The nation’s oldest and largest Native advocacy group is shaping its strategy for carrying a unified voice to a fractured government and public on issues that matter most: sovereignty, consultation, environmental sustainability, the Trust Responsibility, and economic development. We’ll hear NCAI President Mark Macarro’s 2025 State of Indian Nations address and get perspectives on the organization’s coming year. GUESTS Tadd Johnson (Bois Forte Band of Chippewa), Regent at the University of Minnesota, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and attorney   Break 1 Music: Intertribal (song) High Noon (artist) Generations (album) Break 2 Music: Ideal Dub (song) Casper Loma Da-Wa (artist) Honor the People (album)

Tatanka Means (Lakota/Diné) maintains a busy schedule as a stand-up comedian, all while portraying serious on-screen roles in Killers of the Flower Moon, Echo, and Reservation Dogs. He carries the name of his notable Lakota father, has close ties to his Navajo roots in Chinle, Ariz., and is fully embracing his role as a basketball dad. We’ll hear about his life and creative drive as our February Native in the Spotlight.   Break 1 Music: Drowning (song) Nataanii Means (artist) Growth (album) Break 2 Music: Heartbroken (song) Janet Panic (artist) A Mighty Rip Through the Page of My Life (album)