Native America Calling

The Trump administration is working to remove protections for more than 58 million acres of national forests. A brief public comment period is now open on a plan to rescind the federal government’s 25-year-old Roadless Rule which prohibits road construction and timber harvesting in several states. Environmental groups and leaders of Alaska Native tribes with cultural ties to the Tongass National Forest — the country’s largest national forest — are raising alarms about the plan. The vast temperate rainforest covers 17 million acres and is also the nation’s largest stand of old-growth trees, many of which are at least 800 years old. Advocates warn that road construction and increased commercial logging threaten subsistence hunting, plant harvesting, and fishing. We’ll talk with tribal leaders and others about what’s at stake in Tongass and the future of forest management. GUESTS Chuck Sams (Cayuse and Walla), director of Indigenous Programs at Yale Center for Environmental Justice and former National Park Service director Cody Desautel (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), president of the Intertribal Timber Council and the executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Mike Jones (Haida), president of the Organized Village of Kasaan Ilsxílee Stáng/Gloria Burns (Haida), president of the Ketchikan Indian Community Joel Jackson (Tlingit and Haida), president of the Organized Village of Kake

The Shinnecock Nation in New York is in an ongoing legal battle to have their fishing rights recognized. A lawsuit brought forward by a Shinnecock tribal citizen argues the tribe has never ceded their right to fish in any treaty or agreement. The tribe has no treaty with the federal government, but instead with British colonists from the 1600s. This case could possibly affirm the tribe’s unended aboriginal claim to fish in the Hamptons. We’ll talk with Shinnecock citizens about what’s at stake with the case as it moves forward in federal district court. GUESTS Taobi Silva (Shinnecock), fisherman Riley Plumer (Red Lake Nation), attorney Randy King (Shinnecock), former chairman of the Shinnecock Nation Board of Trustees Ashley Dawn Anderson (Cherokee Nation), Tribal Water Institute Fellow at the Native American Rights Fund

In the comedy thriller "Seeds", social media influencer Ziggy is offered a lucrative sponsorship contract with a corporate seed and fertilizer company, but she’s also called back to her Mohawk reservation to help out her cousin, which gets her tangled in an all-out battle to save her tribe’s ancestral seeds. Kanienʼkehá:ka Mohawk actor Kaniehtiio Horn is Ziggy. She is also the screenwriter and director for the film. And a new collection of stories by Indigenous authors, “Legendary Frybread Drive-In”, serves up more than just Native comfort food. Each of the stories geared toward young adult readers finds its way to Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-in, a place with a helping of elder wisdom about love, grief, culture, and healing. Editor Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee) calls it “a hug of a book”. Horn and Smith both join Andi Murphy for "The Menu", our special feature on Indigenous food sovereignty.

Serving on a school board is not a glamorous position, but it’s an important one that plays a big role in Native American students’ success. Elected members of school boards make decisions ranging annual budgets to what’s allowed in classroom lessons. They are also responsible for representing the community’s values and interests. As such, individual board members are lightning rods for public criticism. We’ll get a look at what school board members encounter on a daily basis and hear about a program designed to support Native school board participation. GUESTS Stacey Woolley (Choctaw), member on Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education Regina Yazzie (White Mountain Apache), member for the Theodore Roosevelt School Governing Board Michele Justice (Diné), owner of Personnel Security Consultants Dr. Chris Bonn, owner of Bonfire Leadership Solutions

Aquinnah Wampanoag journalist Joseph Lee investigates the difficult subject of Indigenous identity in his new book, "Nothing More Of This Land". He uses his own family’s story as a jumping off point, exploring the reality of the people who once greeted the Mayflower. The original Wampanoag homeland includes Martha’s Vineyard, the haven for wealthy elites that has become so expensive that at least three quarters of tribal members can no longer afford to live there. Lee branches out from there to find parallels among the Native people and places he's covered — from Alaska to the halls of the United Nations. We'll talk with Lee about his new book, journalism, and what it means to be Native in modern America.

Santa Ana Pueblo is celebrating the return of a clay bowl that was stolen in 1984, but it’s only one out of nearly 150 irreplaceable items taken during a series of burglaries and never recovered. Investigators believe the items were eventually sold to collectors around the world and authorities never tracked them down. We’ll check in on the tribe’s renewed efforts to find and bring the items back home. We’ll also get updates on other repatriation efforts, including tribes and lawmakers putting renewed pressure on the University of California over its failure to return remains and artifacts required by law. GUESTS Shannon O’Loughlin (Choctaw), chief executive and attorney of the Association on American Indian Affairs Jack Potter Jr. (Redding Rancheria), chairman of the Redding Rancheria Myron Armijo (Santa Ana Pueblo), Santa Ana Pueblo governor Monica Murrell, tribal historic preservation officer and director of the Santa Ana Historic Preservation Department Edward Halealoha Ayau (Native Hawaiian), executive director of Hui Iwi Kuamo'o

Miccosukee Tribe of Florida scored at least a temporary legal victory when a federal judge halted construction and ordered parts of the facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" removed. The decision comes in the lawsuit by the tribe and environmental groups claiming work on the abandoned airport turned emergency immigrant detention center in Florida violates environmental and national preservation laws. The facility is on traditional Miccosukee land. The Department of Homeland Security and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement along with the state of Florida see the compound as part of ramped-up immigrant deportation efforts. We'll speak with Chairman Talbert Cypress (Miccosukee). We’ll also hear from Lakota artist Danielle SeeWalker, who settled a lawsuit with the city of Vail, Colo. after officials cancelled a summer artist residency. The cancellation came after she posted a picture of a work criticizing Israel’s actions against the citizens of Gaza.

Renowned ballet dancer Jock Soto (Diné/Puerto Rican) is being celebrated by the International Museum of Dance for his career that started when he was hand-selected at age 16 by New York City Ballet founder George Balanchine as a principal dancer. He went on to an acclaimed career on stage and as a mentor to up-and-coming dancers. We’ll talk with Soto about his dancing and choreography career. Composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate’s (Chickasaw) new compositions are based on his tribe’s clan animals, including woodpeckers, deer, and racoons. They’re included on a new album, “Woodland Songs,” by the Dover Quartet. The album also includes songs by singer-songwriter Pura Fé (Tuscarora and Taino) that Tate arranged for the ensemble. We'll talk with Tate about his interpreting the mix of traditional Native ideas in a classical music setting.

A relatively new program with proven results in improving the health of expecting and new mothers may be in jeopardy. Efforts to renew the Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality (ERASE MM) program by the September 30 deadline have so far been unsuccessful. ERASE MM panels review and document social and legal factors that go into providing maternal health care. Absent or inconsistent approaches state-by-state could make it harder to spot gaps for Native mothers. Federal funding cuts also threaten access to birth control for more than 800,000 women. The Trump administration is signaling a shift in the Nixon-era program known as Title X, promoting fertility programs for low-income women rather than providing them contraception. In addition, pending cuts to Medicaid could reduce family planning services to millions more. We’ll take a look at the current trend in family planning services for Native Americans. GUESTS Camie Goldhammer (Sisseton Wahpeton), founding executive director of Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services MichaeLynn Kanichy (member of the Makah Tribe), co-founder of The Hi•dubał Baʔas Julia Wall (Pueblo and Anishinaabe), health administrator for the Changing Woman Initiative Shireen Ghorbani, president and CEO for the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah

Since the technology was first made publicly available in the U.S. more than a century ago, radio has endured repeated predictions of its demise. Even with the explosion of digital streaming and on-demand podcasts, the nation’s top ratings firm finds at least 82% of Americans listen to traditional, terrestrial radio each week. We’ll mark National Radio Day by talking to Native people who have a passion for the medium, including the host of the longest-running Native radio show in Texas, a radio reporter who covers Indigenous affairs in Oklahoma, and an Alaska teenager who built his own internet radio station in his bedroom. GUESTS Sarah Liese (Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Diné), Indigenous Affairs reporter at KOSU Albert Old Crow (Southern Cheyenne), Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal council coordinator and host of "Beyond Bows and Arrows" Colton Prince (Athabascan and Iñupiaq), owner of 98.5 Music Alaska Bob Petersen (Yup’ik), network manager for Native Voice One (NV1)

Among the big wins in athletic competition this summer is the victory by the Haudenosaunee Nationals at the Pan-American Women’s Lacrosse Championship. They are first time medalists at the senior level and their win over Puerto Rico has far-reaching implications. We’ll hear from a player and a coach for the team and take the opportunity to catch up with some other notable Native athletes, from a Comanche professional boxer to the Diné college swimmer. GUESTS Carli Upton (Chickasaw and Choctaw), student and golfer at Tishomingo High School Bean Minerd (Onondaga Nation), Haudenosaunee Nationals women’s lacrosse team member and head women’s lacrosse coach of Buffalo State University George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah (Comanche), former professional boxer, North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, and CEO of Numunu Kaylah Yazzie (Navajo, Comanche, and Sac and Fox), swimmer for the University of New Mexico

Michael Steven Wilson (Tohono O’odham) was a lay pastor on the Tohono O’odham Nation in the early 2000s when he started putting out water for migrants crossing the U.S.- Mexico border. He considered it a religious and ethical calling, but it put him at odds with U.S. immigration officials, his church, and his own Native nation. Growing up in Tucson, Ariz. in the 1950s, Wilson endured racism and poverty. He witnessed injustice in Central America while serving in the military — and he confronted questions about his Christian faith while in seminary school in the 90s. His experiences and observations informed his decision to help relieve the suffering of the migrants risking their lives to cross the Sonoran Desert. They are also documented in the memoir, “What Side Are You On?” Wilson is our August Native in the Spotlight.

After 103 years, the Santa Fe Indian Market remains the biggest draw for Native artists, potters, and jewelry makers as well as those who appreciate and collect their work. More than 1.000 juried participants come from hundreds of Native communities, offering a hugely diverse range of inspiring work. We’ll take a small sample of that creativity and check in on the outlook for Native arts and arts education. GUESTS Lily Hope (Tlingit), Chilkat and Ravenstail weaver and artist Shelly Lowe (Diné), president of the Institute of American Indian Arts Dan Vallo (Acoma Pueblo), 2024 SWAIA Best of Show winner and multimedia artist Monica Raphael (Anishinaabe and Sicangu Lakota), quill and beadwork artist

News consumers have a constant stream of information at their fingertips, but how reliable is it and how do people check the facts? Indigenous journalists are a means to bring balanced viewpoints to newsrooms that typically have limited interaction with Indigenous populations. As the annual gathering of the Indigenous Journalists Association gets underway in Albuquerque, N.M., we’ll discuss how journalism is changing and how Indigenous journalists are responding to new pressures for transparency, fact-checking, and bias. GUESTS Angel Ellis (Muscogee), director of Mvskoke Media and on board of directors for Indigenous Journalists Association and Oklahoma Media Center Shaun Griswold (Laguna, Jemez and Zuni Pueblo), correspondent at High Country News and Native News Online Nancy Marie Spears (Cherokee), Indigenous Children and Families Reporter for The Imprint Hattie Kauffman (Nez Perce), journalist and first Native American to file a report on a national news broadcast

The summer of 1945 saw three nuclear explosions that ushered in a new era of experimentation, development, and fear when it comes to the potential for such a powerful weapon. Native people are among those suffering the most from the consequences of that path. The first test of the atomic bomb at the Trinity site in New Mexico, and the subsequent use of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, signaled the U.S. Government’s new push to develop nuclear weapons, fueled by millions of tons of uranium ore mined near Native land in New Mexico and Arizona. And ongoing nuclear tests exposed thousands of Native people in the Southwest and in Alaska to dangerous levels of radiation. We’ll explore the ongoing effects on Native people of nuclear weapons and power development, in this encore presentation.

Another year and another record revenue report for the tribal gaming industry. The annual report by the National Indian Gaming Commission finds slot machines, table games, sports betting, and other enterprises reaped $43.9 billion in 2024. That’s up more than $2 billion from the previous year. But there are potential setbacks on the horizon that could affect gaming, including flagging consumer confidence, confusing foreign trade policies, and federal government’s diminished regard for tribal sovereignty. We’ll get a status update and a look ahead for tribal gaming. GUESTS Ernie Stevens Jr. (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin), chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association Derrick Beetso (Navajo), professor of practice and executive director of Indian Gaming and Self-Governance at Arizona State University

Hopes to fix the Santee Sioux Nation’s lack of clean drinking water faded as federal funding for a pipeline project is increasingly tangled in government turmoil. Tribal citizens are forced to drink bottled water to avoid the high levels of manganese in well water. On the Navajo Nation, dozens of people's water wells are contaminated with chemicals, like benzene, associated with the oil and gas drilling industry. There are many mysterious, uncapped wells that could be contributing to the problem. They are just two of the problems tribal citizens are having when it comes to accessing the most basic resource. GUESTS Heather Tanana (Diné), initiative lead of the Universal Access to Clean Water for Tribal Communities and law professor at the University of Denver Nicole Horseherder (Navajo), executive director of Tó Nizhóní Ání Kameron Runnels (Santee Sioux), vice chairman of the Santee Sioux Nation Jerry Redfern, staff reporter for Capital & Main

Sitting Bull is remembered for strong leadership and resistance against the U.S. government, but a series of songs by and about him reveal another side to the renowned Lakota leader. Courtney Yellow Fat (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) has been sifting through oral and written history to identify the songs that are known to the tribe, but only recently attributed to Sitting Bull. Yellow Fat and others are recording those songs through the Densmore/Lakota Songs Repatriation Project. And Hopi radio station KUYI is marking 25 years on the air. The celebration comes amid new uncertainty about the future of many public and tribal radio stations. We’ll talk with the station manager about the milestone for the station and the role community radio plays for Hopi citizens.

Some Native Americans are already bracing for next year’s semiquincentennial with worries about how patriotism might cloud historical accounts from a Native perspective. Now, the Trump Administration is promoting a program to teach “the first principles of the Founding” in classrooms. The program uses money previously meant to help low-income and underserved students. It’s part of President Donald Trump’s push to end what he says is the “radical indoctrination” of public school students. We’ll talk about what’s being done to include Native voices into an accurate accounting of history.

The summer of 1945 saw three nuclear explosions that ushered in a new era of experimentation, development, and fear when it comes to the potential for such a powerful weapon. Native people are among those suffering the most from the consequences of that path. The first test of the atomic bomb at the Trinity site in New Mexico, and the subsequent use of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, signaled the U.S. Government’s new push to develop nuclear weapons, fueled by millions of tons of uranium ore mined near Native land in New Mexico and Arizona. And ongoing nuclear tests exposed thousands of Native people in the Southwest and in Alaska to dangerous levels of radiation. We’ll explore the ongoing effects on Native people of nuclear weapons and power development. GUESTS Marissa Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo), deputy director of Sovereign Energy and board member for Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) Loretta Anderson (Laguna Pueblo), co-sponsor of the Southwest Uranium Miners Coalition Post-71 Tina Cordova, co-founder and executive director of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium