Native America Calling

Despite promises by elected leaders to address the disproportionate number of Native Americans and Alaska Natives who are murdered or go missing, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) advocates say there is little progress and even steps backward for victims and their families. Advocates say the Trump administration’s removal of the Not One More report from the Department of Justice’s website is a setback for public awareness and the work to fight the ongoing problem. Advocates also complained that Alaska officials are not adequately acknowledging the number of unsolved cases. Since that complaint, state officials added 50 names to the unsolved cases list. Numerous data sources point to the disproportionate rate that Native people are victims of violence and their cases go unresolved. GUESTS Charlene Aqpik Apok (Iñupiaq), executive director of Data for Indigenous Justice Karrisa Newkirk (Caddo), president and founder of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women-Chahta LaRenda Morgan (Cheyenne and Arapaho), cousin of Ida Beard and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) advocate Cheryl Horn (Nakota and Aaniiih), Fort Belknap MMIP advocate

In his second cookbook, “Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America,” Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota), James Beard Award-wining chef and restaurateur, dives deeper into the Indigenous culinary communities of 13 regions of North America and Mesoamerica. He shares dozens of recipes inspired by his travels and the people he calls friends, teachers, and leaders that he encounters along the way. Pyet DeSpain (Prairie Band Potawatomi) was already familiar with traditional everyday foods like frybread, meat pies, and corn soup growing up on the Osage reservation in Oklahoma. And on the Mexican side of her family, tamales, pozole, and atole were a staple. Now a well-known and award-winning chef, DeSpain is sharing that fusion of Native and Mexican cuisine and heritage in her debut cookbook, “Rooted in Fire: A Celebration of Native American and Mexican Cooking.”

The Aboriginal people of Australia have cemented a historic agreement with the state of Victoria that could provide a blueprint for recognizing Indigenous peoples and incorporating their voices and cultures into the political process going forward. The treaty is a first for Australia and comes after years of research, negotiation, and a failed political referendum in 2023. Among other things, those crafting the treaty look to avoid the pitfalls of federal treaties with Native Americans and First Nations peoples of Canada. In this encore show, we’ll hear from those who worked to make the treaty happen and what about their hopes and concerns following this historic action.

Mel Tonasket (Colville Tribes) is one of the key reasons the Colville Tribes remain thriving today. As a newly elected tribal council member in 1971, he cast the deciding vote against a deal with the federal government that traded cash payouts to individual tribal members for the tribe’s permanent termination. Tonasket credits the mentorship of tribal activist Lucy Covington for guiding his insights and energy to protect the sovereignty of the 12-tribe coalition under the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. He since went on to an ongoing vigilance for hunting, fishing, and other treaty rights. He still serves on the tribal business council after decades of service in many capacities. We'll speak with Tonasket about the history of his tribe, his own call to leadership, and what’s next for his people.

On the cusp of what could be a new era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), some researchers are urging caution and the need for deliberate controls to keep the developing technology from robbing Indigenous people of their cultures and sovereignty. A project with three universities provides a framework of standards to prevent AI from stripping Native Americans and all other Indigenous peoples of their right to control images, language, cultural knowledge, and other components of their identities they’ve worked so hard to retain. We’ll hear about the potential benefits and threats of AI to Native people. GUESTS Danielle Boyer (Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), robotics inventor Randy Kekoa Akee (Native Hawaiian), Julie Johnson Kidd Professor of Indigenous Governance and Development at Harvard University Michael Running Wolf (Lakota and Cheyenne), community leader in AI research Crystal Hill-Pennington, professor at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Social worker and political newcomer Sierra Yazzie Asamoa-Tutu will take office in January 2026 as Gallup, N.M.’s first Diné city council member. Notably a city along Route 66 and on the edge of the Navajo Nation, Gallup’s population is more than half Native American. Yazzie Asamoa-Tutu is one of a number of Native candidates filling local elected seats since the mid-term elections. We’ll talk with some of them about what their hopes are for their coming term of elected public service. GUESTS Sierra Yazzie Asamoa-Tutu (Diné), city member-elect for the city of Gallup Ed Lowery Jr. (Lumbee), mayor-elect of Parkton, N.C. Chris Roberts (Choctaw), mayor of Shoreline, Wash. David Holt (Osage), mayor of Oklahoma City, Okla.

New works by two best-selling Cherokee writers intertwine riveting fictional narratives with a dose of Native American historical reality. Vanessa Lillie’s “The Bone Thief” continues the suspenseful trajectory of Syd Walker, a BIA archaeologist first introduced in Lillie’s novel, “Blood Sisters.” This time, the setting for the story is present-day Narragansett territory in New England and colonial mythology about the first Thanksgiving plays a part. Brandon Hobson’s “The Devil is a Southpaw” takes readers back almost four decades to the heart of Cherokee country, but readers are warned upfront that the memories portrayed now may not be reliable. Hobson takes a surrealistic detour where both Salvador Dali and a character named Brandon H. make appearances. It’s an imaginative character study that propels a gripping story of love and loss.

Family, friends, and tribal officials rallied to help after authorities in Iowa notified Leticia Jacobo she would be handed over to federal immigration officials instead of being released from jail. Jacobo is a member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. After extensive pushback, authorities admitted her U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer was a clerical error. We’ll hear Jacobo’s story. We’ll also hear about what was behind the Nisqually Tribe’s public announcement that it would not house immigrant detainees at their tribal corrections facility. Tribal officials say it is against their values of treating people with dignity and respect. GUESTS Leticia Jacobo (Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community), resident of Des Moines, Iowa Maria Nunez (Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community), Leticia’s aunt Gabe Galanda (Round Valley Indian Tribe), managing lawyer at Galanda Broadman David Leslie (Iñupiaq), Iñupiaq activist in Fairbanks, Alaska

As 200 nations from around the globe meet on the edge of the Amazon rainforest to hammer out cooperative goals on climate change, Indigenous people are making their presence known. They are included in discussions but have no negotiation power outside of the official representation from the countries they reside in. Many Indigenous attendees have organized marches, experienced civil disobedience, and even clashed with security officials in order to have their voices heard. Notably absent from this year's talks is any senior Trump administration delegation. We'll hear Indigenous perspectives about their role at COP30. We'll also hear from Cree journalist Brandi Morin, who spent months reporting on conflicts between Indigenous communities in Ecuador and Canadian mining companies. Currently, Ecuador's president is working on reforming the country’s constitution to open up more natural resources for extraction. GUESTS Taily Terena (Terena), Indigenous climate and land activist Andrea Carmen (Yaqui), executive director of the International Indian Treaty Council Edson Krenak (Krenak), Brazil program manager for Cultural Survival Brandi Morin (Cree, Iroquois, and French), journalist

Access to land for hunting, fishing, and gathering are foundational provisions in so many treaties between tribes and the federal government, but individual hunters and anglers are frequently challenged when out exercising those treaty rights. The legal justifications were settled decades ago following landmark rulings such as the Boldt Decision in Washington State and, more recently, in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judgement in favor of tribal hunting access on ceded lands in Idaho. We’ll review some of the history of hunting rights and how those continue to be scrutinized. GUESTS Dr. Cleve Davis (Shoshone-Bannock Tribes), a Ph.D in environmental science and the author of “So Long As Game May Be Found Thereon” Charlie Smith (Fond Du Lac band of Lake Superior Chippewa), advisor for Indigenous Business Consulting firm and a member of the Fond du Lac Band Ceded Territory conservation committee Derrick James (Choctaw), reporter for NonDoc.com

A surprise insertion in the bill to end the federal government shutdown has thrown Native hemp producers into chaos. The language prohibits products like beverages, vapes, and gummies containing THC compounds derived from hemp. Those products were widely available and contribute to a nearly $30 billion industry. Among them is the Lac du Flambeau tribe that produces and sells hemp-derived products. The end of the government shutdown also means the clock is ticking for Native Americans receiving health insurance subsidized by the Affordable Care Act. Without action by Congress, insurance premiums for those people will jump significantly after the start of the New Year. We'll hear about what the possible options are foa the millions of people facing a major hike in insurance costs. GUESTS Angie Wilson (Pit River Tribe), tribal health director for Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Rob Pero (Bad River Tribe), founder and president of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association and the owner of Canndigenous Candace Thompson (Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Indians), director of cannabis operations for the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Indians Dionne Holmquist (Aztec ancestry), director of biobased solutions at Makoce Agriculture Development

Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings of the northern New Mexico landscape are among the most recognizable and beloved works of art in history. So much so that the distinctive mesas, bluffs, and plateaus are sometimes referred to as O’Keeffe Country. But the land has always been home to Pueblo people that have deep cultural ties to those same iconic landscapes. A new exhibition at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe turns to a handful of Tewa Pueblo artists to offer their interpretations of the landscape and O’Keeffe’s inescapable connection to it. We’ll hear from the curators and artists behind the Tewa Nangeh/Tewa Country exhibition. GUESTS Jason Garcia Okuu Pín (Kha’p’o Owingeh, Santa Clara Pueblo), co-curator and artist in the Tewa Nangeh/Tewa Country exhibit at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Michael Namingha (Ohkay Owingeh and Hopi), conceptual multimedia artist Charine Pilar Gonzales (San Ildefonso Pueblo), writer, director, and filmmaker Bess Murphy, Luce curator of art and social practice at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

A relentless offensive against minority student recruiting and retention threatens more than Native American participation in school. Advocates for such outreach say it affects community well-being and even the health of Native citizens. We'll hear from proponents for Native student achievement about President Donald Trump's "Compact for Higher Education" and the latest trends in Native enrollment. Also in our discussion today is a harrowing story of survival. As the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the storied wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior, there is another remarkable account of a group of Native fishermen caught in the same storm that day. We’ll hear from Interlochen Public Radio reporter Ellie Katz who talked to some of the men for the Points North podcast. GUESTS Emma Grellinger (Stockbridge Munsee and descendent of the Oneida Nation), current president of the Association and medical student at UCSF Dr. Andrew Curley (Diné), associate professor at the School of Geography, Development, & Environment at the University of Arizona Ellie Katz, reporter for Points North and Interlochen Public Radio

The storm that ravaged villages along Alaska’s west coast may have washed away thousands of artifacts that promised to provide valuable insights into early Yup’ik settlements. The storm destroyed nearly 60 feet of shoreline near the village of Quinhagak. Along with it was a site that was the source of early masks, tools and other items that make up the world’s largest collection of Yup’ik artifacts housed at the local museum. Researchers, who were already racing to recover the items threatened by thawing permafrost, say as many as 10,000 artifacts could be lost. In another blow, thieves made off with more than a thousand artifacts from the Oakland Museum of California's off-site storage facility. Oakland police and the FBI are working to find the culprits and recover the items. The early assessment by authorities suggest the heist may have been more of a crime of opportunity than a targeted operation. GUESTS Cody Groat (Kanyen'kehaka'), assistant professor at the Department of History and the Indigenous Studies Program at the University of Western Ontario Shannon O’Loughlin (Choctaw), chief executive and attorney at the Association on American Indian Affairs Lynn Marie Church (Yup'ik), CEO of Nalaquq, LLC Rick Knecht, emeritus senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Aberdeen

Filmmaker and U.S. Air Force veteran Ryan Begay (Diné) set out to bring some of the stories of others Native American veterans to a broader audience. In the process, he brings those stories, especially those of Native women who serve in the military to life, in the documentary, "Honor Song". We’ll hear about the film and from some of those featured in it. Another Air Force veteran, Steven Sibley (Cherokee), also saw a need to connect with fellow military veterans and to provide a better source of information about the resources and benefits available to veterans and their family members. He now is co-publisher of the free Oklahoma Veterans News Magazine. We’ll talk with him about his service in the military and ways veterans can connect with the benefits available to them. GUESTS Ryan Begay (Diné), producer, director, actor, and Air Force veteran Cassie Velarde Neher (Jicarilla Apache), Navy veteran and doctoral student at the University of New Mexico Darrell Charlee (Diné), Air Force Master Sgt. Steven Sibley (Delaware by blood and Cherokee by the Dawes Roll), retired, disabled veteran living in Oklahoma, and a co-publisher of Oklahoma Veterans New Magazine

Vermont’s four Abenaki bands face ongoing pushback as they work to assert their Native American identity. With state recognition, the tribes enjoy certain hunting and fishing rights and the ability to list artwork as Native made. The Odanak First Nation in Canada is speaking out on social media and at press conferences, public events, and even at the United Nations, saying the people in Vermont claiming Abenaki blood have no connection to the Abenaki name and are only exploiting a legitimate and respected culture. It’s one of the remaining battlegrounds in the often-contentious discussions over identity. GUESTS Chief Rick O’Bomsawin (Odanak First Nation), Chief of the Abenaki Council of Odanak Chief Don Stevens (Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation) Margaret Bruchac (Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation), professor emerita of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania

Throat-singing Inuit sisters Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay released their sixth album, offering a soundtrack to the traditional stories they grew up with. "Legends" blends PIQSIQ's cultural improvisational technique with sophisticated studio production. First Nations Cree singer LOV is on tour, propelled by the success of the video releases for the singles, "Matriarch" and "Mama". Her upbeat soulful, rhythmic style invokes Amy Winehouse, but LOV has a message all her own drawn from her roots on her Treaty Six Reserve. Country crooner Blaine Bailey barely blinked after getting eliminated from the musical competition reality show, "The Road". He hit the road with his own tour singing songs from his album, "Indian Country", with a classic sound built around lyrics full of Native pride. GUESTS Blaine Bailey (United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians), singer and songwriter LOV (Plains Cree from Treaty 6 Territory from the Poundmaker Cree Nation), singer and songwriter Tiffany Ayalik (Inuit), singer and songwriter for the duo PIQSIQ Inuksuk Mackay (Inuit), singer and songwriter for the duo PIQSIQ

The Aboriginal people of Australia are on the precipice of cementing a historic agreement with the state of Victoria, one that could provide a blueprint for recognizing Indigenous peoples and incorporating their voices and cultures into the political process going forward. The treaty is a first for Australia and comes after years of research, negotiation, and a failed political referendum in 2023. Among other things, those crafting the treaty look to avoid the pitfalls of federal treaties with Native Americans and First Nations peoples of Canada. We’ll hear from those who worked to make the treaty happen and what about their hopes and concerns following this historic action. GUESTS Dr. Julian Rawiri Kusabs (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maru [Hauraki], and Tainui), research fellow at the University of Melbourne Nikki Moodie (Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, and Gamilaraay), professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Melbourne Travis Lovett (Kerrupmara Gunditjmara, Boandik), inaugural executive director of the Centre for Truth Telling and Dialogue at the University of Melbourne Lidia Thorpe (Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung), Independent Senator for Victoria and represents the Blak Sovereign Movement

A team of researchers are actively sifting through archival documents, artifacts, even artwork to expand the story of Indigenous slavery. The Native Bound Unbound project includes interactive maps, digitized documents and recent interviews with descendants whose ancestors endured enslavement. The publicly available digital archive aims to document every instance of Indigenous slavery in the Western Hemisphere to illuminate where and when slavery took place, and the lasting effects for Indigenous communities and their descendants. GUESTS Philip J. Deloria (Yankton Dakota), professor of history at Harvard University Theresa Pasqual (Acoma Pueblo), executive vice president of Indigenous Affairs at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center and the former tribal historic preservation officer for the Pueblo of Acoma Estevan Rael-Galvez, executive director of Native Bound Unbound: Archive of Indigenous Slavery

As the federal government shutdown drags on, tribes are feeling the brunt more than the general population. That’s among the conclusions in a new report from the Brookings Institution that examines how the government distributes the funds it is obligated to. The report finds that a large portion of the money for tribal necessities like health care, education, and economic well-being required under the Trust and Treaty Responsibility is dependent on annual action by Congress rather than being baked into the automatic allocations that other federal funding recipients enjoy. The report calls on a more reliable funding system for tribes. The shutdown has prompted several tribes, including the Spirit Lake Nation, Standing Rock Tribe, and Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, to declare states of emergency, mainly because of the lack of food and winter heating assistance. We’ll hear more about how the shutdown is grinding away at tribes’ ability to help their citizens. GUESTS Chairman Joseph James (Yurok Tribe) Nikki Stoops (Native Village of Kotzebue), vice president of engagement for the Alaska Federation of Natives Liz Malerba (Mohegan Tribe), director of policy and legislative affairs for the United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund Robert Maxim (Mashpee Wampanoag), fellow at the Brookings Institution