
Native America Calling
Public Radio
Interactive, daily program featuring Native and Indigenous voices, insights, and stories from across the U.S. and around the world.
Location:
Anchorage, AK
Description:
Interactive, daily program featuring Native and Indigenous voices, insights, and stories from across the U.S. and around the world.
Twitter:
@180099native
Language:
English
Contact:
4401 Lomas Blvd NE Suite C Albuquerque, NM 87110 5059992444
Episodes
Thursday, October 16, 2025 – The fight to recognize Taffy Abel’s historic NHL achievement
10/16/2025
It’s been almost a full century since Ojibwe hockey player Taffy Abel first set foot on the ice as a New York Rangers defenseman. It was a historic moment that was not acknowledged at the time in the professional hockey world or even by Abel himself. At the time, he kept his Native American identity a secret — at first to escape the forced attendance at Indian Boarding Schools, then later to avoid the discrimination that could hinder his career. Now, his descendants want him recognized, after the fact, as the man who broke the pro hockey color barrier. Abel carried the American flag in the first Winter Olympics in 1924. He went on to help both the Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks win Stanley Cup championships. GUESTS Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), tribal councilman and former chairperson for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota), 1964 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Charles Fox, regular contributor to Indian Country Today and former staff photographer for 38 years at The Philadelphia Inquirer George Jones, retired economist and Indigenous hockey historian
Duration:00:55:49
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 – The road project that could open up a great expanse of pristine Alaska
10/15/2025
The Trump administration just gave the final approval for a new 211-mile road that punches across the Brooks Mountain Range and the expansive wilderness that surrounds it. Ambler Road promises to clear the way for several mining operations, providing minerals like copper, cobalt and gold that President Trump says is needed to “win the AI arms race against China.” But at least 40 Alaska Native tribes have officially lined up against the controversial project citing subsistence hunting habitat among other concerns. We’ll hear about that – and get an update on struggles over tribal control over hunting permits in Oklahoma. GUESTS April Monroe (Evansville Village). lands manager for Tanana Chiefs Conference Miles Cleveland Sr. (Iñupiaq), Northwest Arctic Borough Assembly Member Robert Gifford (Cherokee Nation), Native American Law attorney and tribal court judge Gary Batton (Choctaw Nation), Chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Emily Schwing, investigative reporter in Alaska
Duration:00:55:38
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 – Shifting the balance in historical scholarship
10/14/2025
The stories and written documentation on boarding schools, Indian Agents, and even the fictional character, Paul Bunyan, all have an influence on how we view history. The Western History Association Conference in Albuquerque, N.M., this week assembles a number of discussions led by Native American historians on those and other topics, gauging how well Native perspectives are taken into account. We’ll hear from some of those historians about the changing influence of Native historical scholarship. GUESTS Vivien Tejada (Cherokee), assistant professor of history at University of California, Los Angeles Dr. Farina King (Diné), professor of Native American studies and Horizon Chair of NA ecology and culture at the University of Oklahoma Michael Holloman (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), professor in the Department of Art at Washington State University
Duration:00:55:44
Monday, October 13, 2025 – Language teachers celebrate success on Indigenous Peoples Day
10/13/2025
After an intensive two-year adult immersion program, the number of fluent Spokane Salish language speakers nearly doubled. Some of those program graduates will be hired on as full-time language teaching staff as the tribe expands its language revitalization efforts. And the Yuchi Tribe in Oklahoma has established a unique partnership with an Australian Aboriginal nation to exchange ideas for revitalizing both of their endangered languages. We’ll hear about these two recent success stories. We'll also hear about a five-part talk show, "Rematriated Voices", centered on Haudenosaunee culture and principles. The first episode airs on Indigenous Peoples Day on New York PBS affiliate WCNY. GUESTS Sulustu Barry Moses (Spokane Tribe of Indians), program manager for adult fluency training and executive director of the Spokane Language House Richard Grounds (Yuchi and Seminole), executive director of the Yuchi Language Project Michelle Schenandoah (Oneida), founder and executive lead of Rematriation
Duration:00:55:28
Friday, October 10, 2025 – Tara Moses’ ‘Haunted’ is more than just a satirical ghost story
10/10/2025
In the Tara Moses play, “Haunted,” two Native ghosts are caught in a seemingly endless cycle of haunting the prospective owners of a house, while also being haunted in return by racist stereotypes. The Millennial siblings have a penchant for the soundtrack of their youth that leans heavily on Britney Spears. Along the way they find themselves on a journey to a higher calling. We’ll hear from Moses about her work that comes to the stage in Los Angeles. We’ll also hear from artists recognized with a $100,000 prize for the 2025 SHIFT – Transformative Change + Indigenous Arts Awards by the Native Arts + Culture Foundation for works that address social change through a Native lens. GUESTS Tara Moses (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and Muscogee), playwright and director Merna Wharton (Yup’ik), artist Demian DinéYazhi’ (Diné), transdisciplinary artist, poet, and curator Brooke Pepion Swaney (Blackfeet Nation and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), filmmaker
Duration:00:56:12
Thursday, October 9, 2025 — Walrus management in a changing Arctic
10/9/2025
An Indigenous anthropologist is embarking on a years-long process to document how Alaska Native hunters are changing their hunting patterns in the face of climate change. To complicate things, the war in Ukraine is preventing Native researchers from sharing information with their counterparts in Russia, which plays a role in the overall health of walrus herds. In addition to food and other uses, walrus ivory is a significant part of a traditional Native artform. We’ll talk with Indigenous people who have a stake in Pacific walruses and are working to protect them. GUESTS Vera Metcalf (Yu’pik), director of the Eskimo Walrus Commission Eduard Kergytagyn Zdor (Chukchi), cultural anthropologist and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alaska’s Arctic Leadership Initiative Leon Misak Kinneeveauk (Iñupiaq), artist and director of the Alaska Art Alliance
Duration:00:55:19
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 – Risks and unintended consequences of terminating USAID
10/8/2025
President Donald Trump and his administration abruptly ended billions of dollars in aid to foreign countries, calling it wasteful and inappropriately supporting a liberal agenda. In addition to food and medicine that went directly to Indigenous people who need it, the money and goods also promoted agriculture programs and other incentives toward preventing people with few other options from resorting to the illegal drug trade and other criminal activity that has significant bearing on American interest abroad. We’ll hear about the direct effects of ending U.S. support of foreign countries as well as the long-term implications. GUESTS Sandra Lazarte (Quechua), former Indigenous Peoples and Climate advisor for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Leonardo Crippa (Kolla), senior attorney at the Indian Law Resource Center Brian Keane, co-founder of Land is Life, former UN Permanent Forum rapporteur, and the first advisor on Indigenous Peoples' Issues for U.S. Foreign Assistance Andrew Miller, advocacy director for Amazon Watch
Duration:00:55:52
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 — Protecting sacred sites in urban areas
10/7/2025
Sacred sites sometimes get lost in urban settings as cities prioritize the needs of non-Native residents and commercial interests over the historical and spiritual value for Native Americans, but tribes and Native organizations are having some success connecting with city officials to see that sacred spaces are protected and accessible. After years of restoration work, what were known as the Indian Mounds in St. Paul, Minn., have a whole new look, a new Dakota name — Wicaḣapi — and an educational cultural center. St. Louis, Mo. just solidified a transfer of property that signifies the city’s first-ever recognition of tribal sovereignty. We’ll talk about the difficult work to recognize and preserve sacred places in population centers. GUESTS Maggie Lorenz (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and Spirit Lake Dakota Nation), executive director of Waḳaŋ Típi Awaŋyaŋkapi Ke'eaumoku Kapu (Native Hawaiian), executive director of Nā ‘Aikāne o Maui and cultural specialist for Lahaina Town
Duration:00:56:12
Monday, October 6, 2025 – Tribal housing advocates work against a tide of obstacles
10/6/2025
Someone looking to move to any of the Native American reservations in Montana will have a hard time finding a home. A three-part series by the Montana Free Press finds there is a chronic shortage of housing on Native land caused by confusing land ownership frameworks, hurdles for conventional financing, and a lack of infrastructure. The government shutdown, funding cuts, and other changes at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development could only exacerbate the struggle Native people have for finding homes. Native people typically have the worst housing needs in the country. We’ll hear about the problems facing Native homeowners and some of the innovative ways tribes are working to solve them. GUESTS Rudy Soto (Shoshone-Bannock), executive director for National American Indian Housing Council Jody Perez (Salish and Kootenai), executive director of the Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority Nora Mabie, Indigenous affairs reporter with Montana Free Press Christine De Los Santos, executive director of the Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority
Duration:00:56:07
Friday, October 3, 2025 – Native Playlist: Ken Pomeroy and Samantha Crain
10/3/2025
Two Native American women from Oklahoma are carving distinct and inviting musical paths through the music world. Samantha Crain’s seventh album, "Gumshoe", offers the latest installment in the veteran Choctaw singer-songwriter’s musical evolution. The cover artwork—a photo of her own beadwork—is a clue to the roots she draws on for strength and inspiration. And Ken Pomeroy’s debut album, "Cruel Joke", invokes a simmering depth of feeling that transcends her young age. She is a natural storyteller from the Cherokee Nation with a lot to say. Both of these creative artist are added to our Native Playlist.
Duration:00:58:57
Thursday, October 2, 2025 – Bracing for the federal government shutdown grind
10/2/2025
Payments to tribes for federal contracts, BIA law enforcement, food distribution to schools, and health care access could all be affected by the federal government shutdown. It also has a significant effect on the 30,000 Native American federal employees and members of the military who may not be furloughed, but will not receive paychecks until the shutdown is over. This is the second government shutdown in the past decade; the previous one was the longest on record. We’ll get the Native perspective on what’s potentially in store as the shutdown progresses. GUESTS Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), tribal councilman and former chairperson for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians A.C. Locklear (Lumbee), CEO of the National Indian Health Board Mike Stopp (Cherokee and Muscogee), president and CEO of SevenStar Holdings, LLC Sue Parton (Kiowa), President of the Federation of Indian Service Employees
Duration:00:55:18
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 – Rewriting the historical context for Native Americans
10/1/2025
Culture keepers and historians are closely watching President Donald Trump’s review of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and other institutions to eliminate what he calls derisive or partisan narratives. It’s among eight museums that receive federal funding are that are currently under review. NMAI’s exhibits include Native American perspectives on historical documents and events that include treaties, Indian Boarding Schools, the Termination Era, the American Indian Movement, and the Indian Child Welfare Act, among many others. Those watching are concerned Trump’s directive could permanently alter how those topics are presented to the public. NMAI also develops educational curricula that counters incomplete instruction on historical events, like Thanksgiving. We’ll hear from those who were instrumental in NMAI’s founding, as well as get perspective on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement that soldiers that took part in the Wounded Knee Massacre would retain their Medals of Honor. GUESTS Dr. Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee), president of the Morning Star Institute, a founding trustee of NMAI, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Rick West Jr. (Cheyenne and Arapaho), CEO emeritus of the Autry Museum of the American West and founding director of NMAI OJ Semans Sr. (Rosebud Sioux), co-executive director of Four Directions Vote
Duration:00:56:25
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 – Native in the Spotlight: Tina Kuckkahn
9/30/2025
For more than three decades, Tina Kuckkahn's work has centered on supporting Native culture and the arts. The Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe citizen is the new head of the Native artist non-profit organization, the First Peoples Fund. She previously directed s'gʷi gʷi ʔ altxʷ: House of Welcome (The Evergreen State College Longhouse) and most recently helped build NDN Collective’s philanthropic infrastructure and grantmaking programs. She is in the process of organizing a canoe journey through the Great Lakes, retracing her ancestors’ historic migration. Tina Kuckkahn joins us as this month's Native in the Spotlight to talk about the state of Native art, Ojibwe culture, and motorcycles. We'll also look back at the life of Indian Gaming Association chairman Ernie Stevens Jr., who just walked on. GUESTS Tina Kuckkahn (Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), president and CEO of the First Peoples Fund Jason Giles (Muscogee), executive director of the Indian Gaming Association Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation), publisher and editor of Native News Online and Tribal Business News
Duration:00:56:06
Monday, September 29, 2025 – How will Native Americans fare in state-by-state redistricting push?
9/29/2025
The action by Republican Texas lawmakers to redraw congressional voting boundaries to favor Republican candidates has clear implications for the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas. The new contorted boundaries put the tribe at least four times the distance away from their elected representative’s base of operation. The Texas move has also spurred other states to do that same and voting advocates worry about losing hard-fought ground for Native voter representation at the polls. We’ll look at what the latest potential problem areas are and how it relates to the midterm elections. Also, we’ll talk with a New Mexico District Attorney Bernadine Martin (Diné). She is fighting to keep her job amid allegations of incompetence and misconduct. Martin is the only female Native American district attorney in the state. She says she is being unfairly targeted. GUESTS Cecilia Flores (Alabama-Coushatta), tribal council chairwoman of the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas Nita Battise (Alabama-Coushatta), tribal council member of the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas Lenny Powell (Hopland Band of Pomo Indians), Native American Rights Fund staff attorney Daniel McCool, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Utah Bernadine Martin (Diné), McKinley County District Attorney
Duration:00:56:00
Friday, September 26, 2025 – The Native American history censorship threat at National Parks and other federal institutions
9/26/2025
Among the informational signs flagged for review under the Trump administration’s purge of “improper ideology” at National Parks is language at the Sitka National Monument Russian Bishop’s House explaining how missionaries worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and languages in Alaska. A panel at Florida’s Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is being questioned for including text about forced assimilation of imprisoned Native Americans. They are part of the ongoing review of parks, museums, and other institutions for information deemed disparaging to Americans. The review has prompted considerable concern over who is making decisions about how historical events are portrayed and whether Native historians have any input. GUESTS Michaela Pavlat (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), Indigenous partnerships program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association Julie Reed (Cherokee), associate professor of history at the University of Tulsa Morning Star Gali (Pit River Tribe), executive director of Indigenous Justice and the California tribal and community liaison for the International Indian Treaty Council Kimberly Smith (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), community conservation specialist for The Wilderness Society
Duration:00:56:15
Thursday, September 25, 2025 – Robin Wall Kimmerer challenges us to re-examine what we know about the natural world
9/25/2025
Propelled by the success of her runaway bestseller, “Braiding Sweetgrass”, Robin Wall Kimmerer (Citizen Potawatomi) continues a passion for weaving together the science, the cultural knowledge, and the beauty of the natural environment and importance of taking notice of it. In her new children’s picture book, “Bud Finds Her Gift,” a young girl discovers what it means to receive and give the gifts of nature. And her book, “The Serviceberry,” lands on the small fruit clusters as a starting point to awaken one’s gratitude for the environment’s abundance. We’ll hear from Kimmerer about the arc of her work and the additional knowledge she’s collected from it.
Duration:00:56:11
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 — The Menu: Troubling wild rice trend, heirloom Cherokee apples, and a prize-winning New Mexico burger
9/24/2025
An unassuming café on Isleta Pueblo just won one of the most sought-after culinary recognitions in New Mexico. Isleta Grill is this year’s Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge Champion for their frybread version of a regional delicacy. In northern Wisconsin, this year’s wild rice yields are low. The state Department of Natural Resources blames wind damage and heavy rainfall from a series of strong storms. It’s part of a pattern of diminished wild rice harvests in recent years. Cherokees cross-bred and cultivated apple varieties when they lived in the southeast U.S., but when the federal government forced a majority of Cherokees to move to Indian Territory (Oklahoma), they left their orchards behind. Now one cultural group is reviving those lost varieties of apples along with the history that goes with it. These are among the topics we’ll hear about on The Menu, a special feature of Native America Calling on Indigenous food sovereignty and stories with Andi Murphy. GUESTS Leticia Romero (Isleta Pueblo), owner of the Isleta Grill Esiban Parent (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe and Purépecha descent), Manoomin Wiidookaage for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission Amber Allen (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), project coordinator at the Noquisi Initiative Elaine Eisenbraun, executive director of the Noquisi Initiative
Duration:00:56:25
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 – A groundbreaking agreement promises protections for the world’s oceans — can it deliver?
9/23/2025
After two decades of work, supporters of an international agreement are celebrating ratification of a tool aimed at reversing ongoing threats to oceans around the globe. Sixty nations have signed onto the High Seas Treaty. It’s a legally-binding document that maps a direction for marine biodiversity in international waters. It addresses threats such as pollution, overfishing, and damage caused by climate change. The goals align with those of many Indigenous populations, many of whom are bearing the brunt of diminished ocean diversity. At the same time, there are concerns about the ability to enforce the agreement against nations that choose to ignore it. GUESTS Steve MacLean (Iñupiaq), managing director of the World Wildlife Fund U.S. Arctic Program Solomon Kahoʻohalahala (Native Hawaiian), chairperson of the Maui Nui Makai Network, a former Hawaii State Representative, and elder Roberto Múkaro Borrero (Taino), Kasike of the Guainía Taíno Tribe, president of United Confederation of Taíno People, and UN Programmes Coordinator for the International Indian Treaty Council Guillermo Ortuño Crespo, co-lead of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) High Seas Specialist Group
Duration:00:55:28
Monday, September 22, 2025 – Native Playlist: Khu.éex’ and Earth Surface People
9/22/2025
Seattle-based Indigenous funk/jazz band Khu.éex' is an ensemble full of storytellers and their stories carry a punch. They are back with another double album titled, “Red Cedar in the Hour of Chaos.” They carry on their unique P Funk-inspired sound and blend it with hip-hop, doom metal and psychedelia, all while drawing from Tlingit, Haida, and other Native roots. Another band, this one from the Southwest, weaves Diné stories and concepts into their just-released album filled with neo-soul and jazz influences. “Yáágo Dootliźh” is the second album from the Indigenous soul collective Earth Surface People. We’ll talk with members of both these groups about the power of Native storytelling through music. GUESTS Preston Singletary (Tlingit), co-founder of Khu.éex', musician, and glass artist Sondra Segundo (Haida), lead female vocalist for Khu.éex', author, and educator Dakota Yazzie (Diné), leader of Earth Surface People
Duration:00:56:25
Friday, September 19, 2025 — Native Bookshelf: “Sisters in the Wind” by Angeline Boulley
9/19/2025
Lucy Smith just aged out of the foster care system but finds she needs to protect herself and her family against persistent threats from her past. She relies on the survival skills she’s learned the hard way: a lack of trust in others and a readiness to run. Along the way she connects with her own Anishinaabe identity. “Sisters in the Wind” is the third mystery by author Angeline Boulley (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians). She weaves together themes of Indigenous identity, justice, and family through compelling characters and in a way that fans of her two previous novels, “Firekeeper’s Daughter” and “Warrior Girl Unearthed”, will recognize. “Sisters in the Wind” is on our Native Bookshelf.
Duration:00:56:19