Native America Calling

How much do the proposed USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans reflect what industries want to promote as opposed to what Native Americans consider nutritious? When the new version of the guidelines is released, it has implications for the food that makes its way into school lunches, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and SNAP. Former President Donald Trump won't back away from promoting a false rumor about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating cats and dogs. The Haitian residents now fear for their safety and say Trump is dehumanizing them for political gain. The same tactic has been used against Native Americans as well, and food is one means to do it.

With help from Lakers’ superstar Lebron James, a Native director and cast tell the story of trauma and healing playing out within a reservation small town high school basketball team. Sydney Freeland (Navajo) is a gifted storyteller (Echo, Reservation Dogs, Drunktown’s Finest), teaming up with Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Muscogee) to tell the sometimes heartbreaking, always human drama of the fictional Chuska Warriors. It’s sure to resonate with current and past rez ball warriors and adds to the growing list of films that show the world what can be achieved when Native talent delivers Native stories.

Two years after the EPA found high levels of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) contamination in the drinking water at the K-12 tribal school on the Leech Lake Reservation, students and staff are still forced to consume only water brought in from outside the building. Leech Lake is one place tribes are having to respond to the presence of PFAS, a class of man-made chemicals used in fire suppressing foam, water repellents on textiles, and older nonstick cookware. High PFAS exposure is connected to some health problems including cancer and thyroid disease. Nearly 100% of Americans have PFAS in their body. Information specific to Native Americans is limited. We’ll talk with some tribes that are trying to address PFAS in their water and explore what can be done.

Playing college athletics takes more than just a love of sports. To be successful at that level takes years of dedication, focus, and a good deal of talent. We’ll hear from athletes turning athletics into a pathway to academics at Division 1 colleges about how to recognize and develop their own skills, lessons they learned along the way, and how to deal with setbacks.

There is a flip side to the narrative about the cultural richness that Spanish colonists brought to California. Likewise, the discovery of gold at Sutters Mill in 1848 did more than just spark the largest settler migration in the country’s history. In both cases, the damage to the lives and cultures of the state’s Indigenous populations was profound. At the time, there were far more Indigenous people than the Spanish or European-descended Americans. In its effort to provide Native-led historical instruction, the National Museum of the American Indian has developed curricula that provides perspective about the people who were there long before anyone else. We’ll learn about NMAI’s educational goal and how it’s being used.

A new study finds the five federally recognized tribes in Idaho contribute some $1.5 billion to the state’s economy every year. Another new study finds the economic impact of Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians alone reaches $1 billion for that state’s annual total bottom line. Both studies echo similar research over the years in other states that show tribes are major players in their states’ economic viability. And the sources aren’t just gaming — categories like construction, tourism, government operations, and education are major economic contributors.

The fire that killed 101 people and destroyed much of the town of Lahaina on Maui Island left financial, environmental, and emotional damage in its wake that will require years and significant resources to overcome. Not least on the list is a mountain of toxic burned debris that residents and officials are having trouble finding a suitable place for. Officials are studying whether the charred landscape will harm the delicate coral reef just offshore. Somewhere in the country, a new wildfire appears at least once a week during the most active season, and many of those leave lasting implications for tribes and residents.

Tribes in California are urging President Joe Biden to designate three new national monuments in order to protect what the tribes say are natural and cultural treasures. The proposed Sáttítla National Monument would cover 200,000 acres in northeastern California important to the Pit River and Modoc Nations. The California State Assembly also signed onto the push to designate 627,000 acres as the Chuckwalla National Monument and almost 400,00 acres as the Kw'tsán National Monument. The effort comes as the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected weigh in on a challenge to President Biden’s use of the Antiquities Act to set aside some 1.5 million acres of land, including the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

Inadequate infrastructure is only one of the problems contributing to the fact that Native Americans and Alaska Natives lag behind everyone else when it comes to broadband access. Digital rights advocates say tribes need more say in how readily available data pathways that already exist are divvied up. We’ll hear about the role digital spectrum plays in connectivity that determines the course of business development, access to healthcare, and educational opportunities.

The Florida Everglades are on "life support". That’s the assessment of Miccosukee environmental advocate Betty Osceola, who says the famed wetlands are under relentless threat from urban encroachment, pollution, and poor management. Osceola is a dedicated defender of her homelands that are also home to at least 39 endangered or threatened species including the Florida panther and the American crocodile. She is sounding the alarm over historically high water levels that are destroying habitat and drowning culturally important sites. We'll talk with Osceola about her connection to the Everglades and her passion to preserve them. She joins us as this month's Native in the Spotlight.