Best Native American Podcasts (2025)

1
Stephanie Schmidt, "Child Martyrs and Militant Evangelization in New Spain: Missionary Narratives, Nahua Perspectives" (U Texas Press, 2025) 51:20

1d ago51:20

51:20

A cornerstone of the evangelization of early New Spain was the conversion of Nahua boys, especially the children of elites. They were to be emissaries between Nahua society and foreign missionaries, hastening the transmission of the gospel. Under the tutelage of Franciscan friars, the boys also learned to act with militant zeal. They sermonized and…

1
William Kiser, "The Business of Killing Indians: Scalp Warfare and the Violent Conquest of North America" (Yale UP, 2025) 1:06:55

13d ago1:06:55

1:06:55

In Cormac McCarthy's 1985 Western, Blood Meridian, the story follows infamous scalp hunter John Joel Glanton through the Mexican borderlands in the mid-19th century. How much of this story is myth, and how much history, asks Texas A&M-San Antonio history professor William Kiser. In his new book, The Business of Killing Indians: Scalp Warfare and th…

1
The power of a 70-year-old friendship centre movement 54:09

13d ago54:09

54:09

Every week a group of elders gather at a Friendship Centre in St. John’s. They first came here several decades ago looking for connection – and they continue to find it, while also offering cultural supports to all who visit. This week Rosanna hears from people with a long relationship with friendship centres who describe the evolution of a cultura…

1
Enrique C. Ochoa, "México Between Feast and Famine: Food, Corporate Power, and Inequality" (U Arizona Press, 2025) 1:10:28

19d ago1:10:28

1:10:28

As the birthplace of maize and a celebrated culinary destination, Mexico stands at the crossroads of gastronomic richness and stark social disparities. In México Between Feast and Famine: Food, Corporate Power, and Inequality (University of Arizona Press, 2025), Dr. Enrique C. Ochoa unveils the historical and contemporary forces behind Mexico’s pol…

1
David A. Robertson on living with mental health's little monsters 54:09

21d ago54:09

54:09

For David A. Robertson, anxiety and depression are some of the little monsters he’s learning to live with. He sits down with Rosanna to share how his latest book All the Little Monsters: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety has been helping him to heal, build community and break the silence around mental health struggles.…

1
Martha A. Sandweiss, "The Girl in the Middle: A Recovered History of the American West" (Princeton UP, 2025) 51:55

23d ago51:55

51:55

A haunting image of an unnamed Native child and a recovered story of the American West In 1868, celebrated Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner traveled to Fort Laramie to document the federal government’s treaty negotiations with the Lakota and other tribes of the northern plains. Gardner, known for his iconic portrait of Abraham Lincoln and h…

1
Daniel Coleman, "Grandfather of the Treaties: Finding Our Future Through the Wampum Covenant" (Wolsak & Wynn, 2024) 40:11

27d ago40:11

40:11

Grandfather of the Treaties: Finding our Future Through the Wampum Covenant (Wolsak & Wynn, 2025) by Daniel Coleman is an essential read for Canadians looking to understand our nation’s complicated history. In this ambiance episode host Hollay Ghadery talks to Daniel as well as Indigenous artist, writer, and historian Rick Hill about wampum, early …

1
Canada Votes: How Indigenous people are finding power in the process 51:33

27d ago51:33

51:33

Andrea Landry says she’s Anishinaabe, not Canadian, and that’s why she won’t be voting in the Canadian election. Today Rosanna sits down with three activists and political advocates who are using their voices to push for change. For some it means voting and holding candidates to account. For others, there is more power in focusing their energy on f…

1
Sacred Seven: The Bear and its lessons on Courage 50:21

1M ago50:21

50:21

The Great Bear Rainforest is the only place you’ll find the Spirit Bear – a courageous protector of that land. Rosanna hears from a “Spirit Bear Whisperer” on how the rare species is using its tough love to change the hearts and minds of those who visit the territory. Join us for stories and lessons from our bear relatives in the latest edition of …

1
Andrew Canessa and Manuela Lavinas Picq, "Savages and Citizens: How Indigeneity Shapes the State" (U Arizona Press, 2025) 1:01:11

1M ago1:01:11

1:01:11

Although Indigenous peoples are often perceived as standing outside political modernity, Savages and Citizens: How Indigeneity Shapes the State (University of Arizona Press, 2025) by Dr. Andrew Canessa & Dr. Manuela Lavinas Picq takes the provocative view that Indigenous people have been fundamental to how contemporary state sovereignty was imagine…

1
Springtime traditions and teachings, from the land 54:09

1M ago54:09

54:09

Spring is here and the warmer weather welcomes us out to the land to learn and pass along traditions from tanning hides in Whitehorse to harvesting maple sap in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario. Guest host Falen Johnson hears from communities all across Turtle Island, who are getting their first glimpse at a changing season and preparing for …

1
Three Juno nominees on the role of family in their music 51:05

2M ago51:05

51:05

A recording of her mother’s ECG heartbeat leads Kym Gouchie’s song “Heartbeat” off her Juno nominated children’s album. It’s a nod to her Secwépemc ancestors. This week Rosanna speaks with three Juno nominees who credit their success to a history of music and storytelling passed down through their families.…

1
Changing the conversation around menstruation 50:19

2M ago50:19

50:19

From berry fasts to the Flower Dance, Indigenous communities are returning to ceremony and teachings that honour a menstruator’s Moon Time. Rosanna hears from three women who are changing the conversation around menstruation from what is often talked about as “dirty” or “shameful” to something sacred. It is a time of rejuvenation, selfcare and cele…

1
Andrew C. Isenberg, "The Age of the Borderlands: Indians, Slaves, and the Limits of Manifest Destiny, 1790-1850" (UNC Press, 2025) 1:07:40

2M ago1:07:40

1:07:40

Most US history textbooks contain a familiar map: shaded colors stretch across North America, clearly and neatly demarcating the extent of US expansion from 1776 thru the late nineteenth century. In The Age of the Borderlands: Indians, Slaves, and the Limites of Manifest Destiny (UNC Press, 2025), University of Kansas distinguished historian Andrew…

1
Shrinking sea ice and the Inuit response to a climate crisis 54:08

2M ago54:08

54:08

Along the northern coast of Labrador there are holes in the ice where Inuit could once travel freely and access the things they need to survive. A warming planet means sea ice is disappearing and Inuit are grappling with dramatic impacts on their way of life. Rosanna speaks with elders and researchers on the significance of ice in the North and how…

1
Benjamin Heber Johnson, "Texas: An American History" (Yale UP, 2025) 1:10:21

2M ago1:10:21

1:10:21

There's more to Texas than hats, oil, and BBQ, writes Benjamin Johnson in his sweeping new synthesis, Texas: An American History (Yale UP: 2025) - though, those all matter too. The state's reach has traveled globally, Johnson argues, influencing everything from how people around the world eat, to how they pray, to the music they listen to. In his n…

1
Storytelling on stolen land: Indigenous eyes on Canadian politics, Pt 2 (ep 359) 49:38

2M ago49:38

49:38

On this episode: the back half of the all-Indigenous panel MI host/producer Rick Harp moderated at “Reimagining Political Journalism: Perils, Possibilities & What Comes Next”—convened last November by Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication in Ottawa—in which the audience joins in with their thoughts and questions for our all-s…

1
Creating safe spaces in unexpected places 49:19

3M ago49:19

49:19

Whether it’s inside a mall in downtown Winnipeg or on a farm beneath Toronto’s hydro lines, Indigenous helpers are creating safe community spaces that offer care, knowledge and connection. Rosanna speaks to three of these helpers who are transforming these unexpected places.

1
Stephanie M. Pridgeon, "Absorption Narratives: Jewishness, Blackness, and Indigeneity in the Cultural Imaginary of the Americas" (U Toronto Press, 2025) 57:12

3M ago57:12

57:12

In Absorption Narratives: Jewishness, Blackness, and Indigeneity in the Cultural Imaginary of the Americas (U Toronto Press, 2025), Stephanie M. Pridgeon explores cultural depictions of Jewishness, Blackness, and Indigeneity within a comparative, inter-American framework. The dynamics of Jewishness interacting with other racial categories differ si…

1
Balancing our lives with Indigenous wellness practices 51:01

3M ago51:01

51:01

Indigenous wellness experts are changing the way we think about health and beauty, challenging us to look beyond ourselves and ditch the shame. Try adding a cup of nettle tea to your day, dedicating a workout to a family member or playing a game with an elder. Rosanna speaks with three women approaching wellness in new ways, guided by Indigenous kn…

1
Magnus Course, "Three Ways to Fail: Journeys Through Mapuche Chile" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024) 1:16:52

3M ago1:16:52

1:16:52

An ethnographic exploration of anthropological failures through the Mapuche archetypes of witch, clown, and usurper, Three Ways to Fail: Journeys Through Mapuche Chile (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024) invites readers to consider concepts of failure, knowing, and being in the world within a rural Mapuche community. How do we learn what failure looks lik…

1
Forging culture, history and land into Indigenous jewellery 49:09

3M ago49:09

49:09

Have you ever heard of ammolite? It’s a rare gemstone made of fossilized ammonite shells that can be found in Canada’s Rockies. The stone is processed by lapidary artists like Bert Tallman, who cut, shape, sand and shine it up to be set in silver or gold jewellery. Rosanna speaks with jewellery makers who are creating wearable art inspired by cultu…

1
67 Indigenous Languages 40:07

3M ago40:07

40:07

Join Andrew as he channels his inner word-nerd and talks about how the vocabularies of Native languages influenced English. He also discuses the characteristics of the "Iroquoian Languages", what they are like and how people are striving to save them after hundreds of years of efforts to eradicate them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo…

1
Harnessing the power of children’s programming 50:30

3M ago50:30

50:30

Mahsi’ choo means “thank you” in the Gwich’in language. It’s one of hundreds of Gwich’in words that are being brought into homes around the world through Molly of Denali. Rosanna speaks with creators who know the power of educational programming and are using it to share important teachings from an Indigenous perspective to the next generation.…

1
Edward Westermann, "Hitler's Ostkrieg and the Indian Wars: Comparing Genocide and Conquest" (U Oklahoma Press, 2016) 1:37:38

3M ago1:37:38

1:37:38

As he prepared to wage his war of annihilation on the Eastern Front, Adolf Hitler repeatedly drew parallels between the Nazi quest for Lebensraum, or living space, in Eastern Europe and the United States's westward expansion under the banner of Manifest Destiny. The peoples of Eastern Europe were, he said, his "redskins," and for his colonial fanta…

1
Storytelling on stolen land: Indigenous eyes on Canadian politics, Pt 1 (ep 358) 37:02

3M ago37:02

37:02

On this episode: Reimagining Political Journalism, the title of a three-day November 2024 event at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication in Ottawa, it included a formidable panel of Indigenous practitioners, moderated by MI’s own Rick Harp! Sub-titled “Perils, Possibilities & What Comes Next,” our all-Indigenous panel delved …

1
Horses as healers 37:03

3M ago37:03

37:03

A horse’s movements can stimulate 300 of our own muscles at once, just by us sitting in a saddle. It’s one of the reasons these animals make incredible physical therapists for those with mobility challenges – but their power encompasses the emotional and spiritual parts of our health as well. Rosanna hears from two women who have built their ranche…

1
Kathleen Lippa, "Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada's North" (Dundurn, 2025) 1:01:27

4M ago1:01:27

1:01:27

After years of research, journalist Kathleen Lippa has written about the shocking crimes of a trusted teacher who wrought lasting damage on Inuit communities: Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North (Dundurn Press, February 2025). In the 1970s, a young schoolteacher from British Columbia was becoming the darli…

1
Andrew Laird, "Aztec Latin: Renaissance Learning and Nahuatl Traditions in Early Colonial Mexico" (Oxford UP, 2024) 43:45

4M ago43:45

43:45

Andrew Laird, of Brown University, discusses Aztec Latin: Renaissance Learning and Nahuatl Traditions in Early Colonial Mexico (Oxford University Press, 2024). In 1536, only fifteen years after the fall of the Aztec empire, Franciscan missionaries began teaching Latin, classical rhetoric, and Aristotelian philosophy to native youths in central Mexi…

1
Victor M. Valle, "The Poetics of Fire: Metaphors of Chile Eating in the Borderlands" (U New Mexico Press, 2023) 1:21:25

4M ago1:21:25

1:21:25

Chile is more than just spice, writes Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and Cal Poly Ethnic Studies professor Victor Valle in The Poetics of Fire: Metaphors of Chile Eating in the Borderlands (U New Mexico Press, 2023). By tracing the meaning of chile as a plant and chile eating as an act. Valle shows how Indigenous cultivation and culinary practic…

1
Julian Taylor’s music explores all parts of his Black and Mohawk identity 44:48

4M ago44:48

44:48

“Not Black enough to be Black, not red enough to be red,” Julian Taylor’s music hasn’t always leaned into all parts of the singer’s Black and Mohawk identity. Rosanna sits down with Julian and his lifelong friend (and drummer) to talk about race, identity and the power of friendship as they make music out of it all.…

1
Robert Wright, "Indigenous Autonomy at La Junta de Los Rios: Traders, Allies, and Migrants on New Spain's Northern Frontier" (Texas Tech UP, 2023) 51:05

4M ago51:05

51:05

Today I talked to Robert Wright about Indigenous Autonomy at La Junta de Los Rios: Traders, Allies, and Migrants on New Spain's Northern Frontier (Texas Tech UP, 2023). The Indigenous nations of the valley of the Rio Grande that is now centered upon Ojinaga, Chihuahua, and Presidio, Texas―the La Junta valley in colonial times―had a long and unique …

1
Susan A. Brewer, "The Best Land: Four Hundred Years of Love and Betrayal on Oneida Territory" (Three Hills, 2024) 59:40

4M ago59:40

59:40

In Dr. Susan A. Brewer's fascinating The Best Land: Four Hundred Years of Love and Betrayal on Oneida Territory (Cornell University Press, 2024), she recounts the story of the parcel of central New York land on which she grew up. Brewer and her family had worked and lived on this land for generations when the Oneida Indians claimed that it rightful…

1
Next Generation of Climate Warriors 54:09

4M ago54:09

54:09

A big pipe shoots constant fire and thick smoke into the sky above Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Ontario. As a child, Beze Grey thought clouds were made in their backyard because of those flares and smokestacks. A decade later and they’re part of a group of youth taking the government to court over its failure to protect the environment around them. …

1
Alex Cuadros, "When We Sold God's Eye: Diamonds, Murder, and a Clash of Worlds in the Amazon" (Grand Central Publishing, 2024) 29:10

4M ago29:10

29:10

Growing up in a remote corner of the world’s largest rainforest, Pio, Maria, and Oita learned to hunt wild pigs and tapirs, and gathered Brazil nuts and açaí berries from centuries-old trees. The first highway pierced through in 1960. Ranchers, loggers, and prospectors invaded, and the kids lost their families to terrible new weapons and diseases. …

1
Dean Itsuji Saranillio, "Unsustainable Empire: Alternative Histories of Hawai‘i Statehood" (Duke UP, 2018) 1:18:48

4M ago1:18:48

1:18:48

In Unsustainable Empire: Alternative Histories of Hawai‘i Statehood (Duke University Press, 2018), Dean Itsuji Saranillio offers a bold challenge to conventional understandings of Hawai‘i’s admission as a U.S. state. Hawai‘i statehood is popularly remembered as a civil rights victory against racist claims that Hawai‘i was undeserving of statehood b…

1
Willie Doyeto (Kiowa) Part 2

4M ago

—

"I guess it was in June - the first part of June of 1963 that I couldn't take it anymore. My body couldn't take what I was doing - what I was putting into my body. And I realized that I had to quit or something was going to happen." Find out what Willie did that made all the difference in his life.

1
Bringing Community to the Screen 51:50

4M ago51:50

51:50

Canada’s Arctic was the only place the new comedy series North of North could be shot – because there’s no other way to capture the humour, culture and modernity of the people there. Rosanna speaks to four creators behind two new productions that put community at the centre of their storytelling. The documentary New Blood takes us into Blackfoot Te…

1
Happy Holidays Everyone 3:01

4M ago3:01

3:01

Wishing everyone a happy new year! Looking forward to sharing news, stories, Political analysis, interviews, and more from Indian Country in 2025! Please be safe! -The Native Opinion Team http://www.nativeopinion.comBy Native Opinion Incorporated

1
Willie Doyeto (Kiowa) Part 1

4M ago

—

Willie grew up in Hobert, Oklahoma in a pastor's home. He recalls the Sunday gatherings at church along the river, how the ladies dressed... what they did. He tells how, as a boy, they chased tumbleweeds and hunted them as if they were buffalo. And he shares how he lost his older brother in a car accident because of bad choices.…

1
Episode 436 "AGAIN America?" 1:35:33

4M ago1:35:33

1:35:33

We take a closer look at President Biden's recent apology for the historical atrocities committed through Indian boarding schools, analyzing the substance of his remarks versus the expectations for actionable measures. We debate whether an apology alone suffices or if it requires a commitment to reparative actions, such as increased funding for men…

1
Mino-Bimaadiziwin: living the good life in 2025 49:52

4M ago49:52

49:52

How will you be bringing Mino-Bimaadiziwin into 2025? Four friends of the show gather to share gifts of poetry, song and wisdom – all to get us thinking about what it means to be “living the good life.” Whether you celebrate the solstice or a new calendar year, join Rosanna for a time of reflection, resolution and rejuvenation.…

1
Farina King, "Diné dóó Gáamalii: Navajo Latter-day Saint Experiences in the Twentieth Century" (UP of Kansas, 2023) 54:41

4M ago54:41

54:41

In this deeply personal account, University of Oklahoma associate professor of Native American Studies Dr. Farina King describes the history and present of Diné dóó Gáamalii, Navajo people who, in her words, "walk a Latter-day Saints pathway." The book, Diné dóó Gáamalii: Navajo Latter-day Saint Experiences in the Twentieth Century (UP of Kansas, 2…

1
Tom Claus (Mohawk) New Years Special

5M ago

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The Storyteller New Years Special with Tom Claus (Mohawk) New Years Eve is a very special time in the Claus family. It was on that night many years ago on the Six Nations reserve that the family gathered together around the radio and heard a message that would change their lives forever. Listen as Tom reflects on the significance of that day. This …

1
Linda M. Clemmons, "Unrepentant Dakota Woman: Angelique Renville & the Struggle for Indigenous Identity, 1845-1876" (SDHS Press, 2023) 57:25

5M ago57:25

57:25

For much of her life, Angelique Renville had decisions made for her. Where to live, who to live with, where to attend school, what to do with her land. That changed in 1863 when she made a plan and successfully hatched her plan to escape, living the end of her life on her own terms. This is the story Dr. Linda Clemmons tells in Unrepentant Dakota W…

1
Stephanie Rutherford, "Villain, Vermin, Icon, Kin: Wolves and the Making of Canada" (McGill-Queen's Press, 2022) 53:53

5M ago53:53

53:53

A wolf’s howl is felt in the body. Frightening and compelling, incomprehensible or entirely knowable, it is a sound that may be heard as threat or invitation but leaves no listener unaffected. Toothsome fiends, interfering pests, or creatures wild and free, wolves have been at the heart of Canada’s national story since long before Confederation. Vi…

1
Northern lights are our night sky guides 49:32

5M ago49:32

49:32

In Cree they are called wawataywin. In Inuktitut, atsaniq and in the Dene language, the northern lights are called ya’ke ngas. But don’t whistle at them, or you might attract unwanted attention out in the wilderness! Rosanna speaks with Indigenous people who are encouraging others to look at the Northern lights with a new perspective taking in less…

1
A Storyteller Christmas - The Gift of Jesus

5M ago

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Christmas is traditionally a time of gift-giving. Ever wonder why? Mark Custalow of the Mattaponi and Chickahominy tribes of Virginia shares the Christmas story - and reminds us that we celebrate this day because of the greatest gift ever given. What are you going to do with the gift of Jesus?

1
Hockey – as healing, history and hope 50:02

5M ago50:02

50:02

In many Indigenous communities hockey is a BIG deal! It teaches teamwork, leadership, and brings together family and fans. This week Rosanna speaks with Indigenous hockey fanatics and learns that the game has also been a beacon of healing and hope.

1
Susan Gaunt Stearns. "Empire of Commerce: The Closing of the Mississippi and the Opening of Atlantic Trade" (U Virginia Press, 2024) 1:03:20

5M ago1:03:20

1:03:20

Shortly after the ratification of the US Constitution in 1789, twenty-two-year-old Andrew Jackson pledged his allegiance to the king of Spain. Prior to the Louisiana Purchase, imperial control of the North American continent remained an open question. Spain controlled the Mississippi River, closing it to American trade in 1784, and western men on t…

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Native American Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen