Episode Description
In this special edition of the podcast, Rebecca interviews Native leaders from across the country and elected officials at the recent National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Mid-Year Convention. This episode features conversations with nine different tribal leaders and staff members as well as U.S. Senator Tina Smith. Guests share about the issues facing Indian Country including environmental sustainability, the Violence Against Women Act, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and the 2023 Farm Bill.
Featured guests include:
- Tina Smith | U.S. Senator (Minnesota) (1:33)
- Robert Deschampe | Chairman, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (04:02)
- Larry Wright, Jr. | Executive Director, NCAI (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska) (06:37)
- Fawn Sharp| President, NCAI (Quinault Indian Nation) (14:56)
- Robert Larsen | President, Lower Sioux Indian Community (22:37)
- Shelley Buck | Vice President, Prairie Island Indian Community (26:16)
- Wayne Ducheneaux | Executive Director, Native Governance Center (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe) (28:56)
- Ernie Stevens, Jr. | Chairman, National Indian Gaming Association (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin) (34:51)
- Cecelia Fire Thunder | Oglala Lakota Nation Education Coalition (Oglala Sioux Tribe) (46:30)
EPISODE RESOURCES
National Congress of American Indians: https://www.ncai.org/
Understand Native Minnesota: https://www.understandnativemn.org/