Native Voice One - The Native American Radio Network

[audio mp3="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Mechanics.mp3"][/audio] Politics is usually about policy choices. But it’s also about basic election mechanics, figuring out who does what. The Montana Democratic Party hired Amy Croover as director of its Native Vote program. Her task is to increase the number of Native American voters. The message is significant. Montana Democrats are investing resources to give American Indian voters a greater say. Read more

[audio mp3="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/REPSPLIT.mp3"][/audio] Make no mistake: The 2016 election is not routine. If you want proof, look no further than the weekend encampment at Montana’s Arlee Celebration. In any election it is smart for a Republican to try and peel off a few Native American votes. Montana Democrats have been successful reaching out to tribal communities for a long time, especially after the 2005 election of Gov. Brian Schweitzer. And it makes perfect sense for the GOP to pitch Native voters at a powwow. Read full story

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signs into law a bill that makes his the fourth state in the nation to allow dental therapists to provide dental care. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium began dental health therapy in 2004. (Photo from Vermont Public Interest Research Group or VPIRG.) Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once called states “the laboratories of democracy.” The idea was that experiments in governing would take place far from Washington and eventually become national policy. Well, it that’s true, then tribes, and intertribal organizations, might be democracy’s first test labs. This is Trahant Reports. If you are looking for innovation, efficiency, and ideas that should be borrowed by state governments, then explore some of the successes found in the Indian health system. Last week Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law a bill that licenses dental therapy in Vermont. Therapists are midlevel providers who provide dental procedures such as fillings and simple extractions. Great idea. O

Train cars of Montana coal headed for markets.(Mark Trahant photo) What if the United States bought all of the coal reserves owned by American Indian tribes, Alaska Native village corporations, and individuals? This is Trahant Reports. What if? Two words that ought to be the every day language in politics. What if we imagined? I have been thinking a lot of “what ifs?” when it comes to coal. Coal is a paradox for several Native American communities. The United Nations says that nearly 90 percent of proven coal reserves are “unburnable” and should be left in the ground. 
But historically the industry has created good paying jobs and now it’s in sharp decline (Mostly because of market forces, the availability of inexpensive natural gas). Yet stakeholders — workers and even a few tribes — blame the government for too many regulations. And, on the flip side, many of those working to change the energy paradigm demand that coal be left in the ground without thinking through the consequences to families who earn

This election is already one for the books. Why? Because Bernie Sanders spent more time campaigning on Native American issues than any candidate before him. [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/primary-1.mp3"][/audio]

Can one family build a Navajo Republican Party? [audio mp3="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/gop6-Copy.mp3"][/audio]

There is now a Native American voice helping to write what will be the Democrats campaign message. [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Platform.mp3"][/audio]

What's in a word? When it comes to a Washington, D.C., NFL team ... It's a loaded debate. But when it comes to federal law, well, there's a consensus in Congress that it's time to modernize the language. [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/WhatWord.mp3"][/audio]

Indigenous women have a new story to tell for our energy future. The current story being told by our energy policies, practices and industry are devastating the land and changing climate. If we need a new story for energy, we likely need new storytellers. Energy stories told by Indigenous women seek to carry forth the wisdom from their ancestors and combine it with the intelligence available to us today. [audio mp3="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Women-and-Energy-29-FINAL-lowbit.mp3"][/audio]

Indigenous advocacy and student groups call on University of New Mexico officials to abolish seal Cheyenne River Youth Project to help young people learn job skills through two-year workforce initiative Danielle Ta'Sheena Finn from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is crowned 2016 Miss Indian World  https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/nnn050216.mp3

Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton? What do tribal newspapers say? [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/TribalNewsEndorse.mp3"][/audio]

Political districts are not just lines on a map, but a reflection of a community, so it’s vitally important that every member of that community have a voice. And the opportunity to win. [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AZDist2.mp3"][/audio]

Over the years several Native American candidates have run and won statewide office. This year that’s happening again … times three. (Read full transcript) [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/NorthDakota3.mp3"][/audio]

Another Native American candidate for Congress. It looks like a record year. [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/IronEyesCongress.mp3"][/audio]

Who is winning the votes from Indian Country this presidential election season? [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/RyanRepublicans.mp3"][/audio]

When someone tells you that your vote doesn’t matter, quietly say, “Montana.” Or if someone says that politicians don’t listen and that nothing will change, smile, and then say “Montana.” And, when you want proof that the Native vote works, well, there is evidence to be found in Montana. [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/MontanaJuneau2.mp3"][/audio]

This is how politics is supposed to be: Politicians quietly listening as the people outline their priorities. This event on Wisconsin’s LacCourte Oreilles Reservation brought together the entire region for a pre-election community forum. [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/LCO2.mp3"][/audio]

We’re deep in the primary season — and I have an audacious idea. What if Indian Country had its own primary? If there were money to pay for this, tribal election offices could manage the voting. Perhaps there could even be a secondary system set up to count votes from urban populations. Think about it: There are primary elections for overseas voters. Sanders won the Super Tuesday vote from New Zealand by a margin of 21 to 6. And voters in Guam cast their ballots today. These elections are not just for fun; delegates are at stake. [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Primary.mp3"][/audio]

Elections are geared so that voters will hear all sorts of promises only to find out later they will never come to be. [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Aspirations.mp3"][/audio]

No matter which candidate you favor, it’s pretty clear that Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton now have the inside lanes to their party’s nominations. The campaign is now all about delegates and both Trump and Clinton are starting to wrack up sizable leads. Of course they could still be beat, but for that to happen, there has to be a sudden and dramatic shift in the primary elections ahead. Where does Indian Country stand? So far the record is mixed. In Iowa the only reservation in the state went for Sanders. In Nevada it’s more of a split decision. [audio wav="https://www.nv1.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ElectionShape.mp3"][/audio]