Native America Calling

Koahnic
  • 4.8 (175)
  • News
  • Updated Daily

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

  1. 2d ago

    Friday, September 11, 2026 — How 9/11 reverberates a quarter century later

    For those who witnessed the attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., the terrorist attacks remain a vivid memory 25 years later. It’s even burned into the minds of those who watched the tragedy unfold on television. At the same time, up to 30% of Americans were born after the historic event and have no first-hand knowledge. We’ll remember 9/11 though the eyes of those who were close enough to see it, or were among those who put their lives on the line to help clean up the damage to help the nation heal. GUESTS John Haworth (Cherokee), Senior Executive Emeritus for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Leslie Logan (Seneca), widow of Brad Bonaparte Mike Swamp (St. Regis Mohawk), retired ironworker and owner of Mohawk Plumbing and Heating Tokala Two Elk (Sicangu Lakota), elder J.J. Lind (Cherokee and Shawnee), artist and filmmaker   Break 1 Music: Memorial Song (song) Porcupine Singers (artist) Alowanpi – Songs Of Honoring – Lakota Classics: Past & Present, Vol. 1 (album) Break 2 Music: With My Son (song) Vincent Craig (artist)

  2. 3d ago

    Thursday, September 10, 2026 — Shortage of wildland firefighters strains preparedness and safety

    The risks of fighting wildfires hit home this summer as 13 firefighters, including two Native Americans, died on the job. The profession is facing burnout, overwork, and higher risk as the number of wildfires steadily increases and the number of federal firefighters drops following budget cuts by the Trump administration. We’ll hear about what wildland firefighters are currently up against and what the hopes are for more staff and training as the threat of wildfires across the country shows no signs to slowing down. We’ll also hear from friends and family members of fallen firefighters, including those from a historically tragic fire 40 years ago. GUESTS Bodie Shaw (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs), Northwest Incident Management Team 7 liaison officer, former deputy regional director for the Northwest Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and former national wildland fire director for BIA Al Waquie (Jemez Pueblo), former wildland firefighter Elsa Coffin (Iñupiaq), parent of Leslie R. Washington Franklin Coffin (Iñupiaq), parent of Leslie R. Washington   Break 1 Music: Intertribal Song (song) Black Lodge Singers (artist) Enter the Circle – Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Coeur D’Alene (album) Break 2 Music: With My Son (song) Vincent Craig (artist)

  3. 4d ago

    Wednesday, September 9, 2026 — Texas ‘ghost tribe’ rakes in millions of dollars with little to no official tribal documentation

    The Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas and its leader Juan Mancias have established themselves as leaders in environmental causes including the DAPL pipeline protests and another oil and gas pipeline in Texas. Mancias is recognized by the U.N. and has worked hand-in-hand with several established environmental organizations. Along the way, the tribe has brought in more than $5 million in philanthropic and other funds. But an investigation by the online outlet Grist finds the tribe’s status, including what its leaders point to as founding documents are suspect. Publicly available geneological documents contradict Mancias’ own tribal lineage claims. Along the way, Grist exposes a flawed system in which funders and government entities eager to support Indigenous organizers have no way to adequately discern between legitimate tribes and those with questionable origins. We’ll find out about the growth of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe and some of the concerns that have surfaced. GUESTS Tristan Ahtone (Kiowa), editor-at-large for Grist Dr. Kyle Whyte (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan Andrea Carmen (Yaqui), executive director of the International Indian Treaty Council Dr. Kim Tallbear (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota   Break 1 Music: Sewa Ania (song) Gabriel Ayala (artist) Shades of Blue (album) Break 2 Music: With My Son (song) Vincent Craig (artist)

  4. 5d ago

    Tuesday, September 8, 2026 — Life after a wrongful murder conviction for Santiago Ventura Morales

    Thirty-five years after he walked free from prison when his murder conviction was overturned, Santiago Ventura Morales (Mixtec) is receiving monetary compensation from the state and an official document declaring his innocence. Morales spent five years behind bars before witnesses in the case admitted to submitting false testimony and other forensic evidence proved faulty. During his initial trial, Morales was afforded only a Spanish translator even though he mainly spoke Indigenous Mixtec and only limited Spanish. We’ll talk with Morales about his life since his conviction. We’ll also hear from Luis Marcos (Mayan) whose organization works to support Mayan immigrants in the United States. GUESTS Santiago Ventura Morales (Mixtec), social worker and exoneree Luis Marcos (Q’anjob’al Maya), co-founder and executive director of Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim   Break 1 Music: Canci​ó​n mixteca [Mixtec Song] canci​ó​n ranchera (song) Los Texmaniacs (artist) Borders y Bailes (album) Break 2 Music: With My Son (song) Vincent Craig (artist)

  5. 6d ago

    Monday, September 7, 2026 — A conversation about law, advocacy, and redemption with attorney Courtney Jordan

    Courtney Jordan (Cherokee) is an attorney who built her expertise of federal Indian Law and tribal law serving in some of the highest levels of her profession. She is a former Assistant United States Attorney. She was also an Assistant Attorney General for the Cherokee Nation, and a Tribal Liaison for the State of Oklahoma. Her career was turned upside down after she was convicted of criminal charges and had her law license suspended following a hit-and-run and police chase in 2022. Her dogged advocacy for her own case exposed an undiagnosed medical condition even she was not aware of. After pleading guilty and serving her sentence, she was successful in having her license to practice reinstated. She founded her own law firm and has built a significant social media community breaking down complex legal cases into common-sense concepts. In this encore show, Jordan joins us for a conversation about her rise and fall and rise again in a demanding profession.   Break 1 Music: Cherokee County (song) Kalyn Fey (artist) Garden (album) Break 2 Music: Mountain by the Sea (song) Various Artists (artist) Traditional Voices: Historic Recordings of Traditional Native American Music (album)

  6. Sep 4

    Friday, September 4, 2026 — Two historic preservation fights in Kansas exemplify the power of persistence

    Eliza “Lyda” Conley was a strong, independent Wyandot woman who is credited with preserving the cemetery where her family and other tribal members were buried in the face of mounting commercial development pressure. Conley defended the Huron Indian Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas in the courts as well as from a makeshift shack where she and her sister took up residence with their father’s Civil War shotgun around the turn of the last century. In the process, she became the first Native woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Her story, and that of Wyandot removal, is told in the book, “Lyda Conley and the Fight to Preserve Huron Indian Cemetery”, and in a new art installation at the Wyandotte County Historical Museum. Also in Kansas, a 10-foot tall, 28-ton sacred boulder is now on Kaw Nation land after a multi-year struggle. Kaw citizens revered the rock for centuries. Then Lawrence officials commandeered it 1929 for a monument to the non-Native city founders. That started the fight by the Kaw Nation — the state’s namesake tribe — to repatriate it to tribal control. The history of Iⁿ’zhúje’waxóbe is documented in a book, “Shokhí: A Kanza Relative, a Monument, and Rematriation”, and gives readers a glimpse into the politics and human influences along the way. GUESTS c. huffman (Kaw), dis/abled poet and theologian Dr. Tai Edwards, director of the Kansas Studies Institute and professor of history at Johnson County Community College Justine Smith (Wyandotte), film and multimedia instillation artist and part of the Omakyehstih Collective Madeline Easley (Wyandotte), writer, artist, and cultural organizer   Break 1 Music: Totah (song) The Delbert Anderson Trio (artist) MANITOU (album) Break 2 Music: Mountain by the Sea (song) Various Artists (artist) Traditional Voices: Historic Recordings of Traditional Native American Music (album)

  7. Sep 3

    Thursday, September 3, 2026 — Osage school closure delivers blow to tribe’s language revitalization

    The Osage Nation’s Daposka Ahnkodapi language immersion school in Pawhuska, Oklahoma announced it is closing one week before the start of the new school year. Tribal leadership closed the school citing dire budgetary problems. Teachers and parents were left scrambling to find a place for the nearly 100 students. For some, Daposka Ahnkodapi was the only school they’d known. We’ll speak with parents about their next steps. We’ll also speak with Richard Zane Smith, a Wyandot artist and language teacher who has spent years working to revitalize his tribe’s language. He has been actively working to bring back traditional songs preserved on wax cylinders dating to the 1910s. Now, he’s seeing renewed interest among younger people in his community who want to learn and study the language. We’ll discuss Wyandot language revitalization efforts, as well as his thoughts on President Donald Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario as “Lake America”. GUESTS Geneva Horsechief-Hamilton (Osage and Pawnee), parent of a Daposka Ahnkodapi student Amy Shackleford (Osage and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate), parent and homeschool teacher Whitney RedCorn Hall (Osage), Osage Nation congress member Richard Zane Smith (Wyandot), artist and language teacher   Break 1 Music: Osage Sovereignty Pow wow song (song) unknown artist (artist) Break 2 Music: Mountain by the Sea (song) Various Artists (artist) Traditional Voices: Historic Recordings of Traditional Native American Music (album)

  8. Sep 2

    Wednesday, September 2, 2026 — Persistent heat puts strain on people, the environment, and the economy

    After record-setting temperatures across the country, dangerous summer heat continues to spill into September. The number of heat-related deaths in the Phoenix area are on track to triple last year’s numbers. Schools, businesses, and events are shutting down across the Midwest from Iowa to Michigan. Institutions are also forced to close down in Pennsylvania and other states along parts of the Eastern Seaboard. Tribal officials are busy reacting to the current threat while also preparing for the likelihood that adapting to such conditions is a permanent concern. We’ll look at the affect on people and the environment as the heat moves in. GUESTS Caine Palone (Quechan), Tribal Employment Rights Office director and emergency manager for the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe David Simeral, associate research climatologist for the Desert Research Institute and Western Regional Climate Center Dr. Paul Charlton, emergency medicine physician and emergency department director for the Gallup Indian Medical Center   Break 1 Music: Bird Song (song) Joe Guachino, JR Holmes, & Wally Antone (artist) Bird Songs of the Colorado River (album) Break 2 Music: Mountain by the Sea (song) Various Artists (artist) Traditional Voices: Historic Recordings of Traditional Native American Music (album)

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4.8
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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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