Shows / Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine
In Native Lights, people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce - a.k.a. Minnesota - tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community. These are stories of joy, strength, history, and change from Native people who are shaping the future and honoring those who came before them. Native Lights is also 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…
Episodes
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineBobbi Jo Potter: Making Space for Community
Today, we're speaking with Bobbi Jo Potter, a citizen of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. She's deputy director of Children and Family Services in Ramsey…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineBudd Parker & Tim "Pete" Fairbanks: Restoring the Legacy of White Earth's Forgotten Veterans
Today we're joined by Budd Parker and Tim "Pete" Fairbanks. Budd is a Navy veteran and descendant of the White Earth Nation. He lives in Osage and was raised…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineAlex Kmett: Culture as Curriculum, Language as Medium
Today, we're speaking with language revitalization leader and cultural educator Alex Kmett. Alex is a citizen of the Red Lake Nation and a descendant of the…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineRyan Dixon: Making Friends with the Dakota Language
Today, we're speaking with Ryan Dixon. Ryan is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe from Pine Ridge in South Dakota and has spent over two decades…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineMichael Kurtz: Tales of a Wildlife Photographer
Our guest today is a photographer who takes some stunning photos of wildlife. We're very excited to speak with Michael Kurtz (Tasunka Opi). He's Sicangu…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineKent Estey: The Art of Survival
On this episode, we speak with contemporary artist and White Earth Nation citizen Kent Estey. Kent paints at his home studio in Naytahwaush, in the heart of…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineRafael Gonzalez, aka, Tufawon: How a Minneapolis Rap Artist Learned How to Sing and Make a Difference
We are very excited to speak with Rafael Gonzalez, aka, Tufawon. He is a Mdewakanton Dakota and Boricua (Puerto Rican). He's a rapper, singer-songwriter, and…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineAlexandera Houchin: Life on Two Wheels
Today, we're very excited to Welcome Alexandera Houchin to the Native Lights podcast. Alexandera is a citizen of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineBradley Harrington: The United States 250th Anniversary from an Anishinaabe Perspective
On this episode Leah and Cole speak with Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe citizen Bradley Harrington who recently penned an article in the Mille Lacs Band newspaper…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineDr. Samantha Majhor: The Story Collector
Today, we're excited to welcome Dr. Samantha Majhor to Native Lights. Samantha is a direct descendant of Fort Peck. She's Dakota and Assiniboine and is an…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineAleyna Morales: Baking and Believing in Herself
Today, we're speaking with Aleyna Morales. Aleyna grew up in the Twin Cities and Somerset, Wisconsin. Aleyna's heritage includes Ojibwe from the Fond du Lac…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineAdam Savariego: The Power of Asking Questions
We're excited today to speak with Adam Savariego. He's a citizen of the Upper Sioux Community and is the Native American Affairs Advisor with the Minnesota…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineDr. Antony Stately: Building Health Equity in Indigenous Communities
Today, we're excited to welcome Dr. Antony Stately to Native Lights. Antony Stately is a transformative leader dedicated to health equity in Indigenous…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineGary Farmer: Living Life on Screen for 50 Years
Today, we're excited to be joined by one of the most recognizable faces in Indigenous film. Gary Farmer is from the Cayuga Nation and has a long career in…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineDavid Amitrano: Witnessing
Today, Leah speaks with David Amitrano, the owner of Midwest All-Star Wrestling, a Minnesota-based, Native-owned independent wrestling organization in…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineNikki Love (Pieratos): Keeping Relatives and Neighbors Safe in Uncertain Times
Today, we welcome Nikki Love Pieratos to Native Lights. An enrolled citizen of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Nikki is the Executive Director of the Tiwahe…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineRobert Lilligren: The Native Community Responds to Minneapolis ICE Operations
Today, we have a special edition of Native Lights to share with you. We’re talking with Robert Lilligren, CEO of the Native American Community Development…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineVictoria Marie: Learning to Surrender
Today, we’re excited to present Victoria Marie, an enrolled tribal member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. She's the founder and owner of Indigenous Lotus, a…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineCole Redhorse Taylor: Creating Contemporary Work Through Connection to Traditional Art Forms
Today, we're excited to welcome Cole Redhorse Taylor to the Native Lights podcast. Cole is Mdewakanton Dakota and a member of the Prairie Island Indian…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineCarl Gawboy: Remembering the Fur Trade Through Art
Today, we welcome Carl Gawboy to the Native Lights podcast. Carl, born to a Finnish mother and an Ojibwe father, was raised in Ely and is a member of the Bois…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineJanis A. Fairbanks: Lessons Learned and Memories of Her Ojibwe Grandma
Today, we are excited to welcome Janis A. Fairbanks to Native Lights. Janis is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. She recently…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineWookiye Win: Digging for Artistic Inspiration (And Watercolor Pigments) in Nature
Today, we're thrilled to speak with Wookiye Win. Wookiye Win, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, is an artist and educator. She teaches the Dakota language for the…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShinePenny Kagigebi: Reclaiming 2-Spirit Culture Through Art
Today, we're excited to talk to Penny Kagigebi. Penny is a direct descendant of the White Earth Nation. She is a 2-Spirit queer community collaborator, artist…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineHeid E. Erdrich: Finding Connections in Creativity and Collaboration
Today, we’re excited to chat with Heid E. Erdrich. Heid is an author, researcher, educator, curator and member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. In…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineAlexandra Buffalohead: Making Time for Work, Art, and Blue Dog
Today, we’re excited to speak with Alexandra Buffalohead. Alex is from the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate and is the Director of Communications and Partnerships at…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineSharon Day: Speaking for the Water
Today, we are excited to welcome Sharon Day to the Native Lights Podcast. Sharon is enrolled with the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe, and she serves as the…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineTeresa Peterson: Loving the Land that Cares for Us All
Today, we're excited to speak with Teresa Peterson. Teresa is Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota and a member of the Upper Sioux Community. She is a passionate gardener…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineGreat-Grandmother Mary Lyons' Gift for Sharing Indigenous Traditions & Spiritual Guidance (Revisited)
On this week's show, we revisit our conversation from June 2022 with Great-Grandmother Mary Lyons (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe), a spiritual advisor…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineRick Haaland: Speaking for the Animals
Today, we’re excited to speak with Rick Haaland, an animal rescuer and advocate who is the Pets for Life community outreach manager for the Leech Lake Tribal…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineDavid Wise: Growing Good Medicine
Today, we're very excited to speak with David Wise, descendant of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and founder of Native Wise, a farm which is…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineWendy Roy: Beading as Healing
Today, we are excited to speak with Wendy Roy, a beader and entrepreneur from the White Earth Nation. She mentors other artists and also teaches at White Earth…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineGiizh Sarah Agaton Howes: Translating Ojibwe cultural arts into contemporary Ojibwe designs
Today we are speaking with Giizh Sarah Agaton Howes. Howes is an award-winning Anishinaabe creator, artist and organizer from Fond Du Lac reservation and…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineJonathan Thunder: Finding Joy in Art and Life
In today’s episode, we welcome back Jonathan Thunder, who last appeared on Native Lights in 2021. Since then, the Red Lake Nation citizen and multidisciplinary…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineDan Ninham: Honoring Athletes and Indigenous Sports Traditions
In this episode, we speak with Dan Ninham, PhD, a retired physical education teacher and coach, co-founder of the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineBearPaw Shields: Leaving a Legacy for Future Generations
In this episode, we speak with BearPaw Shields from the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. She is a Saint Cloud State University alumna and is currently…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineAllison Waukau: Empowering Native Stories Through Community Service and Podcasting
In this episode, we speak with Allison Waukau (Menominee/Navajo), who serves as the Tribal Liaison and Native Relations Coordinator at the Metropolitan…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineDr. Amber Annis: Rebuilding Community with the Native Governance Center
In this episode, we hear from Dr. Amber Annis about the joys and challenges of rebuilding community and finding your voice as a leader. Dr. Amber Annis is a…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineDeven Current: Healing Through the Art of Tattooing
In this episode, we hear from Deven Current about tattooing, sports and the importance of sobriety, family and faith. Deven is an Ojibwe tattoo artist, who…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineKorina Barry: Leading from abundance with NDN Collective
In this episode we hear from Korina Barry on her work with NDN Collective and the campaign to free Leonard Peltier, in addition to reflections on her roles as…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineAllison Herrera, Indigenous Affairs Journalist and author of Tribal Justice: The Struggle for Black Rights on Native Land
In this episode, we talk with Indigenous Affairs journalist and author Allison Herrera. Allison’s indigenous ties are from her Xolon Salinan tribal heritage…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineMattie Harper DeCarlo on Making Change in Indian Country Through Philanthropy
In this episode, we talk with grantmaking officer and former educator and historian Mattie Harper DeCarlo, PhD. Mattie, a Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe citizen who…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineFrom Children’s Books to Murals: Moira Villiard on Examining and Bridging Disconnection Through Art
In this episode, we talk with artist, public speaker, and community organizer Moira Villiard. Moira, a Twin Cities-based visual artist and Fond Du Lac direct…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineThe Gift of Listening: Colleen Baldrica on writing, being guided, and mentoring others
In this episode, we chat with author and retired school counselor Colleen Baldrica. Colleen, a White Earth Nation citizen, authored the book Tree Spirited…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineIndigenous lifeways as solutions: Wakinyan LaPointe on staying grounded in the cultural teachings of song and the intelligence of Indigenous youth activists
In this episode, we chat with human rights advocate, singer, storyteller, and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities American Studies doctoral student Wakinyan…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineBuilding bridges through story: Ajuawak Kapashesit on playing with genre, the power of story, and making action figure movies as a kid
In this episode, we sit down with Minneapolis-based actor, writer, and director Ajuawak Kapashesit. Ajuawak, who is Ojibwe, Cree, and Jewish, grew up in…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineMaking Books Accessible: Talia Miracle and Little Free Library
In this episode, we’re joined by Talia Miracle, an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Tribe of Winnebago and Program Manager at the Little Free Library. Talia…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineFrom Lattes to Legacy: The Grand Opening of MiigWitches Brew
In this episode, we sit down with Jackson Ripley, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, enrolled at the Fort Berthold Reservation. Jackson…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineCreating Representation: Nicholas DeShaw’s Path in Fiction and Storytelling
In this episode, we sit down with Nicholas Bimibatoo Mishtadim DeShaw, an Ojibwe author, father, and educator. Nicholas masterfully blends his Indigenous…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineStitch by Stitch: Janice LaFloe’s Journey of Indigenizing Montessori Education
In this episode, we speak with Janice LaFloe, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Executive Director of the Montessori American Indian…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineGatherings Café: Vernon DeFoe on Indigenous Dishes and Food Sovereignty
In this episode of Native Lights, we sit down with Vernon DeFoe, the Executive Chef at the Gatherings Café located inside the Minneapolis American Indian…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineGold, Linoleum, and Fire: Inside the Mind of Gordon Coons
In this episode of Native Lights, we sit down with Gordon Coons, a talented painter, print maker and fumage artist who is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineArt, Identity, and Alternate Worlds: A Conversation with Pono Asuncion
In today’s episode, we speak with Pono Asuncion, an interdisciplinary artist, storyteller, illustrator, and culture bearer. Drawing inspiration from childhood…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineEmpowering Educators: The Midwest Indigenous Immersion Network
In this episode, we welcome Gimiwan Dustin Burnette, the Executive Director of the Midwest Indigenous Immersion Network, a dynamic nonprofit organization…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineBeyond the Headlines: David Cournoyer on Authentic Storytelling
In this enlightening episode, we sit down with David Cournoyer, a seasoned journalist and communications expert with over three decades of experience. We delve…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineReflection and Roots: Leah & Cole’s Journey with Native Lights
In this special episode, siblings and co-hosts Leah and Cole take a moment to turn the mic on themselves. Join us as they share an intimate conversation about…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineKaren Diver: Championing Indigenous Excellence
In this compelling episode, we welcome Karen Diver. Karen speaks on her rich background in leadership and advocacy work. We discuss some of her goals and the…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineBrandon Baity: Executive Director of the Indigenous Association
Brandon Baity is Anishinaabe and a descendant of the White Earth Nation. He grew up in Brooklyn Park, MN and currently lives in Moorhead, MN with his 3…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineBryce Premo: Exploring Social Work Frontiers
Bryce Premo is a Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe citizen and brother of Native Lights hosts Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Bryce on the cusp of an exciting transition in…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineRuth Buffalo: Empowering Indigenous Communities as the new CEO of MIWRC
Ruth Buffalo is a citizen of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation and a descendant of the Chiricahua Apache. She has served on advisory councils focused on…
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices ShineWillard Malebear Jr.: Forging Positive Impacts for Community Through Tattoos, Non-profits, and Resilience
Willard Malebear Jr. is a Lakota artist who is the CEO and owner of Unified Theory Collective, he is also the Executive Chairman of Art Shelf. Both…