Monday, May 1, 2017 — Native pride on graduation day
As Native students across the country get ready for graduation day, some will have to double-check school policy before adding traditional regalia when they accept their diplomas. Last month, Montana enacted a new law that ensures traditional tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies. It’s one of the bright spots in the yearly conflicts between Native students showing their Native pride and strict school administrators.

Tuesday May 2, 2017 – Native In The Spotlight: James Pepper Henry
James Pepper Henry (Kaw) has an exciting and momentous task to accomplish in the next three years. As the newly appointed director of the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City, he is responsible for making sure the stalled and controversial project opens. Museum experience is his expertise, with a long list of past experience including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Heard Museum, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, and the Gilcrease Museum. We’ll spend the hour chatting with him about his experience, Native art, and the future of the Native museum industry.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017 — Lawyers in Indian Country
Native American lawyers represent 0.4 percent of the total list of active lawyers in the U.S., according to the American Bar Association. That’s the smallest number and it hasn’t changed since 2007. A recent survey by the National Native American Bar Association reports a lack of support and full inclusion in the law profession for Native lawyers. What can be done to attract more Natives to the law profession?

Thursday, May 4, 2017 — Remembering those who’ve gone missing
There are not a lot statistics about missing Native Americans. When a loved one, a friend or a neighbor disappears, it throws communities into a world of anxiety and grief. To acknowledge the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls on May 5, we explore what happens in the family, in the tribal community and in the police station when someone goes missing.

Friday, May 5, 2017 – What we’ve learned since the fishing wars
The U.S. was in the grip of civil rights struggles in the 1960s. Among the sit-ins and protests that led to legislation such as the Voting Rights Act, another civil rights struggle over fishing rights was gaining national attention. It was a period of time commonly known as the “fishing wars.” Activists like Billy Frank Jr. (Nisqually) risked arrest to exercise their right to fish in what at least one treaty called ‘usual and accustomed places.’ We’ll speak with individuals closest to the fishing wars about what we can learn from this past experience.

Monday, April 24, 2017 –Rezilience rises again
The organizers of the Rezilience Indigenous Arts Experience are back for another year of music, art and activities. The event focuses on the resilience of the Indigenous experience through a variety of expressions including a fashion show, live music, and even curated community conversations. It’s April 29th and 30th during the annual Gathering of Nations Powwow in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We’ll talk with the founder and some of the artists and performers about their experience and what “rezilience” means to them.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017 – Opportunities for Native student success
High school graduation rates in New Mexico are up, with an average of 71 percent completing high school in four years. But the state Public Education Department lists Native American students as having a graduation rate of only 66 percent. We’ll continue our look at what it takes to help Native students succeed in school and graduate. With the help of the American Graduate public media initiative and New Mexico PBS program New Mexico in Focus, we’ll include a conversation about Native educators and stakeholders about exactly what it takes to help students cross the graduation finish line at a time when resources are increasingly scarce.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017 – Book of the Month: “The Woman Who Married A Bear” by Tiffany Midge
“The Woman Who Married A Bear” by Standing Rock Sioux Nation author and poet Tiffany Midge is racking up awards including a recent 2017 Western Heritage Award. The book filled with poetry about Native identity and culture allows readers to celebrate both the simplicity and complexity of our emotions and relationships. We invite you to join us as we hear about poetry as storytelling with our March Book of the Month author Tiffany Midge.

Thursday, April 27, 2017 – Are you in the Native know?
Test your knowledge about our Native nations. We’re filling the hour with trivia about Native life—from history to current events to culture. It’s also a chance to boost your understanding of the different tribes that make up Native America.

Friday, April 28, 2017 — Live at the Gathering of Nations Powwow
We’re moving our studio down the street to Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque so we can give you a taste of the 34th Gathering of Nations Powwow. This annual powwow is one of the largest in the world and it attracts thousands of Indigenous people and dancers from across Turtle Island. In this program, we’ll give you a snapshot of the events and hear from some of the participants.

Monday, April 17, 2017 – The history and importance of totem poles
In honor of Earth Day, we’re starting off a week of shows devoted to environmental issues with a discussion about totem poles. For the communities that create them, they hold significant cultural value and are much more than art. There are many tribes in Canada and the U.S.—including the Tlingit, Haida and the Tsimshian, to name a few—that carve poles. They typically use old growth trees, which are harder and harder to come by. We’ll talk with carvers about the history and tradition of totem poles.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017 – Keeping bees
For reasons many environmental experts don’t exactly know, bee populations are shrinking. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently added a species of bumble bee to the Endangered Species List. Seven species of bees in Hawaii are also endangered. Some Native American beekeepers are doing what they can to lend bees a helping hand.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017 – Pebble Mine update
The state of Alaska just approved a key permit to begin work on a controversial copper, gold and silver mine. Native American groups joined environmental organizations, commercial fishermen and others opposing the Pebble Mine project since it was first proposed. It’s planned for an area within the watershed for Bristol Bay, which is vital salmon habitat.

Thursday, April 20, 2017 – A poetic planet
We turn to Native poets to give us their celebration of words that get us closer to the beauty of Mother Earth. From the rivers to the stars there is plenty to celebrate. If there is a poem you’d like to share with others on this special day of poetry we’re all ears. Make plans to join us and let the poetry loose. We continue Earth Day week exploring just how poetic our planet can get.

Friday, April 21, 2017 – April in the News
As we look toward Earth Day, we’ll review some of the major environmental stories affecting Indigenous people. We’ll talk with reporters about developments they’re covering on key issues from contaminated water on the Navajo Nation to environmental rights for Aboriginal Canadians.

Monday, April 10, 2017 – The jurisdiction conundrum
A tribal police officer in California is fighting charges of assault and false imprisonment. It all stems from his attempt to make an arrest during a domestic dispute on reservation land. This is one example of jurisdictional clashes that result from the 1953 measure called Public Law 280. There are instances when tribal law enforcement officers can’t take action even if they see a crime because PL 280 complicates an already complex jurisdictional landscape. The Tribal Court Clearinghouse says “it has often been misunderstood and misapplied.” We hear about PL 280 and ways tribes are trying to get out from under it.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017 – Reviving Andrew Jackson
Of all the previous presidents to choose from, Donald Trump likes to align himself most with Andrew Jackson. He visited Jackson’s Hermitage in Tennessee and laid a wreath on his grave. For Native Americans, Jackson is forever associated with the Indian Removal Act and the “Trail of Tears.” His presidency also ended with a crippling economic depression. Since he’s back in the spotlight, we’ll take time to talk with historians about the full legacy of Andrew Jackson.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017 – April Music Maker: Bluedog
We make way for some killer Native blues this month. Our April Music Makers, Bluedog, are out of the Minneapolis, Minnesota area. For years they have given blues lovers what they love: great tunes flavored with a lot of Native soul and get-down boogie rhythms. We’ll visit with them about their new album “Red, White & Blues.” We’re inviting you to into the discussion as we pay tribute to the blues.

Thursday, April 13, 2017 — Keeping reservations dry
Pervasive alcoholism is among the main reasons tribal leaders ban the sale of alcohol on reservations. But that can be big business for liquor stores just outside of the border. Tribal leaders from the Pine Ridge Reservation are working to shut down four stores in nearby Whiteclay, Neb. They say the vast majority of their sales goes to worsen alcohol-related problems within Pine Ridge. Critics of the strategy say people wanting a drink will get alcohol somewhere else and might even increase the hazard by drinking and driving. Does banning alcohol on the reservation help the people or not?

Friday, April 14, 2017 — Hand games
The songs and the players might be different across Turtle Island, but the fun is the same. Hand games are played between families and within tribal communities. We celebrate hand games and talk with the pros about what makes them so fun. We also dig into the roots of hand games and why it’s important to keep them going.

Monday, April 3, 2017 – The enduring Pocahontas myth
The lingering American perception of Pocahontas is some form of the Disney film version: a tribal chief’s daughter bravely steps in to save Jamestown settler John Smith from a grisly execution by his Indigenous captors. There is little to no evidence any of that happened. Pocahontas is currently making headlines because England is devoting a considerable amount of attention to the 400th anniversary of her death. Will the general public ever really learn the truth about Pocahontas? Historians and tribal members help us update our portrait of Pocahontas’ life.

Tuesday, April 4, 2017 – Internet for everyone
A report for the FCC in 2015 found nearly two million people living on tribal land lack access to the internet. Even more than that can’t sign onto broadband. That digital divide makes it harder for Alaska Natives and Native Americans living in rural areas to complete tasks online that the rest of us take for granted: paying bills, looking for a job, and communicating with each other.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017 — Getting your affairs in order
The average funeral costs more than $7,000, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. That’s a hefty sum, especially when a family doesn’t plan ahead. Families face additional confusion when there’s no will for valuables, homes or land left behind. We will go over some basic, appropriate ways to prepare for the inevitable.

Thursday, April 6, 2017 — Native perspectives in public schools
The governor of Wyoming recently signed the Indian Education For All bill, which requires educators to create Native curricula for public schools statewide. The bill mandates organizers work with Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes to come up with the lesson plans. Wyoming is one of a handful of states putting an emphasis on teaching Native viewpoints.

Friday, April 7, 2017 — Go ahead, boycott Hawaii!
When a federal judge in Hawaii put a halt on President Trump’s travel restrictions, supporters of the policy vowed to boycott Hawaii. The boycott appears to have fizzled, but not before Native Hawaiians actually expressed support of the boycott. They were expressing their frustration over losing more and more control of their culture and island homeland. The news comes on the heels of a legal tussle involving an island purchased by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. We’ll get an update from Native Hawaiians.