In recognition of 2024 Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the MPR Archive Portal presents a curated sampling of varied stories, documentaries, arts, interviews, and reports on Native people, their culture, and history.
Please note: Most content related to this topic that is contemporary or created after 2005 can be found on our main content pages of MPR News, YourClassical MPR, The Current, APM Reports, and Marketplace.
September 7, 1998 - MPR's Tom Robertson reports from Bemidji, where It's harvest time for wild rice in Minnesota, and nowhere is the season more important than on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota. The reservation has more than 6,000 acres of wild rice beds within its boundaries.
May 31, 1999 - A PRI presentation of "The Mississippi River: A River of Song" by Smithsonian Productions. This program in series is titled “Land of Lakes and Immigrant Songs.”
June 22, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger reports that the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe are looking ahead at a future without gaming. Like many Indian tribes, the Mille Lacs Ojibwe got an enormous boost from gaming in the 1990s. Its two casinos brought in millions of dollars annually, and hundreds of new jobs. Now the Band is trying to broaden its economy.
July 22, 1999 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on the history of tribal government in Minnesota, and its potential changes.
March 24, 2000 - MPR’s Leif Enger presents various commentary from tribal members during treaty holiday celebration.
August 8, 2000 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman reports on a unique new Minneapolis bookstore.
August 21, 2000 - MPR’s Mike Edgerly talks with Native American writer James Welch, author of “The Heartsong of Charging Elk.” Welch discusses his book, culture, and Native American history. Welch also answers listener questions. Welch is well known for his previous works, including his book “Killing Custer.”
April 23, 2001 - As part of Mainstreet Radio series Broken Trust: Civil Rights in Indian Country, MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on the struggles of American Indians, with the voices of people who say their rights, and complaints, are ignored.
April 24, 2001 - As part of Mainstreet Radio series Broken Trust: Civil Rights in Indian Country, MPR’s Cara Hetland reports on decades of Native American civil rights complaints in South Dakota.
April 24, 2001 - As part of Mainstreet Radio series Broken Trust: Civil Rights in Indian Country, MPR’s Jeff Horwich reports that as a new generation of Indians comes of age, a long-standing genetic cut-off point for Indian people may be closely linked to the future of Indian nations and cultures.