Hóčhoka Podcast

A simple ash-wood bow. A willow arrow. What can these two things teach us about life? Listen as Joseph Marshall III unpacks the power and beauty of lessons from the bow and arrow in a three-part series, here on Hóčhoka.

The Sundance and the Paschal Mysteries – the great, annual religious ceremonies of the Lakota and Christian traditions. Let’s talk about their surprising similarities and very important differences as Dr. Damian Costello provides another fresh perspective.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Today we ask this question to a mostly grown-up audience. Why? Because, no matter what you do, Sr. Cathy Bertrand wants you to know you matter, it matters and even the smallest act or word of kindness you offer in this world makes a difference. Think about it.

What happens when a jaded adolescent living in Roman luxury and urban pretension finds himself transplanted to a tribal society with deep connections to the land? What lessons does his story contain for us? Listen and enjoy the beauty of the Deer's Cry.

When average Americans think about St. Patrick, they likely conjure up images of parades, shamrocks and green beer. “There is much more to this legendary guy,” says Dr. Damian Costello. As Patrick’s feast day is near, we share a two-part series on this fabled saint and the important lessons his life holds about human nature and ultimate meaning.

Prosetelize. Evangelize. Catechize. Supporting the spiritual dimension of life with children and adolescents in residential care is difficult to get right. Join our conversation with Michelle Maikoetter of Cal Farley’s to talk about lessons her organization has learned along the way.

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men,” says today’s guest quoting Frederick Douglass, who 200 years later continues to inspire social workers and human rights activists worldwide. Our guest is Milton Hershey's A.J. Rinaldi, a man committed to building strong children, particularly by being better youth workers. Let’s get to know him.

It’s been eleven months since we asked the question, “What happens when a high school senior interviews a residential school administrator?” We found out in Season 3, and we're here again today to find out what happens when Basic Eagle Star and Sean Milner meet again almost one year later.

What goes on in 615 days in the life of the Provincial Superior of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in the United States? Roughly half-way through his three-year term, Fr. Vien Nguyen is here to give us an up close and personal account.

Did you know that of the 2,336 characters on 345 of the most popular TV shows airing between 1987 and 2007, only three were Native American? Sixty-two percent of non-Native Americans report  not knowing a single one  of the over  five million  Native people in the U.S.,  70% of whom live in urban areas. And then, there is the issue of stereotypes. What if well-known and gifted storyteller Joseph M...

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands.” So begins Psalm 19. “We sell our ancestral traditions short if we don’t delve deeper into what that means,” says Dr. Damian Costello as he brings us another fresh perspective on Catholicism through an Indigenous lens.

Hóčhoka podcast returns to the airwaves this January with Season 5, offering 16 more episodes that engage audiences in the conversation about Native American education today. Dr. Damian Costello joins us again to provide fresh perspectives on Catholicism through and indigenous lens. We hear what Fr. Vien Nguyen says on the half-way mark as Superior Provincial of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. We...

A scallop shell, a walking stick and a young woman from Nebraska – let’s find out what this is all about. Today we are talking with Religious Studies Teacher Kim Schneider. This was a summer of pilgrimage for Kim, and we invited her here to share her experiences with us.

Few things are more arresting that the smell of burning sweetgrass, according to Dr. Damian Costello. He says re-connecting with this relative, which some people call the hair of Mother Earth, can help re-indigenize our faith and heal wounds that affect our planet. Learn the promise and the lesson of this humble plant.

Someone you know has gone missing. What should you do? Allison Morrisette, South Dakota’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Coordinator, and Mary Beth Holzwarth, Human Trafficking Coordinator, discuss their new roles and educate us about human trafficking and missing and murdered indigenous persons.

What would the many missing and murdered indigenous persons tell us if their voices could be heard? Lily Mendoza explains what indigenous families need to know to create a preventive environment against this scourge that has robbed her culture of so many of her sisters.

What is a red ribbon skirt, and what is its special meaning? Today's guest is Lily Mendoza, cherished Lakota uŋčí and founder of the Red Ribbon Skirt Society, a grassroots collective dedicated to confronting the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous persons. Learn about the issue and the society’s work to confront and heal.

Bridging our conversation between Native American Literature and the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, join our conversation with Joseph Marshall III. Learn about his new novel, “Sing for the Red Dress,” and how he hopes it will impact the MMIP landscape.

You may think of storytelling as an art, but current scientific research tells us what great storytellers have known for ages: storytelling is a superpower. Join us as award winning author Joseph Marshall III coaches us on the wisdom of good Lakota storytelling technique.

“I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Or Oklahoma. Or New Hampshire. Hear what two interns from the University of Notre Dame have to say about hitting the open roads of South Dakota as volunteers on St. Joseph’s Indian School’s bookmobile.

According to a proverb, "Those who tell the stories rule the world." Storytelling transmits culture, teaches, and heals. For Native Americans, its power survived generations despite attempts at repression. Lily Mendoza, bookseller, explains through the lens of three Lakota poets. Be sure enter the drawing for a copy of Joy Harjo’s beautifully illustrated “Remember.”

When Damian Costello thinks of the Lakota way, many sacred items come to mind. The Sun Dance tree. The čhaŋnúŋpa, or sacred pipe. The drum. The prayer tie. And the rosary. Dr. Damian Costello joins us to talk about that most Catholic of prayers, the rosary, understood as a Lakota way. October is dedicated to the Rosary.

“What defines us is our place in the environment that we live in and how we express ourselves in it,” says visiting artist Michele David Mechling. Learn about her journey as an artist and the joy she finds sharing art with the students of St. Joseph’s Indian School.

It has been said that "Our first task in approaching another people, another culture, another religion is to take off our shoes, for the place we are approaching is holy.” Fr. Vien Nguyen unpacks the meaning of intentional intercultural living for those who founded our school towards the end of the boarding school era and for the world's future.

From Vietnamese boat person to Provincial Superior – let’s get to know Fr. Vien Nguyen, Provincial Superior of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, founders of St. Joseph’s Indian School. Learn his favorite musical choice and why he likes the prophet, Amos.