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. 5h ago

    Friday, August 28, 2026 — Two states make progress in Native-focused education

    Efforts to improve representation of Native American perspectives in historical and cultural lessons just made considerable progress in two states. A curriculum developed by the Suquamish Tribe over the past decade is now available for Washington States schools. Organizers say it fleshes out the details of past events that previous history lessons portrayed as favorable to colonizing forces and people at the expense of the area’s tribes. And in Montana, state officials settled a lawsuit demanding public schools show accountability in how they adhere to constitutionally mandated instruction on the history of the state’s tribes. We’ll also zoom out to get a broader view of how Native students fit in across the country with the evolving efforts to connect with them amid persistently low test scores and educational attainment. GUESTS Chairman Leonard Forsman (Suquamish) Cammie DuPuis-Pablo (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), plaintiff in the DuPuis-Pablo v. Montana Office of Public Instruction class action lawsuit Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy (Lumbee), professor and dean of the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University Alex Rate, legal director for the ACLU of Montana   Break 1 Music: Suquamish Drum Songs 2015 (song) Sacred Water Canoe Family (artist) Break 2 Music: Indian Rock N Roll (song) Marc Brown & the Blues Crew (artist) The Blues Crew Compilation (album)

  2. 1d ago

    Thursday, August 27, 2026 — Native Bookshelf: ‘Treat Them as Buffalo’ by Blair Palmer Yoxall

    Set against the backdrop of a historic time in Métis history, a young boy’s disappearance begins a tense story of justice and defiance in Métis author Blair Palmer Yoxall’s debut novel, “Treat Them as Buffalo“. It all takes place during the 1885 Northwest Resistance — a conflict between Métis and the Canadian federal government. When those entrusted to enforce the law turn a blind eye to a disturbing trend of disappearing Indigenous boys, the community members must take things in their own hands. The account is told from the perspective of young Niko, who comes to realize the difficult world of injustice his people are forced to endure. Dubbed an “anti-Western” by the author, it is both triumphant and tragic in its depiction of a time when the conquest of Indigenous peoples were celebrated as progress. Blair Palmer Yoxall joins us for our next Native Bookshelf discussion.

  3. 2d ago

    Wednesday, August 26, 2026 — Arizona’s dramatic SNAP ordeal may be a bellwether for other states

    A potential food crisis is brewing in Arizona that could be a warning to other states as changes to the Supplemental Food Assistance Program start to take effect. Federal funding cuts and major changes to state administration of SNAP have caused enrollment in that state to drop by half. As many as 200,000 children who once received SNAP benefits now go without. Many of those who were dropped are eligible, even with new work requirements, but they can’t get through the state’s restructured system. State officials estimate one in three Navajo Nation residents receive SNAP benefits. Native Americans in general are much more likely to rely on SNAP than the general population. Arizona has been aggressive in initiating SNAP changes. Those same changes in other states are expected to start rolling out after the midterm elections. We’ll find out what’s different — and what’s the same — in Arizona when it comes to the looming SNAP changes. GUESTS Chairman Julian Hernandez (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) Carly Griffith Hotvedt (Cherokee Nation), executive director at the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative Mary Greene-Trottier (Spirit Lake Nation), president of the National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations and director of the Spirit Lake Tribe Food Distribution Program Jaynie Parrish (Diné), executive director of Arizona Native Vote Michelle Estradé, research associate at the Center for Human Nutrition at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

  4. 3d ago

    Tuesday, August 25, 2026 — How to make relationships work

    The standard elements of a healthy, long-term relationship are well documented: communication, trust, honesty, mutual respect, and practicing healthy approaches for inevitable disagreements. But if combining those elements were easy, there wouldn’t be a need for relationship counselors. Native relationship specialists also often have to navigate differing cultural practices and concerns about relationships outside of one’s tribe. We’ll talk about the common stressors on long-term relationships as well as the roles of culture and community in maintaining healthy relationships. GUESTS Roger Kuhn (Poarch Band of Creek Indians), licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex therapist Monique Castro (Diné/Xicana), licensed marriage and family therapist and CEO of Indigenous Circle of Wellness   Break 1 Music: This Love (song) Edzi’u (artist) Tunnel Vision (album) Break 2 Music: Love Affair (song) Pepper (artist) In with the Old (album)

  5. 4d ago

    Monday, August 24, 2026 — Native in the Spotlight: Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord

    Even after learning her clinical skills at Stanford School of Medicine and becoming a practicing surgeon, Lori Arviso Alvord (Diné) realized she had more to learn about being a healer. She sought out the wisdom of her tribe’s cultural healers to help her understand how to treat the whole person. That guidance remains one of the driving factors in her current surgical practice near the Yakama Nation in Washington. Her groundbreaking story as the first female Navajo surgeon is recounted in her memoir, “The Scalpel and the Silver Bear“, and is an inspiration for the generations of prospective Native American medical practitioners.   Break 1 Music: Classical Moment (song) Jay Begaye (artist) Horses Are Our Journey (album) Break 2 Music: Indian Rock N Roll (song) Marc Brown & the Blues Crew (artist) The Blues Crew Compilation (album)

  6. Aug 21

    Friday, August 21, 2026 — Native Hawaiians keeping cultural connections to surfing

    The wooden boards made by lifelong surfer and cultural practitioner Tom “Pōhaku” Stone (Kanaka Maoli) are heavy and cumbersome compared to the space-age composite boards most modern surfers prefer, but they are a connection to his father, a master board maker, and the generations of Kanaka Maoli surfers before him. Stone is among a growing number of Native Hawaiians nurturing the cultural significance of the sport at a time when many others are focused on technique, expensive gear, and image. Surfing’s rise in popularity means pressure away from the spiritual and healing elements that are so important to Hawaiian culture. We’ll talk with Native surfers about the origins of surfing and how that can map a more meaningful path for the sport’s future. GUESTS Kaliko Kahoonei (Kanaka Maoli), waterman Tom “Pohaku” Stone (Kanaka maoli), cultural practitioner Sunny Kazama, surfer and college student at the University of San Diego   Break 1 Music: He’eia [A Surfing Chant] (song) Halau Hula Ka No’eau [Hawai’i Arts Ensemble] (artist) Break 2 Music: Another Night to Cry (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

  7. Aug 20

    Thursday, August 20, 2026 – Safety vs. privacy with tribal law enforcement surveillance cameras

    Backlash over privacy concerns continues to grow across the country against the use of law enforcement surveillance cameras. The automatic license plate readers, led by private security company Flock Safety, are proliferating as officials look to maximize public safety and traffic violation enforcement. The Navajo Nation is now installing hundreds of Flock cameras to support public safety on its 27,000-square-mile reservation that is notoriously difficult to patrol. Navajo leaders say the cameras will both curb traffic infractions and aid criminal investigations. But as the use of cameras grows, so does criticism by the public. Several cities are now cancelling contracts to use the cameras. Some Navajo Nation citizens say the trade-off is too great. We’ll hear what these cameras could mean for tribes hoping to boost public safety. We’ll also hear from University of Arizona professor Stephanie Russo Carroll, a leading authority on Indigenous data sovereignty and policy. Carroll is developing frameworks for how tribal data should be protected. Recently she helped develop a policy that regulates how the public health data of tribes in Arizona is collected, shared, and used on the state level. GUESTS Carl Slater (Diné), Navajo Nation council delegate Brandon Benallie (Diné and Hopi), cybersecurity expert Stephanie Russo Carroll (Native Village of Kluti-Kaah), associate professor at the University of Arizona and co-director of the Indigenous Data Alliance   Break 1 Music: Obsidian (song) Red-209 (artist) Break 2 Music: Another Night to Cry (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)

  8. Aug 19

    Wednesday, August 19, 2026 — Native American groups have limited success fighting border wall construction

    Tohono O’odham Chairman Verlon M. Jose vows to continue fighting after a federal judge turned down the tribe’s efforts to stop construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Arizona. Jose says O’odham’s heritage, cultural sites, and natural environment are too important to allow unimpeded destruction at the hands of construction crews. At the same time, the Trump administration halted wall construction in Big Bend National Park in Texas after a group filed a lawsuit on religious grounds on behalf of a Native conservation group. We’ll hear about efforts to halt or slow construction that is going forward without regard for environmental, cultural or spiritual protections. We’ll also get an update on the lack of progress in filling the vacancy at the top of the National Indian Gaming Commission. President Donald Trump has yet to name a new chairman to the regulatory agency. The position has been vacant since January. Without a chairman, casinos cannot move ahead with several basic operations, potentially costing them millions of dollars. GUESTS Chairman Verlon Jose (Tohono O’odham) Jonodev Chaudhuri (Muscogee), principal at Chaudhuri Law Chez Oxendine (Lumbee), staff writer for Tribal Business News Christina Hernandez (Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas), founder of the People of La Junta for Preservation and executive director of the Big Bend Conservation Alliance Roland Gutierrez, Texas state senator and attorney   Break 1 Music: Mountain Song (song) Lorenzo Pablo (artist) Traditional Tohono O’odham Songs (album) Break 2 Music: Another Night to Cry (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (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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