Life of a Dog on the Rez

Michael Garcia

The “Life of a Dog on the Rez” podcast is a place where we share funny, cringe-worthy, and inspirational stories from our beloved Pueblo homelands. Stories that uplift the soul, provide us hope, and heal our spirits. Join me on this journey of life on the Rez, and how it has shaped who we have become.Come and share our stories!

  1. EPISODE 3

    "Sayings, Stories, and Songs"

    Send us a text  "Sayings, Story, and Song" are the three things I find myself always looking towards when I need direction, motivation, and inspiration.  Sayings, are the little things that are told to us by our families, and friends, whether it’s in Indian or English, words that give us the motivation to not give up. Story, is expressing cultural knowledge and oral traditions of the people.  It was and still is used to pass on the knowledge and understanding to continue our beautiful way of life.  These stories are funny, full of adventure, struggle, tragedy, heartache, hope, love, and redemption. They’re our guides to the journey path southward which Pueblo people believe we all walk, which began with our emergence into this upper world. Song is universal, it makes us happy, it fills our hearts with joy, it soothes our worries, it takes away our pain, and brings back happy memories and helps us forgive and forget the painful ones.  It breathes life back into our spirits and gives us a way forward, it heals actual wounds and connects us to the past and gives us direction to our future. It’s our love medicine, and our breakup songs, it's our last hope to getting something back that we lost and a chance to start anew. I hope this episode finds you happy, healthy and in good spirits.  If you have, a saying, story, or song you would like to share with the world, please email me at, lifedogrez@gmail.com I would love to connect with you and learn if you save all your paper bags for when you make fry bread.

    24 min
  2. EPISODE 4

    "I am Tamayame!" A retelling of the migration story of our people.

    Send us a text I am Tamayame! I was born and raised for the people of Tamaya. My identity goes back to the beginning of our emergence. Almost all cultures of the world have an origin story, a telling of our collective journeys, and our purpose on this earth.  This knowledge and understanding is told to us through our elders, ceremonies and songs. It connects us to the land, the people, and the way of life that we hold dear. Our emergence story into this world is a not legend, fable, or fantasy, but an actual living account of our migration southward and the destiny of the people. Although, there are many similarities to our collective Pueblo emergence stories, each story is unique. The telling of our emergence and migration to our place of readiness is not measured by years or numbers, but by the passing of knowledge from generation to generation, this is what connects us to the beginning.  I ask you to open your hearts and minds to our story, for this is who we are, Tamayame! If you like the show, please subscribe, follow, and leave a review on Apple Podcast, I truly appreciate it.  You can now find me on Instagram @lifedogrez.podcast to connect with me and share all your funny, cringe-worthy, and inspirational stories with the world.  If you like to reach me "old school", you can email me at, lifedogrez@gmail.com.  Thank you for listening to the Life of a Dog on the Rez Podcast and I wish you all the blessings, happiness, and joy we deserve!

    25 min
  3. EPISODE 5

    "The moral of the story is..."

    Send us a text "The moral of the story is…" We’ve all heard that saying, but what does it really mean?  The dictionary defines the word, moral, as a noun to mean, a lesson, especially one concerning what is right or just, that can be derived from a story, a piece of information, or an experience. We as natives use storytelling to teach these principals, to bring greater meaning to our world and a direction of how we as the people should conduct ourselves.  Many indigenous cultures have stories of a trickster in their legends. None more tricky than coyote! He is forever into mischief and trickery but is also considered a hero in his own right. He is often described as witty, clever, obscene, vulgar, and a thieving individual. Coyote is often breaking the rules and bringing teachings through his adventurous mishaps. These teachings have strong ties to core values, traditional knowledge, cultural understanding, spirituality, and the greater world that we all live in. Today, I bring to you two stories of coyote and his adventures, along with another form of storytelling; song, and a fourth story, by a young inspiring storyteller.  I ask humbly to open your hearts, minds and imaginations to the telling of these stories.  I hope these stories will bring a smile to your face, make you laugh and inspire you to do good things.  So, sit back, get comfortable, turn it up, and let us take you to on a journey to when the world was a beautiful place.  If you like the show, please like, follow, subscribe, and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcast. It will truly help spread the word to our families, friends and fellow Rez Dogs.  You can reach me on Instagram @lifedogrez.podcast or by email at, lifedogrez@gmail.com.  Thank you for listening to the Life of a Dog on the Rez Podcast. I wish you happiness, joy, and blessings we all deserve! Below is the translation of the  story I sing in this episode. Enjoy! "Today, it's going to rain, and the waters will flow. A butterfly and a hummingbird fly over the fertile lands, singing of the emergence of the clouds and the fog that will provide moisture to the land. They sing of the coming of the rains and the female corn plants and vines are filled with happiness. They dance to the song of the butterfly and the hummingbird, for this is how all the fruits and plants of the world are created!"

    28 min
  4. EPISODE 6

    "The Place We Call Home"

    Send us a text  “An Indian reservation is an area land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the US Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government which it is located.  Some of the country’s 574 federally recognized tribes govern more than one of the 326 Indian reservations in the United States, while some share reservations, and others have no reservations at all.  Historical piecemeal land allocations under the Dawes Act facilitated sale to non-native Americans, resulting in some reservations becoming severely fragmented, with pieces of tribal and privately held land being treated as separate enclaves. This jumble of private and public real estate creates significant administrative, political, and legal difficulties."   On today's show, we will bring you some insight of the Pueblo perspective of a reservation, the Pueblo Revolt and its outcome that ultimately helped solidify our sovereignty and President Lincoln presenting the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico silver-headed ebony canes, engraved with his name and the year 1863, in recognition of pueblo sovereignty and respect.  So sit back, relax and enjoy the show.  Below are the links for the website to  reggae band Native Roots, who are featured in the bumper music of the show.  Also provided is a link to the PBS documentary, "The Cane of Power".  I highly recommend watching it for an in-depth examination of the history of the Pueblo Canes.   Native Roots Website: http://www.nativeroots.net PBS Documentary "Canes of Power" https://portal.knme.org/video/canes-of-power-lhtc9v/ SpeakPipe voice message app. To leave a voice message comment for the show. https://www.speakpipe.com/LifeDogRez

    25 min
  5. EPISODE 7

    From the Rez to Ragnar and Home Again

    Send us a text Back in May of this year, I was asked by the Notah Begay Foundation NB3, to be part of their team at the 2022 Ragnar Zion Trail Relay located just outside of Zion National Park at the Zion Ponderosa Resort located in Orderville, Utah.  Up until that point I had no clue as to what Ragnar was. A couple if their teammates got injured while training and were not able to run. Too late to cancel, NB3 asked me and another runner if we were interested in joining the team.  Of course, I said yes without knowing all the details but the opportunity to travel and run got the best of me. In this episode I chronicle my journey from the Rez to Ragnar and home again.  Also, I want to apologize to you my great listeners for not releasing a new episode in a couple of months. After my last episode, quite frankly, I wasn’t in a good head space during that time.  As I mentioned in an earlier episode, life got in the way. I sincerely apologize and thank you for your continued loyalty to the show.  I am in a better space now and my creative juices are flowing again. I truly appreciate your love and support and hope that you are all blessed with long, healthy and peaceful lives.  With that said, join me on this journey to Ragnar.  Also, something exciting has happened, I was interviewed by my now friend, Aisha Smith on her podcast, “You're on mute with Aisha”.  A fellow content creator, Aisha and I were introduced to one another by a mutual friend. One Sunday in May, we all met for breakfast and a friendship was formed. I'm so thankful for Aisha because, we both got into podcasting not knowing anything, and her experiences mirrored mine. It's the motivation I need to make my podcast better. I truly appreciate all the help Aisha, Thank You! Catch my interview with Aisha, titled, “Appropriately Awkward with Mike Garcia” and learn more of what makes "Ya-Shay" tick.  You can find her podcast on all the major platforms. Please leave a rating and review, for our podcasts, it truly helps expand our listening audience.  Enjoy the shows! Links: "You're on Mute with Aisha" Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/youre-on-mute-with-aisha/id1615581265?i=1000568231085 Google Photos "From the Rez to Ragnar and Home Again" album. https://photos.app.goo.gl/EiLV48StyC6HCLcP6

    58 min

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

The “Life of a Dog on the Rez” podcast is a place where we share funny, cringe-worthy, and inspirational stories from our beloved Pueblo homelands. Stories that uplift the soul, provide us hope, and heal our spirits. Join me on this journey of life on the Rez, and how it has shaped who we have become.Come and share our stories!