Native America Calling

Among the shows and films touching on Native American themes is the start of season three of the suspenseful Dark Winds crime saga on AMC. The well-received show has new mysteries with Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), and Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) among many other Native characters. The show just got confirmed for a fourth season. The Netflix limited series American Primeval is a violent retelling of the American West with several significant Native storylines and characters. And fresh off its Academy Award nomination, Sugarcane is a hard-hitting documentary about the Canadian residential school system.

President Donald Trump has promised to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. Education advocates worry about what that means for the $119 billion the federal government sends to public K-12 schools and what becomes of the programs supporting Native American students. We’ll get a sense of what the future for Native primary and secondary education along with concerns from Native educators and policy advocates.

Federal staff layoffs, spending freezes and other executive orders by the Donald Trump administration jeopardize food pathways for tribes and federal grants and loans for Native farmers. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is helping conservation of an endangered fish called the Sicklefin Redhorse. It has a long and traditional relationship with the tribe in the southeast. The first children’s book by Squamish ethnobotanist Leigh Joseph teaches young about Indigenous plant knowledge and harvesting. This Land Knows Me: A Nature Walk Exploring Indigenous Wisdom is an engaging lesson on the plants around us and the cultural stories that go along with them. That’s all on The Menu, our regular special feature on Indigenous food hosted and produced by Andi Murphy.

Compensation for college athletics is changing fast. University sports programs are having to adapt to the evolving market for athletes through what is known as name, image and likeness. The issue is being debated in state legislatures and Congress. A settlement between the NCAA and current and former athletes could open the door to schools directly compensating athletes and revenue sharing among institutions. We’ll find out how some Native athletes are navigating the new N.I.L. reality and what some of the potential benefits and pitfalls could be.

The good news is overdose deaths dropped significantly in the most recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bad news is Native Americans and other people of color are not enjoying the same statistical headway against the persistent scourge of fentanyl, heroin, and other dangerous drugs. We’ll look at the efforts that are showing promise in saving people’s lives and explore ways to eliminate disparities for populations that are losing ground.

Haskell Indian Nations University lost nearly a quarter of its staff in the Trump administration’s mass terminations. It’s one of two higher education institutions that rely on federal funds through the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education that are scrambling after the sudden and unprecedented job cuts. The reduction of more than a thousand National Park Service employees prompted worries over certain sacred and important Native treasures protected by federal workers. We’ll check on how the fast-paced federal job restructurings are affecting issues Native people are following.

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.

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.

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.

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.