Monday, January 2 2017 – 2016 in review
The Dakota Access Pipeline, sacred places, and cultural appropriation. Those are three of the important topics we explored this past year on Native America Calling. But we also talked about traditional weddings, fishing, the Academy Awards, a notable high school lacrosse team, and a particularly outspoken comedian. We take our traditional look back at some of our favorite shows of the past year.

Tuesday, January 3 2017 – Leonard Peltier’s last chance for freedom?
Will President Obama grant Leonard Peltier clemency? Many activists and organizations, including Amnesty International, are calling for his release. ut law enforcement advocates and others maintain Peltier is guilty and should stay in prison.

Wednesday, January 4 2017 – Native in the Spotlight: Dr. Paulette Steeves
Paulette Steeves (Cree/Metis) earned her PhD in anthropology as a single parent of three children. Since then she’s successfully argued that Indigenous people have been in the Americas longer than others thought. We’ll speak with her about the difficulties of decolonizing anthropology and academia as well as her own remarkable story.

Thursday, January 5 2017 — Exercise more in 2017
As we settle into the new year, many of us are also settling into new workout routines. If exercise is so good for us, why is it so hard? Why do we make exercise resolutions every January and then give up by April? And how many of us think we need the right piece of equipment or the right gym environment before we even start?

Friday, January 6 2017 — Building a successful business
There are a lot of people who turned a small idea into a successful business. We’ll highlight a few entrepreneurial Native Americans and find out what they did to make it from the bottom to the top.

Monday, December 26, 2016 – Encore: The unlikely lacrosse trailblazers
A group of Native American high school girls defied tradition by playing—and excelling at—lacrosse. The documentary “Keepers of the Game” reveals both the triumphs and obstacles team and the girls individually experienced. In this inspiring and emotional encore presentation, we hear from some of the key people featured in the documentary.

Tuesday, December 27, 2016 — Making New Year’s resolutions
It’s time to look ahead to the coming year with the promises you make yourself to shed bad habits and make a new beginning. It’s also a chance to take stock of all you accomplished in the previous year. Did you make a New Year’s resolution for 2016? Did you keep it?

Wednesday, December 28, 2016 — On the inside: Life behind bars
Our Native fathers, mothers sons and daughters who are behind bars face struggles with isolation, mental health, religious freedom and violence. Convicts also face difficulty readjusting to life after serving their sentences. We explore what life is like behind bars for Native inmates and the work to help support them and their families.

Thursday, December 29, 2016 – Remembering those who walked on in 2016
We’ll take a moment to remember a few people through their friends and family members. Chilkat and Ravenstail weaver Clarissa Rizal, a Raven of the T’akdeintaan (black-legged Kittywake) Clan, walked on in December. We’ll learn about her work and weaving legacy. In July David Beautiful Bald Eagle made his final passage. He was a fluent Lakota speaker, WWII veteran, and an actor in over 40 films including Dances With Wolves. We honor them and others.

Friday, December 30, 2016 – December in the News
An expose in the Arizona Republic paints a damning picture of the Navajo Housing Authority. It’s a detailed account that attempts to add up the legacy—and lack thereof—of $1.6 billion in housing funds. We’ll talk to the reporters about their series and what’s being done now. We’ll also revisit some stories from 2016 including the Nooksack disenrollment fight and others.

Monday, December 19, 2016 – Stealing Native designs
Some enterprising companies are taking advantage of the popularity of the Dakota Access pipeline fight by selling knock-off “No DAPL t-shirts”. Some Native artists say their designs are being used without permission. What can artists do to protect their work? How do you now that what you’re buying is from the original source?

Tuesday, December 20, 2016 – Fighting the meth epidemic
Methamphetamine abuse is an increasingly serious problem. Law enforcement officials and health advocates agree the abuse of this very dangerous drug has a ripple effect on our families, schools and communities. Is meth addiction getting the attention it needs?

Wednesday, December 21, 2016 – Remembering the Dakota 38
December 26th to mark the 154 years since President Abraham Lincoln ordered the largest mass execution in U.S. history. We’ll take a moment to commemorate the event. We’ll also learn more about the annual ride to honor the memory of the 38 Dakota warriors who were executed.

Thursday, December 22, 2016 — Native masculinity: Is it OK to cry?
So often, masculinity is defined by strength, money-making ability and stoicism. It wasn’t always like that in Native American societies. Our guests will outline what current Native masculinity looks like and how that relates or conflicts with traditional roles for men.

Friday, December 23 2016 – Native in the Spotlight: Ishmael Hope
Ishmael Hope (Tlingit and Inupiaq) is a Jack of all artistic trades. He’s a writer, poet, actor, storyteller, and scholar. We’ll hear a poem or two, and talk about his recent endeavors in literature.

Monday, December 12, 2016 – When to stay, when to call it quits
This is the time of year when new college students might start considering quitting school and heading home. School can be stressful, especially for those who are experiencing it for the first time. How should parents or family members respond when a student wants to drop out of college?

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 — What does it really mean to decolonize?
Native Americans talk a lot about decolonization. But what that means is defined by each individual’s continuum. The overall goal is to reject colonial institutions and ideologies. But how much of your diet, your relationships with others, and the way you learn are you willing to change?

Wednesday, December 14, 2016 – Book of the Month: “Tales of the Mighty Code Talkers, Volume 1”
Veterans have a special place in our Native nations and this month’s book has a place for them in the pages of the comics. “Tales of the Mighty Code Talkers, Volume 1,” explores the lives of code talkers from World War I through Korea. It’s a blending of the creativity of nine Indigenous artists and writers.

Thursday, December 15, 2016 – Other pipeline fights in the pipeline
While the Dakota Access Pipeline fight is far from over, some are packing up and returning home at the request of the Standing Rock Sioux tribal leadership. But there are a number of other pipeline fights that are still looming. We’ll talk about the Enbridge Line 3, Trans Mountain Pipeline, and a few others that have Natives worried.

Friday, December 16, 2016 — A Native American rock opera
The story of the Nisenan people meeting Johann Sutter, a pioneer who brought upon the California Gold Rush in the late 1800s, is told—in musical fashion—through “Something Inside is Broken.” It’s as a rock opera filled with songs in the Nisenan language. It’s written and produced by Jack Kohler (Hupa) and Alan Wallace (Washoe) of On Native Ground.