Monday, August 2, 2021 – Native in the Spotlight: Rico Worl
The United States Postal Service just picked Rico Worl’s (Tlingit and Athabaskan) illustration for a new forever stamp. It’s the first stamp design by an Alaska Native artist. Worl’s work as an artist and as the owner of a design shop aims to celebrate and uplift Indigenous art, culture and stories from southeast Alaska. We’ll talk with Worl about his work, the raven story and his collaboration with his sister, also an accomplished artist.

Tuesday, August 3, 2021- The tireless vigil for MMIWR
Cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and relatives continue to make headlines across the country. And their family members and Native women’s advocates continue working to keep their memories in the eyes of the public, law enforcement and policy makers. Tribal efforts to address MMIWR across the country include collaborations with local, state and federal law enforcement. We’ll look at promising initiatives to address the issue.

Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021 – Employers on the search for workers
As the pandemic subsides, the number of job openings is soaring. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said new job openings at the end of April rose to an unprecedented 9.3 million. That’s good news for job seekers. Not so much for small businesses and other employers who are having a hard time finding qualified workers. At the same time, Native Americans typically face higher unemployment conditions than the population as a whole. The Minneapolis Federal Reserve is putting what they say is good data and research toward helping policy makers and elected leaders make informed decisions for Native employees and employers both.

Thursday, August 5, 2021 – The Gold King Mine spill six years later
Toxic sludge from the Gold King Mine in Colorado poured into the Animas and San Juan rivers on Aug. 5, 2015. It created an environmental disaster for hundreds of miles downstream, including parts of the Navajo Nation. The bright orange plume from the original spill is gone, but legal fights and restoration projects continue. And heavy metals from the three million gallons of mining wastewater remain in waterways used by communities, farmers and ranchers. We’ll review the lasting effects these many years later.

Friday, August 6, 2021- Re-awakening summer tribal tourism
People are hitting the roads, boarding flights and planning late-summer vacations across the U.S. They are looking forward to traveling after COVID-19 restrictions kept them close to home for months. Native tourism destinations are among the popular places attracting sightseers and tribes, cultural centers, businesses and artists have all felt the economic hit from the pandemic. Some reservations remain closed, but many tribes and Native centers are welcoming tourists back, with some precautions, to help their economic recovery and extend programs, recreation and educational resources to the public.

Monday, July 26, 2021 – The legacy of Haunani-Kay Trask
Known for her incredibly strong voice and fierce love for her people and land of Hawaii, Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask was a force to be reckoned with. She is one of the founders of Hawaii’s sovereignty movement who inspired generations of Kanaka Maoli to speak up and take back space in academia, politics and the cultural landscape. She was an author, poet, activist, professor and founder of Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies. Trask passed away on July 3, 2021 at the age of 71. We’ll remember her accomplishments.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021 – The debut of Reservation Dogs
The breakthrough series, Reservation Dogs, is ready to drop its first two episodes on FX on Hulu Aug. 9. The highly anticipated show from Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi zeroes in on four Indigenous teenagers getting by and dreaming big growing up in rural Oklahoma. The production is rich with Indigenous talent on both sides of the camera.

Wednesday, July 28, 2021 – Book of the Month: “Healer of the Water Monster” by Brian Young
Navajo writer Brian Young’s debut novel “Healer of the Water Monster,” features the story of Nathan who makes a trip to his grandmother’s place on the Navajo Nation. He encounters a holy being who prompts him to become a helper. It’s his courage that lands him the role of being the big thinker. As Young says, his kindness makes him the true hero of the story inspired by a dream the author had when he was seven. We’ll hear more about the book on our July Book of the Month when we visit with Brian Young.

Thursday, July 29, 2021 – Welcoming home children who died at Carlisle Indian School
With both grief and relief, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe welcomed the return of nine children who were buried at the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania 140 years ago. The effort took more than six years and was driven by young people from the tribe. It’s part of the ongoing effort to repatriate remains from the U.S. boarding schools that aimed to assimilate Native children.

Friday, July 30, 2021 – A big Thank You from Tara Gatewood
In September of 2005, Tara Gatewood (Isleta Pueblo/Diné) joined Native America Calling as an associate producer. She later moved into hosting our national talking circle where each weekday she has engaged with many guests and experts connected to our different Indigenous circles. For nearly 16 years she has worked diligently with a full heart to help uplift the voices of our Native nations through our Indigenous airwaves. Her work has helped open up more understanding of who we are as Native people and the strong foundations that we come from and the issues we face. Today Tara honors her time with Native America Calling and the many voices who’ve shared space with her on-air as she gets ready to take on a new chapter in her life. Join us as we celebrate her work and wish her well on her new journeys.

Monday, July 19, 2021 – Creative water solutions
Large, expensive infrastructure projects would go a long way toward solving drinking water access problems on tribal lands. But they are very slow coming. In the meantime, non-profits, tribes and others are coming up with innovative and experimental water projects for individual homes and small communities.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021 – Dangerous heat: wildfires and heatwaves
The National Interagency Fire Center counts more than 70 wildfires in recent weeks. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington issued a state of emergency and evacuated residents from the town of Nespelem because of an encroaching fire. Meanwhile, heatwaves are scorching much of the western half of the country and weather experts say there’s more to come. The Spokane Tribe of Indians and Colville tribes established heat shelters for community members who don’t have cooling systems in their homes. We’ll check in with tribes about these recent climate-related emergencies.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021 – Support for opioid addiction recovery
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 2020 was the worst year on record for drug overdose deaths. The number jumped by nearly 30% from the year before. Medically assisted treatment remains one of the standards for opioid treatment and a public benefit corporation is working with tribes to build a model of equitable options for Native people. In addition, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe is providing options like employment training to help support those recovering from addiction.

Thursday, July 22, 2021 – Young Native entrepreneurs
Some talented young people are making marks in the Native business world. They are early to adopt the benefits of being their own boss and developing a useful product to sell. There are a number of tools, techniques and mentors young people can utilize to help them realize their entrepreneurial vision.

Friday, July 23, 2021 – 400 years photography project
A new pictorial collection gives a unique outlet to Native photographers to express stories of identity and the effects of colonialism. The 400 Years Project also adds to efforts to correct the enduring myths about what the Pilgrims encountered when the Mayflower landed.

Monday, July 12, 2021 – Sheep to loom: Native wool processing and fiber working
Navajo sheep herders are usually busy at this time of year. Depending on the size of their herd, shearing sheep is is a process that can take weeks. Clipping raw wool from sheep is one of the first steps to making famous Navajo rugs and dresses. Weavers then take over to process and dye wool and spin it into yarn. We’ll talk with sheep herders and weavers about the cultural and artistic process of taking wool from sheep to the loom (this is an encore show so we aren’t taking calls live on the air).

Tuesday, July 13, 2021 – 4-H helps Native youth connect with agriculture
For more than a century, county extension offices have worked to instill the importance of agriculture in young people through local 4-H programs. At first the programs attempted to bring outside practices to Native communities. But they evolved to incorporate Native farming and ranching methods to both educate young people and keep Native knowledge thriving.

Wednesday, July 14, 2021 – IAIA museum thriving
The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe just received its largest donation ever. The $3 million unrestricted donation comes from MacKenzie Scott and her husband Dan Jewett, and was among the 286 gifts to help change the narrative about people struggling against inequities. The gift follows a $1.7 million grant from the Ford Foundation in 2020. And Scott previously donated $5 million to the IAIA. We’ll check in with the country’s only institution dedicated to progressive work by contemporary Indigenous artists.

Thursday, July 15, 2021 – Residential schools: cycle of grief
The revelation that more unmarked graves were found at a Canadian residential school adds additional injury for Indigenous people. The grim toll of children whose deaths are not properly documented continues to open wounds and spark questions, not least of which is: how many more are there?

Friday, July 16, 2021 – Music Maker: Mattmac
Mattmac is a Garden Hill First Nation musician who’s known for his hard-hitting beats. This self-taught artist and music producer was born blind. Among other things, he uses music fight back against depression and celebrate love and an indigenous life. His sound has garnered a lot of attention, including thousands of views and streams of his debut album “20/20.” From harmonious trap sounds sprinkled with poppy vocals Mattmac is leading a positive musical revolution for Native people living with disabilities.