Native America Calling

A Kanaka Maoli student at Yale is working on an AI tool to help clear criminal records of fellow Native Hawaiians. A Kiowa writer and artist is developing creative pathways to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. And a Tohono O’odham knowledge protector is archiving recordings and pictures from her tribe. Those are among this year’s young people selected as Champions for Change by the Center for Native American Youth. We’ll hear from them and get their stories of inspiration. GUESTS Lily Painter Kiowa name is Brings Water (Kiowa & Winnebago), 2025 Champion of Change Lourdes Pereira (Hia-Ced O’odham and Yoeme and a citizen of the Tohono O’odham Nation), 2025 Champion of Change and community memory protector Katie Lynch (Citizen Band Potawatomi Nation), 2025 Champion of Change and PhD student at the University of Michigan Joshua Ching (Native Hawaiian), 2025 Champion of Change and student at Yale University

Before taking office this week, President Donald Trump promised swift and decisive actions to get his agenda moving. In addition to major reforms for immigration and pardons for participants in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol, he also signaled policy directions that affect Native Americans. Among them are proposed cuts to Medicaid, changes that affect Native foster care, and reductions in protected lands. He also eliminated federal government diversity programs and took steps to reverse the decision to name North America’s highest peak that refers to the traditional Koyukon Athabascan word. We’ll take stock of some of Trump’s immediate priorities. GUESTS Nagruk Harcharek (Iñupiaq), president of the Voices of the Iñupiat Evon Peter (Gwich’in and Koyukon), board member of the Gwich’in Council International and former chief of Arctic Village, Alaska Nazune Menka (Koyukon and Lumbee), assistant professor of law and faculty director at the center for Indian Law and Policy at Seattle University School of Law Juanita Cabrera Lopez (Maya Mam), executive director of the International Mayan League

With the support of area tribes, President Joe Biden just designated the Chuckwalla National Monument using his authority under the Antiquities Act. That same law created the path for President Barack Obama to designate the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Both actions stirred opposition from ranchers, oil drillers, and other profit-driven entities who see a better use for that land. Now, that opposition is surfacing in Congress, as a bill to strip the president’s use of Antiquities. We’ll talk about what the Antiquities Act does, and how it protects — and hinders — Native American interests. GUESTS Shannon O’Loughlin (citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), chief executive and attorney for the Association on American Indian Affairs Arnold Thomas, tribal vice-chairman for the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation Matthew Campbell (enrolled member of the Native Village of Gambell on the Saint Lawrence Island in Alaska), deputy director of the Native American Rights Fund

Leonard Peltier will spend the remainder of his prison sentence at home after the 11th-hour action by President Joe Biden. Friends, family and supporters expressed surprise and relief as they heard the news Monday. National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro said Biden’s decision comes after "50 years of unjust imprisonment," and is a powerful act of compassion and an important step toward healing.” In December, Macarro personally asked Biden to take action on Peltier's behalf. Among the many advocates for Peltier's release over the past five decades include South African President Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights. We'll hear from Peltier's family and others who have followed his case about what this action means for him and how it will be viewed historically.

Seven children died in the first year of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School’s operation. Another 220 died over the school’s next 38 years. They are among the more than 3,100 students a year-long Washington Post investigation finds died while separated from their families in Indian Boarding Schools. Their tally is three times that of the recent investigation by the U.S. Department of Interior. Many of the deaths are attributed to illness, accidents, or neglect. Others have no official explanation or remain suspicious. We’ll discuss the Post’s investigation and why having an accurate accounting is important. GUESTS Jim LaBelle (Iñupiaq), board member for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition Benjamin Jacuk (Dena’ina Athabascan and Sugpiaq), researcher at the Alaska Native Heritage Center Dana Hedgpeth (Haliwa-Saponi), reporter at the Washington Post

Ted Nolan’s home on the Garden River First Nation reserve in northern Ontario didn’t have electricity or running water, but it did have a hockey rink in the backyard that Nolan built to satisfy his own passion to play. That passion grew into a successful hockey playing and coaching career that included the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. In his book, Life in Two Worlds: A Coach's Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back, Nolan recounts both pride in his Indigenous identity and overt racism as he worked to excel in his sport. GUEST Ted Nolan (Garden River First Nation), President of 3Nolans, former NHL player, award-winning NHL coach, and former Olympian

President-elect Donald Trump has promised at least 100 executive orders as soon as he takes office. Many of those are, in his words, aimed at undoing "much of what Biden did". Tribes and Native organizations are preparing to fight, and in some cases benefit from, what they expect based on Trump’s comments and his record during his first term. We’ll look at what those expectations are – from fewer protections for important land to greater access to extraction resources. GUESTS Donald Medart Jr., a tribal council member for the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe Myron Lizer (Diné), former Navajo Nation Vice President and professional development consultant for Prestige with Partners LLC Curtis Yanito (Diné), Navajo Nation council delegate and a co-chair of the Bears Ears Commission

Wildfires in Los Angeles have killed at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes. The traditional homelands of the Tongva and Chumash people, among others, is now home to the largest urban Native American population in the U.S. United American Indian Involvement, Inc. and Pukúu Cultural Community Services (Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians) are providing support for displaced locals. Tribes across the country are sending firefighting crews, supplies and cash. Amid the chaos, incoming President Donald Trump falsely blamed water management policies in Northern California for inoperable fire hydrants in Los Angeles. Conservative commentators extended that complaint to include the decision to remove Klamath River dams in favor of salmon restoration. We’ll talk with those affected by the fires and learn more about the political rhetoric arising from it. GUESTS Courage Escamilla (Tarahumara and Lakota), activist Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), founder of Grim Native Bodie Shaw (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs), deputy regional director for the Northwest Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Don Gentry (Klamath Tribes), natural resources specialist and former chairman of the Klamath Tribes Pamela Villaseñor (member of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians), executive director of Pukúu Cultural Community Services

The Orthodox New Year in Alaska is a mix of seal meat, tea cakes, and Alaska Native and Slavonic languages. It’s a cultural blend more than 150 years after Russia formally withdrew from what would become America’s 49th state. In that time, the Orthodox Christian customs continued to flourish and merged with Native traditions. In many ways, they are more established than in their home country, which saw religious persecution during the time of the Soviet Union. We’ll hear from Alaska Native adherents of Russian Orthodox Christianity about how they’re welcoming the New Year on January 14. GUESTS Archpriest Martin Nicolai (Yup’ik), retired Archpriest of St. Nicholas Church Benjamin Jacuk (Dena’ina Athabascan and Sugpiaq), director of Indigenous research at the Alaska Native Heritage Center Jill Fratis (Unangan), news producer and reporter for KNBA and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation Sperry Ash (Sugpiaq), educator and Russian Orthodox deacon

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement halts any progress on a $48 billion proposal to reform child welfare systems on reserves. It also stalls a First Nations clean drinking water bill. Trudeau received both praise and criticism from Indigenous leaders following his resignation announcement. We’ll look at how Trudeau delivered on Indigenous issues in Canada. This is an encore show so we will not be taking calls.

When Ross Anderson (Cheyenne and Arapaho) was clocked at more than 154 miles per hour in 2006, he set an American speed skiing record that has yet to be broken. He’s translated his talent on the slopes into outreach for Native American youth. He is among a handful of Native skiers who have made a name for themselves in competitive winter sports. GUESTS Ross Anderson (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and Chiricahua Apache), All-American record holder for speed skiing and a multiple hall of fame inductee including the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and the North American Indigenous Athletic Hall of Fame Connor Ryan (Hunkpapa Lakota), athlete, skier, and filmmaker Ernie St. Germaine (Lac du Flambeau), tribal elder, former tribal judge, and founder with the American Birkebeiner

Among California’s efforts to fight homelessness is an allocation of more than $91 million to boost tribal housing efforts. The Cherokee Nation is putting $40 million toward affordable housing this year. That’s on top of a $120 million housing investment two years ago. HUD is disbursing almost $73 million toward housing programs for 38 tribes. The aim is to offset the persistent disparity in Native American homelessness. We’ll hear about what that money is being spent on and what hurdles remain. GUESTS Jamie Navenma (Hopi), executive director for Laguna Housing and Management Enterprise, president of the Southwest Tribal Housing Alliance, and a representative of region 8 for the National American Indian Housing Council Evelyn Immonen (Turtle Mt. Band of Chippewa Indians), senior program officer for the Tribal Nations and Rural Communities team at Enterprise Community Partners Jody Perez (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), executive director of the Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement halts any progress on a $48 billion proposal to reform child welfare systems on reserves. It also stalls a First Nations clean drinking water bill. Trudeau received both praise and criticism from Indigenous leaders following his resignation announcement. We’ll look at how Trudeau delivered on Indigenous issues in Canada. GUESTS Russ Diabo (Kahnawake Mohawk), policy analyst Matthew Wildcat (Cree), assistant professor of Native Studies and director of Indigenous Governance and Partnership at the University of Alberta

Avoiding unnecessary debt and living within your means are two important and well-known considerations for building your own wealth. But other factors, like investing in stocks, managing your retirement, and sorting out needs versus wants are also part of the complicated, life-long journey to secure your own finances. We’ll talk about how everything from IRAs to cryptocurrency fits in with your individual financial plan. GUESTS Lanalle Smith (Diné), owner of Blacksheep Insight Consulting and Coaching Chantay Moore (Diné), certified financial educator

Roselyn Tso (Diné) spent just over two years as director of the Indian Health Service. But her career at the agency spanned more than three decades, most recently as the IHS Navajo Area Director. As her term comes to an end, we’ll hear about her call to provide health care for Native Americans, food as medicine, and the immediate and long-term hurdles for IHS. We’ll also get an update on efforts by IHS to head off RSV infections that are putting Native children in the hospital as much as ten times more frequently than other populations. GUESTS Roselyn Tso (Diné), director of the Indian Health Service Dr. Matthew Clark, chief medical officer for the Alaska Area Native Health Service, acting deputy chief medical officer for the IHS, and chair of the IHS National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

In his message to Congress in 1970, President Richard Nixon acknowledged the need for a change in how the federal government interacts with Native Nations: “It is long-past time that the Indian policies of the federal government began to recognize and build upon the capacities and insights of the Indian people,” Nixon wrote. It was a pivotal moment that, along with the Red Power Movement, the occupation of Alcatraz, other protests, and determined advocacy by increasingly informed Native groups and individuals, led up to the signing of the Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act on January 6, 1975. We’ll look at what informed that legislation and what its influence has been 50 years later. GUESTS Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne & Hodulgee Muscogee), president of the Morning Star Institute and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Donald Fixico (Shawnee, Sac and Fox, Muscogee, and Seminole), professor of history at Arizona State University Richard Monette (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians), professor of law emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School

The new year is good time to look forward to the promises and concerns that lie ahead. In addition to setting individual and professional goals for the year, many people are watching the possibility for sweeping political changes. Merriam-Webster made "polarization" their word of 2024, and it goes beyond political division to an increasing number of family estrangements. We’ll get ideas on staying positive and on track for what’s important in 2025. GUESTS D.J. Eagle Bear Vanas (Odawa), motivational storyteller, host of the PBS special “Discovering your Warrior Spirit”, and author of Warrior Within published by Penguin Random House Ronda Rutledge (Cherokee), executive director of Ecotrust Arnold Thomas (Shoshone-Paiute), vice chairman of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation

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. GUESTS Jesse Garcia (Tohono O’odham), Ajo CSA farm manager Danielle Greendeer (Wampanoag), seed keeper, culture keeper, and food sovereignty expert Jason Vickers (Nipmuc), chef and owner Natoncks Metsu

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. GUESTS Andrea L. Rogers (Cherokee), author, undergraduate professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts, and a PhD student at the University of Arkansas Calvin Crosby (Cherokee), owner of King’s English Bookshop and executive director of Brain Food Books

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.