Native America Calling

After Congress approved President Donald Trump’s clawback of funds distributed through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, tribal stations are frantically searching for money to keep from going dark. Tribes are stepping up in some cases, audiences are responding with increased donations, and the stations are scaling back their operations. In the meantime, higher education officials are worried about a Trump budget plan to cut federal funding to tribal colleges and universities by nearly 90%. Representatives from some of those institutions say they will have to significantly scale back their operations. Others say they will have to close outright. We’ll get more detail on both of these major funding changes. GUESTS Stephen Wall (citizen of the White Earth Nation and a descendent of Cattaraugus Seneca Community), interim president for the Institute of American Indian Arts Sean Chandler (Aaniinen [Gros Ventre Nation]), president of Aaniiih Nakoda College Aziza Smith (Eastern Shoshone), senior at Haskell Indian Nations University Marina Decora (Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska), sophomore at Haskell Indian Nations University Lenora Ward (Iñupiaq), general manager of KOTZ and Kotzebue Broadcasting Karl Habeck (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), general manager of WOJB   Break 1 Music: Navajo Radio (song) Arigon Starr (artist) Meet the Diva (album) Break 2 Music: Steamboat Akalii Song (song) Jay Begaye (artist) Horses Are Our Journey World (album)

From finding simple recipes to diagnosing complicated illnesses, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly useful part of everyday life, but the space and resources it takes to power that technology is immense and that is hitting close to home for some tribes. The Tonawanda Seneca Nation in New York just filed a lawsuit against a proposed 900,000-square-foot AI data center a mile away from their reservation. Chief Kenith Dale Jonathan says the center would harm air quality, water, and wildlife. We’ll hear from the tribe and the potential for data center encroachment elsewhere. We’ll also look at how the Trump administration’s push to use AI in medicine would benefit or harm Native Americans. GUESTS Christine Abrams (Tonawanda Seneca), office administrator for the Tonawanda Seneca Nation Council of Chiefs Grandell “Bird” Logan (Tonawanda Seneca), media spokesperson for the Tonawanda Seneca Nation Dr. Krystal Tsosie (Diné), assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University Dr. David Wilson (Diné), associate vice president for health research and professor and chair of Indigenous Health at the University of North Dakota   Break 1 Music: Obsidian (song) Red-209 (artist) Break 2 Music: Steamboat Akalii Song (song) Jay Begaye (artist) Horses Are Our Journey World (album)

Indigenous people of Canada know of the horrors generations of children were forced to endure in residential schools even though records and physical proof are hard to come by. They know from the stories passed down and the traumas they witnessed. “The Knowing” is the newest book from Anishinaabe journalist and best-selling author Tanya Talaga. She takes readers on a journey through scattered residential school records — and their many dead ends — to find Annie, a long lost relative. Her story weaves together her personal quest with Canadian history, providing readers with a better understanding of how racism, greed, misplaced religious intent, and government policy played into Canada’s unforgivable treatment of Indigenous children. But Talaga also celebrates the triumph of healing and the growing momentum to demand justice, acknowledgement, and real reconciliation. “The Knowing” is on our Native Bookshelf.   Break 1 Music: Meegwetch (song) Tamara Podemski (artist) Tamara (album) Break 2 Music: Long Black Cadillac (song) Tribz (artist)

A widely reported exit poll right after the 2024 presidential election greatly exaggerated the support for President Donald Trump by Native Americans. Native voters, by and large, lean Democrat, but it’s clear Native voters supported President Trump more than expected. And since the election, a handful of tribes and Native leaders continue to back the MAGA trend. Louisiana’s Tunica-Biloxi Tribe are among the institutions nominating Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize, citing his foreign policy and domestic economic agenda. We’ll hear from those who think Trump is moving Native interests in the right direction. GUESTS Myron Lizer (Diné). former vice president of the Navajo Nation and professional development consultant for Prestige with Partners LLC Michael Stopp (Cherokee and Muscogee), CEO and president of SevenStar Holdings, LLC Allen Wright (Choctaw), president and founder of the Hustings Group   Break 1 Music: Two-Sidedness (song) Samantha Crain (artist) You (Understood) (album) Break 2 Music: Long Black Cadillac (song) Tribz (artist)

When the state of Idaho bowed out of a grey wolf reintroduction program and even proposed a major reduction in wolf populations, the Nez Perce tribe stepped in to help the endangered animal’s fate. With a deep spiritual and cultural connection to wolves, the tribe sought to improve wolf numbers over the objections of many decision makers and members of the public. Now the state is pushing a plan to cut wolf numbers by more than half. Tribes in Wisconsin are also weighing in on proposals to end certain protections for wolves in that state. In Idaho, the tribes say the animals have cultural significance. We’ll hear about tribal efforts to help wolves, and get a picture of a film about the Cherokee connections to the red wolf. GUESTS Michael Waasegiizhig Price (Anishinaabe), traditional ecological knowledge specialist for the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission Dr. Candessa Tehee (Cherokee), Cherokee Nation tribal councilor, artist and associate professor of Cherokee and Indigenous studies at Northeastern State University Marcie Carter (Nez Perce), previous wolf project biologist with the Nez Perce Tribe Allison Carl, wildlife biologist with the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission   Break 1 Music: Hound Dog on a Chain (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album) Break 2 Music: Long Black Cadillac (song) Tribz (artist)

The main character in Chickasaw writer Danica Nava’s debut novel gets into trouble for making some questionable claims about her Chickasaw identity to try and get ahead in the working world. Cherokee citizen Christina Berry writes about an Austin woman’s sometimes funny, sometimes heart wrenching desire to start a family. And Karen Kay’s historical novel explores an interracial connection on the mid-1800s Great Plains frontier. What each of these books has in common is the quest for true love. They also have honest, complex, and engaging portrayals of Native characters written by Native authors. We’ll hear from them about their work and Native representation in modern romance literature. (This is an encore show, so we won’t take calls from listeners) GUESTS Danica Nava (Chickasaw), author of The Truth According to Ember Karen Kay (Choctaw), historical romance author Christina Berry (citizen of the Cherokee Nation), contemporary romance author   Break 1 Music: Cry of the Wolf (song) Wade Fernandez (artist) 4 The People (album) Break 2 Music: Long Black Cadillac (song) Tribz (artist)

For nearly a decade, state and local officials disacussed how to avoid fatalities, injuries, and property damage in the Guadalupe River valley in Texas. They failed to secure funds for a public warning siren. The flood killed more than 120 people and at least 160 are missing. Earlier this year, after numerous warnings by inspectors, a levee in Oregon gave way, damaging more than 950 homes, including those of the Burns Paiute Tribe. And on the Navajo Nation, notification was key to helping hundreds of residents evacuate as the Oak Ridge fire consumed more than 11,000 acres. We’ll hear about those and emergency plans by some other tribes aimed at keeping threats from becoming human tragedies. GUESTS Donovan Quintero (Diné), freelance reporter with the Navajo Times Nelson Andrews Jr. (Mashpee Wampanoag), former tribal councilman, owner of Red Turtle Consulting LLC and CEO of American Indian Relief Bodie Shaw (Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs), former deputy regional director for the Northwest Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and former national wildland fire director for BIA Suzanne Settle, emergency services and resiliency director for the Burns Paiute   Break 1 Music: Healing Song (song) Judy Trejo (artist) Circle Dance Songs of the Paiute and Shoshone (album) Break 2 Music: Long Black Cadillac (song) Tribz (artist)

The 78-day armed standoff just outside of Montreal in 1990 is credited with clearing a path for reconciliation between Indigenous tribes and the Canadian federal government. The country can count a number of initiatives, government resolutions, and task forces that sprouted from the violence 35 years ago. But many of Indigenous people connected to the direct action say any progress since then is slow and insufficient. We’ll recount the conflict sparked by a town’s plan to build a golf course and condominiums on sacred Mohawk land and assess the state of awareness for Indigenous issues since then. Ann Coulter (Photo: by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia/CC) Also, what is the most effective response when public figures make comments that go well past acceptable boundaries? How are they held accountable? We’ll reflect on a social media post by conservative commentator Ann Coulter that prompted rebuke by hundreds of Native American leaders and individuals. GUESTS Russ Diabo (Kahnawake Mohawk), policy analyst Waneek Horn-Miller (Mohawk), Olympian and veteran of the Oka standoff Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi), publisher and editor of Native News Online and Tribal Business News Anton Treuer (Leech Lake Ojibwe descendant), professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University   Break 1 Music: Stomp Dance (song) George Hunter (artist) Haven (album) Break 2 Music: Coffee (song) James Bilagody (artist) Near Midnight (album)

The Muscogee Nation will assume some law enforcement duties in the city of Tulsa, Okla., when it comes to tribal citizens. The development over jurisdiction ends a federal lawsuit filed by the Muscogee Nation in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark McGirt decision in 2020. The Cherokee and Osage Nations also potentially have jurisdiction claims in Tulsa and other cities. Local law enforcement officials and Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) oppose the agreement, saying it creates a two-tiered system of justice. We’ll find out what the new agreement solves and what it leaves unanswered. Also, tribes connected to Florida are speaking out against the Trump administration’s fast track plans to establish a detention center for immigration actions near the Florida Everglades. Miccosukee and Seminole tribal officials and citizens say the center, dubbed the “Alligator Alcatraz,” infringes on land that is their “cultural, spiritual, and historical identity.” GUESTS Betty Osceola (Miccosukee), environmental educator State Rep. Scott Fetgatter (Choctaw/R-OK 16) Robert Miller (Eastern Shawnee), law professor at Arizona State University and tribal judge Jason Salsman (Muscogee), press secretary for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation   Break 1 Music: One Good Reason (song) Sara Kae (artist) One Good Reason (album) Break 2 Music: Coffee (song) James Bilagody (artist) Near Midnight (album)

President Donald Trump’s earlier executive orders and the comprehensive spending bill he just signed mark the end of dozens of tribal green energy initiatives. They mark a major shift in direction away from solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources championed during the Biden administration. Those projects aimed at energy sovereignty that can’t find new, private-sector funds will halt or scale back their original scope. And, an Alaska tribal village is hoping a transition away from oil-fueled energy will both save money and help the environment. GUESTS Chéri Smith (Mi’kmaq descent), president and CEO of the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy Robert Blake (Red Lake Nation), founder and CEO of Solar Bear Tim Kalke, manager for Sustainable Energy for Galena Alaska Charlie Green, first chief of the Louden Tribe   Break 1 Music: Hug Room (song) Chuck Copenace (artist) Oshki Manitou (album) Break 2 Music: Coffee (song) James Bilagody (artist) Near Midnight (album)