Native America Calling

During the brief time it was open, the Turtle building in Niagara Falls, N.Y. served as the Native American Center for the Living Arts. It was designed by Northern Arapaho architect Dennis Sun Rhodes. Now it stands vacant and is in the way of a proposal for a high-rise hotel. It is on the most recent list of Most Endangered Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Another place on the list is the Pamunkey Indian Reservation. Tribal leaders say their land will be underwater within the next 65 years. We’ll hear about some of the threatened historic places and the efforts to save them. GUESTS Chief Kevin Brown (Pamunkey) Shaun Wilson (Mohawk), president of the board of directors for the Friends of the Niagara Turtle Emma Wilson (Mohawk), student and social media manager for the Friends of the Niagara Turtle Charles Vaughn (Hualapai), council member and former chairman of the Hualapai Tribe Break 1 Music: Stomp Dance (song) George Hunter (artist) Haven (album) Break 2 Music: Hug Room (song) Chuck Copenace (artist) Oshki Manitou (album)

Rodeo announcer Randy Taylor (Cherokee) knows what he’s talking about. He was a bareback rider for nearly 20 years. Forty years ago, the Oklahoma native was the first rider out of the chute at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nev. After a stint in college and then as a chiropractor, Taylor turned to announcing. His voice is now recognizable all over and on his nationally syndicated show, “Word With A Champ“. He just received the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. He is also a dedicated advocate for Native American youth. Taylor is our December Native in the Spotlight. Break 1 Music: Hooked on an 8 Second Ride (song) Chris LeDoux (artist) Chris LeDoux and The Saddle Boogie Band (album) Break 2 Music: Hug Room (song) Chuck Copenace (artist) Oshki Manitou (album)

The holiday gift-giving time is when many retailers make a bulk of their annual profit. Several Native entrepreneurs have just opened their doors and are hopeful that this season will propel them forward, despite some indications that shoppers are cautious. Others are veterans of the business world, but are also pinning a lot of hope on the public’s ability to make the most of holiday shopping. We’ll hear from both rookies and long-time Native retailers about what it takes to start and stay in business. GUESTS Amy Denet Deal (Diné), founder of 4KINSHIP Ruth-Ann Thorn (Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians), entrepreneur and owner of Native Star Jeremy Arviso (Diné, Hopi, Akimel O’odham, and Tohono O’odham), artist, designer, and entrepreneur Break 1 Music: Dat One (song) The Delbert Anderson Trio (artist) MANITOU (album) Break 2 Music: Hug Room (song) Chuck Copenace (artist) Oshki Manitou (album)

After years of discussions, Taos, N.M. decided to remove Kit Carson’s name from a widely used park in the center of town. Carson’s renown as a Western frontiersman grew from greatly exaggerated tales in pulp novels and newspaper articles. Only later did his violent exploits against Navajos and other tribes emerge. He was among the main figures in the Long Walk, the forced march of 10,000 captive Navajos. More than a third of them died. In Michigan, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed a Washington Monument-style obelisk commemorating the construction of shipping locks on Lake Michigan. The obelisk sat atop the remainder of a burial ground. Lock construction destroyed the main part of the sacred area but the Bay Mills Indian Community and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians continue to hold ceremonies there. We’ll talk with tribal advocates about their years-long work to change how their histories are viewed by the public. GUESTS Jeremy Lujan (Taos Pueblo), Taos Pueblo tribal secretary Jesse Winters (Taos Pueblo), Taos Pueblo second sheriff Dr. Gregorio Gonzales (Comanche and Genizaro), tribal historic preservation officer for the Pueblo of Cochiti Paula Carrick (Bay Mills Indian Community), tribal historic preservation officer for Bay Mills Indian Community Break 1 Music: Take Your Troubles to the River (song) Vincent Craig (artist) Self-titled Release (album) Break 2 Music: She Raised Us (song) Joanne Shenandoah (artist) LifeGivers (album)

Paiute and Shoshone tribes in California’s Owens Valley are facing a shortage of water — an issue that spans decades, but is now exacerbated by climate change. The city of Los Angeles, more than 200 miles away, is guzzling one-third of the groundwater in the region. The city’s diversion of water from the valley began in 1913. L.A. drained Owens Lake dry within a decade. The land, once lush with springs and streams, is now a parched landscape that hinders tribes’ access to culture and economic development. Also, we’ll hear about how a proposed weakening of federal protections for the majority of the country’s wetlands could affect tribes. Tribes manage millions of acres of wetlands. The Trump administration seeks to limit the EPA’s authority on how it regulates pollution under the Clean Water Act. Scaling back those protections has potential consequences for much of the country’s sources of clean drinking water. GUESTS Daniel Cordalis (Diné), staff attorney with Native American Rights Fund and leads the Tribal Water Institute Teri Red Owl (Bishop Paiute), executive director of the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission Break 1 Music: The Four Essential Elements [Diigo Bee’iináanii] (song) Radmilla Cody (artist) K’é Hasin (album) Break 2 Music: She Raised Us (song) Joanne Shenandoah (artist) LifeGivers (album)