Native America Calling

Koahnic
  • 3.7 (12)
  • News
  • Updated Semiweekly

Interactive, daily program featuring Native and Indigenous voices, insights, and stories from across the U.S. and around the world.

  1. 5 hrs ago

    Monday, August 10, 2026 — August primary elections offer insights on Native candidates’ prospects

    Voters will soon find out whether the bid by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Ojibwe/D-MN) to become the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate clears the primary election hurdle in a hotly-contested race. It is one of the many races with Native candidates that are coming into clearer focus after a summer of primaries. Native women are particularly well represented in national and statewide races and some progressive Democratic wins might offer clues about what’s on voters’ minds. We’ll look at some key national, state, and tribal races as the midterm election draws closer. GUESTS Kevin Killer (Oglala Lakota), co-founder of Advance Native Political Leadership and former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Jourdan Bennett-Begaye (Diné), digital news director of ICT Amelia Schafer (Brothertown Indian Nation descendant), north central bureau correspondent for ICT

  2. 3d ago

    Friday, August 7, 2026 — Notable Native theater events range from horror to historic

    A dangerous secret lurks just under the surface in the play, “Bad Medicine,” making its debut at the Santa Fe Playhouse. Written by P.C. Verrone (Osage and Kiowa) and produced with a largely Native cast, it is a live production that claims elements of both horror and comedy. It comes with a warning that it “sheds light on how settler colonialism dehumanizes and exploits Indigenous peoples.” Brooklyn, N.Y.’s renowned Spiderwoman Theater is marking 50 years of Indigenous plays, outreach, and education. Rising from the feminist movement of the 1970s, its core leadership under Lisa Mayo, Gloria Miguel, and Muriel Miguel have built the space into a destination for urban Native storytelling. We’ll talk with the organizers about the the mission and legacy of this groundbreaking theater. GUESTS P.C. Verrone (Osage and Kiowa descendant), playwright Tara Moses (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and Mvskoke), playwright, director, and actor Muriel Miguel (Kuna and Rappahannock), artistic director of Spiderwoman Theater Gloria Miguel (Kuna and Rappahannock), founding member of Spiderwoman Theater   Break 1 Music: Jesous Ahatonhia (song) Geneviève Gros-Louis (artist) Break 2 Music: Aia lā ‘o Pele [Mele Honoring Pele] (song) ‘Iolani Luahine (artist) Ancient Hula Hawaiian Style: Vol. 1 Hula Kuahu (album)

  3. 4d ago

    Thursday, August 6, 2026 — Testing the limits of religious freedom

    Two separate instances are putting Native authority related to religious freedom to the test. The Northern Arapaho Tribe demands the Christian ministry, Foundations Nations Church, leave the Wyoming reservation. The demand comes after video circulated on social media showed one of the church’s pastors characterizing Native sacred practices — including the Sun Dance — as “idol worship” and “demonic.” Top tribal leadership calls the comments “despicable” and link them to past abuses of Native Americans at the hands of Christian church officials. The Foundations Church leaders say they’ll fight the tribe’s efforts to remove them. We’ll hear about what’s next in the dispute. At the same time, Native American inmates in a Nebraska state prison scored a victory in securing access to religious ceremonies. In a settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit, corrections officials lifted a temporary ban on accessing a place where Native men conducted ceremonies like sweats and smudges. They instituted the ban after finding contraband at the site. We’ll hear about the legal principles behind the outcome. GUESTS Keenan Groesbeck (Northern Arapaho), chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council Jesse Crispin (Northern Arapaho), council member of the Northern Arapaho Business Council Andi Snowball (Muscogee and Winnebago), associate attorney with Big Fire Law and Policy Group LLP Carter Matt, staff attorney with ACLU Nebraska   Break 1 Music: Northern Arapaho Fast Wolf Dance (song) Otto Hungary, White O. Goggles, Helen Crispin, Francis Goggles, Rose Moss (artist) Traditional Voices: Historic Recordings of Traditional Native American Music (album) Break 2 Music: Aia lā ‘o Pele [Mele Honoring Pele] (song) ‘Iolani Luahine (artist) Ancient Hula Hawaiian Style: Vol. 1 Hula Kuahu (album)

  4. 5d ago

    Wednesday, August 5, 2026 — Tribes condemn federal Colorado River water use plan

    Tribes that collectively make up the largest water rights holders along the Colorado River say the Trump Administration’s newest plan to deal with diminishing water levels is inadequate. Tribal leaders say they were left out of the decision making process and are now in store for serious water use cuts that violate existing water rights agreements as well as the federal government’s trust responsibility. We’ll hear from some of those tribal leaders. We’ll also find out what’s next following the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling to deny a permit to the company aiming to construct a new underwater oil pipeline to replace the aging existing structure. GUESTS Bidtah Becker (Diné), chief legal counsel for the Office of the President and Vice President of the Navajo Nation David Gover (Pawnee and Choctaw), managing attorney with the Native American Rights Fund Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community Jennifer Smith, director of tribal engagement for Enbridge   Break 1 Music: Water Is Life (single song) Native Roots, Joy Harjo, Def-I & Innastate (artist) Break 2 Music: Aia lā ‘o Pele [Mele Honoring Pele] (song) ‘Iolani Luahine (artist) Ancient Hula Hawaiian Style: Vol. 1 Hula Kuahu (album)

  5. 6d ago

    Tuesday, August 4, 2026 — When is it OK to let a Native language die?

    The Osage language was declared dead in 2005 after its last fluent speaker died, but revitalization efforts since then have built the number of proficient speakers to about 40. The Caddo Nation continues its extensive language revitalization efforts more than a year after its last fluent speaker walked on. It’s an uphill battle for most tribes in the U.S. to retain their language. The new book, “How to Kill a Language: Power, Resistance, and the Race to Save Our Words”, examines the global crisis of cultures losing their languages. In a New Yorker review of the book, philosophy instructor Nikhil Krishnan uses the book’s premise to argue that the death of a language is sometimes “just how things go.” That touched off strong opposition from the language advocacy organization, The Endangered Languages Project. They and other organizations say such fatalistic thinking promotes misleading and harmful narratives and undermines efforts to preserve languages globally. We’ll hear from Indigenous language advocates who argue no expense should be spared to revive languages before we lose them. GUESTS N. Ha’alilio Solomon (Native Hawaiian), assistant professor of Hawaiian language at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Dr. Myrna Cunningham (Miskito), Indigenous Peoples rights activist and educator Skyler Kuczaboski (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe), grants administration support for the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council

  6. Aug 3

    Monday, August 3, 2026 — New outbreak of food-borne illness shakes public confidence in food supply

    Tribal public health officials are among those reassuring citizens about the safety of their food as reports of new cases of cyclospora infections continue to rise. Michigan continues to be a hotspot with state officials reporting more than 11,000 cases. The actual number is likely much higher than that. One hurdle in tracking the cyclosporiasis outbreak is it has a long incubation period and it can’t be traced through the genetic markers that some other food-borne illnesses have. The infections are traced mainly to tainted lettuce from Mexico. Nearly all other states are also reporting cyclospora cases, many of them from a variety of sources. GUESTS Harleigh Moore-Wilson (Osage), director of agriculture for Flower Hill Institute Dr. Matthew Clark, chief medical officer for the Alaska Area Native Health Service, acting deputy chief medical officer for the Indian Health Service (IHS), and chair of the IHS National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee Will Seeley, tribal enterprise manager for the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative   Break 1 Music: Ch’iya’a’n Biyiin/Native Food Song (song) Radmilla & Herman Cody (artist) Shi Kéyah (album) Break 2 Music: Aia lā ‘o Pele [Mele Honoring Pele] (song) ‘Iolani Luahine (artist) Ancient Hula Hawaiian Style: Vol. 1 Hula Kuahu (album)

  7. Jul 31

    Friday, July 31, 2026 – Native film/TV round-up: A gritty tribal cop thriller, ‘Little House on the Prairie’ reboot, and remembering Native ‘Emergency!’ TV star

    Over the course of a few days, a gang war erupts on the fictional Thunderstone reservation in the new film, “Gangland”. Officer Teddy Sharpe (Lou Diamond Phillips) and his trainee must navigate a community affected by a dark secret. The new film features several talented Native actors including Lane Factor (Caddo), Elisha Pratt (Cheyenne and Arapaho), Irene Bedard (Iñupiaq, Yup’ik and Cree), and more. The famed children’s series “Little House on the Prairie” gets a new screen adaptation for Netflix. The original books the show is based on faced criticism for perpetuating racist stereotypes. Now, the new TV series includes consultation with Osage citizens. We’ll also remember the late Seminole and Cherokee actor Randolph Mantooth, best known as the lead of the hit 1970s television show “Emergency!” Mantooth died on July 9. GUESTS Lou Diamond Phillips, actor and star of “Gangland” Julie O’Keefe (Osage), cultural consultant for “Little House on the Prairie” Robert Allen Warrior (Osage), Hall Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Kansas and consultant for “Little House on the Prairie” Monte Fronk (Red Lake Nation), tribal emergency responder with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and friend of Randolph Mantooth Tonya Mantooth (Seminole and Cherokee), CEO and artistic director of the San Diego International Film Festival and sister to Randolph Mantooth   Break 1 Music: Wahzhazhe (song) Scott George (artist) Killers of the Flower Moon Soundtrack (album) Break 2 Music: Show the People (song) Bear Creek (artist) On The Move – Powwow Songs Recorded Live at Apache Gold Little House on the Prairie. (L to R) Alice Halsey as Laura Ingalls, Wren Zhawenim Gotts as Good Eagle in episode 107 of Little House on the Prairie. Cr. Eric Zachanowich/Netflix © 2026

  8. Jul 30

    Thursday, July 30, 2026 — The Menu: food heals in books ‘Our Knives Will Save Us’ and ‘Raven, Rising’

    Renowned chef Nephi Craig (White Mountain Apache, Navajo) admits he hid his alcoholism fairly well as he was making a name for himself as a Native chef throughout the 2000s. His memoir, “Our Knives Will Save Us: Dispatches from a White Mountain Apache Chef“, details his arduous recovery and how food and the kitchen helped him figure out his purpose and path to healing. In the debut children’s novel by Christine Hartman Derr (Cherokee), “Raven, Rising“, baking was a favorite pastime for a young Cherokee girl until she is struck with sadness and anxiety at the thought of baking and the smell of ingredients like cinnamon, bread, and chocolate. She learns to cope with loss and works to make her way back to the kitchen. Chef Candace Stock (Ho-Chunk) is the executive chef of Salt + Scoria, a restaurant in the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota. We’ll talk with her about bringing Indigenous ingredients and flavors to the menu.   Break 1 Music: With My Son (song) Vincent Craig (artist) Break 2 Music: Show the People (song) Bear Creek (artist) On The Move – Powwow Songs Recorded Live at Apache Gold

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Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Interactive, daily program featuring Native and Indigenous voices, insights, and stories from across the U.S. and around the world.

Information

  • Creator
    Koahnic
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Koahnic Broadcast Corporation - All rights reserved - Contact nola@nv1.org for permission
  • Show Website
    Native America Calling

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