Native America Calling

Someone looking to move to any of the Native American reservations in Montana will have a hard time finding a home. A three-part series by the Montana Free Press finds there is a chronic shortage of housing on Native land caused by confusing land ownership frameworks, hurdles for conventional financing, and a lack of infrastructure. The government shutdown, funding cuts, and other changes at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development could only exacerbate the struggle Native people have for finding homes. Native people typically have the worst housing needs in the country. We’ll hear about the problems facing Native homeowners and some of the innovative ways tribes are working to solve them.

Two Native American women from Oklahoma are carving distinct and inviting musical paths through the music world. Samantha Crain’s seventh album, "Gumshoe", offers the latest installment in the veteran Choctaw singer-songwriter’s musical evolution. The cover artwork—a photo of her own beadwork—is a clue to the roots she draws on for strength and inspiration. And Ken Pomeroy’s debut album, "Cruel Joke", invokes a simmering depth of feeling that transcends her young age. She is a natural storyteller from the Cherokee Nation with a lot to say. Both of these creative artist are added to our Native Playlist.

Payments to tribes for federal contracts, BIA law enforcement, food distribution to schools, and health care access could all be affected by the federal government shutdown. It also has a significant effect on the 30,000 Native American federal employees and members of the military who may not be furloughed, but will not receive paychecks until the shutdown is over. This is the second government shutdown in the past decade; the previous one was the longest on record. We’ll get the Native perspective on what’s potentially in store as the shutdown progresses.

Culture keepers and historians are closely watching President Donald Trump’s review of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and other institutions to eliminate what he calls derisive or partisan narratives. It’s among eight museums that receive federal funding are that are currently under review. NMAI’s exhibits include Native American perspectives on historical documents and events that include treaties, Indian Boarding Schools, the Termination Era, the American Indian Movement, and the Indian Child Welfare Act, among many others. Those watching are concerned Trump’s directive could permanently alter how those topics are presented to the public. NMAI also develops educational curricula that counters incomplete instruction on historical events, like Thanksgiving. We’ll hear from those who were instrumental in NMAI’s founding, as well as get perspective on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement that soldiers that took part in the Wounded Knee Massacre would retain their Medals of Honor.

For more than three decades, Tina Kuckkahn's work has centered on supporting Native culture and the arts. The Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe citizen is the new head of the Native artist non-profit organization, the First Peoples Fund. She previously directed s'gʷi gʷi ʔ altxʷ: House of Welcome (The Evergreen State College Longhouse) and most recently helped build NDN Collective’s philanthropic infrastructure and grantmaking programs. She is in the process of organizing a canoe journey through the Great Lakes, retracing her ancestors’ historic migration. Tina Kuckkahn joins us as this month's Native in the Spotlight to talk about the state of Native art, Ojibwe culture, and motorcycles. We'll also look back at the life of Indian Gaming Association chairman Ernie Stevens Jr., who just walked on.

The action by Republican Texas lawmakers to redraw congressional voting boundaries to favor Republican candidates has clear implications for the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas. The new contorted boundaries put the tribe at least four times the distance away from their elected representative’s base of operation. The Texas move has also spurred other states to do that same and voting advocates worry about losing hard-fought ground for Native voter representation at the polls. We’ll look at what the latest potential problem areas are and how it relates to the midterm elections. Also, we’ll talk with a New Mexico District Attorney Bernadine Martin (Diné). She is fighting to keep her job amid allegations of incompetence and misconduct. Martin is the only female Native American district attorney in the state. She says she is being unfairly targeted.

Among the informational signs flagged for review under the Trump administration’s purge of “improper ideology” at National Parks is language at the Sitka National Monument Russian Bishop’s House explaining how missionaries worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and languages in Alaska. A panel at Florida’s Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is being questioned for including text about forced assimilation of imprisoned Native Americans. They are part of the ongoing review of parks, museums, and other institutions for information deemed disparaging to Americans. The review has prompted considerable concern over who is making decisions about how historical events are portrayed and whether Native historians have any input.

Propelled by the success of her runaway bestseller, “Braiding Sweetgrass”, Robin Wall Kimmerer (Citizen Potawatomi) continues a passion for weaving together the science, the cultural knowledge, and the beauty of the natural environment and importance of taking notice of it. In her new children’s picture book, “Bud Finds Her Gift,” a young girl discovers what it means to receive and give the gifts of nature. And her book, “The Serviceberry,” lands on the small fruit clusters as a starting point to awaken one’s gratitude for the environment’s abundance. We’ll hear from Kimmerer about the arc of her work and the additional knowledge she’s collected from it.

An unassuming café on Isleta Pueblo just won one of the most sought-after culinary recognitions in New Mexico. Isleta Grill is this year’s Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge Champion for their frybread version of a regional delicacy. In northern Wisconsin, this year’s wild rice yields are low. The state Department of Natural Resources blames wind damage and heavy rainfall from a series of strong storms. It’s part of a pattern of diminished wild rice harvests in recent years. Cherokees cross-bred and cultivated apple varieties when they lived in the southeast U.S., but when the federal government forced a majority of Cherokees to move to Indian Territory (Oklahoma), they left their orchards behind. Now one cultural group is reviving those lost varieties of apples along with the history that goes with it. These are among the topics we’ll hear about on The Menu, a special feature of Native America Calling on Indigenous food sovereignty and stories with Andi Murphy.

After two decades of work, supporters of an international agreement are celebrating ratification of a tool aimed at reversing ongoing threats to oceans around the globe. Sixty nations have signed onto the High Seas Treaty. It’s a legally-binding document that maps a direction for marine biodiversity in international waters. It addresses threats such as pollution, overfishing, and damage caused by climate change. The goals align with those of many Indigenous populations, many of whom are bearing the brunt of diminished ocean diversity. At the same time, there are concerns about the ability to enforce the agreement against nations that choose to ignore it.

Seattle-based Indigenous funk/jazz band Khu.éex' is an ensemble full of storytellers and their stories carry a punch. They are back with another double album titled, “Red Cedar in the Hour of Chaos.” They carry on their unique P Funk-inspired sound and blend it with hip-hop, doom metal and psychedelia, all while drawing from Tlingit, Haida, and other Native roots. Another band, this one from the Southwest, weaves Diné stories and concepts into their just-released album filled with neo-soul and jazz influences. “Yáágo Dootliźh” is the second album from the Indigenous soul collective Earth Surface People. We’ll talk with members of both these groups about the power of Native storytelling through music.

Lucy Smith just aged out of the foster care system but finds she needs to protect herself and her family against persistent threats from her past. She relies on the survival skills she’s learned the hard way: a lack of trust in others and a readiness to run. Along the way she connects with her own Anishinaabe identity. “Sisters in the Wind” is the third mystery by author Angeline Boulley (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians). She weaves together themes of Indigenous identity, justice, and family through compelling characters and in a way that fans of her two previous novels, “Firekeeper’s Daughter” and “Warrior Girl Unearthed”, will recognize. “Sisters in the Wind” is on our Native Bookshelf.

The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona is considering a new law to banish tribal members convicted of violent crimes. A bill awaits a signature from the New York governor that aims to strengthen the Seneca Nation’s ability to enforce tribal laws, which includes removing people convicted of drug trafficking and other crimes. Those are among efforts by tribes to formalize the traditional practice of banishment as tool to combat crime, but such efforts sometimes conflict with modern legal systems. In Alaska, the Native Village of Togiak faces a legal challenge after tribal members forced a man suspected of illicit alcohol sales onto an airplane to another city. We’ll get insights from tribal leaders and Native legal experts on how banishment fits in with modern justice.

In life, Charlie Kirk espoused controversial opinions that many people consider repugnant. His violent and public death is now becoming a test for what other public figures—and ordinary citizens—are able to say without severe consequences. Dozens of people, including a Washington Post columnist and a U.S. Army colonel, are facing repercussions after speaking out about Kirk on social media. A Manitoba First Nations cabinet member is facing calls to resign after sharing a post criticizing Kirk for his views. One effort is collecting information on thousands of people for possible retribution for their comments about Kirk. We’ll explore some of the limits of social media posts Native Americans should be aware of in their personal and professional lives.

The advocacy group, Tewa Women United, is warning nearby Pueblo citizens and other local residents about Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico releasing gas containing the weak radioactive substance, tritium. The group says, despite assurances by lab experts and regulators that the substance is safe in relatively small doses, it is a dangerous substance and could pose a threat to pregnant women and others. Tritium is a naturally occuring substance, but is also produced in quantities during nuclear power generation and is a key component in nuclear weapons. LANL says it is forced to release the radioactive gas because the containers they’ve been in for decades pose a risk. We’ll discuss what tritium does and whatever threat, if any, it poses.