Joe is back with an update on season ..read more

Secretary Deb Haaland made history when she became the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. She is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th generation New Mexican. Secretary Haaland grew up in a military family; her father was a 30-year combat Marine who was awarded the Silver Star Medal for saving six lives in Vietnam, and her mother is a Navy veteran who served as a federal employee for 25 years at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. As a military child, she attended 13 public schools before graduating from Highland High School in Albuquerque. As a single mother, Secretary Haa ..read more

Chief Arvol Looking was born on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. His primary responsibility is serving as the 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe – a role he was given at the age of twelve making him the youngest pipe keeper in Lakota history. As keeper of the sacred Pipe he also serves as the spiritual leader to the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nation and advocates for the restoration of the Lakota Nation’s rights to the Black Hills—as guaranteed by the 1868 Laramie Treaty. He grew up in an era of religious suppression, where traditional Lakota ceremonies ..read more

Jewelry making has been a Reano family tradition for over a century. The Reano family legacy started with Jose Isidro Reano and Clara Lovato Reano. Janie Reano is proudly carrying on tradition. Clara introduced her to jewelry making by teaching her to cut olivella shells to create heishe beads. Then progressing to various stones and shells. Eventually, how to grind, sand and polish the beads. Years later, Janie would expand her skills under her Aunt Angie Owen. Learning the skills at creating mosaic jewelry. In 2016, Janie branched out at making her own style of jewelry. The influence of livin ..read more

Brandon Baity is the Interim Executive Director of the Indigenous Association in Fargo, ND. He is originally from the Twin Cities and moved to the area in 2018. He is a descendant of the White Earth Nation, where his Father and Grandmother grew up. Brandon received his undergraduate degree in social work from the College of Saint Scholastica. He is deeply committed to community organizing, art, music, and learning more about his Anishinaabe culture and language and providing opportunities for other Indigenous community members to learn or teach about their culture. He was a founding board memb ..read more

Cara Romero, born 1977 (Chemehuevi/ American) In a fine art photographic practice that blends documentary and commercial aesthetics, Cara Romero (Chemehuevi Indian Tribe) creates stories that draw from intertribal knowledge to expose the fissures and fusions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural memory, collective history, and futurity. Romero has held solo exhibitions in the US, UK, and Germany. Her recent group exhibitions include Our Selves: Photographs by Women Photographers at the Museum of Modern Art and Water Memories at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2022). Her public art projects ..read more

Monica Rickert-Bolter is a Chicago-based visual artist of Potawatomi and Black heritage. Her artwork uses traditional mediums, such as charcoal and pastels, graphic design, and digital coloring to create expressive characters and tell diverse stories. After her undergrad, Monica became involved with Native nonprofits, combining her love of art and education to develop youth programs and resources, including illustrating children’s books. She advocates for cultural representation and serves as a consultant for various institutions and organizations. Monica is a co-founder and the Director of Op ..read more

Cray Bauxmont-Flynn is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and Delaware Tribe of Indians, with ancestral ties to the Wyandotte, Mohawk, Muscogee Creek, and Chickasaw tribes. He currently serves as the Interim Executive Director of the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, where he has been involved as a Board member and recently as Vice-President.   In addition to his involvement in the arts, Cray runs his own interior design firm “Amatoya” and launched his own furniture collection inspired by his Native American heritage and culture, five years ago. In addition - Cray is also host of two pod ..read more

Contemporary Native American artist Kent Estey is an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe in Northwestern Minnesota. Kent’s lineage includes many self-taught artists where black-ash basketry, beading, birch-bark, and fiber artistry were everyday occurrences in his home. Kent’s preferred art form is painting with oils, acrylics, and inks. His paintings reflect feelings and emotions through his use of color and movement on the canvas. Kent says, “a lot of the time, the art happens by listening to my feelings. The colors, movement, and elements fall into place, creating something b ..read more

This year 5 Scary Questions returns with stories from Kevin Pourier, Tina Tavera, Jeffrey Gibson, Princess Johnson, Candace Stock, Jonathon Thunder, Kalyan Fay Barnoski, Anita Fields, Erin Shaw, Orlando Dugi, Roman Zaragoza, Tom Jones II, Wendy Red Star, Tai LaClaire, Bobby Wilson, Dr. Hollie Mackey, Avis Charley, Janie Reano, Michaela Shirley, John Hitchcock, Cray Bauxmont-Flynn, Debra Yepa Pappan, John Isiah Ppepion, Whitney Johnson, Arik Williams, and Melanie Yazzie ..read more