Native America Calling

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

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

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

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?

Greenland hasn’t had this much attention from America since the William Taft Administration. Rhetoric, and even a few congressional proposals, are flying over the prospect of the United States purchasing — or perhaps invading — the autonomous territory of Denmark. Strategic positioning and untapped mineral resources are the main drivers of the argument. The likelihood of such an action appears remote. The Inuit people, who make up the vast majority of the population, are more seriously focused on independence from the colonial power of Denmark and cooperative efforts to reduce the effects of climate change. We’ll hear from elected leaders and other Greenland residents about the current political 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 (Yup'ik), tribal healer and traditional storyteller Sunny Dooley (Diné), Diné Hózhǫǫjí Hane' Teller Perry Ground (Onondaga Nation, Turtle Clan member), Haudenosaunee storyteller and cultural educator

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), Aquinnah Wampanoag traditional artist, knowledge keeper, and 2025 Community Spirit Award Honoree Lisa Morehead-Hillman (Karuk, Yurok, and Shasta), Karuk, Yurok, and Shasta basket weaver Fox Spears (Karuk), program manager of fellowships for the First Peoples Fund Terrill Goseyun (San Carlos Apache), Apache artist

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. You can watch the entire NCAI 2025 State of Indian Nations Address here. GUESTS Tadd Johnson (Bois Forte Band of Chippewa), Regent at the University of Minnesota, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and attorney

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.

One possible change to Medicaid being floated in Congress right now includes a $2.3 trillion cut over the next 10 years. Other potential changes include adding certain work requirements and shifting costs and distribution of Medicaid funds to states, which have no trust obligations to tribes. As it is, Medicaid provides direct support to at least one million Native Americans. It’s also one of the secondary sources that help provide health care through the Indian Health Service. Advocates are bracing for changes as they continue to make the case for the program’s life-and-death importance in Indian Country. GUESTS Dr. Damian Chase-Begay (Mandan and Arikara), associate research professor of public health at the University of Montana Kristen Bitsuie (Navajo), tribal health care outreach and education policy manager for the National Indian Health Board Nanette Star (Choctaw descendant), director of policy and planning at the California Consortium of Urban Indian Health Winn Davis, congressional relations director at the National Indian Health Board

Even before the recent wildfires in California, soaring home insurance rates were pushing homeowners to go without. Now State Farm, the country’s largest home insurer, is asking for a 22% rate hike in California. That’s on top of a 30% increase request last summer. Increasing natural disasters, rising home values, and the high cost of rebuilding are putting insurance out of reach for more homeowners nationwide. Native Americans already have the highest uninsured rate for homeowners. We’ll discuss alternatives to a future without coverage for people’s biggest financial asset. GUESTS Leah Cristobal (Santa Ana Pueblo, Tlingit, and Tsimshian), business development specialist at Amerind Jerri Killer (Cherokee), senior deputy executive director of the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation Michael Vanderwerker, licensed insurance broker with HUB International Insurance

Samí journalist and author Ann-Helén Laestadius offers readers a glimpse into the government-backed school system for the Indigenous children of Sweden that has parallels with the U.S. Indian Boarding School Era. Her novel, Punished, follows five Sami children forced to attend a nomad school in the 1950s. The story stays with them into adulthood, where each copes with the physical, mental, and cultural abuse scars just below the surface. Originally published in Swedish, the English translation of Punished is now available. Laestadius joins us for this month’s Native Bookshelf discussion.

A Wisconsin tribe agreed to stop operating an online high-interest loan operation in neighboring Minnesota in a lawsuit settlement just announced. But the Lac du Flambeau tribe and several others still insist on their sovereign ability to operate the businesses, despite laws in several states working to prevent consumers from falling victim to interest rates that reach up to 800% in some cases. We’ll talk about the struggle between tribes’ ability to operate unrestricted payday loan business – and the ongoing efforts to regulate damaging loan businesses. GUESTS Miranda Lente (Isleta Pueblo), loan officer for Tiwa Lending Services Barry Brandon (Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma), commissioner for The Muscogee Nation Office of Public Gaming Nathalie Martin, professor of law at the University of New Mexico School of Law

In the new APTN series One Dish One Spoon with chef Tawnya Brant (Mohawk), viewers follow her and her sister Dakota to local kitchens, farms, and waterways to expose the traditional foodways of the Six Nations. Zach Ducheneaux (Cheyenne River Sioux) leaves his post this month as the administrator of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency where he helped direct some of the federal government’s key agriculture and faming programs and policies. The work of Mariah Gladstone (Cherokee and Blackfeet) teaching people about Indigenous food and cooking leads her to publish an Indigenous foods cookbook for kids, Mountains to Oceans: Kids’ Recipes from Native Land. That’s all on The Menu, our regular feature on Indigenous food sovereignty hosted by Andi Murphy.

President Donald Trump’s sudden freeze on federal grants rattled tribes and Native American organizations that depend on those funds. His just-as-sudden retreat is little reassurance to those institutions, some of whom are preparing for a worst-case future for funding. A prime target for President Trump’s directives is anything associated with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. That has implications for everything from Native pre-school students to contractors. Organizations in Los Angeles that work with Native urban residents are assessing the damage after the recent fires and how to look ahead to future threats. We'll get updates on recent fast-moving news that affects Native Americans. GUESTS President J.C. Seneca (Seneca Nation) Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), tribal councilman and former chairperson for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Andrea Pesena (Isleta Pueblo), executive director for Isleta Pueblo Head Start and Child Care Program Pamela Villaseñor (Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians), executive director of Pukúu Cultural Community Services Hope Craig-Corlew (Muscogee Nation), board chairwoman and executive advisory chair of the United American Indian Involvement

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.

Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians say it will keep road access open for now on tribal land. The announcement comes in a dispute with a nearby town over easements to non-Native homeowners on tribal land. Tribes are advising members of their constitutional rights after reports that Native people are among those being questioned and detained by ICE agents in ramped up immigration raids. GUESTS Matthew Fletcher (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians), law professor at the University of Michigan Law School and author of the “Turtle Talk” blog Danielle Kaeding, reporter with Wisconsin Public Radio State Sen. Theresa Hatathlie (Diné/D-AZ-Coal Mine Mesa) Thomas Badamo (Nansemond Indian Nation), Nansemond tribal council treasurer

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