Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine

Latest Episodes:

The Gift for Building Supportive Environments with Kwe Pack Jan 13, 2021

Show notes

Native Lights – The Gift for Building Supportive Environments with Kwe Pack

This week we revisit an earlier Native Lights episode which highlights Kwe Pack, a spectacular group of Native women supporting each other to run long-distance trail races. Kwe Pack has been featured on Good Morning America, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and Oprah Winfrey’s World Vision Tour. This group encourages each other to draw on their inner strength; to heal and flourish in all areas of their lives. You can check out this episode, which is part of Native Lights Season Two, to hear more about the significant work being done to build supportive environments for Native people to heal and thrive.

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio Show

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

Special Edition: Visiting Vaccines with Antony Stately (Podcast version) Jan 06, 2021

Show notes

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio Show

Native Lights – Special Edition: Visiting Vaccines with Antony Stately

This week we kick off a special series of vaccine conversations, starting with Antony Stately (Ojibwe and Oneida). Dr. Antony Stately has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and is the CEO of NACC, the Native American Community Clinic in South Minneapolis. Antony Stately shares how his clinic is safely administering vaccines, and he speaks to the challenge of providing accurate information to patients while addressing legitimate concerns and questions of community members. Antony Stately does this by keeping his focus on conversation, knowledge, and consent.

Antony Stately also shares his own harrowing experience of contracting and surviving COVID-19, which landed him in the hospital in late November. Antony recounts how he faced this scary time by leaning on prayer, cultural medicines, and guidance from elders, along with experimental drug therapies and, of course, the wonderful support of healthcare workers, which he says, all worked together to help save his life.

We deeply appreciate Dr. Antony Stately for his compassionate gift as a leader in healthcare, and his willingness to honestly share his own story, all in the service of informing and caring for the larger community. Miigwech, Antony Stately!

We will continue exploring the vaccine rollout through conversations in the coming weeks. If you have a question or a story to share, please send us an email: nativelights@ampers.org.

The Gift for Bringing in New Life with Takayla Lightfield Dec 30, 2020

Show notes

This week we are happy to revisit our conversation with Lakota doula Takayla Lightfield (Mnicoujou Lakota, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota), in this “Best of Native Lights” episode. Takayla stands side-by-side with Native women supporting the birth of the next generation as a doula, and as a breastfeeding consultant. Takayla is now working on her Master’s Degree in Public Health, in the U of M’s Maternal and Child Health Advanced-Standing Program. In 2020, Takayla Lightfield was honored with a Tribal Trailblazer Award, from the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), which recognized her collaborative efforts to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding in Native communities. Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

Dr. Arne Vainio Cultivates a Gift for Healing Dec 23, 2020

Show notes

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio Show

Native Lights – Dr. Arne Vainio Cultivates a Gift for Healing

It’s the “Best of Native Lights” as we revisit a wonderful conversation with Respected Anishinaabe elder and well-known physician, Dr. Arne Vainio (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe). Dr. Vainio tells the story of how he became one of only 3,400 Native physicians in the United States. He is currently a family physician at the Fond du Lac tribal clinic. His story is about class divisions, lateral violence, and the unwavering generosity of people in his Native community.

This program features in-studio guest: Producer & Reporter Melissa Townsend.

The full podcast episode was originally published in Season Two of the Native Lights Podcast.

https://wearehealers.org/dr-arnie-vainio

Ramona Kitto Stately’s Gift for Changing Native Narratives Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

Today, a conversation with Ramona Kitto Stately (Santee Sioux Dakota Nation,) a beadwork artist, teacher, and leader in K-12 Indian Education in Minnesota, who is now Project Director for the We Are Still Here – Minnesota (WASH-MN), a network of people and organizations committed to the Reclaiming Native Truth research and its findings. Ramona tells us how her teaching career began, and how some bad experiences prompted her to go back to school to get her master’s degree in Education, so she could more effectively disrupt the status quo. Ramona Kitto Stately makes the case that Indian Education should be mandatory for all students: when Native history and culture are missing from K-12 curriculum, students are deprived of accurate narratives, and stereotypes continue to thrive. This leads to ill-informed citizens, including leaders, judges, and policymakers. Miigwech to Ramona Kitto Stately for this rich and informative discussion! Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

The Gift of Amplifying Many Voices with Radio Host Robert Pilot Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

Today, a fun conversation with Robert Pilot (Ho-Chunk Nation), who is a teacher, water protector, and Host of Native Roots Radio, which amplifies many Native voices across the airways and on social media. Robert speaks about the importance of building relationships, whether he’s working as an educator (teaching film and video production at Harding High in St. Paul) or producing and hosting radio shows (shows he’s created include Native Roots Radio “I’m Awake”, Rock the Treaties Native Style, Pilot’s Progressive Party, and The Sunday Night Native Symposium “We’re Still Here”). We appreciated getting to meet Robert, and he brought lots of insights and chuckles to our wide-ranging discussion. Enjoy!

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

(Extended version) A Gift for Revitalization with Language Warrior Anton Treuer Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

This is the extended version of our conversation with Anton Treuer. Today’s conversation is with Dr. Anton Treuer (White Earth/Leech Lake Ojibwe), a prolific author, international speaker, historian, and professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University. As a spiritual guide and father of nine, Anton Treuer embodies and defines what it means to be a Language Warrior, which he writes about in his latest book. What does it take to keep the Ojibwe language thriving even as fewer first speakers are available to teach? Anton Treuer embraces this challenge with both timeless wisdom and the latest technology. We loved learning more about how Anton uncovered his gift for language revitalization and how he enthusiastically inspires others, all in the service of keeping Ojibwemowin flourishing long into the future. Native Lights is a weekly radio program and podcast hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community. Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

A Gift for Revitalization with Language Warrior Anton Treuer Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

Today’s conversation is with Dr. Anton Treuer (White Earth/Leech Lake Ojibwe), a prolific author, international speaker, historian, and professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University. As a spiritual guide and father of nine, Anton Treuer embodies and defines what it means to be a Language Warrior, which he writes about in his latest book. What does it take to keep the Ojibwe language thriving even as fewer first speakers are available to teach? Anton Treuer embraces this challenge with both timeless wisdom and the latest technology. We loved learning more about how Anton uncovered his gift for language revitalization and how he enthusiastically inspires others, all in the service of keeping Ojibwemowin flourishing long into the future. Native Lights is a weekly radio program and podcast hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community. Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

Ashley Fairbanks’ Gift of Bold Vulnerability Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

Today’s conversation is with Ashley Fairbanks, an Anishinaabe artist, organizer, designer, and digital strategist, and the Creative Director for the 100% Campaign, which is working to build equitable clean energy to Minnesota’s economy. Ashley Fairbanks has risen in the political world, recently serving as Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s digital director. She shares about growing up in South Minneapolis with a large and loving Ojibwe family. And Ashley Fairbanks shares how she found her voice and harnessed her power, for politics and activism through bold and vulnerable sharing on social media.

Gifts of Culture & Storytelling with Deanna StandingCloud Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

Native Lights – Gifts of Culture & Storytelling with Deanna StandingCloud

Today’s conversation is with Deanna StandingCloud (Red Lake Anishinaabe) who is a mom, playwright, organizer, artist, community leader, pow-wow emcee, and advocate for Indigenous people. Deanna shares how she pushed through her nerves to take her proper place as a leader, on a stage, holding a mic, or in front of a camera. All so that she can use her voice, share stories, and keep traditional culture alive and thriving now and into the future.

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