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Uplifting Indigenous tales
Sarah Liese of KOSU (left), Cassie Ordonio of Hawaii Public Radio (center) and Sage Smiley of KYUK (proper)
Left photograph: Joseph Scheller
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Left photograph: Joseph Scheller
For Indigenous Peoples’ Day this yr, the Up First publication is recognizing the work NPR’s member stations do to uplift Indigenous voices. The member stations within the NPR community are impartial and regionally operated. They decide their very own schedules and base their reporting on the wants and pursuits of their communities. Many of those communities function giant Indigenous populations. These are among the folks producing integral reporting to NPR’s protection:
Smiley has spent her skilled profession in rural Alaska. Her small crew covers a area the dimensions of Oregon, made up of greater than 50 villages with no related street system. KYUK, an Alaska Native-owned media group, broadcasts each day information, stay and recorded programming in Yugtun, the Yup’ik language. “Every decision made at KYUK happens with our Indigenous audience in mind,” Smiley says. “The consistent, multifaceted, and nuanced coverage of news and community affairs in both English and Yugtun, on the radio and over public television throughout that history, is a testament to our commitment to serving our audience of Alaska Native and non-Indigenous listeners.”
Smiley says she’s particularly happy with KYUK’s protection of the Cama-i Native Dance Pageant in Bethel. It’s one of many largest Indigenous dance festivals on the earth. With simply two reporters, three multimedia workers, and a Yup’ik language translator, the crew produced tales in regards to the pillars of yuraq’s resurgence on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, the annual Native meals dinner, the first look of an area Filipino dance group on the competition, the crowning of the brand new Miss Cama-i, the building-shaking ‘Coronary heart of the Drums’ occasion, the artisans of the Native Crafts Honest (in English and Yugtun), and interviewed Congressional consultant Mary Peltola about attending the competition and her insurance policies. KYUK’s protection works in opposition to stereotypes communities on this area face even throughout the state of Alaska. Smiley says they’re usually “presented as destitute in a way that does not reflect the beauty, humor, and diversity of the people in the Delta. It’s a huge responsibility, and an honor, to live and work in a place where we also go berry picking with, play intramural water polo or volleyball with, or volunteer with the people whose stories we cover. The shared sense of community and purpose in reflecting and amplifying all the facets of the Y-K Delta is incredibly fulfilling.”
“I think Hawai’i Public Radio is best at telling community stories through their lens and uplifting their voices,” says Ordonio, who has labored at Hawaii Public Radio for greater than a yr. “I think HPR does a good job of breaking stereotypes by passing the mic to the communities and having them tell their stories.” This yr, Ordonio has reported on the cultural appropriation of the uroh, a Pohnpeian skirt. Micronesians say that producers in Pakistan mass produce these skirts and promote them to Micronesian communities within the U.S. for as low cost as $10. The actual factor prices on common $100. “I felt that it was important to tell this story because Micronesians face discrimination in Hawaii as the latest migrants and some feel targeted for wearing their skirts. But these cultural fabrics tell their stories through embroidery.” Ordonio’s subsequent story will discover the mental property rights of the urohs and the way Pohnpeian seamstresses are passing down their traditions to the youthful technology.
“Building trust and credibility is crucial to correcting past wrongs this country was founded on, such as exploitation and stealing,” Liese says. “My knowledge of the past through my lens as a Diné and Turtle Mountain Chippewa Two-Spirit person informs how I approach my work and build connections. That means I communicate my intentions to sources upfront and offer a sense of who I am, like sharing my tribal affiliations and the names of my ancestors. When possible, I try to incorporate Indigenous languages, humor, cultural wisdom and historical context to paint a more comprehensive picture. I find this approach reminds our audience of the nuances of tribal nations.”
Liese recently reported on the interment of Kate Ross and Alfred Charko, two Wichita and Affiliated teens who passed away at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1882. She learned in her reporting that Charko could not return home because of a mismarked grave. “The rationale behind the burial website error is unknown, however there was a historical past of Indigenous kids being dug up and reburied at Carlisle. I’m happy with this story as a result of it highlights a glossed-over piece of historical past at some of the well-known Indian boarding faculties. Most significantly, it additionally honors the lives of Alfred and Kate, who walked on at Carlisle.”
Although masking Indigenous points could be difficult, Liese says the challenges additionally convey her energy: “The emotional baggage that I carry on my back from my ancestor’s intergenerational trauma carries me toward unpacking the present. It also pushes me toward balancing the moments of devastation with those of joy and humor. As the Oklahoma-based show Reservation Dogs showed the nation, Indigenous people are hilarious. Full stop.” Liese describes masking Indigenous issues as “coming home to myself and my ancestors who advocated for Indigenous rights and for us to have a seat at the table where our voices are heard. On the days when I am in tune with the stillness, I feel my Diné grandmother, Mary Morez, standing behind me. I can feel her approval and her pride. To me, that makes the bitter and emotionally draining days worth it.”
Tales you could have missed
Forty years after The Dallas Morning Information ran a overview for the unique Star Wars calling Chewbacca a “Wookie,” the paper issued a correction noting that the spelling is definitely Wookiee.
Elaine Thompson/AP
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Elaine Thompson/AP
Forty years after The Dallas Morning Information ran a overview for the unique Star Wars calling Chewbacca a “Wookie,” the paper issued a correction noting that the spelling is definitely Wookiee.
Elaine Thompson/AP
The Star Wars universe just lately expanded to incorporate multigenerational Anishinaabe audio system who’ve dubbed Disney’s Star Wars (Anangon Miigaading): A New Hope in Ojibwe. Niigaanii-Animikii Inini, a filmmaker and the language-culture coordinator of the Purple Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in northern Wisconsin. He’s the voice actor for the character Purple Chief within the Ojibwe model of Star Wars and shared his expertise of engaged on the interpretation of the movie. (by way of WUWM)
For nearly six many years, filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, who’s Abenaki, has gained recognition for her documentaries. Her movies discover Indigenous folks’s lives and the challenges they face in Canada. She considers her films to be some of the essential features of her life. “It’s about ensuring that all people have a voice—specifically, I’m referring to our people,” she mentioned “However, I believe that every human being requires a platform to express themselves.” (by way of NHPR)
The Native Video games exhibit on the Milwaukee Public Museum was established in 2010 when the state was introduced because the host metropolis for the North American Indigenous Video games the next yr. The video games started in 1990 and are held intermittently. Just like the Olympics, they function sports activities comparable to archery, lacrosse, softball, swimming, and canoeing. The exhibit delves into the origins of lacrosse as an Indigenous sport, with variations supposed for each women and men. In these cultures, the video games have been greater than leisure and infrequently helped put together folks for grownup roles in life. (by way of WUWM)
Julia Keefe Indigenous Huge Band, an Indigenous Huge Band with 16 members, was fashioned in 2022. This yr, it headlined Vermont’s Mary Lou Williams Jazz Pageant on the Kennedy Middle. The competition yearly pays tribute to Williams, often known as the “first lady of jazz,” and celebrates ladies who proceed to affect the style. Amongst them are Julia Keefe, a Nez Perce citizen who leads the Indigenous Huge Band, and Mali Obomsawin, an Abenaki citizen of Odanak First Nation who performs bass within the band. Along with the wealthy historical past of oral traditions amongst Indigenous peoples, their origins in jazz could be traced again to the residential faculties within the U.S. and Canada. (by way of Vermont Public)
On this episode of Speak of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe talks with Johnathon Buffalo, the historic preservation director of the Meskwaki Nation. They focus on the historical past and significance of the celebration held on the solely Indigenous settlement in Iowa. Moreover, Nebbe interviews Stella Youngbear, who has been creating beadwork for 65 years. (by way of IPR)
Podcast Picks
A herd of bison graze close to the path contained in the bison vary.
Freddy Monares/Montana Public Radio
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Freddy Monares/Montana Public Radio
A herd of bison graze close to the path contained in the bison vary.
Freddy Monares/Montana Public Radio
The Indicator from Planet Money: A brief podcast about large concepts, serving to you perceive present occasions in work, enterprise, the economic system, and extra, dropped at you by those that make Planet Money.
- 🎧 For over 10,000 years, many peoples in what’s now often known as North America relied on bison. Some 30 million bison roamed from trendy Canada all the way down to Mexico. Nevertheless, within the late 1800s, hide-hunters and the U.S. army almost worn out the creature’s inhabitants, taking them to the brink of extinction. This had important penalties for the individuals who trusted them and nonetheless impacts us immediately. On this episode, we hear from an economist who revealed the stunning numbers telling this story and one Blackfeet Nation member attempting to convey again the bison.
Code Swap: It is the fearless conversations about race you’ve got been ready for. Hosted by journalists of coloration, the podcast tackles the topic of race with empathy and humor. Exploring how race impacts each a part of society — from politics and popular culture to historical past, meals and all the things in between.
- 🎧 The time period “reservation” implies that the land is put aside for Native Individuals. Nevertheless, in lots of instances, reservation land shouldn’t be really owned by the tribes. That is the case for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in northern Minnesota, the place the tribe solely owns a small portion of its reservation land. In distinction, simply northwest of Leech Lake is Purple Lake, one of many few reservations within the nation the place the tribe owns all of its land.
Monumental, by way of Public Radio Trade: This podcast explores the standing of monuments within the U.S. and delves into questions on their previous, current, and future.
- 🎧 For generations, Christopher Columbus has been glorified in U.S. monuments. Whereas statues of him have just lately began coming down, the biggest one on the earth nonetheless stands tall within the seaside city of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. On this episode, reporter and journalism professor Gisele Regatão travels to Puerto Rico and past to uncover the roots of Columbus’ glorification in historical past and why he got here to be represented in so many public statues, though he by no means really set foot on the U.S. mainland. She additionally visits a group artist in Woodside, Queens, who confronts the parable of Columbus by creating new monuments that remember immigrant tales.
The Ohio Nation, by way of WYSO: The 12-episode collection, gives a perspective on the historical past of the area we now name Ohio that only a few of us discovered at school. It places the experiences of Miami, Shawnee, Wyandotte, and different American Indian folks on the middle of a refreshed model of the state’s difficult previous and undecided future.
- 🎧 On this episode, we outline tribal citizenship, have a look at among the injury finished by “pretendians” in Ohio, and spotlight the work of the residents of federally acknowledged tribes correcting these conditions.
This article was edited by Obed Manuel.
