Native America Calling

Keeya Wiki (Yurok and Maori) is not yet old enough to vote, but she is making waves in official discussions about climate policy and environmental sustainability. She was among a group of young people who made a historic kayak journey down the Klamath River from its source in the Cascade Mountains to its confluence with the Pacific Ocean after the largest dam removal project in history. It was both a celebration of her tribe’s accomplishments and a statement about what she sees as the future of successful, tribally-driven environmental policy. Since then she has also served as a delegate to the U.N.’s recent climate summit in Brazil. We’ll hear about her determined and creative intersection of cultural knowledge and modern climate activism.

GUESTS

Keeya Wiki (Yurok and Māori descent), Indigenous advocate

Ruby Williams (Karuk), Native water activist and kayaker



Break 1 Music: BALDH3AD! (song) Theia (artist)

Break 2 Music: Digital Winter (song) Ya Tseen (artist) Stand On My Shoulders (album)

The federal panel that oversees commercial and subsistence fishing in Alaska is putting a hard limit on the number of chum salmon that are caught — and wasted — by commercial pollack trawlers. It is a long awaited — and controversial — decision by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council after years of outcry by tribes to address the factors that go into the disappearing runs of salmon that Alaska Native people have always relied on for survival. Although presented as a compromise, the bycatch limit is seen as a severe blow by commercial fishers, who say such restrictions could be catastrophic to the industry. The decision comes as the state also instituted severe regional restrictions on king salmon fishing because of low numbers. They are among the latest measures to address the big and complex ecological threats to what is historically the most productive salmon fishery in the world.

GUESTS

Charles Wright (Athabascan), secretary/treasurer for Tanana Chiefs Conference

Jonathan Samuelson (Yup’iaq and Dene), vice-chair of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Craig Chythlook (Yup’ik), executive director of the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Terese Vicente, policy and programs director for the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Full statement from the Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance (APFA) mentioned in today’s show:

“The Council’s decision reflects the seriousness of the challenges facing Western Alaska chum salmon and the complexity of managing a dynamic fishery. The pollock industry respects the Council process and remains committed to working within this new framework while continuing to invest in science-based, real-time avoidance tools that have already delivered meaningful reductions in Western Alaska chum bycatch.

We share the goal of protecting salmon and the communities that depend on them while also providing the flexibility to respond to real-time fishing conditions. This allows the fleet to harvest its pollock while providing important benefits to Alaskan coastal and fishery dependent communities. While the alternative chosen establishes a restrictive cap and includes elements of fixed closures that may inhibit responsiveness to changing conditions, we understand the Council’s desire for strong incentives and clear parameters for management. We adhere to the principles of continuous improvement and will work with managers, scientists, and engaged partners to ensure the use of all available tools, including the use of real-time genetic analysis, to achieve meaningful conservation outcomes.”



Break 1 Music: Canoe Song (song) Chenoa (artist) Spirit of Salishan (album)

Break 2 Music: Digital Winter (song) Ya Tseen (artist) Stand On My Shoulders (album)

With help from Congress, the Trump Administration stripped some $1.5 billion in federal funds previously promised to tribes. A lot of that was in the form of contracts for clean energy manufacturing and development — new money doled out three years earlier as part of President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. A new analysis by the Brookings Institution identifies three funding and policy changes, including reductions in SNAP and Medicaid, that negatively affect Native Americans. The research firm says the actions continue a pattern of disinvestment and falls short of the federal government’s binding responsibility to Indian Country.

GUESTS

Robert Maxim (Mashpee Wampanoag), fellow at The Brookings Institution

Chéri Smith (Mi’kmaq descendant), president and CEO of the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy

Timothy Nuvangyaoma (Hopi), vice president of tribal engagement for the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy and former chairman of the Hopi Tribe

Dr. Kyle Whyte (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan

Inuit siblings Ukaleq and Sondre Slettermark are competing for Greenland in the biathlon at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. In addition to making their mark in elite athletic competition, they have used their platform to speak out against the Trump administration’s threats to take over their homeland. The Slettermarks are among the handful of Indigenous athletes at this year’s Winter Games. Other athletes include a Métis luge competitor and a Māori freestyle skier. We’ll get insights from Indigenous journalists and athletes keeping up with the high level competition in Milan.

We’ll also get hear from Native activists in Minneapolis about a prayer camp set up outside a federal building.

GUESTS

Dan Ninham (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin), freelance reporter for ICT News and co-director of the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame

Eric Varderman (Cherokee Nation), founder and president of the Tulsa Curling Club

Mike Forcia (Bad River Tribe), American Indigenous Movement (formerly American Indian Movement) Twin Cities chairman

Tall Paul (Anishinaabe and Oneida), hip-hop artist

Break 1 Music: Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby (song) Link Wray (artist) Rumble! The Best of Link Wray (album)

Break 2 Music: Taste Of Red Bull [Crow Hop] (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Horse Dance – Mistamim Simoowin (album)

Moses Wiseman (Yup’ik) always knew he wanted to be a leader. Specifically, one with qualities that Wiseman learned from elders and other community members in the Village of Chefornak. At 24 years old, he is pursuing an MBA in strategic leadership at Alaska Pacific University, while also helping to create a Yup’ik glossary for health care providers. He and five other young, emerging Native leaders from all parts of the country have been selected for this year’s Center for Native American Youth’s Champions for Change. The program recognizes young people who exemplify leadership, taking steps to build positive outcomes in their communities. We’ll hear about these young people’s passions and what drives them to serve others.

GUESTS

Summer Wildbill (Confederated Tribes of Umatilla), 2026 Champion for Change

McKaylin Peters (Menominee), 2026 Champion for Change

Moses Wiseman (Yup’ik), 2026 Champion for Change

Kaylah Toves (Kanaka Maoli and Acoma Pueblo), 2026 Champion for Change



Break 1 Music: Generations (song) P. Town Boyz (artist) P. Town Boyz (album)

Break 2 Music: Taste Of Red Bull [Crow Hop] (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Horse Dance – Mistamim Simoowin (album)