MPR Archive presents a collection of varied Native topics in and around Minnesota. Stories include interviews, commentary, events, speeches, documentaries, and reports.
March 7, 1990 - MPR’s Euan Kerr profiles exhibit “Building Minnesota” at Walker Art Museum. The work was created by Native American sculptor Edgar Heap of Birds. Heap of Birds created 40 metal signs, which imitate the look and lettering of public street signs. On a white background, red letters bore “the names (in English and Dakota) of the 40 Dakota men, prisoners of war, who were hung by executive order for the role they played in the Dakota-U.S. conflicts of 1862 and 1865.”
May 14, 1990 - As part of a series on Bemidji race relations, Mainstreet Radio reporter Leif Enger looks at allegations of prejudice against Native Americans in Bemidji Police Department.
May 15, 1990 - As part of a series on Bemidji race relations, Mainstreet Radio reporter Leif Enger looks at the Bemidji Indian Employment Council, which helps Native Americans overcome job discrimination when looking for employment in the area.
May 16, 1990 - As part of a series on Bemidji race relations, Mainstreet Radio reporter Leif Enger looks at difficulties Native Americans face in finding housing.
May 17, 1990 - As part of a series on Bemidji race relations, Mainstreet Radio reporter Leif Enger focuses on Native American studies in the local school education curriculum.
May 18, 1990 - As part of a series on Bemidji race relations, Mainstreet Radio reporter Leif Enger talks with several individuals about how members of the Native American community and it’s supporters used a boycott to fight back against racism in the town of Bemidji.
May 29, 1990 - An MPR special documentary report titled, "Spearing on Lakes of Fire", narrated by Chris Tetlin. The report presents fishing debate over Chippewa Indian/U.S. Government treaty in northern Wisconsin. The controversy centers on walleyes, but there's much more at stake than fish.
August 28, 1990 - MPR’s Stephen Smith profiles Kevin Locke, a Hunkpapa Sioux who is trying to preserve the language and art of Lakota music. Locke is one of few Native American musicians to make a profession of performing traditional flute music. The Lakota did not use written words, so their songs were recorded only in memory. The composition of these songs was within the domain of a relatively small group of people, known as the Elk Dreamers.
September 14, 1990 - MPR’s Chris Tetlin profiles Maude Kegg, an Ojibwa storyteller, folk artist, and cultural interpreter. Kegg shares life memories and her concerns over Ojibwa language being lost in the coming generations.
September 27, 1990 - MPR’s Bruce MacDonald reports on re-burial ceremony at Mounds Park, where Native remains are being placed as part of the Private Cemeteries Act, which recognizes that ancestral remains deserve respect.