12/23/97:
Multi-Cultural Holidays (Listen
in RealAudio...)
The holiday season seems to hold deep spiritual meanings
for many cultures around the world. From the Christian
Christmas Holiday to the Jewish Hanukkah to the Native
solstice celebrations, the Winter has brought us a feast
of multi-cultural traditions. How do families deal with
the holidays when they have different cultural beliefs?
Guests: Ingrid Washinawatok of the Menominee Nation
and Hawaiian native Leuha Lopez. (Listen
to other programs on religious issues)
12/22/97: Save the Reindeer
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
If it were not for reindeer, Santa Claus would be
left stranded at the North Pole. But many people of
the Arctic Circle, besides Santa, have relied on the
health of the Caribou herds for their survival. Oil
development on Alaska's North Slope has threatened
the caribou homelands. What has been done to save
the caribou? Guests: Sara James of Arctic Village.
12/18/97: The Winter Solstice
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
December is the time to prepare the lodges, hogans,
kivas and wig-wams. Winter is around the corner and
its time to celebrate the change of seasons. Many
tribes of North America have welcomed the winter through
ceremony and prayer. How does the coming of the solstice
influence you and your people? Guests: Oglala/Lakota
Charlotte Black Elk. (Listen
to other programs on religious issues)
12/16/97: Land Recovery
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
Regaining lost lands is the most important element
of rebuilding culture. Several tribes out west have
been successful in recovering ancestral lands where
they can once again harvest the traditional foods
and medicines and revitalize the ceremonies of their
people. Can we revitalize our cultures through land
acquisitions? Guests: Washoe
Chairman Brian Wallace and Tom Lubin. (Listen
to other programs on land issues)
12/15/97: Honoring Sitting
Bull (Listen
in RealAudio...)
December 15th is a special day for the people of the
Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota. It's Chiefs'
Day and a time to honor the Great Hunkapapa Leader
Sitting
Bull. We met some of his relatives and discussed
the life and times of this great leader of people.
Guests: Isaac Dog Eagle Jr. & Carol Barrett.
12/9/97: Native Athletes
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
Although there was an increase at the collegiate level
in the 1990's, many of our
best female and male athletes cannot succeed away
from their reservation or village. Why don't more
Native athletes make it to the NCAA or professional
level? Is it because of a lack of talent, lack of
recognition, or lack of desire? Guests: women's
pro basketball player Ryneldi Becenti of the Navajo
Nation.
12/8/97: Native America
& Investing (Listen
in RealAudio...)
Investing our money wisely hasn't been a strong characteristic
of Native people. In fact, we are notorious for being
frivolous spenders if we ever do get our hands on
a little extra cash. How do we get Native people interested
and concerned about making sound long-term financial
decisions? Guests: John Herrera, an Ojibway tribal
member with First American Capitol Management Corporation.
12/4/97: Current Events
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
The hot topics in Indian Country! NAC listeners were
invited to listen in as we discussed current events
in Indian Country...and encouraged you to call in
with your issues and events. (Listen
to other current event programs from 1997, 1998 and
1999.)
12/3/97: War on the Great
Lakes (Listen
in RealAudio...)
The Governor of Wisconsin was holding tribal treaty
rights hostage and using gaming compacts as bargaining
chips. But the tribes weren’t playing his game, saying
their hunting and fishing rights were not negotiable.
But if it came down to it, which would be more important:
gaming compacts or subsistence rights? Guests:
councilman Mic Isham of the Lac Coutre Orielles Ojibway
Tribe and the Wisconsin
Governor's office. (Listen
to other programs on gaming.)
12/2/97: Justice Served?
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
Native people of both Canada and the United States
said it was time to address the mistreatment of their
people within the justice system. In the United States
we have had Leonard Peltier and Canada has had their
Native political prisoners as well, and organizations
have worked to fight back. Harlan McKosato and Sharon
McConnell continued their live broadcast from Toronto
and were joined by Canadian civil rights acivitists.
(Listen
to other programs on race.) (Listen
to other programs on racism.) (Listen
to other programs on legal issues)
12/1/97: World AIDS Day
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
December 1, 1997, was World AIDS Day in Toronto, Canada.
Sharon McConnell and Harlan McKosato broadcast from
Toronto and visited with Canadian natives working
to stop the spread of this deadly
disease.
11/30/97: Subsistence on
the Pow Wow Trail (Listen
in RealAudio...)
Native people everywhere have traveled the big money
pow wow circuit ... and they’ve earned a living doing
it.
Harlan McKosato and Sharon McConnell attended the
Toronto International Pow Wow to ask the audience:
how do you feel about contest pow wows? Should we
eliminate them?
11/25/97: Native Contributions
to the Americas
(Listen in RealAudio...)
The Native
contributions to the world's food supply and economy
have been immense ... yet often unnoticed. How have
the discoveries and lifestyles of Native Americans
contributed to the world today? Guests: author
and historian Jack Weatherford.
(Listen to other programs on economics.) (Listen
to other programs on history.)
11/18/97: Indian Gaming
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
Arguably the biggest story in Indian Country--certainly
the one that is receiving the most headlines--has
been the controversy surrounding tribal casinos. Some
tribes have made millions, while others have rejected
it as a viable form of economic development. Is the
sun setting on Indian
Gaming? (Listen
to other programs on economics.) (Listen
to other programs on gaming.) [See the 1997
NCAI page]
11/17/97: Tribal In-fighting
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
Why can't tribal members set aside their differences
and work for the good of the tribe and the community?
It seems every tribe has been faced with some type
of political upheaval, and the unrest inevitably has
affected life in the community. How can unity be created
within individual tribes? Guests: Judi Morgan,
Executive Director of the Nebraska Indian Commssion.
[See the 1997
NCAI page]
2/4/97: The Drum (Listen
in RealAudio...)
People from across Indian Country talked about what
the drum means to them and their culture. Guests:
Ralph Zotigh of Zotigh Singers and Harold Belmont
with the Northern Drum Society.
7/25/96: This Bud's for
You (Listen
in RealAudio...)
In 1996, Budweiser ran an ad in England, starring
Native Americans. Budweiser has said that it was simply
showing how Budweiser
is an "authentic American beer." Others
have said that the company was using stereotypes to
sell what has been a destructive force in Indian Country.
(Listen
to other programs on racism.) (Listen
to other programs on media issues)
7/24/96: Ishtook Amendment
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
For years, Republicans have made the rallying cry:
"No New Taxes!" It helped them to gain control
of the U.S. House of Representatives. But in the mid-1990's
their cry seemed to be: "No New Taxes--Except
on Indians!" Oklahoma' U.S. Representative
Earnest Ishtook joined NAC to talk about non-tribal
members evading taxes on goods purchased on tribal
lands.
6/30/95: Living with AIDS
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
HIV,
and to a greater extent AIDS, have become the most
feared diseases of the contemporary society. What
if you contracted this deadly virus? Although medical
experts have been frantically searching, they haven't
found a cure. Do you have any family members, friends,
or know anyone with AIDS? Odds are that you do. NAC
talks to people who have or are living with AIDS.
6/28/95: Funding for Indian
Education (Listen
in RealAudio...)
NAC tried to understand how the House
Appropriations Committee in Washington could zero
out funding for the Office of Indian Education. Committee
members voted down an ammendment that would have restored
some funding. What has this done to our schools? What
has it meant for Native American students around the
country?
6/27/95: Disney's Pocahontas
(Listen
in RealAudio...)
"Pocahontas" came to the theaters in 1995,
and the critics' reviews were mixed. The movie had
been disputed
in Indian Country for its historical accuracy, and
the "Playboy Bunny" image of Pocahontas
had many wondering: what Indian woman looks like that?
NAC talked about the cultural implications of this
Disney animated feature. Guests include Russell
Means (Listen
to other programs on media issues)
6/26/95: Book of the Month:
"Reservation Blues" (Listen
in RealAudio...)
Hear what the author and future filmmaker had to say
when Smoke Signals was still an idea. Guests: Sherman
Alexie. Find out more about him and his works at www.fallsapart.com.
