Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine

Today Leah and Cole chat with Audrianna Goodwin, a Red Lake Nation citizen and part of the core research team for the TRUTH Project where she has been appointed tribal research fellow for Red Lake Nation. Audrianna shares her outlook as a ‘dreamer’ and how family and community helped her along her path. She explains her TRUTH Project research that examines medical research done to Red Lake childre...

Today Misty Blue, White Earth Nation citizen and Tribal coordinator of the TRUTH Project, chats with Leah and Cole about some of the TRUTH report’s findings, the importance of Indigenous-led research, and what the TRUTH project recommends the UMN do to take steps toward healing.    The Towards Recognition and University-Tribal Healing (TRUTH) project has released a report detailing the “persistent...

Today Leah and Cole chat with Gerilyn Lopez, a member of the White Earth Nation. Gerilyn works as a weatherization auditor and inspector at MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership. She connects low incomes families to energy-efficient practices and materials in Northern Minnesota. In addition, she is an advocate for women and diverse communities getting into the clean energy and home improvement...

Today we’re chatting with Alicia Smith, Alicia is Yupik from Pitkas Point Village in Alaska, and is the Deputy Director of the Economic Assistance and Employment Support Division at the MN Dept of Human Services. After working as an American Indian advisor for the state, she now oversees the state’s anti-poverty support programs that include food stamps, food banks, shelters, and community action...

Today Leah and Cole speak with Wayne Somes, a citizen of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Wayne shares how his passions for family, early childhood development, and Ojibwemowin have led him along a path to Northern Minnesota.    Wayne is also the Tribal Liaison for MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership, a community support non-profit serving Mahnomen, Hubbard, Becker, Otter Tail a...

Today we’re speaking with artist Thomasina “Tomie” TopBear. She is a self-taught artist, muralist, published illustrator and organizer from the Oglala Lakota & Santee Dakota Nations. She specializes in large-scale murals; her work can be seen on the sides of buildings throughout the Twin Cities and the country. Cole talks with her about City Mischief Murals, which she co-founded. It’s an all I...

Leah and Cole chat with Tabitha Chilton, a White Earth Nation member who serves as Sanford Health’s Native American patient advocate in Bemidji, Minnesota. Tabitha’s focus on outpatient care at the Joe Lueken Cancer Center helps Native communities access healthcare throughout Northern Minnesota. She works with Tribal communities to help build trust and understanding in the healthcare system and em...

Today Leah and Cole chat with Jewell Arcoren (Sisseton Wahpeton Nation). Jewell is a community activist and the Executive Director for Wicoie Nandagikendan, an Ojibwe and Dakota language immersion preschool in Minneapolis. There, she pursues her commitments to early childhood education, language revitalization and addressing intergenerational historical trauma. Jewell talks about how cultural inte...

Today is a special episode of Native Lights. We have two guests! Sasheen Goslin and Deanna Reder from the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) in Duluth. They are two members of the small team at AICHO that is dedicated to all aspects of wellness for the Indigenous communities in Duluth.  Sasheen (Prairie Band Potawatomi, Red Cliff Ojibwe and Kickapoo) is the Indigenous Health Co...

Today we chat with Annie Humphrey (Leech Lake Ojibwe). She’s an Anishinaabekwe mother, grandmother, and an award-winning musician who’s been a presence on the music scene for decades. We have a wide-ranging conversation with Annie that highlights her wisdom, her path to music, her care for her family and empathy for community. Annie talks about her latest album Eat What You Kill, building a hemp h...

Today we chat with LeAnn Littlewolf, a Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and co-Executive Director for the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) in Duluth. AICHO’s community informed programs aim to create a stronger, healthier, more stable Native community in Duluth.  As co-Executive Director, LeAnn brings three decades of experience in community leadership and advocacy, cultural...

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.   Rebekah Fineday’s Gift for Building Trust in Healthcare Systems & Nativ...

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine 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.     Levi Brown’s Gift for Buildi...

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. Elaine Fleming: Celebrating and Sharing the Culture of Leech Lake Today Leah...

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine 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.   Amber Annis: Nurturing & P...

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine 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.   Jada Brown: Expression and Aff...

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.     Karen Jo...

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. Jessica Glid...

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.   Derek Nich...

Today Leah and Cole chat with Heather Friedli, a contemporary impressionist oil painter. Heather creates vivid landscapes inspired by her family’s Native American and Mexican heritages and her time exploring the natural world. In addition to painting, Heather is also a professional snow sculptor and recently appeared in Disney’s Best In Snow sculpting competition. She shares about her family, pain...

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.   Today Leah...

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. Susie Ballot...

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. Duane Goodwin: Expressing Culture Through Sculpture   Today Leah shares her c...

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.     Elizabet...

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.     Tamee Li...