This MPR audio collection highlights five important contemporary Native Americans voices of this region. Each has had a unique and profound impact on the land and its people.
· Winona LaDuke on the environment, politics, and health
· Jim Northrup on writing, war, and Indian rights
· Clyde Bellecourt on Indian rights, social justice, and AIM
· Louise Erdrich on bringing Native American characters to the forefront in literature
· Peggy Flanagan on social issues, poverty, and politics
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.
February 8, 1991 - MPR’s Catherine Winter reports on opening of Elaine M. Stately Peacemaker Center in Minneapolis. The center is designed as a safe place for Native American and other neighborhood youth to gather. Segment includes speech by Clyde Bellecourt, a founder of center.
November 20, 1991 - MPR’s Bill Wareham reports on debate over use of sports teams using American Indian inspired nicknames, symbols, and mascots. Segment includes comments from differing viewpoints.
June 15, 1992 - MPR’s Stephen Smith reports on a mediation program focused specifically for Native Americans in Minnesota. The mediation panel consists of twelve 11 Elders trained to assist with courtroom alternative. Several local Indian organizations banded together to create the council.
April 26, 1993 - MPR’s Leif Enger reports from Mille Lacs Lake on Anishinaabe Liberation Front preparing to spear in violation of state law. Report includes numerous interviews, including Ojibwe writer Jim Northrup, who participates in traditional spearing.
May 8, 1993 - A reading from Native American author Louise Erdrich’s book "The Blue Jay's Dance: A Birth Year." Book is a meditation on the experience of motherhood - the first nonfiction work by Erdrich.
July 9, 1993 - MPR’s Liz Hannon interviews author Jim Northrup about his book, "Walking the Rez Road." Northup also speaks about oral tradition and the Vietnam War.
October 2, 1993 - A reading of Louise Erdrich's meditation “The Veils," an essay on the literal and figurative symbols of veils for women.
December 15, 1993 - MPR’s Mary Losure reports trunk transport incident and creation of Civilian Police Review Authority (CRA). Segment includes numerous interviews.
January 31, 1994 - MPR’s Paula Schroeder interviews Native American author Louise Erdrich about her novel "The Bingo Palace." Erdrich talks of the complexity of gaming on tribal land.
April 12, 1994 - Native American environmentalist and writer Winona LaDuke speaks at the Woman's Club of Minneapolis on the difference between indigenous and industrial ways of thinking. She also discusses feminism, environmental racism and broken treaties.