Monday, August 12, 2019 – Defending sacred places
Kanaka Maoli and their allies are entering their fifth week of demonstrations to prevent construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope in Hawaii. They’re determined to stop further desecration of the sacred Mauna Kea. It’s the latest high profile effort to protect sacred places around the country. Others include the Blackfeet Tribe’s renewed defense of Badger Two Medicine in Montana against the reopening of oil and gas development plans. And in Arizona, tribes continue to We’ll get updates on some of the notable efforts to protect sacred places across Native America.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019 – Music Maker: Def-i
Navajo MC Def-i is out with his fifth album, “Dream Trails.” The musical project opens with a cinematic sound that quickly accelerates with the rapid style of word tangling he’s known for. Listeners get a glimpses into the many trails the artist has traveled to share his message that resonates from New Mexico to Africa. Hip-hop greats like Kool Keith and JFK Ninjaface make an appearance on the album. So do Native women artists like E-Turn, Dawta Magma, Honey and Liv the Artist. Well hear about the inspirations and collaborations that went into making the album and what’s next for Def-i.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019 – The future of Alaska higher education
Alaska higher education officials are taking unprecedented measures to adjust to a looming cut in state funding. State officials are still working out the details, but budget vetoes by Governor Mike Dunleavy could mean a reduction of as much as 41 percent in state higher education money. The legislature restored the funding during a special session, but the governor can still reinstate his vetoes. If imposed, the cuts could mean the university system will close dozens of programs in remote areas that serve predominantly Alaska Native students.

Thursday, August 15, 2019 – New Zealand’s Maori speak out
A place where Maori first settled and thrived in New Zealand is the site of a proposed housing development. Protesters have been camping out at Ihumatao for almost three years. They want to halt plans to sell off the land that Maori people say was illegally seized by the government more than a century ago. Auckland city officials are in talks to try and resolve the dispute. At the same time, demonstrators are also calling for a change in the country’s child welfare system that puts Maori children in state care at a far greater rate than the rest of the population. We’ll hear more about New Zealand Maori people speaking out to protect sacred land and culture.

Friday, August 16, 2019 – Catfishing: a cruel prank
Native social media was abuzz when Shirlene (Navajo) confronted her catfish, Mya (Navajo/Zuni), on the MTV show “Catfish.” Catfishing refers to taking on a fake personality—usually online—to lure another person into a relationship, sometimes for months or even years. It’s a form of bullying that frequently causes a lot of emotional pain and anger. We’ll talk about the ramifications of catfishing and how people can protect themselves against online bullying.

Monday, August 5, 2019 – Native Cinema Showcase
The first feature-length fictional film in the Haida language, SGaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife), tells a story of a 19th Century Haida man who retreats to the wilderness. The documentary “Words from a Bear” is a biography of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist N. Scott Momaday. In “Warrior Women”, the role of women in the American Indian Movement. These are just a few of the 53 films at this year’s Native Cinema Showcase. We’ll talk with some filmmakers to get a behind-the-scenes look at their films and hear about what else to expect from this year’s event.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019 – A new tool to fight sexual violence
Selected tribes are getting the ability to share data designed to prevent sexual violence on reservations. The U.S. Department of Justice is giving eligible tribes expanded access to the FBI’s National Sex Offender Registry. Those tribes can enter their own information and get comprehensive access to the FBI’s database. The program is an expansion of the 2015 Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP) now available for about 72 tribes. We’ll learn what this means for tribes working to stop sexual violence.

Wednesday, August 7, 2019 – Artwork helps raise awareness of MMIW
Métis artist Jaime Black calls her REDress Project an aesthetic response to a critical national issue. Her installations of donated red dresses symbolize missing women, with numbers reaching into the thousands. Quilter Susan Hudson (Navajo) also depicts women’s clothes and moccasins as a reminder of the women who disappeared or were murdered. The upcoming Santa Fe Indian Market organized by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts is focusing on female strength and resilience and has a number of events dedicated to raising awareness of MMIW. As politicians and women’s advocates work to change local and national policy, so too are artists reminding people of a troubling legacy. We’ll talk with some of them who are exploring the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

Thursday, August 8, 2019 – Securing voting rights for 2020
Voter identification laws, redistricting, and restricted access to polls continue to threaten full Native voter participation. Voting rights advocates are currently looking ahead to potential problems in advance of the 2020 election. High profile issues like the voter I.D. law in North Dakota and the violation of the Voting Rights Act in San Juan County, Utah have voting rights advocates on high alert heading into the election season. We’ll talk with the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission about their efforts to count every vote and get updates on where other potential problems might occur.

Friday, August 9, 2019 – Commemorating the Pueblo Revolt
Almost 340 years later, the Pueblo Revolt remains a source of pride for the pueblos of New Mexico. Lead by Popé, the pueblo people summoned their combined strength on August 10, 1680 to drive Spanish soldiers and settlers out of the province. Freedom from Spanish oppression was short-lived but the victory was an important turning point for the preservation of pueblo culture and language. We’ll take time to revisit the history of the revolt and its significance for the pueblos of New Mexico.

Monday, July 29, 2019 – Native in the spotlight: Simon J. Ortiz
Award-winning writer Simon J. Ortiz (Acoma Pueblo) first connected to poetry through music. As an adolescent, he would listen to country and western songs on the radio and write down his own lyrics. Before his decades-long professional writing career, Ortiz served in the military and labored in the uranium mining industry. Both things influenced his writing. We’ll talk with Ortiz about his poetry and prose and how his first language, Keres, shapes his writing and perspective.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019 – How to be a good tourist on Native lands
Tourists sometimes don’t bother to learn about tribal customs or wishes before visiting. Other times tourists take things that they shouldn’t or desecrate important places. Sometimes they’re just rude. Internationally, the Navajo Nation had to specifically ask visitors to stop spreading cremated human remains in the picturesque Monument Valley. The Indigenous Anangu are expressing concern over the damage caused by thousands of tourists eager to climb Uluru, a sacred mountain in Australia, before a climbing ban takes effect in October. We’ll get tips on how to be a good tourist and consider questions to think about before traveling to a tribal area.

Wednesday, July 31, 2019 – Building tribal broadband
Installing and maintaining broadband internet on rural reservations is not cost effective. That’s why access to broadband on tribal land lags behind cities and even other rural areas. But some innovative companies are trying out new technologies and are spurring the federal government to update policies and offer incentives to expand into areas that have not been feasible before. Internet access is necessary for commerce, education and economic development. We’ll be live at the state of New Mexico’s first-ever Rural Networks Conference to hear how tribally-owned telecommunications companies are overcoming barriers to bring high speed internet to Native America.

Thursday, August 1, 2019 – Bacone College reimagines its future as a tribal institution
Rebounding from serious financial trouble, Bacone College in Oklahoma is reestablishing itself with a charter from the Osage Nation. It’s the state’s longest running university, looking forward to commemorating its 140th year. Leaders are aiming to become accredited as a tribal college with a particular focus on Native arts. The college was once known for producing Native artists who influenced a new style of art in the early to mid 1900s. The current president of the university, Ferlin Clark calls “Bacone Indian Art” the foundation of the Indian art movement. We’ll look at the university’s artistic legacy and it’s plans for the future.

Friday, August 2, 2017 – Bird singing on the rise
Bird songs are an ancient tradition mainly from tribes in Southern California and parts of Arizona. They’re characterized by men singing in a line to the beat of gourd rattles. Some traditions say the songs were delivered from Creator by a bird. They are meant to restore balance in the community and encourage respect for all living beings. We’ll talk with bird singers about the history of the music and efforts to bring up a new generation of singers.

Monday, July 22, 2019 – The fight against hantavirus
New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona lead the nation in the total number of hantavirus cases. But infections show up in more than two-thirds of the continental United States. Every year there are a handful of fatalities from complications of the virus that’s spread by mice. Native Americans are particularly susceptible. The mortality rate reported by the Navajo Nation Epidemiology Center is significantly higher than that of the general population. It’s not a new disease, but the first outbreak wasn’t identified until 1993 in the Four Corners area (New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona). We’ll get an update on efforts to tackle the spread of hantavirus.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 – Tribes line up against a new Canadian oil pipeline
The Canadian government says it’s moving forward with the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion from Alberta to the west coast of British Columbia. But the proposed $4.5 billion project faces considerable opposition from a number of tribes and Indigenous groups. Construction would mean a new pipeline next to the existing line from Edmonton, Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia. It would significantly increase the amount of oil flowing to tanker ships going to Pacific nations. Tribes on the U.S. side of the border express concern over the increased potential for a catastrophic oil spill. A coalition of First Nations is suing over a lack of consultation. But another Indigenous group is working on an investment strategy to benefit tribes along the pipeline route.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019 – Hot topic: chile’s Indigenous roots
As New Mexico and Colorado argue about who has the best green chile, let’s not forget the plant’s Indigenous origins. Scientists believe the plant originated as long as 9,000 years ago in Mexico. Different varieties of chiles swept the Americas and became part of many Indigenous communities. Christopher Columbus took a chile plant to Europe. He and other European traders had a hand in spreading it to Africa and Asia. Now, Native seed savers are working to preserve early versions of the plant. We’ll talk about this fiery pepper’s place in Native America, past and present.

Thursday, July 25, 2019 – July Book of the Month: “Her Captive, Her Love” & “Their Land, Their Love: The Return Home” by Evangeline Parsons Yazzie
Some years ago, Navajo author Evangeline Parsons Yazzie set out to bring readers closer to what it meant to be on what is known as the Navajo Long Walk. She decided to do that through a series of fictional stories that follow the lives of different Navajos and the events and people they encountered on the journey. We present the two final volumes in her four-part series “Her Captive, Her Love” & “Their Land, Their Love: The Return Home.” We invite you to take a look at this part of Native history with our July Book of the Month.

Friday, July 26, 2019 – July in the news
A Navajo man is making a bid for the 2020 presidential race. His platform includes re-writing the constitution. Also authorities continue to clash with protesters in Hawai’i over the pending construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. We’ll get an update from people who are there. And the Red Press Initiative is looking at press freedom in Indian Country. We’ll find out why. We’ll round up the most recent news.

Monday, July 15, 2019 – Culturally appropriate gift shops
Gift shops are an important source of revenue for cultural centers, museums and other Native-owned destinations. But expectations from the public put buying pressure on gift shops to offer tacky Native-themed items like plastic tomahawks, foreign-made dream catchers and T-shirts with stereotypical graphics. We take a look at Native stereotypes in tourist hotspots and discuss the best practices for profitable enterprises.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019 – The Thirty Meter Telescope moves ahead on Mauna Kea
Officials behind the controversial Thirty Meter Telescope are pushing ahead with construction on Mauna Kea despite continued opposition. Native Hawaiians oppose the $1.4 billion project because they say it desecrates the sacred mountain. The plan was buffeted by legal and political challenges for the past 16 years. The state Supreme Court ruled in the telescope organizers’ favor last October. Protesters successfully delayed the start of construction of the major telescope in 2015. Opponents promise sizable and long-term acts of civil disobedience again. State officials say they are prepared for protests.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019 – Music Maker: Northern Cree
“When It’s Cold” by Northern Cree celebrates the culture-rich sound of round dance.
These songs may ring through many communities in the winter months, but this style of sound has made its way into the powwow circle year-round. We’ll visit with this Grammy Award-nominated drum group and sample their latest offering.

Thursday, July 18, 2019 – Gaming the minority construction contract system
An investigation by the Los Angeles Times found the federal government and 18 states awarded at least $300 million in construction contracts to companies that claim to be owned by Native Americans. The contracts are specifically reserved for minority business owners. But the contractors’ heritage claims are unsubstantiated. The contractors say they are members of Cherokee groups like the Northern Cherokee Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory and the Northern Cherokee Nation which are not federally recognized. The investigation into the business owners awarded the contracts found no Cherokee relatives. We’ll talk about the investigation with one of the reporters and explore who qualifies for minority contracts.

Friday, July 19, 2019 – “Between Two Knees” with the 1491s
“Between Two Knees” is the first play from the Native comedy troupe, the 1491s. It’s at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon through Oct. 27. It’s a biting comedy that the Seattle Times calls “a loose pastiche of irreverent historical satire.” We’ll hear from the 1491s about using comedy and live theater to open a dialogue about systematic oppression.