Monday, June 28, 2021 – Strawberries: the heart of Indigenous culture
Spring and early summer means many Native communities are celebrating the cultural and culinary significance of strawberries. For many tribes, the strawberry symbolizes the heart and carries origin stories, medicine and good teachings. In the culinary world, strawberries are a blessing for the palate and commonly used in myriad traditional diets and drinks.
Tuesday, June 29, 2021 – June in the news
The federal government will investigate the tragic legacy of American Indian boarding schools through a new program that will search for and identify remains of children who did not return home. The initiative follows the grim discovery of previously undocumented remains of 215 children on the grounds of a Canadian residential school. Also, California tribes are calling for a town to change its name so it no longer contains a highly offensive word for a Native woman. Those stories and more in our news round up.
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 – Book of the Month: “Life in the City of Dirty Water” by Clayton Thomas-Muller
Clayton Thomas-Muller (Mathias Colomb Cree Nation) is sharing his life story in his new book “Life in the City of Dirty Water.” This memoir gives readers a clear view into his life as a young man living a tough life on the streets of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Along with encounters with violence and pain was his connection to his Cree spirituality that helped form him into the man he is today. Many now know of him through his activist works and resistance to environmental injustice and Big Oil.
Thursday, July 1, 2021 – The Native perspective of Pulitzer Prizes
Two Native Americans took home Pulitzer Prizes this year and a third was a finalist. It’s remarkable since the last time a Native American won a Pulitzer was Kiowa writer N. Scott Momaday for the “House Made of Dawn in 1969.” Louise Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) got top honors in fiction for her novel “The Night Watchman.” Natalie Diaz (Mojave) won for her work “Postcolonial Love Poem.” Cartoonist Marty Two Bulls (Lakota) was a finalist in the editorial cartooning category, but no award was given in that category. It’s widely considered one of the top honors in the areas of literature and journalism. We’ll revisit our previous shows with Diaz and Erdrich as well as talk with Two Bulls about his work.
Friday, July 2, 2021 – The Native truth about Independence Day
By and large Native Americans are patriotic. The American flag and U.S. military veteran honors are prominent in most powwows, fairs and other Native events. But America’s Independence Day brings some ambivalence from Native citizens. It’s difficult to get past the reference to “merciless Indian savages” in the very document that declares independence from the British. The Colonies’ demand to launch their own separate country was fueled by the promise of conquering the land and resources that Native people relied on since time immemorial. What followed were massacres, land theft, broken treaties and enduring racism. We’ll get Native perspectives on the coming Independence Day celebrations.
