Native America Calling

Koahnic

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

  1. 4d ago

    Friday, October 23, 2026 — 60 years of Alaska Native advocacy at AFN and assessing Typhoon Halong flooding a year later

    The Alaska Federation of Natives was formed by tribal leaders in 1966 to protect land and preserve tribal governance. Now, at the 60th convention, tribal leaders and members from across the state gather to discuss current issues of politics, sovereignty, and culture. This year’s central issues include subsistence fishing and hunting, the rising cost of living, climate change, and voting rights and participation. We’ll speak with a longtime Native journalist about these top issues and how they might affect the upcoming midterm elections. About 800 people from rural villages in Western Alaska are still living in Anchorage, a year after being displaced by powerful storms leftover from Typhoon Halong. At the time, the event left two people dead, caused the mass evacuation of several villages, and destroyed hundreds of homes and community structures. With the slow pace of recovery, evacuees contend with not knowing when they’ll be able to return. We’ll hear more about the aftermath of Typhoon Halong. GUESTS Joaqlin Estus (Tlingit), longtime journalist and former correspondent at ICT Noah Attie (Yup’ik), veteran and elder from Kipnuk Alice Rearden (Yup’ik), cultural education manager at the Calista Education and Culture State Rep. Nellie Jimmie (Yup’ik), member of the Alaska House of Representatives representing District 38 Scott Nelson, telecommunications engineer with Alaska Emergency Management   Break 1 Music: Turtle Island Reggae (song) Quese IMC & Cempoalli 20 (artist) Osahwuh (album) Break 2 Music: Ponca War Dance Song 1 (song) Albert Waters, Alice Cook, Harry Buffalohead, Joe H. Rush, Lamont Brown, Louis Yellow Horse, Lucy C. F. Ribs, Russell Rush (2), Stella Yellow Horse, Sylvester Warrior (artist) War Dance Songs Of The Ponca – Vol. I (album)

  2. 6d ago

    Wednesday, October 21, 2026 — Alaska Native advocates cite shortcomings in addressing MMIP crisis

    Hundreds of Native people from across the state will discuss issues such as declining salmon populations, voting rights, and education funding at this year’s Alaska Federation of Natives Convention in Anchorage. For some, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis remains a top priority. In recent years, law enforcement agencies in Alaska have worked to improve protocols for handling missing persons cases and even established a MMIP Review Commission. But some Indigenous advocates say critical issues, like how cases are classified, how homicide cases are investigated, and how jurisdiction is determined, persist in creating obstacles for justice. We’ll hear from Native MMIP advocates about new and longstanding challenges. GUESTS Charlene Aqpik Apok (Iñupiaq), executive director of Data For Indigenous Justice Michael Livingston (Unangax̂), retired Alaska Native police officer Deilah Johnson (Iñupiaq), tribal resources director and council member for the Village of Solomon Shaun Griswold (Laguna, Jemez, and Zuni Pueblo), reporter with Buffalo’s Fire   Break 1 Music: Water by Jim Pepper [Arranged by Jhoely Garay] (song) Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band (artist) Live at Joe’s Pub, NYC on January 13th, 2024 (performance) Break 2 Music: Ponca War Dance Song 1 (song) Albert Waters, Alice Cook, Harry Buffalohead, Joe H. Rush, Lamont Brown, Louis Yellow Horse, Lucy C. F. Ribs, Russell Rush (2), Stella Yellow Horse, Sylvester Warrior (artist) War Dance Songs Of The Ponca – Vol. I (album)

  3. Oct 16

    Friday, October 16, 2026 — The ongoing struggle to protect wild horses

    The Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe failed to stop the federal government from rounding up hundreds of wild horses this summer from public land next to their reservation at the California-Nevada border. It’s part of the government’s larger plan to remove about 14,000 wild horses from public lands in several western states in 2026. Wild horse roundups are a controversial issue that has tribes weighing environmental health, animal wellbeing, and horse culture. We’ll talk with Native advocates about the challenges wild horses are up against in the face of drought and environmental changes. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Indian National Finals Rodeo. The annual event gathers the best Native rodeo athletes from across the Americas who are vying for fastest time and big scores. Randy “The Cherokee Cowboy” Taylor (Cherokee) joins us for an update from the 50th INFR in Las Vegas. GUESTS Ronda Kauk (Mono Lake Kutzadika’a Tribe), executive director for the Indigenous Wild Horse Society and a cultural monitor for the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe Rana Saulque (Utu Utu Gwaitu Benton Paiute), vice chair of the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe of the Benton Paiute Reservation and co-founder of the Indigenous Wild Horse Society Jason Smith (Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs), owner of Jason Smith Ranch Randy Taylor (Cherokee), Cowboy, professional rodeo announcer, and host of our sister program “Word with a Champ”   Break 1 Music: My Horse (song) Courtney Yellow Fat (artist) The Lost Songs of Sitting Bull (album) Break 2 Music: KuuPua (song) The Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band (artist) Incarnadine (album)

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

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