Native America Calling

Tens of thousands of federal job cuts, on-again, off-again tariffs on everyday goods, and policies affecting the operations of schools, businesses, and tribal governments are generating widespread uncertainty. Tribal leaders are working proactively to both influence decisions at the federal level and to prepare for inevitable changes. We’ll talk with tribal leaders about how they are adapting to the unpredictable and dramatic changes headed their way. GUESTS Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais (Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah)

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. is overseeing an unprecedented cut of nearly a quarter of the department’s staff, drawing widespread concerns about possible adverse affects for thousands of Native Americans who depend on those services. Everything from bill processing to testing and research to prevent lead contamination in children could be constricted. At the same time, Sec. Kennedy successfully reversed Elon Musk’s termination of 900 Indian Health Service employees by the Department of Government Efficiency. Kennedy is also reaching out to tribes and maintaining contact through the department’s Tribal Self Governance Advisory Committee. We’ll look at the latest word on what some of the potential effects of the federal actions are on Native health and health care. GUESTS A.C. Locklear (Lumbee), CEO of the National Indian Health Board Kristen Bitsuie (Navajo), tribal health care outreach and education policy manager for the National Indian Health Board Kim Russell (Navajo), policy advisor for Sage Memorial Hospital

Philanthropy matches a donor's passion with an organization's drive to make a difference. It is an arrangement that helps build equity in areas that are not served by profit-driven interests. Philanthropy becomes even more important during times of financial uncertainty and government austerity. We'll get a view of the current directions for philanthropic giving and what the new pressures to fill the gaps. GUESTS Erik Stegman (Carry the Kettle First Nation), CEO of Native Americans in Philanthropy Gina Jackson (Western Shoshone and Oglala Lakota), co-founder and CEO of the Return to the Heart Foundation

Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. calls the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEA) “one of the singular accomplishments of this country”. The legislation championed by President Richard Nixon opened the doors to tribal control over their own health care, law enforcement, natural resources management and economic development. We’ll look at the progress since ISDEA, and what tribes intend to strengthen self-governance in the future. GUESTS W. Ron Allen (Jamestown S'klallam), tribal chairman for the Jamestown S'klallam Tribe Jay Spaan (Cherokee), executive director of the Self-Governance Communication and Education Tribal Consortium Laura Harris (Comanche), executive director for Americans for Indian Opportunity

In Larissa FastHorse’s (Sičháŋǧu Lakota) new play, a nonprofit works to accommodate “race shifters”, people who are compelled to change the ethnicity they're born with. “Fake it Until You Make It” is a satirical look at the serious topic of Native identity, helped out by a talented cast and Indigenous-grounded writing. The new children’s TV puppet series, Navajo Highways, is making the rounds on screens across the Southwest. Written and directed by Pete Sands (Diné), the show follows young Sadie from her urban home to her introduction to Navajo land, culture, language and food. With a nod to the popular PBS show, Sesame Street, it’s filled with characters Native audiences will find familiar. It’s slated for public distribution on FNX. GUESTS Larissa FastHorse (Sičháŋǧu Lakota), playwright Pete Sands (Diné), writer and director of “Navajo Highways” Kimberly Kee (Diné), tribal early childhood specialist and she plays Ms. Pete

Indigenous business leaders in the U.S. and all over the world will now have to adjust to the uncertain effects of President Donald Trump’s aggressive new series of tariffs. Economic experts predict some measure of chaos in the short term. It’s impossible to predict how the tariffs will play out in the long run, but it will certainly affect everything from the beads used in regalia to groceries to auto sales. Trump insists the new tariffs will put American businesses on a more level playing field and boost the federal government’s coffers. We’ll hear how Native business experts are responding to the new economic reality. GUESTS Tabatha Bull (Nipissing First Nation), president and CEO of Canadian Council for Indigenous Business John Desjarlais (Cree-Métis), executive director of the Indigenous Resource Network Dante Biss-Grayson (Osage), founder of Sky-Eagle Collection Tally Monteau (Hunkpati Dakota and Chippewa-Cree), program manager for the Native American Development Corporation (NADC) Triia program and beadwork artist Benjamin Haile (Shinnecock), owner of Thunder Island Coffee Roasters

Indigenous people in Canada suffered a noticeably disproportionate number of fatal interactions with law enforcement in 2024. In one three-month period, 15 Indigenous people died either in custody or from direct interactions with police. It prompted the Assembly of First Nations and other Indigenous leaders to call for a national inquiry. It also inspired the news program, APTN Investigates, to pry into the factors that contribute to such an imbalance in the justice system. Their new three-part series looks into the strained relationship between Indigenous people and law enforcement. We’ll talk with APTN Investigates team members about their findings. We'll also hear from Marvin Roberts, the Athabascan man who just settled a wrongful conviction lawsuit against the city of Fairbanks, Alaska for $11.5 million. Roberts is one of the men – all Native – deemed the "Fairbanks Four". They were all convicted and imprisoned for the 1997 murder of a teenager. They were released in 2015 after another man confessed to the crime. GUESTS Cullen Crozier (Gwich’in, Dene, and Métis), producer with APTN Investigates Tamara Pimental (Métis), video journalist with APTN Investigates Tom Fennario, video journalist with APTN Investigates Marvin Roberts (Athabascan), one of the "Fairbanks Four" Reilly Cosgrove, partner at Kramer and Cosgrove law firm

Punk rock’s rebellious anger aimed at the forces of economic and political oppression and its low-fi, DIY aesthetic are among the reasons the genre took hold with some Indigenous musicians. It’s a connection that continues to resonate with both players and audiences. Kristy Martinez (Yoeme and Chicanx) is both a punk performer and a graduate student researching the history of the Indigenous contributions to the legacy of punk, one short, loud, and angry song at a time. She is building an archive of Indigenous punk musicians, posters, and performances on social media. We’ll hear from Martinez about her growing archive of Indigenous punk history and what the art form has to offer to today’s listeners. GUESTS Kristen Martinez (Yaqui and Mexican), archivist for the Indigenous Punk Archive and graduate student in musicology at UCLA Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe), visual artist and lead vocalist of the Dead Pioneers Toni Heartless (Diné, Choctaw, Filipino), artist and front man for Heart Museum

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in western Oregon signed away their subsistence hunting and fishing rights in exchange for federal recognition in 1980. Now, after years of work, those rights are fully restored, opening up a rich store of traditional food for tribal members. Author Brook Thompson was inspired to write her children's book, I Love Salmon and Lampreys, after witnessing a salmon kill in the Klamath River in 2002. Her book, illustrated by Anastasia Khmelevska, is an approachable story about environmental stewardship. Indigenous chef and restaurateur Bleu Adams reimagines American cuisine at her new eatery, The Continental, in Provo, Utah, "celebrating the land, the seasons, and the stories that shape us." GUESTS Brook Thompson (Yurok and Karuk), author, civil engineer, activist, artist, and full-time Ph.D. student at the University of California, Santa Cruz in environmental studies Bleu Adams (Diné, Mandan and Hidatsa), owner and chef of The Continental and served as an emissary for the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Culinary Partnership Robert Kentta (Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians), Siletz Tribal Council member

For the first time in decades, tribes in the Pacific Northwest will be able to forage for wild huckleberries in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest without competition from commercial companies. The development comes after decades of work by the Yakama Nation and other tribes in a contentious dispute, all while the culturally important wild berry abundance has dwindled. Foraging is also important to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in southern Colorado. A collaboration between the tribe and a conservation nonprofit to facilitate foraging on nearby private land just got a significant boost. GUESTS Bronsco Jim Jr., chief of the Ḱamíłpa Band of the Yakama Nation Josephine Woolington, journalist in Portland Treston Chee (Diné), Indigenous lands program field coordinator with Trees, Water & People

The Trump Administration is backtracking on some of the looming changes at the Social Security Administration (SSA) after widespread complaints from the public, advocates, and elected leaders. But staffing and budget cuts are already creating backlogs and delays for recipients. SSA is delaying for two weeks a new requirement for in-person identity checks, but significant changes are still on the way. We’ll talk about what those changes are for Native American elders and how they can prepare for them. GUESTS Rosalind Asetamy (Comanche), chairperson for the elder council of the Comanche Nation Larry Curley (Navajo), grant writer and consultant Judith Kozlowskiindependent Elder Justice consultant and is a consultant for the International Association for Indigenous Aging Michael Bird (Santo Domingo Pueblo and Ohkay Owingeh), past president of the American Public Health Association and past national consultant for AARP

Vaccines for the coronavirus have reduced the scope and severity of COVID-19 infections, but for as many as a third of the people who contract COVID, symptoms of the disease persist and cause potentially disabling affects day after day. Long COVID affects as many as 23 million Americans. Symptoms include persistent headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, and memory and concentration problems. In addition to the personal and medical burdens, several studies indicate the global financial drain from long COVID is anywhere from $1 trillion to $6 trillion. The Trump administration just announced it is closing the federal office that facilitates research and information-sharing among medical institutions on long COVID. GUESTS Rebecca Nagle (Cherokee), writer, advocate, host of the podcast This Land, and author of By the Fire We Carry Rita Bilagody (Navajo), activist and grandma Troy Montserrat-Gonzales (Lumbee and Chicana), mental health therapist and health care consultant Dr. Ivy Hurowitz, associate professor Division of Infectious Diseases at University of New Mexico Department of Internal Medicine Dr. Douglas Perkins, professor of Medicine and director of the Center for Global Health in the University of New Mexico Department of Internal Medicine

The unpredictable availability of salmon and other fish in Alaska is putting additional pressure on the practice of subsistence fishing for Alaska Native residents. A federal board just opened up subsistence fishing and hunting — something reserved only for rural residents — to all 14,000 residents of Ketchikan. The State of Alaska is fighting a federal panel’s approval of a COVID-era emergency subsistence hunt for citizens in Kake. Meanwhile, stakeholders are closely watching a legal conflict over fishing on the Kuskokwim River that has implications for decades of legal precedents over subsistence fishing access. GUESTS Ilsxílee Stáng / Gloria Burns (Haida), president of the Ketchikan Indian Community Nathaniel Amdur-Clark (Citizen Potawatomi), partner at Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Miller, and Monkman, LLP

Native Hawaiian writer Norma Kawelokū Wong tells us our current reality is “drifting haphazardly in the riptide of collapse”. Wong is both a Zen Master and an experienced political strategist, having advised prominent figures including Hawaii’s first Native Hawaiian Governor, John D. Waiheʻe III. She also offered guidance and mediation on some of Hawaii’s most high profile and vexing conflicts, including the U.S. Navy’s $344 million clean-up of munitions on Kahoʻolawe Island, telescope construction on Mauna Kea, and recovery following the devastating wildfire in Lahaina. In her new book, When No Thing Works, she weaves poetry, politics, and spiritual wisdom together into a lesson for navigating crises.

Mi’kmaq fiddler and songwriter Morgan Toney’s brand new album hopes to Heal The Divide for listeners. Shoshone poet and writer Tanaya Winder is releasing her first album of music, Call Back Your Heart, soon. And Navajo-fronted Tucson band The Reztones are bringing their high energy psychobilly sound on the road in their home state of Arizona and packing songs from their latest album, Chest Full of Arrows. We’ll add these artists to our Native Playlist and hear samples of their work. GUESTS Morgan Toney (Mi’kmaq), Mi’kmaq fiddler, singer, and songwriter Ace Begay (Diné), vocalist for The Reztones Tanaya Winder (Southern Ute, Pyramid Lake Paiute, Diné, and enrolled with the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe) musical artist, writer, and motivational speaker

Ahtna Athabascan elder Katie John’s efforts to get the state of Alaska to open up subsistence fishing in her Native Village of Batzulnetas turned into a series of legal and policy decisions that continue to protect Alaska Native fishing rights to this day. Daring Chickasaw aviator and legislator Eula Pearl Carter Scott was the youngest person in the country to fly an airplane solo. By age 14, she was working as a commercial pilot. She retired from flying to go on to work as the tribe’s Community Health Representative, and later as a tribal legislator. We’ll learn about the contributions of these and other notable Native women. GUESTS Jeannie Barbour (Chickasaw Nation), Chickasaw Nation creative development director Heather Kendall-Miller (Dena'ina Athabascan [Curyung tribe]), Native American Rights Fund attorney Liz Lovejoy Brown, executive director of the Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center

The Donald Trump Administration is using the full force of the federal government to compel colleges and universities to do away with scholarships, recruiting, academic programs and any other initiatives that help Native students succeed. Schools risk losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding in addition to defending against investigations by the Department of Justice and other agencies. At least 50 schools are facing such investigations for what the U.S. Department of Education calls “race exclusionary” practices. We’ll get a look at the sweeping changes the Trump Administration is bringing about and how Native education advocates are responding. GUESTS Cheryl Crazy Bull (Sicangu Lakota), president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund Carrie Billy (Diné), education consultant and former president and CEO of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Zonnie Gorman (Diné), historian and daughter of Dr. Carl Gorman, one of the original Navajo Code Talkers

Author Marcie Rendon (White Earth Nation) continues to put her favorite Ojibwe protagonist, Cash Blackbear, into a nail biting search for another murderer in Broken Fields. It’s the fourth in Rendon’s Cash Blackbear series about a tough independent young woman who loves working the land of the Red River Valley as a farm hand and has a special intuition for solving crime. There’s more than the usual slots and tables at the ocean-themed Hidden Atlantis Casino on the fictional Languille Lake Reservation. Something dark has the power over casino patrons and only Marion Lafournier and his cousins know what’s up. Passing Through a Prairie Country by Dennis E. Staples (Red Lake Nation) takes readers through dimensions that Marion must navigate to save the souls of his people.

Two Native students are among the recent winners of one of the most prestigious science research competitions for high school students. Logan Lee (Native Hawaiian) and Ava Grace Cummings (Lumbee and Coharie) placed in the top 10 among thousands of contestants in the Regeneron Science Talent Search. It’s the first time two Indigenous students were awarded prizes in the competition’s 83-year history. We’ll hear about their drive for science excellence. We’ll also check in with the author of Kindred Spirits: Shilombish Ittibachvffa. It’s a children’s book by Leslie Stall Widener and illustrator Johnson Yazzie highlighting the enduring connection between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland. GUESTS Ava Grace Cummings (Lumbee and Coharie), senior at North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Logan Lee (Native Hawaiian), senior at ‘Iolani School Leslie Widener (Choctaw), author of Kindred Spirits: Shilombish Ittibachvffa

At least 1.2 million Americans have died from COVID-19; thousands of them just since January. As the nation marks five years since the pandemic-causing virus appeared in this country, we’ll look at how Native Americans have recovered — and how they haven’t. Businesses closed down or have yet to regain their pre-pandemic levels, school enrollment remains weakened, and trust in medical science — something Native Americans already lacked — is diminished. We’ll examine what we learned from the unprecedented public health emergency five years later. GUESTS Gwendena Lee-Gatewood (White Mountain Apache), former chairwoman of the White Mountain Apache Tribe Dr. Rebecca St. Germaine (Lac Courte Oreilles), director of tribal health care administration at St. Germaine Data Innovations Jonathan Nez (Diné), former Navajo Nation President Lavinia Cody (Diné), certified school Diné counselor