The Red Nation Podcast
The Red Nation
The Red Nation Podcast features discussions on Indigenous history, politics, and culture from a left perspective. Hosted by Nick Estes and Jen Marley with help from our friend and comrade Sina. The Red Nation Podcast is also the home of Red Power Hour, hosted by Melanie Yazzie and Elena Ortiz.
Our show is entirely supported by our patrons on Patreon, support the show and get access to bonus content and other patron exclusive benefits here: Patreon.com/redmediapr
Website: therednation.org
Follow the hosts on Twitter @nickwestes and @JenMarley1680 and the Red Nation @The_Red_Nation.
Theme song: "Dead Horse" by Weedrat https://weedrat.bandcamp.com/
Our show is entirely supported by our patrons on Patreon, support the show and get access to bonus content and other patron exclusive benefits here: Patreon.com/redmediapr
Website: therednation.org
Follow the hosts on Twitter @nickwestes and @JenMarley1680 and the Red Nation @The_Red_Nation.
Theme song: "Dead Horse" by Weedrat https://weedrat.bandcamp.com/
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 23, 2026 • 1h 8min
Decolonizing West Asia: The Ramadan War w/ Sina Rahmani
TRN Podcast host Nick Estes live in conversation with Sina Rahmani, host of The East is a Podcast and producer of The Red Nation Podcast, on the wider context of the Ramadan War and what is at stake in this historic confrontation. Watch the livestream edition on The Red Nation Podcast Empower our work: GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/empower-red-medias-indigenous-content Subscribe to The Red Nation Newsletter: https://www.therednation.org/ Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/redmediapr
Mar 16, 2026 • 1h 19min
RPH. vs Smoke Signals (1998)
A lively look at Smoke Signals as a landmark Indigenous-made film and why it still matters. They unpack themes of grief, masculinity, and redemption through Victor and Thomas. Conversation covers Sherman Alexie’s influence and the fallout around his misconduct. Calls for more Indigenous women, Two Spirit, and queer storytellers and critique of limited female roles appear throughout.
Mar 9, 2026 • 1h 11min
RPH vs. Avatar: Fire and Ash (2026)
Two critics break down Avatar: Fire and Ice with sharp takes on cultural appropriation and pretendianism. They map how settler futurism and recycled white savior tropes reshape Indigenous futures. The conversation skewers caricatured Na'vi, dubious origins, and how settlers are written into indigeneity. Expect close readings of symbolism, cringe moments, and comparisons to Hollywood colonial fantasies.
8 snips
Mar 2, 2026 • 1h 36min
Drug Cartels do not exist w/Oswaldo Zavala and Alex Aviña
Alex Aviña, an ASU history professor who traces the transnational roots of the war on drugs, and Oswaldo Zavala, a scholar-journalist studying narcotrafficking discourse and militarization, unpack how state narratives and U.S.-Mexico flows shape violence. They discuss manufactured "Mr. Big" myths, militarized counterinsurgency tactics, media sensationalism, transnational arms and policy flows, and links between extraction and depopulation.
Feb 23, 2026 • 1h 57min
The Imperial Slingshot w/ Charisse Burden-Stelly
Charisse Burden-Stelly, Associate Professor and anti-imperialist scholar, discusses the 'imperial slingshot' concept linking domestic repression and foreign intervention. Short takes cover parallels like policing and extraction, Haywood’s Black Belt thesis and self-determination, crisis of legitimacy and lawfare, and the need for study, mutual aid, local defense, and sustained organizing.
12 snips
Feb 17, 2026 • 1h 11min
Solidarity, Not Spam: Defend Chamoru Self-Determination, Oppose Bill 242-38!
Michael Lujan Bevacqua, Co-Chair of Independent Guåhan and decolonization organizer; Melvin Won Pat-Borja, Executive Director of the Guam Commission on Decolonization. They discuss why Bill 242-38 would erase Chamoru-led voting rights. Conversations cover Guam and Micronesia’s decolonization history, unequal U.S. citizenship and militarization, and visions for an independent, peaceful Micronesia.
Feb 16, 2026 • 1h 4min
The Water Remembers w/ Amy Bowers Cordalis
RPH is BACK! Amy Bowers-Cordalis joins RPH Co-host Elena Ortiz to talk about her new book, the liberation of the Klamath River and her family's contributions to that struggle. This is a story of hope and triumph. Watch the video edition on The Red Nation Podcast YouTube channel Empower our work: GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/empower-red-medias-indigenous-content Subscribe to The Red Nation Newsletter: https://www.therednation.org/ Patreon https://www.patreon.com/redmediapr
Feb 9, 2026 • 1h 12min
Minneapolis Update: Not Minnesota Nice
Operation Metro Surge is just two months old. In this episode, TRN Podcast host Nick Estes examines the recent history and the historic community resistance against the deadly and traumatic federal invasion. Fort Snelling: The Advance Guard of Federal Invasion Since 1805: https://racketmn.com/fort-snelling-the-advance-guard-of-federal-invasion-since-1805 Watch the video edition on The Red Nation Podcast YouTube channel Empower our work: GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/empower-red-medias-indigenous-content Subscribe to The Red Nation Newsletter: https://www.therednation.org/ Patreon https://www.patreon.com/redmediapr
Feb 2, 2026 • 45min
"All we need is each other": From the frontlines in Minneapolis
RPH co-host Melanie Yazzie continues our series of frontline reports from Minneapolis. In this episode, Melanie speaks to Rachel Thunder from the Indigenous Protector Movement and NDN's Lorenzo Serna. Watch the video edition on The Red Nation Podcast YouTube channel Empower our work: GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/empower-red-medias-indigenous-content Subscribe to The Red Nation Newsletter: https://www.therednation.org/ Patreon https://www.patreon.com/redmediapr
Jan 26, 2026 • 1h 17min
Red Power Hour - Hope in the Streets: Report from Minneapolis
Demetrius Johnson, Minneapolis-based organizer and member of The Red Nation, gives on-the-ground reporting and analysis about ICE mobilization and community defense. He contrasts sensational media with community realities. The conversation covers targeted neighborhoods, rapid-response patrols, legal observation as defense, caretaking logistics, and the legacy of AIM and Panther organizing.
