Monday, January 18, 2021 – Black and Indigenous solidarity
Indigenous and Black people have similar experiences of oppression in this country and both groups still grapple with systemic racism. Indigenous support for the Black Lives Matter movement during the protest spurred by the death of George Floyd, shined a light on what solidarity could look like and how both communities need to do more to include one another. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’ll talk with some Indigenous community leaders and others who are forging tighter bonds among racial groups.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021 – Democracy in crisis: a history lesson
Both those who stormed the U.S. Capitol and those who condemn the action claim the fate of democracy is at stake. Centuries ago, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy assembled a system of governance to create peace among warring Native Nations. Colonial leaders used similar principles to draft the Constitution and give birth to the United States. Can Indigenous values provide any guidance now on where to go from here? We’ll look at the legal issues and get a historical perspective, from the Boston Tea Party to the rise of the Confederacy, and how history may view what we’re living through now.

Wednesday, January 20, 2021 – New administration, new agenda
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are set to be sworn in and turn the page on a contentious political chapter. But even as a new administration starts, there is little optimism for bridging the issues that divide the nation. Still, Biden has signaled a willingness to include tribes in his agenda. The nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) for Secretary of Interior sends a strong message. Restoring protections for Bears Ears National Monument, placing Mashpee land into trust, and reestablishing the White House Tribal Nations Conference are some of the items that tribal leaders would like the administration to tackle. We’ll talk with policy experts about what they hope is in store for the next four years.

Thursday, January 21, 2021 – Oak Flat at a crossroads
Just days before the end of the Trump Administration, the U.S. Forest Service took action that paves the way for a massive copper mine on sacred Apache land in Arizona. The grassroots Apache Stronghold group filed a lawsuit to save Chi’chil Bildagoteel, also known as Oak Flat. They say the Forest Service’s environmental review was rushed in order to take advantage of the Trump Administration’s pro-development stance. The Stronghold maintains the mine proposal violates an 1852 treaty and First Amendment rights to religious practice. We’ll get an update on this years-long battle.

Friday, January 22, 2021 – The value of Native-owned bookstores
You can find books by several big-name Native authors in the mainstream online outlets. But Native-owned bookstores have a commitment to carrying and promoting books the public might not find otherwise. The number of Native-owned bookstores remains small, but it’s growing. We’ll talk with bookstore owners about what it takes to compete with Amazon and Barnes & Noble and what literary gems they have to offer.

Monday, January 11, 2021 – Celebrating Indigenous women chefs
A restaurant kitchen can be an intimidating place. Women, especially, complain about abuse or misdirected anger they’ve had to endure in the mostly male-dominated industry. One Indigenous chef started her own catering company after witnessing physical violence at work. Another was told women were only good for making pastries. An upcoming webinar aims to celebrate the accomplishments of Indigenous women chefs, who turn to cultural values and healing while nourishing people with food and knowledge. We’ll hear about how they are carving a space for themselves and an alternative to toxic work environments.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021 – Native queer poetry
Two-Spirit storyteller, Joshua Whitehead (Ojibwe Cree), says a poet’s job is to “to speak truthfully and honestly about how the world filters through your body.” While not all Native LGBTQ2 poetry is about Native identity or sexuality, those elements color the poets’ work. We will get a sampling of works by Indigenous LGBTQ2 poets and discuss how their deeply personal stories paint a vivid picture of adversity, strength, and their relationships with their culture and the world around them.

Wednesday, January 13, 2021 – Learning loss during the pandemic
Education officials warned at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic that closing in-person classes would diminish K-12 students’ educations. Now, a study by McKinsey & Company documents the loss of learning since then. They show how Native Americans and other students of color are even further behind students as a whole. The study’s organizers point to the digital divide as the main culprit, but there are other factors. We’ll check in with Native educators and education experts about how Native students are doing and what can be done to get them back on track.

Thursday, January 14, 2021 – Native in the Spotlight: Clara Pratte
Clara Pratte (Navajo) was the Joe Biden campaign’s director for tribal engagement. She is also working with the Biden transition for the Department of Interior. After working her way up as an advisor for the Navajo Nation president’s office, Pratte also worked for two U.S. presidential administrations. She founded Strongbow Strategies to help tribes across the country with economic development and technology issues. Along the way she has picked up numerous accolades including being named one of Native Business Magazine’s Top 50 Entrepreneurs and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s 40 Under 40. Now, she’s won the 2020 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award, presented by the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. We’ll catch up with Clara Pratte on her success and what opportunities she thinks tribes have in store.

Friday, January 15, 2021 – Best books of 2020
A biography of Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flannagan (White Earth Ojibwe), rez dogs and protecting sacred water are all topics of books that made American Indians in Children’s Literature best of 2020 list. It’s been a challenging year, but Native authors made significant contributions to the list of books published. We’ll go over the AICL list and hear about what people consider the best Native books are for all ages. What books by Native authors did you curl up with this year? Send us your best-of list to comments@nativeamericacalling.com.

Monday, January 4, 2021 – Are online gatherings here to stay?
Hoop dancing competitions, stand-up comedy and an annual gathering of Native elders and youth are all events the pandemic forced online. The switch to Zoom and other online meeting spaces created significant technical challenges in the past year like getting the picture and sound to work and maintaining internet connections. It also highlighted other hurdles like getting input from all those who want to contribute and finding ways to network with fellow attendees. We’ll look at how some event planners have made the most of online gatherings. We’ll also hear how virtual meetings have evolved and whether they’re here to stay.

Tuesday, January 5, 2021 – COVID-19 vaccine update
COVID-19 vaccines from two pharmaceutical companies are making their way to Native populations and tribes are among those creating vaccine distribution plans. Hundreds of Native health workers, elders and others were among the first to receive the vaccine. It’s among the more promising developments in the fight against the pandemic in at least a year, that has disproportionately affected Native Americans. But many individuals remain wary of the vaccine, citing possible unforeseen side effects, and a general distrust of the federal government and the Indian Health Service. We’ll get an update from health leaders and tribal leaders about vaccine distribution.

Wednesday, January 6, 2021 – Traditional hide tanning
Hide tanning was a traditional practice long before mass produced leather. Many people still put in the many hours and years of skill required to tan hides by hand. We’ll get a look into the world of Native hide tanning and traditional techniques like brain and smoke tanning. We’ll also hear why Native tanners place such importance on traditional methods.

Thursday, January 7, 2021 – Best books of 2020
A biography of Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flannagan (White Earth Ojibwe), rez dogs and protecting sacred water are all topics of books that made American Indians in Children’s Literature best of 2020 list. It’s been a challenging year, but Native authors made significant contributions to the list of books published. We’ll go over the AICL list and hear about what people consider the best Native books are for all ages. What books by Native authors did you curl up with this year? Send us your best-of list to comments@nativeamericacalling.com.

Friday, January 8, 2021 – Book of the Month: 2021 Hopiyaasangwni (Hopi Calendar)
We kick off 2021 with a view into Hopi life. We’re doing it one day at a time with the “2021 Hopiyaasangwni (Hopi Calendar).” The different months feature images that reflect Hopi culture and teachings courtesy of young Hopi artists. Important dates and phases of the moon are woven in with monthly reflections in the Hopi language. It’s put out by Mesa Media, which says the aim is to get people of all ages speaking Hopi in daily life.

Link:

Monday, December 28, 2020 – Remembering those who walked on in 2020
Eddie Benton-Banai (Anishinaabe Ojibwe) was one of the founders of the American Indian Movement. He met his fellow co-founder Clyde Bellecourt (White Earth Ojibwe) in jail in the late 1960s and they and others fought for sovereign land rights and against police brutality. Benton-Banai walked on in November at the age of 89. Maxine Racehorse Edmo (Shoshone-Bannock), a longtime Native education and language revitalization advocate, was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education by President Jimmy Carter. She walked on in September at the age of 91. Those are two of the many Native Americans who died this year that we will take time to honor.

Tuesday, December 29, 2020 – Book of the Month: Seasons of Alaska
Best Beginnings Alaska published four baby board books to help fill a gap in Alaska children’s literature. They call the project “Seasons of Alaska” and it lines up with their mission of ensuring children have the tools they need to succeed in school and to include books that have an accurate representation of Native life in Alaska. Each book covers one season and highlights the beauty of rural Alaska. They feature the creativity of four Alaska Native authors who teamed up with photographers to celebrate the different seasons. We’ll visit with those who helped bring the pages to life.

Wednesday, December 30, 2020 – Making the best of the worst year
The COVID-19 is a major contributor to making 2020 the deadliest year in U.S. history. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report deaths from COVID-19 putting the nation on track to registering 3 million deaths for the first time. The threat of the disease also devastated the economy and costs millions of people their jobs. Time Magazine officially dubbed 2020 as “The Worst Year Ever.” But if you’re one to look at the glass half full, this year was also filled with a lot of small, positive things for many of us. Quarantines afforded an opportunity to learn new skills, reassess goals, volunteer for a cause or get closer with friends and family. As the “worst year” comes to a close, we’ll take time to focus on some of the hidden blessings.

Thursday, December 31, 2020 – December in the news
The COVID-19 pandemic and a contentious presidential election dominated the news is 2020. But there were many other news stories that exemplified Native issues and people. We’ll look back on some of the top stories of the year and get a glimpse of some of the stories you may have missed. We’ll aslo check up on recent news dominating the headlines.

Friday, January 1, 2021 – Modern and traditional interpretations of ribbon shirts
From powwows to boardrooms, ribbon shirts are a visual symbol of Native pride. They can be subtle or showy, but ribbon shirts almost always have a hint of personal expression and tribal tradition. They are usually made from cotton or linen, often with long sleeves but not always, with colorful ribbons appliqued or sewn into seams as tassels. Like many Native fashion trends, ribbon shirts owe their origins and inspirations to a number of sources. We’ll spend the hour discussing the history and evolution of ribbon shirts. (This is an encore show, so we won’t be taking phone calls).

Monday, December 21, 2020 – Notable Indigenous podcasts
Podcasts featuring Native producers and perspectives are gaining increased recognition. Rebecca Nagle (Cherokee Nation) won the 2020 American Mosaic Journalism Prize for her podcast ‘This Land’. Native America Calling producer Andi Murphy’s Native foodways podcast ‘Toasted Sister’ was among Saveur Magazine’s top 100 favorite things of 2020 and won the Native American Journalists Association first place award for general excellence. We will sample some of the stand-outs in the rapidly growing number of Native-produced audio and video you might want to add to your podcast subscriptions list.

Tuesday, December 22, 2020 – Native veterinarians
Veterinarians and vet techs stitch wounds, reset bones, vaccinate and generally ease the pain for animals that can’t tell us what ails them. We’ll visit with veterinarians about the unique perspectives Native people bring to the profession and the need for more Native vets to keep animals in our lives health.

Wednesday, December 23, 2020 – Native leadership for the U.S. Department of Interior
Rep. Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo, D-NM) is set to make history as the first Native American to hold a presidential cabinet position. The Washington Post reported President-elect Joe Biden is naming Haaland to the post that oversees public lands and all the Native reservation trust land. Haaland’s nomination would need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is within DOI. We’ll examine what this historic appointment means for tribes and the public lands under Interior’s purvue. We’ll also explore what some of the department’s priorities might be during the Biden Administration.

Thursday, December 24, 2020 – More than movies: 2020 pop culture round up
We take a look back at some of the highlights in 2020 movies, TV and comics with Native themes, characters and entertainers. We’ll also get a glimpse of some highlights coming up, including the Peacock streaming TV show Rutherford Falls, created by Sierra Teller Ornelas (Navajo). Indian Country Today’s Vincent Schilling give us his top movie and TV picks for the year and what is on his radar for 2021.

Friday, December 25, 2020 – 2020 Music Maker in Review
Our conversations with a dozen Native musicians through the year were full of some eventful moments. The music they shared inspired us and also taught us more about the different tribal nations that our Native airwaves reach each weekday. In this prerecorded program we’ll take a look back at some of the highlights from our program and revisit some of our 2020 Music Makers to check in on where their musical path has taken them since we last talked. We’ll also get their perspectives on creating and performing during the pandemic. (This is a prerecorded show. We won’t be taking live phone calls).