Native America Calling

Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) rose from a New Mexico Democratic Party organizer to the House of Representatives then to President Joe Biden’s cabinet. She made history every step of the way and rode that momentum to now lead the state New Mexico as governor. We’ll hear from Gov.-elect Haaland about her historic win and how she intends to keep that momentum going.

While Haaland’s election earned international headlines, some other Indigenous candidates made notable gains. We’ll hear from first-time elected leaders in Washington and Arkansas.

GUESTS

Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), New Mexico governor-elect

Jacob Allen (Chickasaw Nation), Arkansas state representative-elect for District 10

Chelsea Dimas (Nahua and Purépecha), Washington state representative-elect for District 14

Renee Hernandez Greenfield (Cochiti Pueblo, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Taos Pueblo descendent), Washington state representative-elect for District 26



Break 1 Music: Leader’s Honor Song (song) Jay Begaye (artist) Night of the Northern Lights (album)

Break 2 Music: Zombies Ate My Natives (song) Tall Paul (artist) Ghoulash (album)

The story of California’s tribes is one of federal military force, bad-faith treaty agreements, and schemes by the federal government to diminish Native American power in order to exploit the state’s gold and other vast natural treasures. The systems forced on the state’s Native inhabitants nearly 200 years ago continues to define who is and who isn’t recognized today. We’ll hear from a historian about the Treaty of Temecula and its role in defining tribes in the state. We’ll also hear one person’s account to track and reconnect with her own tribe that suffered under the established system.

GUESTS

Allison Herrera (Xolon Salinan), Indigenous Affairs journalist and former John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University

Sean Milanovich (Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians), PhD in Native American History at University of California, Riverside and a Cahuilla language teacher

William Madrigal (Cahuilla and Luiseño), adjunct professor at California State University San Marcos and University of California, Riverside



Break 1 Music: Tosay Hwilit [White Bird] & Taciovakok [a Herb] – Deer Dance (song) Musicians & Singers from Old Paschua Village, Tucson & Rio Yaqui, Sonora (artist) Yaqui Ritual and Festive Music (album)

Break 2 Music: Zombies Ate My Natives (song) Tall Paul (artist) Ghoulash (album)

Nearly all of the artwork by Gina Herrera (Tesuque Pueblo) reflects some aspect of her 25 years in the U.S. military. The California-based mixed media artist questions her own practices and the effect she has on the environment through her assemblages of metal, plastics, found objects, and even military insignia. We’ll hear from her about her unique passion to convey both her culture and her military career, and how that comes out in an exhibition she is part of at the Elmhurst Art Museum in Illinois..

We’ll also talk with artists in an exhibition connected to a seminal time of activism, Native identity, and military ambivalence for Native Americans around the time of the Vietnam War in the 1970s. The Outburst exhibition at Santa Fe’s Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian complies works by artist directly connected to the war as well as those with family connections.

GUESTS

Mateo Romero (Cochiti Pueblo), artist

Dante Biss-Grayson (Osage), Air Force veteran, artist, and founder of Sky-Eagle Collection

Frank Buffalo Hyde (Onondaga Nation, Beaver Clan, and Nez Perce), painter, mix media sculptor, and art writer

Gina Herrera (Tesuque Pueblo), veteran artist

Joseph Lefthand (Descendent of Cheyenne and Arapaho, Taos, and Zuni tribes and American settlers), former contemporary artist



Break 1 Music: Veteran’s Honoring Song (song) Red Hawk Medicine Drum (artist) New Beginnings (album)

Break 2 Music: Zombies Ate My Natives (song) Tall Paul (artist) Ghoulash (album)

Tribes and Native organizations nearly universally oppose the provisions of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, which water down tribal say over projects that threaten cultural resources. The bill’s supporters see it clearing the way for major energy infrastructure projects, including clean energy, but it also includes major changes to the current requirements for government-to-government consultation. National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro calls it an “extreme existential threat”. We’ll pry into the details and find out what it could mean for the protection of cultural and spiritual heritage sites going forward.

We’ll also hear about a controversial reroute of a gas pipeline in Minnesota. The new route would pass near Pipestone National Monument, where tribes have historically sourced red stone for ceremonial prayer pipes for centuries. Native activists and tribal officials argue that the pipeline’s new route threatens the sacred land.

GUESTS

Charlie Thayer (Lac Courte Oreilles), policy lead for the National Congress of American Indians

Theresa Pasqual (Acoma Pueblo), executive vice president of Indigenous affairs at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center and former executive director of Acoma Pueblo Historic Preservation Office

Crystal C’Bearing (Northern Arapaho and Cheyenne River Sioux), tribal historic preservation officer for the Northern Arapaho Tribe

Franky Jackson (Prairie Island Indian Community), tribal historic compliance officer for Prairie Island Indian Community



Break 1 Music: Intertribal Song (song) Dakota Nation (artist) Home of the Champions (album)

Break 2 Music: Zombies Ate My Natives (song) Tall Paul (artist) Ghoulash (album)

A coalition of Michigan tribes is on mission to restore Arctic grayling to Michigan rivers. The fish was once an important food source, but it hasn’t been seen in nearly a century. The coalition just released thousands of fingerlings for the second year in a row hoping they can start repopulating on their own. A similar effort focused on Alewives in Maine is showing signs of success after three decades.

In Alaska, restoration of once-plentiful salmon populations is a priority for the more than 20 tribes that just signed a co-management agreement with the federal government. The new Bering Sea Interior Conservation District is a unique collaboration to manage habitat and harvests in order to improve salmon numbers for subsistence fishers.

GUESTS

Archie Martell (Sault St. Marie Tribes of Chippewa), fisheries division manager for the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians

Damon Galipeau (Penobscot Nation), river guide and forestry lead and cultural program coordinator for Wabanaki Youth in Science

Violet Anniskett (Iñupiaq), college student at Iḷisaġvik College

Frank Katchatag (Inupiaq from the Native Village of Unalakleet), chair of the Bering SeaInterior Tribal Commission and Tribal ConservationDistrict

Mickey Stickman (Koyukon Athabascan), Nutalo Tribe councilmember and member of the Bering Sea Interior Tribal Commission



Break 1 Music: To Keep the World We Know (song) Bruce Cockburn (artist) O Sun O Moon (album)

Break 2 Music: Zombies Ate My Natives (song) Tall Paul (artist) Ghoulash (album)