Monday, October 3, 2022 – Back to the office

If you haven’t been summoned back to the office after the pandemic disruption, you likely will soon. The threat from COVID-19 has receded. President Joe Biden declared the pandemic “over”, even though scientists like Dr. Anthony Fauci say the reality is much more nuanced than that. Tribal offices, casinos, and businesses have a wide range of policies to address the ongoing health of their employees and patrons. Monday on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce finds out what’s changed and what still needs to when working face-to-face with Tamara Henderson (Laguna Pueblo), chief operating officer for the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA); Montoya Whiteman (Cheyenne and Arapaho), senior director of marketing for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES); Rick Waters (Kiowa and Cherokee), executive director for the Denver Indian Center; and Lynnette Toya (Jemez Pueblo), senior human resources generalist for Amerind.

Tuesday, October 4, 2022 – Protecting peyote

Practitioners in the Native American Church (or as we like to call it, the other NAC) officially won the right to use peyote as a religious right in 1994. Now they are working to secure environmental protections for the plant that is losing habitat to development, land use policies, and climate change. Among other things, NAC representatives call for setting aside land where peyote grows. Tuesday on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce looks at the practice and the politics of peyote with Jon Brady (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), president of the Native American Church of North America; Dr. Martin Terry, board member for the Cactus Conservation Institute and professor emeritus of Sul Ross University; elder Steven Benally (Diné), founding member of the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative (IPCI) and co-organizer of the Annual Spiritual Pilgrimage; and Sandor Iron Rope (Oglala Lakota Oyate from the Pine Ridge agency), founding IPCI board member.

Wednesday, October 5, 2022 – Getting tribes disaster ready

Hurricane Ian caused catastrophic damage, but most tribal members and communities weathered the storm, although they still require federal assistance. Wednesday on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce gets an update on recovery efforts and looks at how other tribes are preparing for impending disasters with Jake Heflin (Osage and Cherokee), president and CEO of Tribal Emergency Management Association (iTEMA); Adam Weintraub, communications director for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency; and Monse Torres, radio producer and activist.

Thursday, October 6, 2022 – Tribal leaders of the pandemic

The COVID pandemic challenged every tribal leader to keep their citizens safe. Any plans they may have had for economic advancements or structural reforms were quickly replaced with life-and-death decisions about public health, business shut-downs, and conflicting priorities with surrounding government leaders. Thursday on Native America Calling, in the first of a series of discussions with tribal leaders, Shawn Spruce hears how the pandemic changed things for the foreseeable future with former White Mountain Apache Tribal chairwoman Gwendena Lee-Gatewood; Navajo Nation president Jonathan Nez; and Donald Dardar, second chairperson for the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe.

Friday, October 7, 2022 – New on the Native Bookshelf

Chelsea Hicks (Osage) includes her tribal language throughout the short stories assembled in A Calm and Normal Heart. She is winning praise for her debut collection described as both dark and humorous. The new detective novel Dance of the Returned by Devon Mihesuah (Choctaw) puts tribal tradition into a suspenseful contemporary light. Friday on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce hears from both authors as they discuss works for our Native Bookshelf.

 

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Monday, September 26, 2022 – Sharing management of sacred and important lands

The Biden Administration says it wants to work with tribes to co-manage federal land that is also sacred or culturally important. Tribal leaders are talking with officials in the Interior and Agriculture departments about what that might look like. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce speaks with Dr. Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee), advisor for the “Sacred Places Project” from the Native American Rights Fund, founding trustee of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, president of the Morningstar Institute, and the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom; Oglala Lakota Tribe President Kevin Killer (Oglala Lakota); and head councilman Joe Garcia (Ohkay Owingeh), advisor for the Sacred Places Project from the Native American Rights Fund. 

Tuesday, September 27, 2022 – Native student success depends on teachers

Post-pandemic burn out, persistently low pay, and a disparaging political climate are helping fuel a high number of teacher vacancies. Some school districts have an easier time recruiting teachers from other countries than finding candidates from within their own borders. Tuesday on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce looks at how rising class sizes, decreased attention on cultural connections, and the shifting political pressures mean Native students are at an increasing disadvantage with Jerad Koepp (Wukchumni), a Native Student Program Specialist and 2022 Washington state Teacher of the Year; Joe Carrier (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa), American Indian education program coordinator for Detroit Lakes Public Schools; and Dr. Casie Wise, senior program director for the National Indian Education Association.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022 – Tribes respond to Biden’s clean energy challenge

Some tribes are already finding economic opportunities with clean energy. Now the Biden Administration is appealing directly to tribes to add wind, solar, and other clean alternatives to help boost their budgets. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce finds out why more tribes are willing to take a chance on these burgeoning technologies with Daniel Wiggins Jr. (Bad River Band citizen), Air Quality Technician with the Bad River Band Natural Resources Department; Liliana Napoleon (Native Hawaiian and a Cherokee descendant), program director for Ho’ahu Energy Cooperative; Robert Blake (tribal citizen of the Red Lake Nation), owner of Solar Bear, executive director for Native Sun Community Power Development, and chief executive officer for Indigenized Energy Initiative; Tanksi Clairmont (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota tribal member and Sicangu Lakota). managing director of the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund; and Dr. Suzanne Singer (Diné), co-founder of Native Renewables.

Thursday, September 29, 2022 – Suiting up for football season 

Native athletes helped kick off football’s popularity in the early days and there are a number of talented Native NFL players. The sport attracts a large Native following despite problematic mascots, tomahawk chops, and headdresses. The season is still young, rivalries are heating up, and fans have their sights set for a post-season appearance. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce huddles with Marlin Fryberg (member of the Tulalip Tribes), 7G Foundation northwestern states region board member; Levi Horn (Northern Cheyenne), former Chicago Bear and current drug and alcohol counselor; Eric Brock, athletic director for Santa Fe Indian School; and Joseph Claunch (Puyallup), dean of students and head football coach at Hózhó Academy.

Friday, September 30, 2022 – The Menu: reality TV and new eats

The new Hulu show “Chefs vs. Wild” dropped this week and it pits a handful of chefs, some of whom are Indigenous, against each other in cooking challenges in the wilderness. On Canadian TV, Mohawk chef Tawnya Brant will compete on “Next Level Chef Canada.” And a new Spokane restaurant called Indigenous Eats serves up customers’ choices of ingredients on top of a large fluffy frybread. Today on Native America Calling, our resident foodie Andi Murphy cooks up another helping of the Native culinary world on our regular feature “The Menu” with Jenny Slagle (Yakama and Northern Arapaho), owner of Indigenous Eats, and Valerie Segrest (Muckleshoot), co-host and judge for “Chefs vs. Wild” and co-founder of Tahoma Peak Solutions.

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