Monday, January 21, 2019 – The government shutdown starts hitting home
As the partial federal government shutdown approaches the one-month mark, the effects on tribes and individuals who rely on services are growing: Nearly 9,000 Indian Health Service employees are working without pay; the Yomba Shoshone Tribe in Nevada shut off services and their tribal office administrator is working without pay; the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa in Minnesota is reducing workers’ hours; In addition, thousands of federal employees are going without pay, and those in power show no signs of coming to an agreement.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019 – The next chapter for Indigenous child welfare in Canada
Indigenous leaders in Canada are hoping their government will approve a series of reforms for the foster care system that disproportionately separates Indigenous families. Statistics Canada reports Indigenous children make up more than half of those under age 4 in the foster care system. Indigenous people make up less than 8 percent of the total population. The push comes following a heart-wrenching video of a newborn child taken from its mother in a Manitoba hospital. We get an overview of the Canadian child welfare system and hear about the efforts to improve it.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019 – Music Maker: Randy Boogie
Neo-contemporary Navajo artist Randy L. Barton is known for his ability to slap the paint on the canvas and across large murals to make vibrant images. He sees art as a tool for educating people. His talent also extends to the musical art form. This month we visit with him about his album “The Blessing Way Boogie” that mixes in electric sounds brushed with B-Boy break beats and tribal rhythms including sounds from his Diné Nation. Much like his visual art, his music calls on indigenous knowledge and creation stories that are full of instructions on life and facing the world. Join us for our January Music Maker with as he’s known on the dance floor and behind the turn tables, Randy Boogie.

Thursday, January 24, 2019 – House calls for new parents
The first days and weeks as a new parent are an exciting time. But they can also be filled with anxious worry about making the best choices. Several programs in Native America send parenting experts into homes with new babies. From when to feed an infant to how much sleep parents should expect to get, the questions tribal in-home visitation specialists tackle range from mundane to critical.

Friday, January 25, 2019 – January in the News
Several tribal leaders and Native organizations issued statements of outrage after President Trump took another jab at Senator Elizabeth Warren, this time mentioning the sacred battle grounds at Wounded Knee and Little Big Horn. Also we’ll examine the coverage of the federal government shutdown and its impact on Native Americans. And the Menominee Nation is not giving up in its fight against the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers over the Back Forty open pit mine project. Join us for those stories and more on our monthly news roundup.

Monday, January 14, 2019 – The high cost of heat
Heating bills are projected to be a little higher this winter according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Winter Fuels Outlook. Expect to pay around 3 percent more if you heat with electricity, 5 percent more for gas and 20 percent more for home heating oil. The main reason for the increase is the higher fuel costs. In states like Alaska, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, where temperatures can drop to -40, heating costs are a major burden and even a safety issue. Tribal programs like the Gwich’in Solar and Energy Efficiency in the Arctic Project and U.S. Government aid, like the Low Income Home Energy

Tuesday, January 15, 2019 – The end of modern-day prohibition
A hundred years before the United States passed a constitutional amendment banning alcohol, Congress banned alcohol sales and production on reservations. The country quickly repealed Prohibition, but the reservation ban remained. That is until President Trump signed the law opening up alcohol manufacturing on Native land in December. For the first time in almost 200 years, tribes can now establish distilleries on reservation land. The Chehalis Tribe already has plans to open a distillery on their reservation in Washington State. Other than the obvious inequity based on race, the main reason to toss the outdated prohibition law is to tap into a growing trend for further economic development.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019 – The Wet’suwet’en stand-off
A tenuous agreement halted a tense, ongoing scuffle between Wet’suwet’en First Nations protesters and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. For now, the hereditary chiefs and members of the Unist’ot’en Camp agree to let workers from TC Energy (formerly TransCanada Corp.) onto unceded territory land in British Columbia slated for gas pipeline construction. The confrontation resulted in 14 arrests after a court ordered the protesters to take down barricades on the main road to the property. The traditional leadership is at odds with the First Nation’s elected chiefs over the pipeline. We’ll get a look at what’s at stake and what’s next in this latest pipeline construction flare-up.

Thursday, January 17, 2019 – Native women take office
The election is over and, after a record year for Native women candidates, it’s time to get down to business. From Congress to state houses to tribal councils, there’s more total Native women representation than at any other time. We’ll hear from some of the new elected leaders about their priorities as they settle into their respective offices. Will increased representation translate to increased action?

Friday, January 18, 2019 – The Indigenous Peoples March
Missing and murdered women, Indian child welfare, oil pipelines, and police abuse are among the many issues marchers hope to address during the first ever Indigenous Peoples March in Washington D.C. Organizers expect as many as 10,000 people from all over the world to raise awareness of human rights and environmental injustices faced by Indigenous people all over the world.

Monday, January 7, 2019 – Notable books for young readers
We carry on a tradition by devoting an hour to looking back at some of the outstanding books for young people published in the last year. Debbie Reese (Nambé Pueblo), founder of American Indians in Children’s Literature blog, will discuss her annual list of standouts. We’ll also hear from Dallas Hunt (Cree), author of “Awâsis and the World Famous Bannock” and Roy Boney (Cherokee), whose essay titled “Tell It In Your Own Way” is published in “We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices.”

Tuesday, January 8, 2019 – The art and beauty of porcupine quills
Plains tribes used dyed porcupine quills to adorn clothing, dolls and other items (called quillwork) before the introduction of beads. Many Native artists still choose to express themselves with the art form that begins with many hours of meticulous quill harvesting from porcupines—which may or may not still be alive. It also requires involved processing that includes flattening and dyeing the quills. The resulting work is vivid and unique. Join our conversation with some contemporary Native quillworkers about this traditional art form.

Wednesday, January 9, 2019 – The 2018 Farm Bill
The new $867 billion Farm Bill just signed President Donald Trump is getting praise from tribes, Native farmers and advocates. One Native agriculture organization calls the number of Native-related provisions “unprecedented”. It also means access to more USDA programs and some changes for tribal food producers and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (commodity foods program). The bill also legalizes hemp opening doors to tribes getting into the industry.

Thursday, January 10, 2019 – Jesuits’ abuse of Alaska Native women and girls
The Catholic Church ignored the abuse of Native women and children by Jesuit priests in Alaska. That’s one of the revelations from a 19-month-long investigation by the Center for Investigative Journalism and the Northwest News Network. The reporting also found the church shuffled offending priests around, sometimes to other Alaska Native villages and ultimately offered them a retirement sanctuary in Washington state. We’ll talk with the one of the reporters from the project and a survivor featured in the report.

Friday, January 11, 2019 – Native in the Spotlight: Aaron Yazzie
Aaron Yazzie’s (Navajo) work is literally out of this world. Lately, the NASA mechanical engineer’s main job is designing the machinery gathering information 140 million miles away on the surface of Mars. In November he and his fellow scientists celebrated the end of an anxious six months, waiting for the successful flight and deployment of the unmanned Mars lander, InSight. We’ll hear about his own journey from the Navajo Nation to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Monday, December 31, 2018 – Notable shows from 2018
The Native America Calling staff picks some shows that stand out from the last year. From ‘chicken scratch’ music in Tohono O’odham Nation to unwarranted police checks on Native college students, we’ll relive some of the moments of live radio from 2018 that made an impression. What was your memorable moment?

Tuesday, January 1, 2019 – What does it take to be a ‘genius’?
We’re starting the New Year by striking a balance between art and academics. We talk with two Native women who were named MacArthur Foundation Fellows. The awards are also referred to as “Genius Grants”. Rebecca Sandefur (Chickasaw) is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and the College of Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is credited with innovative approaches to civil justice for low-income people. Poet Natalie Diaz (Mojave) was a professional basketball player before earning her MFA in poetry. She is language activist and uses her art to highlight the joys and pitfalls of reservation life.

Wednesday, January 2, 2019 – The push to free Tokitae
The Lummi Tribe is hoping 2019 will be the year an orca named Tokitae is freed from captivity. Named ‘Lolita’ by Miami’s Seaquarium, the animal has lived and performed in a man-made tank since 1970. The tribe and a host of animal rights groups are putting pressure on the Seaquarium to return her to her home pod in and around Puget Sound. The push to return the orca is part of a bigger effort to bring attention to the health of the marine ecosystem that is part of the Lummi’s ancestral territory. We’ll talk with Lummi representatives and others about Tokitae and the traditional importance of orcas.

Thursday, January 3, 2019 – Indigenous tea time
Beverages made from plants like green thread, bear root, sassafras and stinging nettles make up a variety of drinks that we might refer to as ‘tea’. Tribes continue to utilize a variety of leaves, roots, berries and other ingredients to create traditional drinks or medicine. We’ll get a . Green thread, bear root, sassafras and stinging nettles (to name a few) all make delicious and healthful drinks. In this program, we’ll explore the different flavors and health benefits of Indigenous tea. What local, Indigenous teas are you steeping?

Friday, January 4, 2019 – The cost of a federal government shutdown
As the partial government shutdown stretches into its third week its effects are starting to surface. Elected leaders’ inability to agree on a funding plan has furloughed thousands of Bureau of Indian Affairs employees and suspended some Indian Health Service operations. The main disagreement is over funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, one of President Donald Trump’s priorities. We’ll talk with employees and Native organizations about how the shutdown affects Native America.

Monday, December 24, 2018 – Winter storytelling traditions
Many tribal nations have a winter storytelling traditions. The snow, longer nights and low temperatures lend themselves to sharing cultural lessons. On this show, we’ll hear the Navajo story of the “The White Beetle and the Holy Ones” and the “Creation of Canyon de Chelly”. We’ll also get insights from Native storytellers about their craft and passion.

Tuesday, December 25, 2018 – Music Maker in review
We’re keeping with a tradition, presenting our annual look back at the artists who generously offered their music and inspiration on Native America Calling. Buffy Sainte- Marie, Nataanii Means, Supaman and Sage Bond are just a few of the names that appeared on our airwaves this past year. It’s a prerecorded show, so sit back, relax and listen to this reflection on the year in Native musical artistry.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018 – Native language courses for credit
Some non-tribal colleges offer Native language studies. Students who sign up are often either honing their existing language skills or are committing to reconnect with their mother tongue. For the latter, it’s somewhat tougher to pick up language fluency as a young adult. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of learning Native languages in a college setting.

Thursday, December 27, 2018 – The dangerous smoking trend
Smoking rates among Native Americans increased in the most recent (2016) report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That goes against the declining trend for the rest of the population. At the same time, Native Americans as a group remain the heaviest tobacco smokers and Native women outpace men. Knowing all the health consequences, why are Native Americans bucking the trend toward more healthy habits regarding smoking?
(Photo: Albert Izquierdo via Flickr/CC)

Friday, December 28, 2018 – December in the News
As the year comes to a close the Trump administration got the federal government in another shutdown debate. Also, after promising more efficiency and transparency, Dept. of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigns in a cloud of investigations. We’ll talk about those issues and an update on a troubling incident involving Native students at a New Mexico high school during our new round-up.