Podcast
Native America Calling
Hosted by Koahnic · EN
Interactive, daily program featuring Native and Indigenous voices, insights, and stories from across the U.S. and around the world.
71episodes
Episodes
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Monday, May 18, 2026 – Trump administration takes aim at American buffalo
2d ago00:56:30Tap to summarizeThe U.S. Department of Interior just canceled grazing leases for hundreds of bison on federal land in Montana. The action halts the progress of a well-funded private group, American Prairie, that has been buying up land and acquiring leases in an ambitious conservation plan. The group often provides bison to tribes that work to revive bison herds. The canceled leases also indicate a change in federal policy away from accommodating bison in favor of domesticated cattle to make federal lands more agriculturally productive. Many tribes say such actions jeopardize efforts to restore the animal that is intrinsically associated with Native Americans from the Great Plains. GUESTS OJ Semans Sr. (Rosebud Sioux), executive director of the Coalition of Large Tribes Heather Dawn Thompson (Cheyenne River Sioux), vice president of Native Nations Conservation and Food Sovereignty at the World Wildlife Fund Dallas Gudgell (Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes), vice president of the Buffalo Field Campaign Keegan King (Acoma Pueblo), founder and CEO of the Native Land Institute Scott Heidebrink, director of landscape stewardship at American Prairie Break 1 Music: Buffalo (song) Algin Scabby Robe (artist) Along The Way: Round Dance Songs (album) Break 2 Music: Traditional Side Step Song (song) Little Otter (artist) Side Step Songs (album)
Transcribe →Friday, May 15, 2026 – Native In The Spotlight: Washington State Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis
5d ago00:56:30Tap to summarizeRaquel Montoya-Lewis (Isleta and Laguna Pueblos) built an impressive legal career that includes a foundation at tribal court systems in the Pacific Northwest. That career led her to become the first Native American to serve on the Washington State Supreme Court. She is only the second Native jurist in the country to hold a supreme court seat. That position is also a platform to educate others about her unique family lineage, offering a personal account of the history and policies that make up Native Americans’ shared experience. Break 1 Music: Chant (song) Robert Mirabal + Ethel (artist) The River (album) Break 2 Music: Fearless I Live (song) Courtney Yellow Fat (artist) The Lost Songs of Sitting Bull (album)
Transcribe →Thursday, May 14, 2026 – Native American voting rights advocates brace for diminished Native power at the polls
6d ago00:56:30Tap to summarizeThe U.S. Supreme Court has, in the words of the Native American Rights Fund, diluted Native Americans’ “ability to secure good schools, adequate infrastructure, health care access, environmental protections, and economic opportunity.” Louisiana is moving fast to redraw voting districts to further minimize the political power of Native Americans and other minorities. Other states are preparing similar changes. The High Court’s recent invalidation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act follows the 2013 decision striking down the Act’s Section 5. That eliminates the most powerful tools Native voters had in challenging the long history of demonstrated efforts to exclude Native voices from political dialogue. We’ll examine the looming implications of the Court’s decisions and examine the strategies Native voting advocates have going forward. We’ll also discuss some important indicators for Native candidates in pivotal races, including the potential for history to be made in the upcoming Midterm Elections. GUESTS Patty Ferguson-Bohnee (Pointe-au-Chien), professor of law at Arizona State University and Native Vote Election Protection coordinator for the State of Arizona Torey Dolan (Choctaw), assistant professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School Samantha Blencke, senior staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund Mark Trahant (Shoshone-Bannock), journalist and former editor of ICT Marjorie Childress, managing editor of New Mexico In Depth Break 1 Music: Fool’s Paradise (song) Samantha Crain (artist) Gumshoe (album) Break 2 Music: Fearless I Live (song) Courtney Yellow Fat (artist) The Lost Songs of Sitting Bull (album)
Transcribe →Wednesday, May 13, 2026 – How Indigenous knowledge built the foundation for today’s response to the hantavirus outbreak
1w ago00:56:30Tap to summarizeNew infections aboard a cruise ship have thrust the hantavirus into the global spotlight. Hantavirus infections remain rare, with only about 1,000 cases reported in the U.S. in more than 30 years. What the world knows about the illness started in 1993 on the Navajo Nation. After struggling to identify the dangerous respiratory illness, medical researchers gained crucial insights from Navajo elders, noting that traditional oral histories had long associated spikes in deer mouse populations — driven by specific rainfall patterns — with deadly disease. That knowledge directly informed the scientific discovery of what we know now as the Sin Nombre virus. The discovery also offers a lesson in public notification of diseases. Early media reports labelled the pathogen as the “Navajo flu”, which stigmatized the community for years afterward. We’ll look at the history of the hantavirus and the current efforts to prevent its spread. GUESTS Dean Seneca (Seneca), CEO of Seneca Scientific Solutions+, adjunct professor at the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University at Buffalo, and Adjunct Instructor at University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Dr. Steven Bradfute, associate professor in the Center for Global Health at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine Dr. Erin Phipps, New Mexico State public health veterinarian Dr. Victoria Sutton (Lumbee), distinguished Horn Professor at Texas Tech University School of Law Dr. Jonathan Iralu, Indian Health Service infectious diseases physician Break 1 Music: Healing Song (song) Judy Trejo (artist) Circle Dance Songs of the Paiute and Shoshone (album) Break 2 Music: Fearless I Live (song) Courtney Yellow Fat (artist) The Lost Songs of Sitting Bull (album)
Transcribe →Tuesday, May 12, 2026 – High gas prices eat into business profits and personal budgets
1w ago00:56:30Tap to summarizeThe cost of fuel is a major expenditure for farmers, commercial fishermen, long-haul truckers, and dozens of other businesses. The persistently high cost of gas since February’s start of the Iran War is eroding the profit margin for those businesses. They ultimately either absorb those costs, pass them on to customers, or shut down. For individuals, the price of oil is showing up in everything from people’s vacation plans to how much they heat their homes at night. We’ll hear about where the cost of petroleum shows up beyond just the gas pump and how Native businesses and individuals are coping. GUESTS Boyd Gourneau (Lower Brule Sioux), chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Bill McCabe (Diné), principal of McCabe and Associates Jason Pitre (Houma), owner of Bayou Rosa Oysters Kiera McCabe (Diné), founder of Skoden Farm Lionel Bigthumb (Diné), co-owner and CEO of Blackstreak Holdings Break 1 Music: Mr. Businessman’s Blues (song) DM Lafortune (artist) Beauty and Hard Times (album) Break 2 Music: Fearless I Live (song) Courtney Yellow Fat (artist) The Lost Songs of Sitting Bull (album)
Transcribe →Monday, May 11, 2026 – What’s in the near future for urban elder health care?
1w ago00:56:30Tap to summarizeA dedicated effort to learn more about Native elders living in urban areas reveals they suffer a high rate of chronic illnesses and have limited social interactions. Those conclusions come from the most recent Native Urban Elder Needs Assessment Survey that aims to fill a void of information about the needs of Native American elders — the vast majority of whom live in cities. The survey is among the efforts to better understand and provide effective services for Native elders. The effort is all the more pressing as federal cuts to Medicaid and Medicare approach, costs for medical care rise, and pressure increases to cut support for the Indian Health Service. GUESTS Dr. Collette Adamson (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians), director of the National Resource Center on Native American Aging and research assistant professor at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences University of North Dakota Michael Bird (Kewa Pueblo and Ohkay Owingeh), past president of the American Public Health Association and past national consultant for AARP Dr. Emily Haozous (Fort Sill Chiricahua-Warm Springs Apache Tribe), research scientist for the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Break 1 Music: Grandmother’s Song (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album) Break 2 Music: Fearless I Live (song) Courtney Yellow Fat (artist) The Lost Songs of Sitting Bull (album)
Transcribe →Friday, May 8, 2026 – What Native graduates are looking forward to
2w ago00:56:30Tap to summarizeA former DJ who once struggled as a student, Cailean Dakota MacColl built her way to medical school from the ground up. She’s now graduating from the University of Minnesota Medical School. Jerrick Hope-Lang took on preserving a Tlingit clan house in Sitka, Alaska that was named on the America’s most endangered historic places. Now he’s a Henry Luce Foundation Indigenous knowledge fellow and a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts. Lawren “Lulu” Goodfox is a budding actor balancing film and stage roles with especially busy extra-curricular activities like tennis, student council, honors society, and preparation for traditional dances. She is now graduating from Stillwater High School in Oklahoma and setting off to study drama at New York University’s Tisch School of Arts. We’ll talk to each of them about what’s ahead for the class of 2026. GUESTS Dr. Cailean Dakota MacColl (Lac La Ronge Indian Band), University of Minnesota Doctor of Medicine graduate Jerrick Hope-Lang ( Tlingit and Tsimshian), director of Point House Revitalization and a 2026 Luce Knowledge Fellow Lawren “Lulu” Goodfox (Osage and Pawnee), 2026 graduate of Stillwater High School Brandin Naabaahi Upshaw (Diné), 2026 graduate of Navajo Preparatory School Break 1 Music: Wahzhazhe (song) Scott George (artist) Killers of the Flower Moon Soundtrack (album) Break 2 Music: Bad Dude (song) Joe H Henry (artist) Real Things (album)
Transcribe →Thursday, May 7, 2026 – Native Fashion Week takes root in Santa Fe
2w ago00:56:30Tap to summarizeThe Native fashion show was always among the most popular offerings at the annual Santa Fe Indian Market put on by the Southwest Association for Indian Arts. Now SWAIA’s Native Fashion Week returns for the third year as a standalone celebration of wearable Native creativity. Designers include Jamie Okuma and Lauren Good Day, who are making strides in the mainstream fashion arenas. This year, organizers aim for a scaled-back, intimate event that includes a curated fashion show, Indigenous food, vendors, and public discussions. We’ll get a preview of the upcoming Native Fashion Week in Santa Fe, N.M. We’ll also talk with Ruth-Ann Thorn (Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians), founder of the brand N8iV Beauty, that was just named one of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2026. GUESTS Jamie Schulze (Northern Cheyenne and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate), executive director of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) Jamie Okuma (Shoshone-Bannock, La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians, Wailaki, and Okinawan), artist and fashion designer Lauren Good Day (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), traditional arts designer Ruth-Ann Thorn (Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians), founder of N8iV Beauty Break 1 Music: Hoka Hey (feat. Jayden Paz & Dancin Dave) [Radio Version] (song) DJ krayzkree (artist) Future Generations (album) Break 2 Music: Bad Dude (song) Joe H Henry (artist) Real Things (album)
Transcribe →Wednesday, May 6, 2026 – Tribes try to stay ahead of prediction markets on sports betting
2w ago00:56:30Tap to summarizeTribes in Wisconsin are celebrating that state’s new law that gives them exclusive control over sports betting in the state, but a similar attempt to secure tribal control of sports betting fell flat in Oklahoma. Both actions come as prediction market companies like Kalshi and Polymarket are raking in hundreds of millions of dollars offering wagers on nearly everything including sports. One attorney says prediction market companies pose an existential threat to Native American gaming. We’ll speak with tribal leaders and Native academics about the legal and political fight over ground in the multi-billion dollar sports betting market. Also, President Donald Trump’s move to reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive status is a win for the Omaha Tribe. The tribe is working to open a medical marijuana operation after tribal council voted in 2025 to legalize medical marijuana on tribal lands, but the effort continues to face roadblocks, including the Nebraska governor, who has opposed legalization. GUESTS Tehassi Hill (Oneida), chairman of the Oneida Nation and vice chairman of the Indian Gaming Association Jeff Crawford (Forest County Potawatomi), attorney general for Forest County Potawatomi Community Patrice Kunesh (Standing Rock Sioux descent), professor of law at the University of New Mexico and fellow at The Brookings Institution Gary Pitchlynn (Choctaw), professor of law at the University of Oklahoma Amanda Hallowell (Omaha), cannabis commission chairwoman for the Omaha Tribe John Cartier, attorney general for the Omaha Tribe Break 1 Music: Porcupine Singers’ Song (song) Porcupine Singers (artist) Alowanpi – Songs Of Honoring – Lakota Classics: Past & Present, Vol. 1 (album) Break 2 Music: Bad Dude (song) Joe H Henry (artist) Real Things (album)
Transcribe →Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – Alaska MMIW case exemplifies lingering distrust in law enforcement motivations
2w ago00:56:30Tap to summarizeMMIP advocates fault police in Anchorage for not acting fast enough when young Alaska Native woman went missing in January. Kelly Hunt’s body was discovered in April. Her death is now under investigation. It’s the latest case revealing the persistent lack of trust Native communities have when it comes to MMIP cases. Hunt’s case comes as the Trump administration is touting a surge in federal agents in selected locations to address the backlog in unsolved serious crimes, but tribal leaders and advocates say there’s no real progress on the lingering disconnect between Native people and law enforcement officials on all levels. And despite some recent progress, there are serious hurdles when it comes to jurisdictional confusion and information sharing across agencies. GUESTS Regina Antone (Gila River Indian Community), lieutenant governor of the Gila River Indian Community Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community Alexis Savage (Iñupiaq), MMIP advocate LaRenda Morgan (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma), Cheyenne and Arapaho MMIP chapter chairwoman and the governmental affairs officer for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma Break 1 Music: Nakoda Healing Song (song) YB Nakota (artist) Break 2 Music: Bad Dude (song) Joe H Henry (artist) Real Things (album)
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